I recieved an arc of this book from Net Galley to read and review. This book had several plot points that I truly adore: regency era, strong female main character that shuns societal norms, a stoic male main character that would do anything for her, and a murder mystery. With all of that going for it, I should have adored this book and I just thought it was okay. Not bad, not good . . . Just okay. It seems insta-lovey - one almost death scene and there are hearts in their eyes. They of course play this off as if they are protecting their hearts while their inner dialogue is all about hooking up. I picked out the villain near the beginning of the book - maybe I’m cynical but show me a “too” nice person and I’m suspicious. I also did not jive with aspects of ending - I get the theme was that everyone has their flaws and demons but the timing was absolutely awful. Overall, it was okay but there are some triggers for drug use, g’rape’, religious / satanic themes, and violence.

A very good twisty book set in 1812, a little like Bridgerton which is a hook for me. I enjoyed this one reading about the Hellfire Club a subject which I didn't know much about about. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Historical fiction that blends mystery, romance and secret societies. The pacing was a little uneven and the character development felt rushed, however it was an interesting read. It offered an entertaining blend of intrigue and romance.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Describing this book at Bridgeton meets the Da Vinci Code does a disservice to it, as it bears little resemblance to either, bar a shared setting and a mystery of its own kind. I found this novel rushed, with little time for character or plot development. As a result, it was difficult to feel engaged with either.

I loved The Persephone Code! It has both mystery and romance, put together in a way that reminded me a bit of Bridgerton of it included some murder-mystey. I thought the pacing was great and I enjoyed the characters. 4/5 stars!

📚 review 📚
persephone code - julia golding
if you were to ask me to recommend you a book that was bridgerton but with a dash murder and a touch of the occult, i would present this.

the persephone code explores the hellfire clubs and the mystery and intrigue of georgian society. following the murder of anthony pennington in the infamous caves, his half sister and an acquaintance,
dr sandys embark on an adventure to solve
the mystery surrounding who killed him,
why and doing so without alerting any of the secret societies chasing the same
answers.
this was good fun, especially if you like a regency romp. thank you @netgalley for the early copy. the persephone code is out now

Woof! Let me tell you about this book my human has been reading. It's called "The Persephone Code." It's all about this lady named Dora and this nice doctor named Jacob. They're trying to solve a mystery about some guy named Antony who got hurt really bad. Oh, and there's this place called the Hellfire Club, which sounds kind of scary!

Dora seems like a cool lady. She used to be a merchant's daughter, but now she's an actress! That sounds like fun. And Jacob is super smart, but he's also battling something called an opium addiction. I don't know what that is, but it sounds tough.

The book is set a long time ago, when people didn't have cars or phones. It's full of cool old-timey stuff, like fancy dresses and big houses. My human says it's historically accurate, whatever that means.

But there's something my human didn't like about the ending. They said it felt rushed and some of the choices the main guy made were weird. But they still liked the writing and thought Dora and Jacob were neat characters.

Overall, it sounds like a pretty good book! Maybe I'll ask my human to read it to me sometime. Woof!

In this high-stakes historical fiction novel, readers travel to Regency England where the Hell Fire Club has stolen critical military plans for the battle against Napoleon on the continent. With bodies appearing around the cult’s meeting spaces (including club member Anthony Pennington), Dr. Jacob Sandys and Dora Fitz-Pennington (an actress and the bastard sister of the latest victim) must decode Anthony’s last message to Dora and traverse the countryside to uncover the true threat to the Crown, the campaign against Napoleon, and protect future murders in the Hellfire Caves. A high-stakes novel involving murder, murder attempts, assassinations, torture, blackmail, and carriage chases across the English countryside, readers are in store for a historical fiction thriller. Dora, the heroine, is a fascinatingly complex character with a difficult childhood informing her motivations for stopping her half-brother’s killer, and her relationship with Jacob Sandys is particularly messy yet fun to follow. Readers will enjoy the unique twists and turns that Golding created for this novel, and the plot and mystery are brilliantly supported by her cast of characters -- heroes, villains, and ambiguously motivated henchmen. A chaotic, high-stakes, and unpredictable novel, readers are sure to enjoy this take on the Regency historical fiction novel and the historical mystery genre.

I should've dnf'd this book. I thought about it a few times but thought maybe I could push through and it would get better. It didn't really get better.

Honestly, this book was fine. It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible, it was just boring. The main characters had absolutely no chemistry, like so little I was shocked when they first kissed because I just wasn't expecting it to happen. The plot was uninteresting and the 'twist' if you would like to call it that was obvious from the start. Anyway, give this book a miss.

This was described as The DaVinci Code meets Bridgerton but I really didn't get those vibes. I get where they were coming from describing it as that, but it didn't really hit the mark on either end for me.

One of the weaker points was the characters for me - I found them kind of flat, I didn't get a very strong sense of their depth of personalities, nor did I like them very much. I also didn't really feel their chemistry on the romantic side of things. The side characters really didn't do anything for me either, some big reveals about the big baddies didn't have much impact because i just didn't care who they were.

The atmosphere also fell flat a bit, in that I didn't find myself transported into the Regency era Bridgerton type world, nor did I really feel the mystery and suspense and intrigue of the DaVinci Code.

With the plot, I do see why they'd call it a mix of DaVinci Code but it didn't feel all that ... clever. A lot of it wasn't anything you could figure out on your own while reading because the clues were so personal between the FMC and her brother, so you just had to wait for her to figure it out, which wasn't very fun. Ah well, thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I found it fine and with good characters development. The story was interesting and good.

Although I wouldn't recommend it, because none of my circle likes this kind of books.

Interesting and engaging story of a woman trying to figure out the puzzle left by her dead brother. She has a protector of sorts and all who help are not what they seem.

The Peresphone Code was an entertaining murder mystery that captures your attention from the beginning with a brutal murder.

The story takes place in the time period of the 1800's.

The book has it all: murder, secrets , secret societies and club plus characters that aren't perfect but I did love them all.

Dora who is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy merchant is only acknowledged in her family by her brother.

When he is murdered Dora and Dr Jacob Sandys are on the run as they follow the clues to who would murder her brother

Its a journey with twists and turns and one the reader will delight in.

I sincerely hope we see Dora and Jacob again very soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for introducing me to Julia Golding's books.

When Anthony Pennington, Hades of the Hell Fire Club is murdered, he leaves something behind, hidden somewhere to be found by his sister.
Dora Fitz-Pennington and Dr Jacob Sandys set about solving the riddle left by Dora's brother and in doing so get embroiled in a political tug of war between the two powerful secret societies - the Hellfire Club and The Illuminati.

There's a lot of politics going on in this book, but at it's heart it's a historical adventure with a strong romantic thread. Dora is clever and resourceful, if a little impulsive. Jacob starts off taciturn and comes out of his shell as the story unfolds. There's a wild adventure that goes all over England. It's a rollicking good adventure and lovely romance. It was great fun to read!

With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the arc.

The Persephone Code is a Regency era, murder mystery. Described as a cross between Bridgerton and the Da Vinci Code, I found it an overall enjoyable read though aside from the era, found little to compare with Bridgerton.

We follow Dora as she tries to solve the murder of her half brother, following clues he left her prior to his death. She is supported by Jacob, a doctor who was tasked with breaking the news to her of her brothers death, but who takes a shining to her. The Hellfire Club and Illuminati are central to the plot providing conspiracy theories - with various twists and turns though personally, I would have preferred more complexity. I also didn't particularly care for the characters which is something of a shocker for me. I liked Dora and Jacob, but I didn't love them and wasn't particularly routing for their romance. I also found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, expecting maybe a little more action than was included.

I enjoyed it, but didn't love it, hence 3/5.

A very intriguing regency era murder mystery. I had a fun time reading this book.

It did take me a while to get into this book but once I did I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced and the chemistry between the main charecters was so good.
I do wish there was more action and more twists and turns but overall it was a good read.

My continual expansion of reading different genres continues! This time it's a regency set, murder mystery crossed with secret societies and conspiracy theories!

There are layers to the story involving family estrangement, illegitimate children, secret elite societies and second sons of nobility forging their own paths. Dora has taken defying her father to a new level but still loved her older, legitimate brother - even when he strayed from the straight and narrow. Jacob could have led an easy life as the second son of a wealthy landowner but he wanted a life with purpose. Now thrown together, Jacob becomes Dora's protector as they unravel the mystery of her brother's death and break a code or too on the way.

What I loved most about Jacob and Dora is that they have flaws and recognise them in themselves and each other. Jacob's struggle especially was heart wrenching. He tries so hard to keep his own counsel but eventually he slips - when Dora needs him most.

Dora's father is a complete a$$hat and I really wish he had come more of a cropper. Some of the secondary characters were great fun and I really hope that if there are further books in the series that they pop up to lend a hand again. Learning more about Dora's brother and his reasoning for wanting to join Hellfire was so sad but very probable for that time-period sadly.

Yes, I did kind of guess most of the plot points but I still went along for the ride, wondering how our intrepid due would uncover and react to them. The romance was very proper and Regency in tone with the exception of a couple of scenes were we got to see beyond their very proper manners and see the beginnings of some passion.

Historical fiction full of twists and turns . Set in early 19th century it explores the depths of society at the time as the glorious couple investigate a series of incidents

The Persephone Code is a Regency era murder mystery. Dora's estranged brother is found murdered and Dr Jacob Sandys is tasked with telling her .He has left a letter for her which she must collect in person .Jacob and Dora embark on a quest to find his killer .A little slow paced at times but Dora and Jacob are great characters and this is an enjoyable story .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

Historical Mystery set in England 1812 in a gentleman doctor and the sister of the murdered Hellfire Club's warden contend with the Illuminati as they investigate several deaths.

4/5 stars: Golding's Historical Mystery which takes place in England 1812 and features an ex-Army officer, former addict and Viscount's son who allies with the bastard actress sister of the murdered Hellfire Club's warden to solve his murder and as they investigate several more victims come to light. The two find themselves caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hellfire Club, whose members are some of the most influential gentleman of the ton, and will do anything to keep their activities quiet and obtain the secrets her brother's held in his charge. With plenty of twists and turns, Golding has crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Told in dual narrative, Golding's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Jacob and Dora are the main narrators with a couple other POVs added to further the plot. I very much like the two both have decided to break with the conventions of their stations, Jacob by studying to be a doctor and Dora by breaking with her family and working as an actress. Additionally, the progression of their romantic relationship was well done, doesn't subsume the mystery plot and while descriptive the sex scenes are fade-to-black. Golding tackles some sensitive subjects, so take care and check the CWs. I enjoyed this a lot and look forward to reading more from Golding.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.