A funny and charming regency romance filled with intrigue and mystery. The combination of both romance and mystery made this book stand out for me, as often historical romance tends to focus on the romance aspect, forgetting the plot. The story left me wanting to know more about the characters and what happens next. I would have loved for more details in terms of the development of the relationship between Lila and Ivor as i felt that it happened very early on, however I still really enjoyed it!!

I’m giving this book a solid 3 stars, I enjoyed our main character Lila, and Maisie and Sunil’s characters too, But the main love interest’s character did get on my nerves quite a bit and at times I thought Lila could’ve been a bit better off with out him, though I suppose I am ultimately happy that they ended up together. There were a few other elements I wasn’t a fan of in this book, but as to not give away spoilers, I’ll avoid discussing them in this review. If you are even a bit iffy about historical romance being the genre for you, then I’d probably recommend you stay away from this book, because I really can’t imagine it being of benefit to you to read it. Overall this book was very much just standard, it was slightly lacklustre for me hence the only 3 star review, but I do think I’d still read other works from this author, so it’s not so entirely off putting that it makes me want to avoid every single word written by the author.

I loved this book so much! I felt the characters were strongly written. This was a very fun adventure with a some romance and spice. I thought it was brilliantly written for a historical fiction. This had a diverse set of characters and this book made me feel every emotion I could. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend.

A fun, flighty historical romance with plenty of suspense and intrigue to shore up the love story, with a stronger second half than first. An entertaining read, but a fairly equal number of hits and misses for me.

As much as I enjoyed reading it, it was kind of… all over the place. One a line level, I found the prose choppy and dominated by short sentences. There were points that would get repeated in consecutive paragraphs (although this may be sorted for the final book, I was reading an eARC) but I also found various elements repetitive at the story level as well. There was also extraneous/mistimed details that would pop up in odd places, for example descriptions inserted several pages after a character was introduced, and in the middle of a paragraph that had nothing to do with that they looked like. Something similar that immediately comes to mind was this, placed between dialogue and noticeably after her on-page entrance: “Tiffany, whose name came from the Greek name Theophania, flounced down in the chair again, raising a froth of of hair and dress at her sudden movement, and tossed her head.” [this is a quote from the eARC, it may change by publication]

(Other than the inclusion of ‘whose name came […]’ being clunky, it is also a heavy-handed explanation of the ‘Tiffany Problem,’ which historical fiction writers will recognise as the issue with some names/words/customs seeming to the reader to be modern, despite their period appropriateness. I was enjoying the hat-tip to this - by naming a character Tiffany - until the explanation got shoehorned in, which sort of ruined the effect for me).

Unfortunately I was unconvinced by some of the emotional aspects - I think probably because this particular combination of insta-lust/love and fractious beginnings isn’t really my cup of tea (these two were kissing by the first third of the book, and the balance between ‘they captivate me’ and ‘they aggravate me’ wasn’t to my taste).

Nonetheless I was always tempted to pick it up again, any time I put it down, and it wasn’t a chore to finish. I received a free copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Lila is a known society hostess who has an unconventional upbringing for the time. Her father had an Indian mistress, but Lila get the opportunity to travel to England. Now, years later she’s not rich by any means but has established a good reputation. One day a young woman shows up at her door begging for help. Lila recognizes her and is determined to help, even if it means going up against her arch nemesis.

This is a sizzling romance, not slow burn. In fact things between the MC’s quickly take a turn from enemies to something completely different. Instead of fighting each other the question now is if they dare open up their hearts to one another. I really enjoyed their dynamics and how their relationship developed over time as they help Maisie and Sunil.

There’s more then just romance. Sunil was falsely accused of sexually harassing this woman, Ivor’s cousin. He’ll likely receive the death penalty and his pregnant partner is absolutely broken up about it. They do their best to find the culprit and get Sunil off the radar but it definitely leads to some suspense. I quite like this aspect of the book as well. It’s exciting, and sets it apart from other historical fiction I’ve read.

It could have been more clear which pov each chapter is told from, to make it easier for the reader. And I think the first few chapters dragged a little. Although once I got into it and understood what was going on it flowed really nicely.

I’d highly recommend this one to fans of historical fiction and romance.

If romance novels can sparkle, then this one is positively dazzling. There’s enough detail of early 19th century London to give it all the Bridgerton feels. The pace bowls along and it’s racy enough to make the room feel quite warm in places. Lila makes for a feisty and warm-hearted heroine, loyal to her friends but quick-tempered. The stage is set for further adventures with her enigmatic sisters. Ivor is a suitably dynamic and handsome hero. Anyone who enjoys Julia Quinn’s books would love this modern take on a regency romance with its terrific characters and witty dialogue.

The best thing about Netgalley is when you read a book, make a note of the author and just know that you’ll read every book they write from now on. Unladylike lessons in love was fabulous and I’m so excited to have a new author to fangirl over. This was the perfect mix of Regency romance and mystery all entwined in one. I like that there’s some diversity, very Bridgerton season 2, and the writing is engaging and fun. I found myself chuckling out loud in places which doesn’t happen with many books. Would highly recommend!!

This book follows Lila as she tries to help her childhood friend solve a mystery that has a man’s life on the line, with the help of a brooding gentleman convinced Lila is his fathers mistress.

A fun read, with plenty of suspense and flirtation to keep you intrigued throughout.

It did feel like some parts didn’t flow as easily as they could and the characters didn’t fully match what you thought they would from the blurb and cover.

Overall, an interesting read and intrigued to see where the series goes.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

This was a fun and easy read. It fell a little flat for me in some places and I didn't feel connected the two main characters. Overall it was a good read but definitely not my favourite

I want to start by saying I think the cover and the title are a bit misleading and do not reflect the tone of the book. Whilst there is romance in it I feel the jovial cover doesn't match the couple.
I wasn't a huge fan of this book sadly. I did not understand the relationship between Ivor and Lila and felt we weren't given enough to see why there so infatuated by each other besides some physical attraction. They didn't seem a good pairing. The mystery was interesting and the setting so I'd be interested to see how the other sisters stories play out, especially after seeing the epilogue reveal something unexpected to the readers.

Such a romantic book! Lila is an interesting character, I would definitely recommend reading this book!