Darcy McGuire kicks off another tale from her 'Deadly damsels' series, following the proteges of Lady Phillippa, Lady Winterbourne, under the aegis of Queen Victoria, herself - a sort of Queen's Lady, if you please. Think Bridgerton meets Charlies Angels - these sparkling, intelligent unconventional heroines, stifled by rigid patriarchal rules, train in hand to hand combat, weaponry and self defense - and why you ask... Why, all in an attempt to bring justice to the scoundrels' in the House of Lords, who are often let off with by the peerage with slaps on their wrists.
They are often abetted by their counterparts - the dashing heroes, of course, under the Prime Minister, hunting the same villains! How these two factums clash, sizzle and burn forms the basis of the novel. Add in dimensions of equality, crimes against voiceless victims and a brace of adventure, horse riding and a lot of interspersed spicy moments make this a fascinating read.
This book in particular deals with Mellie - our ginger haired, plus size Amazonian or Valkyrie, who captures the heart and soul of wounded war veteran, Beaufort Drake. Both Mellie and Drake have a broken history in love - Mellie's reputation has been sullied due to her infatuation with her childhood friend St George, and is being forced into a marriage with her father's friends, at the insistence of her step mother. While Drake has returned home after years of torture and scarring to find his fiance married to his brother. Add in some human trafficking, beauty and the beast vibes, this makes an excellent read for any Victorian fan, albeit some of the swearing may be more modern, considering the period in question. This gripe aside, this is a fats paced, easy adventure mystery with oodles of spice!
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