Book Review: The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3) by India Holton

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3)
by India Holton

April 18, 2023

Genre: historical, fantasy, Victorian

One of Buzzfeed's Romance Books To Look Out For In 2023!

Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case. 

But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans. 

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.

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The Dangerous Damsels series is back with its third installment The Secret Service of Tea and Treason. This novel series combines historical fiction, romance, and the supernatural. Much of the action swirls around the misdeeds of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, a league of house-flying pirates, their allies and enemies. This series is hilariously fun with razor-sharp wit. In this third installment, Alice Dearlove (Agent A) and Daniel Bixby (Agent B) pose as domestic servants for London’s elite when in reality, they are operatives for the spy agency AUNT (Agency of Undercover Note Takers). Alice and Daniel are assigned an undercover operation wherein they must pose as a married pirate couple, infiltrate a weekend party at a notorious pirate estate, and foil a purported plot to assassinate the queen. What ensues is a rollicking good time, complete with a simmering romance between the two no-nonsense agents who must choose between duty and passion.

Alice and Daniel are a delightful pair. Their romance deliciously unfolds against the backdrop of piratical lunacy. Couples from the previous installments make appearances throughout and are a nice addition to the story.

This series is hella quirky. If you’re looking for something smartly entertaining and completely outlandish, look no further. India leans heavily into humor and satire with carefully crafted, take-no-prisoners female leads. The world Holt creates is wholly self-aware and embraces its own ridiculousness: “ ‘One can hardly own a properly decent Gothic castle without keeping an Attic Lunatic. We also have a Mysterious Scar-faced Man lurking in the cellar, and the famous medium Mrs. Zhu comes in quarterly to refresh our ghosts.’ ” I must admit, however, the reference to Leonard Cohen in a Victorian novel threw me a bit.

I absolutely love how Holt reclaims all things traditionally feminine, rebranding the domestic sphere as something altogether vibrantly fun and ferociously dangerous. This series is fresh, exciting, and fiercely feminist. While this series has been a recent favourite, I liked this installment the least of the three. I didn’t quite connect with Alice in the same way as the previous two heroines. The Secret Service of Tea and Treason was nonetheless a great read. This installment seems to have a finality to it, and I’m not sure how Holton could top these shenanigans, but if given the chance, I’d dive in again and again.


Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels #1)
Review: The League of Gentlewoman Witches (Dangerous Damsels #2)

Four Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

website-Instagram-twitter

India resides in New Zealand, where she's enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats.

Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues. Think slow burn with sudden explosions.

India's writing is fuelled by tea, buttered scones, and thunderstorms.

Book Review: The League of Gentlewoman Witches (Dangerous Damsels #2) by India Holton

The League of Gentlewoman Witches (Dangerous Damsels #2)

by India Holton

March 15, 2022

“As much fun as the English language will permit.”—New York Times Book Review on The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the teahouse. . . .

Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.

 

When the long lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it is up to Charlotte, as the future leader of the League, to make sure the powerful talisman does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, it is most unfortunate when she crosses paths with Alex O’Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy. With all the world scrambling after the amulet, Alex and Charlotte join forces to steal it together. If only they could keep their pickpocketing hands to themselves! If Alex’s not careful, he might just steal something else—such as Charlotte’s heart.

Amazon

The League of Gentlewoman Witches follows the events of 2021’s The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. While the first book in this series followed the outrageous adventures of house-flying lady pirates, book two centres on The League of Gentlewoman Witches, a coven of high society witches, operating covertly and in complete opposition to the pirates. The league’s young heir apparent, Charlotte Pettifer, aims to capture and secure a talisman, an amulet the pirates also claim as their own. When one particularly unhinged lady pirate absconds with the amulet, Charlotte is forced to team up with Alex O’Riley, a notorious pirate bachelor. Readers of the first installment will recognize the dark and dangerous O’Riley as the long-time friend of Ned Lightbourne. Of course, the tenuous alliance between Charlotte and Alex soon becomes something far spicier.

Dangerous Damsels is, by far, my most favourite new series. Combining elements of satire, fantasy, adventure, and historical fiction/romance, this series is an absolute riot. The premise is completely creative and outlandish, setting it distinctly apart from the pack. The series’ refusal to take itself too seriously grants it a fresh perspective and is the exact escapism I’m craving in these overwrought times. It’s smart too. The self-reflexive nature of the book and its engaging, confident (albeit flawed) characters are like a conspiratorial wink to the reader. I have read this entire series wearing a silly grin, barking out laughter and gasps at regular intervals.

I cannot get enough of Dangerous Damsels. I hope India Holton has many more adventures on deck.

Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels #1)

Five Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

website-Instagram-twitter

India resides in New Zealand, where she's enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats.

Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues. Think slow burn with sudden explosions.

India's writing is fuelled by tea, buttered scones, and thunderstorms.

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

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels)
by India Holton
June 15, 2021
336 pages
Berkley
“The kind of book for which the word “rollicking” was invented.”—New York Times Book Review

One of Bustle's Best New Books Out June 2021

A Popsugar Best Summer Read of 2021

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

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 an 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.

Amazon

The premise for this story is outlandishly quirky but stick with me. I promise it’s worthwhile. In an alternate imaging of Victorian England exists a group of elite upper crust lady pirates. These ‘lady scoundrels’ possess a sacred magical knowledge allowing them to maneuver their stately homes as weaponized flying pirate ships. Butlers and maids become part of an air-born crew of adventurous lady thieves who simply must pause for teatime whilst executing plots of abscondment and assassination. It’s all so weirdly wonderful and utterly charming.

At the centre of the story is Cecilia Bassingwaite and her great-aunt Miss Darlington, a long-time member of The Wisteria Society. Cecilia craves membership into the society and ardently trains her whole life to acquire necessary skills in combat and espionage. When dashing and deceptive Ned Lightbourne turns up in his too-tight pants, an assassination plot is revealed. Someone wants Cecilia dead, and Ned was charged with the task. Soon, a larger plot and more formidable foe emerge, and Cecilia and Ned must team up to defeat Lord Morvath and his looming gothic abbey.

This book was one of the most unique and entertaining books I’ve read in a long while. I was absolutely hooked from start to finish. It’s action-packed, hilarious, and sexy. The ladies are possessed and proud, deadly efficient and beyond witty. Every character captivates. Cecilia and Ned make a charming team, and the tension between them sizzles. As the big-bad, Morvath is a hysterically absurd caricature of male privilege. With the exceptions of Ned and Morvath, most men in the book take a back seat to the formidable ladies. Husbands are reduced to caretaking roles while their wives brave battle: “No men sat the table, having been left at home to mind the children, guard the treasure, or quite frankly stay out of the way of women’s business.”

Holton’s work is endlessly clever and satirical and oh-so-entertaining. The story has an irresistible Princess Bride vibe. It reads as a stand-alone, which is a little disappointing as I so want this to be a series. Nothing would please me more than to read further adventures of these ‘black stocking’ ladies and sky-high hijinks.

Five Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

website-Instagram-twitter

India resides in New Zealand, where she's enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats.

Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues. Think slow burn with sudden explosions.

India's writing is fuelled by tea, buttered scones, and thunderstorms.