Whenever I sense a whiff of a new historical romance with fantasy, paranormal, or steampunk elements, my ears perk up and I’m on alert. And yes, this is a call to send me your recommendations if you have any. Be aware that it will take some deep cuts, though, to suggest a book I haven’t heard of or read.
Set in an alternate version of Victorian-era London, the Wisteria Society is made up of a group of piratical women hunting for treasure in flying battlehouses. Yes, give me all the Baba Yaga vibes. Miss Cecilia Bassingthwaite is an ambitious member of the Wisteria Society and desperate for a promotion that keeps eluding her. When her mentor and fellow Wisteria members are kidnapped, Cecilia, of course, wants to save them. She also knows that if she does, there’s no way she could be turned down for a rank promotion.
The villainous Captain Morvath is the one responsible for commandeering a battlehouse with the Wisteria women inside. He’s a cartoonish villain to say the least with a penchant for mustache twirling and bad poetry. Normally, this would irritate me because your girl needs a complex antagonist, but it fits with the madcap, rompy vibe. The key to enjoying this book is to lean into the madness or else you’re going to have a bad time.
There’s also more to Captain Morvath’s motivations than originally portrayed, which helped deepen the more goofy dynamics.
Starring opposite Cecilia is Ned Lightbourne, an assassin who has tried to kill her at least once. He appears at just the right time to get roped into helping Cecilia rescue her friends, though to be honest, I’m not entirely sure how. It just sort of happens because while he’s instantly attracted to her, he is also still under contract to assassinate her. Following her on this grand trip allows him to both spend more time with Cecilia and find a good time to murder her. Sure, why not.
Ned, though, is a man who wears many hats. Is he really an assassin hired by Cecilia’s nemesis? Why does he seem so loyal to the Crown? What’s with this familiarity between him and Captain Morvath? All will be revealed!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels has what I find to be a common problem with series that have fantastical elements. A significant amount of page time goes to explaining how the world works and the various ins and outs of the Wisteria Society. There’s also setting up the larger cast, who will undoubtedly be sequel bait. Not to say that any of this is boring because I was wholeheartedly on board for all of it. It does, however, take a lot of time away from the central romance. I felt like I missed all of the in-between moments that led them to falling in love because I was too distracted by the flying houses and knife-wielding, tea-sipping lady pirates. Cecilia and Ned were both interesting main characters in their own right, and you know I’m always down for an enemies to lovers romance. However, seeing Cecilia and Ned develop as a romantic couple was absent when compared to the greater detail given to the surrounding environment and large cast of secondary characters.
There’s a solid foundation for a fun world in which to set historical romances with a bit of extra flair. Queen Victoria rides Windsor Castle into battle! A secretive group of feminist lady pirates who have no qualms about bloodshed! (Keeping my fingers crossed for a sapphic romance in the series at some point). But in this one, all those quirky, entertaining details start to work against the central romance. Because the fantasy and the romance elements aren’t evenly balanced, the on-page development of the romance suffered at times. It is enjoyable if you see this more as a historical fantasy with romance rather than historical romance with fantasy elements.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels felt very much like a Shelly Laurenston romance in a historical package. It’s loud, over the top, and has much more of a focus on wild action scenes. But it’s an acquired taste or at least requires a specific reading mood. Perhaps one that involves taking an edible or two.
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I wonder how this compares to Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series?
a Shelly Laurenston romance in a historical package. – just take all my money!!
Have you read Combustion by Elia Winters? The heroine invents “felicitation devices” and wants to get into a trade show all in a Steampunk world.
@Jennifer in FL: I’d say there are similar vibes in terms of the heroines, but this one feels a little sillier than Carriger’s series.
@Vivi12: I have! I also think its re-release was mentioned on a previous Hide Your Wallet.
Gotta echo @Joanie! I’m impatiently waiting for the next Laurenston Badger book which is in August but feels so far away. On hold asap!
I’m intrigued by this one; love me some steampunk!
The new Laurenston badger book is available on netgalley.
@Amanda I ALSO love a historical romance with fantasy elements. Here are my deep cut* recs in that vein:
– Emily Larkin’s Baleful Godmother novels. Really liked Primrose and the Dreadful Duke
– Author Barbara Monajem has a number with fae elements; I really enjoyed her recent release Lord Bellweather’s Lady
– The Case Files of Henri Davenforth, by Honor Raconteur, starting with Magic and the Shinigami Detective (these are more cozy historical mysteries with magic than historical romance but they’re just so FUN)
*I’m skipping over any I feel like I’ve seen on this site before, e.g. A.J. Lancaster’s Stariel series, Olivia Atwater’s Half a Soul, Stephanie Burgis’ Harwood Spellbook, etc.
@Courtney M: These three are all completely new to me!! I’ll check them out.
I’m trying to read WISTERIA SOCIETY now (I received a free copy in exchange for a review) but I’m having a difficult time. It’s reminding me of Neil Gaiman’s STARDUST but suffering by the comparison–too many of the cutesy elements are detracting from the overall tale.
I’ll keep trying because I _want_ to like it, but so far it’s not working for me and there are too many other books I’ve got on my TBR shelf.