Smallhope and Pennyroyal make their first appearance in The Chronicles of St Mary's universe at the Battle of Bannockburn. The team of bounty hunters, Recovery Agents, soon turned up in further St Mary's adventures as well as in the Time Police novels. Fans hoped for a short story about the team, how they met and started their business together. In true Jodi Taylor fashion we didn't get a short story, nor a novella, we got a whole novel about how Lady Amelia Smallhope met Pennyroyal. We learn how Pennyroyal got Smallhope addicted to margaritas, how they first forged a friendship and then their business together and see a lot of the duo outside of St Mary's and TPHQ.

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel when it was published in 2024. I have read the book and listened to the audiobook, narrated by Zara Ramm, several times since, and am hoping we get to see more of the duo in future stories.

I am a total Pennyroyal fangirl. What would I have for his scarred knuckles to slide down over my cheeks...
OOF. I loved this. Almost got through it in one sitting, but realised it was a quarter to five in the morning and I really needed to go to sleep. So I finished it up when I woke up, and it is SO GOOD!
It is the history of these two that we needed so much. Some references to Things That Gone Before but nothing out of order.
I can't recommend this enough. WONDERFUL!

"From the globally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's and Time Police series - the origin story of bounty hunters extraordinaire: Smallhope and Pennyroyal.

Meet Lady Amelia Smallhope, for whom there is no problem that can't be solved by a drink and a think.

And Pennyroyal, for whom there is no problem. Ever.

Everyone's favourite bounty hunters. Sorry - recovery agents. No bad guy they can't handle. No expense account too flexible. No adventure too outrageous.

Join them as they settle scores, break every rule in the book and take the world by storm.

Fasten your seatbelts. The timeline doesn't know what's hit it."

I'd like to be the type of person where there is no problem ever.

This was so so so good. I love this world, and all of the books that bring me to it. But Smallhope and Pennyroyal's story might just be the best yet. While it reads WONDERFULLY on its own, having read the other series make it that much better. You get the behind the scenes feel as the story fills in gaps for stories you have already read. Perfection.