I really enjoyed this! It had all of the Bridgerton vibes that I wanted, whilst also having a mystery to keep me intrigued. I loved the main characters and their conflict.
My only gripe is that it wraps up really fast at the end. I was so invested that I wanted just a little more, and a few of the questions were left unanswered/didn't quite make sense. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book, though.

Got all the Bridgerton vibes - perfect for any fan.
A fabulous regency romp with a bit of a mystery to solve.
Love Lila, the main female character - an independent, forward thinking woman, refusing to let her reputation hold her back.
“I know women don’t go to the rat pit, at least not with a reputation, but I don’t have one”
“She enjoyed doing what she like and not what everyone else wanted her to do”
Also the use of regency language and comedy errors were amusing and added to ambience of the book
“Darling you look positively inflamed”
“Change darling, right now, you’re making me feel unwell. If you go dressed like that, you’ll look like a woman of certain kind. The kind who’re paid by the hour”
All in all a delightful five star read
Thanks @amitamurray @harpercollinsuk & @netgalley for the eARC

Lila Marleigh and her 2 sisters were the daughters of an English plantation owner and a Carribean mother. After their parents deaths they are brought to England by their father's English wife to be brought up in her household with their step-brother, who is 10 years older than her.
Annie is appointed to look after them but she is accused of theft and hangs, leaving a 7 year old daughter. The sisters are sent to boarding school to be educated but once old enough are left to fend for themselves. Lila becomes a Society hostess, opening her house to the Ton, where they can gamble and listen to music.
Why has Annie's daughter who she hasn't seen for 10 years suddenly appeared one night and who is the mysterious stranger who appears at her salon the same evening?
A tale of mystery written in a raunchy version of a Georgette Heyer novel.

Thank you for my earc if this.
I loved the premise but unfortunately lost interest so didn’t finish.

Lila Marleigh is a woman of independent means having escaped the brutal house she grew up in with her stepmother, and half-brother following the death of her father. Being the daughter of a white aristocrat and his Indian mistress means Lila has had to make her own means in the world, and she has made her fortune by being the hostess of an up-and-coming salon where those that cross the threshold can gamble and drink to their heart's content. Lila is used to being adored in her salon so it's a surprise when she meets Ivor Tristram who appears to loathe her. But soon the pair have to team up on a mission to right the course of justice and it's hard to hide their true feelings towards each other.

This book was.....fine? I enjoyed many parts of it and I liked the chemistry and relationship between Lila and Ivor (though the third act break-up wasn't a particularly good one imo). The romance does really take a back seat in this one I think due to the other storyline with Maisie and Sunil, and obviously this one is a lot more important as it's a case of life and death. I think there were small issues with the writing and the story-telling that shows the author isn't quite a seasoned author yet but the potential is there. There was some repetition of phrases and words that grew annoying (there was a scene where Lila had a bit too much too drink and therefore kept giggling incessantly and it was very irritating). I also thought there was a little bit of telling and not showing.

I appreciated the cast of characters that included people of colour from Lila herself, to Maisie and Sunil. I'm looking forward to eventually reading the other Marleigh sister books as I think racial identity within high society at this time is an interesting thing to read about, and important as well - and not often told enough.

I fell in love with the description of the book, but I'm afraid it didn't quite do it for me. Lila is a great character, and the author got me interested in the mystery side of the story, but the book felt too long while simultaneously rushing important parts of the story, if not completely ignoring them. I found myself skimming through a few chapters, as I was not enjoying myself. If this becomes a series (which I have strong suspicions it will), I would still probably reach for the next one, as I believe the sisters' dynamics have good potential.

Unladylike Lessons in Love is a historical romance between an independent, modern woman that refuses to let reputation of the time period hold her back and a grumpy man seeking answers.
Lila is a hostess and opens her home to functions and soirées for others. The book opens during one of these parties and we see how independent and cohesive she is. It is refreshing seeing a woman in a regency novel that isn’t determined by her relationship status and actually deflects any approaching suitors. Well, that is until infuriating Ivor Tristram shows up at one of her parties seeking our his fathers mistress.
During all this drama, more pressure is added when an old friend, Maisie, comes to Lila seeking help but flees after she assumes Lila knows Ivor. Maisie is incredibly vulnerable. After her mother was killed for being accused of stealing from Lisa’s family, she left the household and her aunt basically trained her in becoming a sex worker. This is what she’s been doing ever since and now she is pregnant and desperate to clear her love, Sunhil’s name after he is accused of assaulting no other than Ivor’s cousin.
The feisty characters, drama and sexual tension made for an enjoyable read but I just felt that there were a lot of plot lines coinciding at the same time. At points some of the characters were a bit annoying and that’s the only reason I haven’t rated it any higher. The epilogue set up further books perfectly and I look forward to reading those upon their release. Amita Murray’s writing flowed perfectly and formed a lovely story.

I really enjoyed reading this book! If you like Bridgerton, courtly love with a touch of mystery, this is the book for you.
I was a bit confused on why Lila's sister were mentioned at all in the book, it didn't seem they were part of the story. I then realised this is the first in "The Marleigh Sisters" series, so that explains it,
I liked all the characters, I could see them as real people and not mere characters in a book.
The writing style was fluid and very captivating, full of intrigues and plot twists: I could not put this down!
If I have to find the only minor flaw, it's the enemies to lovers part came rather quickly for my taste.

I really liked the premise of this book, an unusual regency romance in the current post-Bridgerton glut. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite hit the mark. There is something almost unfinished about it, maybe unpolished would be better. I didn’t find Lila very compelling (or likeable). I really wanted to like this story but it became a chore to finish.

I really wish I had liked this book. It had everything I love in a book: regency-era romance, a strong and offbeat female character, and a great storyline. Only the author failed to deliver that, for me. There were lots of phrases that were repeated and that annoyed me. Some descriptions were unnecessary and some things were almost impossible to happen, but well, that's fiction.

Although I liked the characters, I feel that the story and writing was all over the place. I would have liked to have seen a little more about Lila's relationship with Ivor and in my opinion it all happened too fast.

It has some very well done parts, strong female characters and a great plot twist, but I think the author could have done much better with this story-line.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for an early copy of this book.

This is an exciting and fun historical mystery. Set in Victorian London, Amita Murray draws us into a world of intrigue, danger, and romance. The book follows Lila, a salon hostess with no interest in marriage, as she teams up with the prickly Ivor Tristram to exonerate an innocent man.

During this journey, both Lila and Ivor give in, first to friendship, then to attraction, and finally to love. They both have reasons to be wary, and are forced to confront their issues but Murray gives us their well-deserved happy ending.

Lila is half-Indian and the illegitimate daughter of an earl, which means she faces challenges in high society. Amita Murray explores issues of race and class in the book, offering us a realistic portrayal of the darker sides of Victorian society, whilst still retaining the escapist nature of historical romance.

I loved the passion between Lila and Tristram, in particular how utterly besotted he was. The best kind of romantic hero! I hadn’t quite expected there to be so much mystery and action in the story but it was a very pleasant surprise. It was fast-paced and action-packed yet also full of emotion.

I had fun reading this! I can imagine the style and focus on action won’t be for all romance readers, but I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.

I do enjoy a Regency read so this one had me from the mention of that. A feisty heroine who flaunts the expectations of society; a delightful handsome aristocrat; mysterious secrets from her past; and an injustice that simply can’t be allowed to happen. I enjoyed this Regency romp (and it certainly was a romp!) and the mystery that ran through the story. There were lots of incidental mysteries / secrets from the past and the book has definitely set itself up for a sequel. Overall, a fun read and just what I needed after a few quite serious themed books.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

I think I liked the premise of this book, more than the actual story itself. There’s so much potential - a Regency romance with a cultural twist that unfortunately misses the mark.

By chapter 5 I was bored and found Lila to be an infuriating character, who doesn’t seem to know what’s good for her or those around her.

Lila lives an usual life as she runs a gaming hall which is almost unheard of for women to do. She knows she would never be entirely accepted by society as a daughter of an Earl and his Indian mistress. When she is accused of having an affair with Ivor's father the two become closer.

This book had a lot of promise but sadly I didn't love this as much as I hoped I would. I was engaged with the first few chapters however I felt that the story became more of a mystery rather than a romance. The book is marketed as being spicy but I didn't find this to be particularly spicy and whilst this isn't a dealbreaker I did want to mention this if you are looking for spicy historical romance as this isn't really that.

Overall I thought this was a solid read and I would still be interested to check out future books.

We are in the era when those with skin any colour than white were automatically assumed to be up to
something. Not always sure what, but if anything happened - like a theft - then they must be perpetrator. And f curse, sentences by the court, were nearly always hanging. So getting caught was a bad thing indeed - as the courts were not set up for anyone other than the nobility to participate in - certainly they were not like today where innocence is supposed to be presumed and often trials were not really held.
This story takes us into this age of assumption and shows just how difficult it was to either make a living a a single woman without means, or education, and to have a skin that was not lily white.
I found the description of the Ratting rather disturbing as it was the first time I had heard of it.
Overall, I liked this book and the story that it told. I liked the reminder of how far we have come - even though not far enough - in our treatment of prisoners and how we no longer assume - at least most of us - that skin colour is an indication of worth and reliability.

I found this novel to be frustrating because I wanted it to be so much more than it was. It had an intriguing premise, courtesy of its unique heroine and rare combination of mystery and historical romance, yet the way the story was constructed didn’t get me hooked by the mystery nor invested in the romance. The writing style would occasionally dip back into the 21st century and the tone would jump all over the place. This whole mystery element was sidelined in favour of the romance. Furthermore, the way some of the characters were described were full of inconsistencies, while others were tough to like despite the story obviously aiming for sympathy.

The romance was my main stumbling block, as it held so much promise but was ultimately unconvincing. Lila and Ivor’s relationship was massively underdeveloped and seemed so fickle. I wished there was more of a slowburn before they got intimate because it dissipated any tension and made for a confusing dynamic. Beyond this, I wasn’t actually enamoured by Ivor. He was somewhat of a judgemental brute – not a hero that could sweep me off my feet.

Unfortunately this promising historical fiction was undermined by its underdeveloped romance and sidelined mystery, neither of which kept me absorbed in the story.

Unladylike lessons in love

Are you looking for a regency romance where the female main character isn't the vision of innocence? Then this may very well be the book for you. Meet Lila Marleigh, the illegitimate daughter of a British earl and his Indian mistress. She makes a living running gambling salons for men and women who can't enter those in high society.

Lila is by far the best part of this book. She's strong-willed and quick-witted but has a sweet side you only get to see once she let's you in. She's followed closely by Maisie, a pregnant young girl from Lila's past who needs her help to exonerate her beloved. Don't mess with Maisie she will come out on top.

Then we have Ivor, a gentleman who believes Lila is his father's mistress but still agrees to help with her crime solving mission. Unfortunately, Ivor is a character that could have done with a bit more development. This, in turn, affected their romance. It's hard to believe they go from stop sleeping with my dad to getting physical every opportunity they get without spending all that much time together.

Plotwise, there is a lot going on here. It got a bit much at times. Theres some cool plot twists that I didn't guess, and I enjoyed lila and maisies relationship development. The ending in terms of the romance and career decisions I liked, too.

My main concern with the series going forward is its title. The Marleigh sisters. Typically, a series like this uses the connecting books to develop the main characters before their own book and then the ones after to show their relationship as it grows. We don't meet the sisters aside from one very short conversation. Now this is me assuming the next book will follow a different sister, it may not and I'd be good with that theres still plot to follow, but if it does we'll need to spend half the book doing character development that could have already started.

All in all, I've given it 3 stars. I can see potential for the series, but there are some things I'd change. It's rare that I'd like to swap out some plot for character development, but the love interest could have used the extra space. It's nice to see strong, diverse female characters in romances like this.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Amita Murray, and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.
Review posted ro netgalley, goodreads, storygraph and amazon

“Women mind their reputation if they want to marry. I don’t want to marry.”

This quote is what drew me in - I wanted to meet Lila and see how she flaunted polite society. I loved her eccentricities and the idea of a female run gambling den in the heart of the 'Ton'. The premise of this book ticked off all my boxes but I found it difficult to get into. I felt the start held a lot of info dumping on Lila's past and I never quite clicked with the chemistry between her and Ivor.

If you're looking for an historical romance with a dash of mystery then read Unladylike Lessons in Love.

A good mix of romance, intrigue, drama and mystery. A very easy read that was nicely written, it's just the thing to read on holiday!

I thought I'd give historical romance a go with this once as I enjoyed watching Bridgerton but I just don't think this is my vibe when it comes to books. It's not badly written I just think it's not my thing.