Breast cancer, sexual assault told through flashbacks to the attack, a murderous sadistic sexual assault club (the equipment for the torture is briefly described and you are told about some of the injuries, but nothing extremely graphic), dead bodies, on-page fighting and injuries.
It has been two long years since the publication of the first book in this series. I wrote rapturously about the first installment and in every single trawl of upcoming releases for the last two years, I have looked for this sequel. Finally, it is here. Needless to say, I devoured it in a day. A delightful day!
This story picks up three weeks after the end of The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. In hindsight, I should have read that one again before attempting the sequel because the action really does pick up right where it left off. It took me a little while to remember the details so that this story made sense. As book one is about the awakening of two ‘middle-aged spinsters’ to a life of adventure, it would have been no hardship to revisit. Really, I would not have minded! The siren song of the sequel was so insistent though that I could not put it down- I was desperate for more.
The story so far…(although I recommend reading my review of Benevolent Society for a more thorough exploration of their characters)
Gus and Julia, twin sisters, have just managed to get Lady Hester Belford and her lady love to temporary safety. Hester had been locked up in a viciously cruel asylum by one of her brothers. Gus is desperately in love with Hester’s other brother, Evan. He is currently being hunted by Bow Street. One of the Bow Street runners, Michael, is supposed to be catching Evan, but actually he’s fallen in love with Julia.
This is how Benevolent Society ends. I really should have reread it because this was a tangled web to remember, especially with all the extremely relevant secondary characters.
The plot involves trying to get Hester and her love to a more secure, safe place where her evil brother can’t touch them while simultaneously clearing Hester’s brother’s name. Not an easy feat when his alleged crime happened twenty years ago. I won’t say more on this except that right from the opening chapters, it is all systems go. The acts of derring-do happen continuously throughout a very quickly moving plot which is impossible to summarise without massive spoilers as the twists are plentiful. I can say that this action involves wearing disguises, lying to a lot of people, a matching set of knives, the British Army, supposed Luddites, carriage chases and a few chaste kisses.
The characters also evolve, as they should. Gus becomes more brazen in her actions, in a good way. She is courageous and outgoing and absolutely fed up with men trying to tell her what to do. In book one, Julia was in Gus’s shadow to a large extent and allowed Gus to make the big decisions. That changes here, with Julia defying not only society, but sometimes her sister as well.
This story is an excellent mystery, but it is only a middling romance. It’s a romance in the way that action movies can have romances. There are lingering looks, a sprinkling of kisses and lots of noble behaviour aimed at saving each other. But there isn’t really any exploration of the nature of the relationship between our two pairs of lovebirds. It’s kind of ‘insta-love’ which I don’t usually enjoy. I love the unfolding and peeling back of layers that comes with a romance novel. There is just no space for it here. The action crowds it out. There is some unpacking of Gus’s feelings and desires, but not much. I think this is where my approach led me astray. I went into it looking for more on the romance, when it would have been obvious to me – if I had reread Benevolent Society – that it was the action that would ramp up.
There is one romantic thing that happens that had me squealing with delight…but I won’t spoil too much. The way this series portrays intimacy through unspoken conversation is expanded and when it happened, I just about levitated with joy. It’s a masterful touch.
The Ladies’ Road Guide to Utter Ruin doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but it does tell you what the meat of the next plot will be and it is a huge leap up in intensity. It involves foreign travel and espionage at the highest level of government. When the mission is presented to the two sisters, it is sold to them as something for ‘king and country’ that only they can do. I found this a bit difficult to believe. It could well become clear that Gus and Julia are ideal for this mission, but that is not at all made clear in this story, and so I have some trepidation.
If you haven’t read any of this series, do not even attempt The Ladies’ Guide…if you haven’t read Benevolent Society yet. It would be a nightmare experience trying to work out what’s happening. Benevolent Society I can heartily recommend. For me, The Ladies’ Guide is for those who really loved Benevolent Society and want more of those characters. I absolutely devoured it and I’m settling in for the long wait for book three.
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On my TBR pile!
There’s a sequel! The library has it in processing, so I jumped on the hold list with joy!
LOVED the first book! Thank you for this reminder, and I’ve immediately gone to order this sequel online … Happy reading to me!
For some reason the link from the cover, and to Amazon comes up with “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” DVD
@Jazzlet: Our Amazon links unfortunately are only valid for the US version. Amazon assigns books and other products with an ASIN number and the ASIN number for a book on the US site often corresponds to a different product on international versions of Amazon.
Got it! About a third of the way through.
I love this series! The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies had been on my TBR list for years and after this review I spent a transatlantic flight listening instead of sleeping. I blame you for my jet lag but so worth it! Now im chortling and sighing over The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin