shel_ly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dawnpage25's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
raven9949's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I like the plot and the smut…. The pacing felt awfully slow though but the timing for things was way too rushed… a few things were told to the reader rather than shown… so a little less impressed there. But still a good story overall.
_readwithlauren_'s review
3.0
3 stars✨
I have never read anything by Fiona Zedde before this. I did not expect that this was going to be an intrigue and mystery storyline in this book and that is one of my favorite genres, so this made it a pleasant surprise.
We have Agnes Noble who is private, mysterious, and untouchable. She rules House of Agnes, the most exclusive escort agency on the East Coast, with a diamond fist. Crossing her is a mistake no one makes twice. We then have Investigative reporter Lola Osbourne who is not afraid. She’s gunning for the House and its so-called queen. She’ll make sure no other innocent gets dragged into Agnes’s alluring web, to be used and discarded the way Lola’s sister was. From the moment she lays eyes on Lola, Agnes knows she’s hiding something but she also knows she won’t be able to resist Lola.
I really liked the way this story was told. I enjoyed Lola’s determination and her ability to change her mind. I also liked that it was an age-gape romance, as those are one of my favorites. The atmosphere is also fantastic. I will admit that there were some plot holes and a couple of convenient timings that made me roll my eyes. But I still enjoyed it. The steamy sex scenes were definitely my favorite part.
However, I did have some issues. First, there were sometimes where I was really confused. I like that they spent some time together, talking and getting to know each other, but I don't think that one night of flirtation and dinner together was enough for them to fall in love. I felt that the reveal was a letdown. I just was expecting more. The writing isn't bad, but it didn't wow me, and there were a few repetitive things that were annoying.
Overall, I did enjoy this. If you're looking for a sapphic romance with some mystery in it, I do recommend this. Thank you to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I have never read anything by Fiona Zedde before this. I did not expect that this was going to be an intrigue and mystery storyline in this book and that is one of my favorite genres, so this made it a pleasant surprise.
We have Agnes Noble who is private, mysterious, and untouchable. She rules House of Agnes, the most exclusive escort agency on the East Coast, with a diamond fist. Crossing her is a mistake no one makes twice. We then have Investigative reporter Lola Osbourne who is not afraid. She’s gunning for the House and its so-called queen. She’ll make sure no other innocent gets dragged into Agnes’s alluring web, to be used and discarded the way Lola’s sister was. From the moment she lays eyes on Lola, Agnes knows she’s hiding something but she also knows she won’t be able to resist Lola.
I really liked the way this story was told. I enjoyed Lola’s determination and her ability to change her mind. I also liked that it was an age-gape romance, as those are one of my favorites. The atmosphere is also fantastic. I will admit that there were some plot holes and a couple of convenient timings that made me roll my eyes. But I still enjoyed it. The steamy sex scenes were definitely my favorite part.
However, I did have some issues. First, there were sometimes where I was really confused. I like that they spent some time together, talking and getting to know each other, but I don't think that one night of flirtation and dinner together was enough for them to fall in love. I felt that the reveal was a letdown. I just was expecting more. The writing isn't bad, but it didn't wow me, and there were a few repetitive things that were annoying.
Overall, I did enjoy this. If you're looking for a sapphic romance with some mystery in it, I do recommend this. Thank you to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
lostinbooks2001's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I figured out who the "bad guy" was pretty early on, but it didn't really bothered me or took away from the story, so the book still got 5 stars.
00leah00's review
4.0
4 Stars
“House of Agnes” is an enemies-to-lovers romance with a side of mystery/intrigue that will keep you guessing. Some may call it a mystery/intrigue with a side of romance. I think it’ll depend on the reader for which they like better. I really enjoyed this for the most part. There were some places where I had to suspend my belief for a bit, but otherwise it was an entertaining read.
Lola is an investigative reporter who is trying to take down the madam of a high-end escort service, Agnes. Her sister was killed years ago and she blames Agnes for her death. Agnes rules her empire with an iron fist and the only way for Lola to do what she needs to do is from the inside.
I enjoyed Lola and Agnes together, but the romance wasn’t my favorite part. They had nice chemistry and I liked that they could be themselves (to a point) with each other. Neither one trusts the other for different reasons but they can’t stay away from each other either. They both lie and manipulate to get what they want but at the end of the day, they want each other. Their romance doesn’t get very deep and I wish I could’ve seen them together more when they finally started being honest with each other.
As for the mystery side, this is what kept me reading. There were a couple of different things going on and while I did guess a few of them; there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming and kept my attention until the end. I will admit there were some plot holes and a couple of convenient timing things that made me roll my eyes a little. But I still enjoyed it for what it was.
Like I said, I really enjoyed this. However, I did have my issues. I’ll try to describe them without giving out too many details because I don’t want to spoil it. First of all, I found it hard to believe that Agnes would make some of the decisions she makes. She’s smart, rich, and powerful and she knows there are people trying to take her down. Despite all that, she still walks around the city without her security or puts herself in a position where she is easily accessible to outsiders? Adding to that, I found it extremely unlikely that Lola would be able to have all the access she seemingly has. It was amazing how she was able to get in to places she should’ve never had access to because honestly, she really didn’t seem all that great at her job. Lastly, I don’t know if I’ve ever come across a mask that completely hid the identity of someone I have feelings for…
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
“House of Agnes” is an enemies-to-lovers romance with a side of mystery/intrigue that will keep you guessing. Some may call it a mystery/intrigue with a side of romance. I think it’ll depend on the reader for which they like better. I really enjoyed this for the most part. There were some places where I had to suspend my belief for a bit, but otherwise it was an entertaining read.
Lola is an investigative reporter who is trying to take down the madam of a high-end escort service, Agnes. Her sister was killed years ago and she blames Agnes for her death. Agnes rules her empire with an iron fist and the only way for Lola to do what she needs to do is from the inside.
I enjoyed Lola and Agnes together, but the romance wasn’t my favorite part. They had nice chemistry and I liked that they could be themselves (to a point) with each other. Neither one trusts the other for different reasons but they can’t stay away from each other either. They both lie and manipulate to get what they want but at the end of the day, they want each other. Their romance doesn’t get very deep and I wish I could’ve seen them together more when they finally started being honest with each other.
As for the mystery side, this is what kept me reading. There were a couple of different things going on and while I did guess a few of them; there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming and kept my attention until the end. I will admit there were some plot holes and a couple of convenient timing things that made me roll my eyes a little. But I still enjoyed it for what it was.
Like I said, I really enjoyed this. However, I did have my issues. I’ll try to describe them without giving out too many details because I don’t want to spoil it. First of all, I found it hard to believe that Agnes would make some of the decisions she makes. She’s smart, rich, and powerful and she knows there are people trying to take her down. Despite all that, she still walks around the city without her security or puts herself in a position where she is easily accessible to outsiders? Adding to that, I found it extremely unlikely that Lola would be able to have all the access she seemingly has. It was amazing how she was able to get in to places she should’ve never had access to because honestly, she really didn’t seem all that great at her job. Lastly, I don’t know if I’ve ever come across a mask that completely hid the identity of someone I have feelings for…
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Pedophilia, Slavery, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia, Gun violence, Alcohol, Drug use, and Car accident
guardyourhonor's review
4.0
This was so enjoyable! Agnes is 5 stars chef's kiss, and Lola was extremely sympathetic and likeable. It was a bit of a risk for me to read this, because I usually don't like tropes that rely on lies or miscommunication but Zedde really made this one work in ways that felt natural without ever being frustrating.
It can be really hard to find sexy f/f that's also well written, so I'm really excited to have found Zedde and I'll definitely be starting into her back catalog. She deserves to be more widely read than some of the current big names in the field!
It can be really hard to find sexy f/f that's also well written, so I'm really excited to have found Zedde and I'll definitely be starting into her back catalog. She deserves to be more widely read than some of the current big names in the field!
blacet1's review
5.0
I have been waiting for this audiobook and was so excited to see it was finally released. The book exceeded my expectations! I love books with badass women, especially ones who take care of others who can’t protect themselves. I loved the energy between Agnes and Lola and the twist and turns made this book hard to put down to go to bed
kjanie's review
2.0
2.5/5 stars
I hate that I can’t join the majority in loving this book. It started out pretty intriguing, the idea was captivating and some of the chemistry was great, but overall I just didn’t love this book. The characters didn’t jump off the page for me, I felt that neither of them were fully fleshed out or well rounded. I had such a little grasp on who they were as characters, let alone any of our side characters, who for me were pretty much completely forgettable. I also just wasn’t sold by the plot. I didn’t find the mystery to be interesting, it got pretty convoluted towards the end and there were some pretty glaring plot holes.
In saying this, I don’t want this review to be a complete hate train. I enjoyed Fiona Zedde’s writing, it was very easy to get into and I wasn’t lying when I say that the chemistry was great at points. The sex scenes were dynamic and full of steamy chemistry, and I’m not embarrassed to say they might have been one of my favourite parts of the book. The changing power dynamics, the conflicting feelings of the characters and really all that I wanted the book to be was found in snippets during those scenes. I think I would definitely give her writing another try
I hate that I can’t join the majority in loving this book. It started out pretty intriguing, the idea was captivating and some of the chemistry was great, but overall I just didn’t love this book. The characters didn’t jump off the page for me, I felt that neither of them were fully fleshed out or well rounded. I had such a little grasp on who they were as characters, let alone any of our side characters, who for me were pretty much completely forgettable. I also just wasn’t sold by the plot. I didn’t find the mystery to be interesting, it got pretty convoluted towards the end and there were some pretty glaring plot holes.
In saying this, I don’t want this review to be a complete hate train. I enjoyed Fiona Zedde’s writing, it was very easy to get into and I wasn’t lying when I say that the chemistry was great at points. The sex scenes were dynamic and full of steamy chemistry, and I’m not embarrassed to say they might have been one of my favourite parts of the book. The changing power dynamics, the conflicting feelings of the characters and really all that I wanted the book to be was found in snippets during those scenes. I think I would definitely give her writing another try