Book Review :: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
ISBN: 0593200160
Series: Dangerous Damsels #1
Also in this series: The League of Gentlewomen Witches, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason
Published by Berkley Books
on 15 June 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: 324
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She's also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he's under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her--hopefully proving, once and for all, that she's as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.

Last updated on 13 February 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

What is The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels about?

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels follows Cecilia Bassingwaite, a Victorian lady, an expert thief, an English tea-drinking woman, and a blackmailing, treasure-stealing pirate.

Oh and Ned Lightbourne is trying to assassinate her.

“We have only three laws in our Society, Cecilia. No killing civilians. Pour the tea before the milk. And no stealing each other’s houses.”

Captain Morvath, the man with whom Ned is under direct orders to do the assassinating of Cecilia, is set on getting rid of the Wisteria Society – the society in which Cecilia happens to be. But Ned has his own plans, Morvath isn’t as clever as he thinks he is – flying gothic mansion notwithstanding – and Cecilia is having none of it.

When Cecilia and would-be assassin Ned team up to stop Morvath from destroying the Wisteria Society, things begin to get complicated.

My thoughts on The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

I didn’t know what I was getting into with The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. It’s honestly one of the most fun books I’ve read in a long time. When you have Victorian pirates who fly houses like they’re broomsticks or magic carpets, weapons and poisons in nearly every scene, topped with a whole lot of tea, scones, up-right English morals and ethics … you know you’re in for a wild ride.

And it really was a wild ride.

“We are exactly that, Signor. Corsairs, robbers, pirates. I, however, am also a bibliophile, and you are impeding my visit to the library. So either assassinate me now and get it over with, or kindly step aside.”

As well as this story being wonderfully whimsical and over-the-top (in the best ways!), the constant references to literature and in particular the Brontë sisters was an added bonus to its quirkiness.

The characters in The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels were so superbly written that I just wanted spin-off stories of nearly all of them (we actually do get one – the second in the series is called The League of Gentlewomen Witches and we do follow another character on their own adventures). Cecilia and Ned’s enemies AND lovers vibe was a brilliant storyline, and the side characters such as Pleasance the maid are priceless.

If you’re after quirky historical fiction with a splash of magic, piracy, thievery and romance, then this is for you!

Have you read The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels? What did you think?