Quite a romp in a Bridgerton style,but well written if full of holes in the plot. I read it with interest and amusement, however hackneyed some of the language and characters were. The bizarre circumstances of an ill fated incident, attacks in the dark ( in a strangers house, what were they doing there!.? which is never explained) the mix of modern philanthropy, feminist ideals and eighteenth century colour and class divisions is what we expect from this genre. It works on tv, so I suppose it will have its fans. A very predictable outcome, however enjoyable the ride.

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book, it moved along at a good pace and had engaging characters. Lila Marleigh is the illegitimate daughter of an earl and his Indian mistress. After her parents died she is sent to England along with her two sisters to be brought up by the countess. Lila is a brave and resourceful woman who made her own way in life by hosting her own salon, She does have a caring nature especially for those who are considered unworthy by others. Ivor Tristam is different from her usual patrons and he is on a mission. Inevitably, they find themselves working together to solve the mystery and as they get to know each other so their attraction grows. However, they are both quite stubborn and often say things in the heat of the moment that they don’t really mean. In addition to this, there are a number of things happening, including a vindictive older half brother, a miscarriage of justice and a surprise in the epilogue. This was an entertaining read and I look forward to reading more in this series. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unladylike Lessons in Love is fun, easy read perfect for the summer. If you like historical fiction, you might like this book.
Although this was a quick read, this book fell flat to me. Besides it’s amazing female main character, I struggled with everything else.
The writing was really good but the plot was a bit all over the place.
The romance could have been better, it could have been better developed and more convincing too. Perhaps the book could have been better if it was advertised as a historical fiction with a mystery plot rather than a historical fiction romance.

I am definitely giving this writer another go, I am sad this book didn’t work out for me but not all books work for everyone.
Again, I absolutely loved the heroine and how strong, independent and well written she was. It felt like a breath of fresh air to have a strong fmc.

I am giving this book 3 stars.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for early access to this book!

I thought Unladylike Lessons in Love was fairly ordinary. It didn’t really catch my interest, but it wasn’t dire either. A perfectly readable book, but not special. Sometimes we just need readable books!

There were some things that I am not a fan of, but other people may not mind: a bit of instalove, which always leaves me disappointed that the characters don’t take the time to get to know each other properly; a perfectly competent heroine who becomes flustered in the presence of just one special man; a villian so villianous that he cannot be redeemed… that kind of thing. There were last minute unexpected twins. That actually made me laugh out loud, which I’m fairly sure was not the intention.

All in all, not a bad book, but not a special one either.

An unusual Regency romance that I enjoyed. I loved Lily and how she experienced the poorer side of Londong.
A well plotted and entertaining story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A good addition to the influx of Regency romances at the moment. It was a bit spicier than was expecting - from the cover it looks more YA. I enjoyed the story and the outcome of the heroine saving the day! Looks like there’s more stories to come from the Marleigh Sisters so looking forward to this.

I was excited for this one - I like a HR that plays with the conventions of the genres and has a modern twist, but the execution was somewhat lacking for me. Weak characterisation, and one of the stupidest (and super early!) misunderstandings between the 2 main characters I've had the misfortune to read for a long time. I know there must be obstacles on road to HEA but ideally they don't make you want to throw your kindle at the wall and murder the (un)happy couple!

I love the TV show Bridgerton, so I'm always keen to read more Regency fiction. I loved the main character with her 'break from the norm attitude' it was a breath of fresh air. It explored the darker side to life in this era.

Unfortunately, I found the flow of the storyline a bit chaotic, rushed in parts, and dragged out in others. On the whole, it was enjoyable, but it did lack depth.

This is kind of Bridgeton meets Jackie Collins little sister. Lila, the main protagonist runs a Salon in Mayfair where people come to drink and gamble. She is a beautiful woman who has lots of men running after her. When someone from her past comes to her and asks for help, her life begins to get complicated as it puts her in contact with part of her childhood she would rather forget. This is further complicated by a gentleman asking her to leave his father alone at the bequest of his mother. Knowing she doesn't dally with the father, she doesn't confirm or deny the accusation, which leads to more complications.
An easy read, but frustrating at times.

Unladylike Lessons in Love is an intriguing and entertaining historical romance told from the point of view of the two protagonists, the daughter of an English Earl and his Indian mistress who tries to fit into the London society and the handsome aristocrat who believes her to be his father’s mistress.

As the bastard daughter of the Earl of Beddington, Lila Marleigh’s reputation was never going to be good and, being the owner of London’s most fashionable salon and surrounded by a string of suitors every night hasn’t improved her expectations. Not that she cares. After all, she earns enough to live comfortably while cherishing her freedom and independence. Ivor Tristram is as handsome as he is annoying and he’s convinced that Lila is her father’s mistress. When someone from her past asks for her help, Lila and Ivor leave aside their difference and team up to prove someone’s innocence.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. At times the narrative is a bit repetitive and there are themes of abuse, children’s neglect, and racism that aren’t easy to read, but there is also spicy romance, witty banter, suspense, and a cast of characters that I really liked. Especially the female characters who come out all strong, smart, and determined, who won’t stop until they get what they want and I admire them, especially as they lived in a sexist society that looked down on them. The male protagonist, Ivor, is a bit broody, flawed, and stubborn, and the perfect hero to our heroine.

The first book in a series, Unladylike Lessons in Love is the perfect read for those who enjoy a swoony romance with a mystery to unravel!

This book was a good take on a Regency romance! Lila's character was brilliantly infused with just the right amount of confidence and kindness mixed together to get us to love her. I enjoyed her different adventures, and loved how headstrong she was.

That said, I did find myself less enthralled by the plot itself: it was somewhat predictable. Solving the crime felt jolted and easy, yet I will say I was surprised at how it was all resolved. Some sections of the eARC I was reading were very repetitive (although this may change!) and I felt as though a lot of the time we weren't truly learning anything new about the characters.

The epilogue, while setting up nicely for the rest of the series, seemed particularly rushed and shoehorned in. I wasn't that much of a fan at how quickly the two mains seemed to fall in love, especially as I thought at the start that it was leading to an enemies-to-lovers storyline.

However, I did enjoy it as an easy, fun read while I sat in my garden enjoying the sun - it's a good summer book for those looking to get a bit of a Regency fix!

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for early access to this book!

This book was just not for me. I thought the story was a bit all over the place at times and it just couldn't hold my attention. took me way too long to get through it.

Overall this is a decent book
It has soild characters and plot line but it failed to hook me.
I adore regency era books and although this book hit a lot of the checklist, some parts didn't. For example the way they talk and communicate feels more modern than what would have been the normal

Thank you for the ARC Harper Collins

I just finished Queen Charlotte on Netflix and I wanted something what would feel quite similar.
I thought this book would be a good choice.
It honestly wasn’t. At least not for me.
Probably I had the wrong motivation. Probably it was just bad.
But I can say, that I did not enjoy ist at all. To be honest, i find it besides it was kinda boring, really stupid.
It was like a mixture between Bridgerton season 2 and a weird history book I read once in school.
The first one I liked, the second one I hated. So in conclusion I did. not liked the mixture. I did not wanted to throw this book in the bin or something like this. I just could enjoy it.
I got the weird feeling that this book wanted to teach me a lesson. Not in history. To my knowledge it wasn’t like this in the Victorian age. But I’m no professional. I got more the feeling that this book wanted to teach me a moral lesson.
I felt like a stupid 6 year old, who people try to explain to that you are not allowed to speak while you eat.
Beside that the characters, o lord, they were poor written. They had zero character development. Literally zero. The guy, Tristram what so ever, was just a piece of sh*t.
And Lila was not better. During the whole she was just complaining. After a while I hit the feeling complaining is the only thing she is able to.

In short: started off great but then gave me a reading slump :( it didn’t feel like a historical romance with they way they spoke.

Recommended for fans of the modern take on Regency romance, where mystery and passion are the focus of the story, rather than the wit and period detail of more traditional, Georgette Heyer style books. One to while away the time until the next series of Bridgerton!

3.5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Harpercollins UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

This was a really solid regency romance.

I liked the MC and found her backstory to be a different tale on other regency romance, popularised by how the Bridgerton TV series is reimagining regency times.

The love interest was not one dimensional, which often happens in this genre.

I liked the villain, in that they were totally villainous with no redeeming qualities. It was a decent storyline.

Looks like this is going to be a series and I look forward to the next instalment.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved this book.

It has a mixed set of characters, romance, escapades and excitement.

It’s well written and makes you go through every emotion whilst reading the story.

I and would recommend.

Lila Marleigh, daughter of an English Earl and his Indian mistress, runs a high-end gambling salon and likes to live by her own rules. When Maisie, a desperate pregnant girl, knocks on her door begging for Lila's help, Lila feels compelled to step in, since her family failed to save Maisie's mother. Maisie's fiancee, Sunil, has been accused of attacking a woman, but the story is a lot more complicated than this. Lila investigates with the reluctant help of the handsome Ivor Tristram, who is mistakenly convinced that Lila is his philandering father's mistress.

There are plenty of Georgette Heyer tropes in this homage, (independent women, disdainful men, curricle races and high jinks) with some additional spice and a lot more cultural diversity. A witty, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable read! I look forward to reading more about the Marleigh sisters...

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️

Unladylike Lessons in Love by Amita Murray will always have a special place in my heart no matter what for two reasons.

1) It is the first ARC I was approved for
2) Lila Marleigh is a brilliant Indian HR heroine!

This novel follows our heroine, Lila Marleigh, a gambling den hostess who is the eldest daughter of an English earl and his Indian mistress. The book starts with Lila being visited by a blast from her past, Maisie whose partner, Sunil, had been wrongly accused of attacking a lady. The lady in question is the hero, Ivor Tristram’s cousin Tiffany. Lila and Ivor cross paths throughout the novel to uncover the true identity of the attacker and his motivations behind it.

First off, I’d like to commend Amita for her characterisation of Lila. She's just about the coolest character I've read about thus far. Just from the way she carries herself, runs her salon and how there are little nods of her homeland in her life. The inclusion of Indian details in this is so seamless and made me feel very seen as a fellow Indian girl. I also found it unique that due to the way the sisters had grown up, Lila doesn’t read as the usual type of Eldest Daughter. She is very much her own person.

Another aspect I loved was how Amita has set up Lila and her sisters’ past. I absolutely adored the way it was written - very compelling and well done. The Marleigh sisters were shipped off to England as children after their parents' passing. When they showed up at their stepmother Lady Sarah's doorstep, Lila and her sisters bore the punishment of their Father's sins. They would do so until each one escaped that terrible household. The language used whenever their past was touched upon was beautiful. It hit right where it's supposed to hurt. It also illustrates why and how Lila became the way she is.

What little we get of the sisters and their descriptions leaves you wanting. Anya and Mira are definitely heroine material. I am hoping this would all pay off well in the subsequent Marleigh Sisters books.

For a debut HR novel, I think it's well written and unique in the sense of historical accuracy. Amita dug into several real issues such as racism, sexism, class privilege and assault through the lens of the Regency era. She used Lila's father, Lord Marleigh, to demonstrate how white lords often had second lives and families with their foreign mistresses continents away from their first family. Maisie and Sunil were examples of Caribbean and Indian descent people respectively who worked for high society peers. Their lives were shown to be the harsh realities of the lower class at the time, and what they had to do to survive. Even Tiffany’s attack was written with such care and highlighted the complexities of assault and its aftermath.

Each of these topics were written realistically without being overwrought. Amita certainly did not shy away from the truths that still echo through modern times now.

The book tickled my fancy with Lila's brilliant character, the main mystery/conflict, a brilliant Act 3 that had me gasping every other page and a great host of characters in Maisie, Sunil and Lila's staff & friends. However, my main critique of the book is the chemistry between the leads was lacking at times.

Ivor doesn't quite feel like the right fit for Lila. This can be attributed to the fact that he could have been a lot more fleshed out. Oftentimes he felt like an afterthought. The romance took a backseat to serve the mystery plot and topics mentioned ​​above that Amita wanted to bring across. Lila's feelings on her childhood trauma was also given priority which hinted at what's to come with the other sisters' backstories. (Not a bad thing, just could have been balanced more with her romance with Ivor).

Despite Ivor not being on par with Lila, characterisation wise, I did enjoy their steamy scenes together. It built up steadily across each Act and got hotter each time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was great seeing an Indian heroine like myself in a genre I love so much. The secondary cast were so delightful to read about as well. They were all written with so much care and consideration. While this is my first Amita Murray book, I can see how she's transitioning from historical mystery novels to romance. She definitely played to her strengths in this novel. The historical research held up and the mystery took me for a shocking ride. Definitely recommending this for people wanting diverse characters in the HR genre who also love mysteries and plot twists.

Amita Murray can only go up from here with this genre. I am certainly excited to see this journey over the course of the next few books in the Marleigh Sisters series.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.