Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

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The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

14 reviews

elliemaryn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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witcheep's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

If you look for haphazard and dangerous events for fun (such as playing tennis with grenades) drizzled all over the plot of poorly hidden espionnage and awkward sexual awakening, this is a book for you. Alas, it feels too irrational and childish, if that is not what you seek.

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overflowingshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

CW: Violence; gun violence; abandoment; child abuse; physial abuse; emotional abuse; pregnancy

Starting a new India Holton book means you’re in for a whimsical, over-the-top, fantastically fun time. And The Secret Service of Tea and Treason was just that. In the third and final book in Holton’s Dangerous Damsels series, you get a rollicking good time with an adventure involving spies, pirates, misquoted literary references, assassination attempts, and the overwhelming urge to clean everything. With all the hijinks and hilarity that ensues, Holton still manages to weave in an incredibly sweet romance.

I absolutely adore India Holton’s writing style – she has such a unique voice that I’ve yet to find anywhere else. Her stories are bonkers in the best possible way, and I love how she plays with conventional tropes and plots but flips them on their head to deliver the unexpected. Of all the books in the Dangerous Damsels series, this one had me laughing out loud the most. It was so funny! I swear I had a grin on my face the entire time I read this, as I was having such a blast. I love how tongue-in-cheek her style is. The book never takes itself too seriously, which works perfectly for the story. I love how Holton plays with classic literary references, as I love trying to see how many I recognize.

While this series does not need to be read in order, I feel you get the most out of it if you do! I think I would be a bit confused if I entered this world in this book, as the world-building happens in the earlier books. But every book in this series has been a delight, so I recommend picking up The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels first and reading in order.

As I expected, the plot for this is bonkers. We have a secret spy agency composed of servants who thrive on order, sending their two best agents undercover as married pirates, pirates who thrive on chaos, to stop an attempted assassination of Queen Victoria. What can go wrong? A lot! But it is such a fun time! You literally never know what is going to happen next. For example, I did not expect a conga line and a tiger to show up in the same scene. It was also super fun to see some familiar faces from previous books, as it felt like everyone and their mother showed up to the pirate’s house party (even if they weren’t invited!).

Our two main characters in The Secret Society of Tea and Treason are two familiar faces from The League of Gentlewomen Witches, as we have Daniel Bixby, butler extraordinaire, and Alice Dearlove, a lady’s maid of unusual talents. I was intrigued by these two since their chance meeting in an alley in Clacton-on-Sea in the last book.

I truly appreciate the neurodivergent representation in this book. While never stated directly in the book, India Holton has shared that she wrote Daniel and Alice to be autistic (Holton is autistic herself). They present quite differently from each other, which I liked as neurodivergent people are not a monolith; they’re individuals. I hope people who are neurodivergent can feel seen by Holton’s characters, as I think she does a good job capturing different experiences and presenting neurodivergence in a way that does not stigmatize it.

I felt like we spent a little more time with Alice than with Daniel, so I felt I got to understand her a little bit, though Daniel holds a lot close to his chest, which could contribute to my feeling that way. I loved that they both are bibliophiles (I can relate), and books are the most important thing to both of them. They both had some traumatic experiences growing up raised by AUNT that left its mark on them in different ways. But I loved how they both felt they could confide in each other – there is a level of trust between them that feels unusual for them as secret agents. They also notice things about each other that everyone else seems to overlook – such as Alice with her finger tapping – and know how to give each other the space they need to be comfortable. I also loved how much the chaos of the pirates went against everything they stand for – Alice and Daniel thrive on order, cleanliness, and rules. As AUNT’s best undercover agents, they’re genuinely TERRIBLE at being undercover as pirates.

The romance in this book was super sweet! I loved watching Daniel and Alice explore their connection, as it was so pure and perfect. AUNT has taught them that feelings are a weakness, but once they give in to their feelings, they realize how much of a strength it is to feel love. I absolutely love a fake-dating scenario, and we get a bit of that with Alice and Daniel’s relationship, as they’re supposed to be undercover as a married couple. That leads to so many delicious moments of them having to show off how married people act at the urging (and swooning) of the other pirate ladies. The chemistry between them was apparent to everyone, and it was so fun to watch the sexual tension and emotions build until they spilled over (in some very sexy ways!). Daniel’s also so enamored with Alice and that’s one of my favorite tropes. By the end, it truly felt like they found their person, and I was so happy for them and that they were willing to fight for their love in the end.

I’m so sad that the Dangerous Damsels series is over, but I loved how it wrapped everything up! It was so great to see Ned and Cecilia, and Alex and Charlotte again. Alex and Daniel’s friendship was one of my favorite secondary relationships in this book, and I loved the role it played in this story (even if both of them won’t come out and say they’re friends). The epilogue did a great job tying everything together, and I got a bit misty-eyed at having to say goodbye to this wild world of lady pirates, witches, spies, and flying houses.

I cannot wait to see what India Holton writes next! Holton’s writing style is unlike anything I’ve ever read – her plots are wild and over the top, but her characters have such heart, and the romances sizzle. Her next book, The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love, kicks off a new series, and I’m already excited to read it in 2024!

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erebus53's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This third book in the Dangerous Damsels collection has a lot more going for it than the previous titles, though your mileage may vary. Personally I am in love with it because I finally feel represented in a romance story.

As in previous books the action focuses around the pirates, who dress big, and use magic to fly around in houses, (avoiding sun and freckles), and with gallant rumbistification (a word coined by a different Kiwi author so I'm sticking to it), witches who don't exist and while not doing so use magic to move objects around and artfully assault any who would come into conflict with them. Add to this Her Majesty's spies, a.. downstairs network of handmaids, butlers and sundry help in deep cover attempting to keep the other two factions away from each other while protecting the interests of The Crown.

While the other 2 books were, nerdy, bookish, sex-positive, and loaded with Jane Austen-like verbal jousting, a new element is introduced in the narrative - that of hyper-literal Autism. When a couple of your main characters are being baffled by deft social-maneuvering and would rather slip off into a quiet room and read some poetry, all of a sudden this storytelling becomes entirely relatable.

OOof, this book made me catch feels. When your two main characters are Autistic, and kept under thumb by a manipulative organisation that praises them for being gifted and efficient, while gaslighting them and encouraging them lean into their tendency to ignore their emotions, this all gets a little DARK. Traumatised orphans, trained to excellence, trained to follow rules and orders, punished into compliance, and thus developing idiosyncratic coping strategies... is all a bit close to home.

As far as romance and sexytimes is concerned these two are so marvellous. They are very broken by their previous experiences, but start their navigation of each other by co-regulating, making each other feel safe, discussing their needs and expectations beforehand, identifying their triggers and sensory differences, and trying to get the hang of how their own feelings work. It's a work of art, and I loved the journey. Very saucy.. and neuro-spicy.
Again, your mileage may vary, but I am the target audience.

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kendal_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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lacyparrish's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is perfection ... and I don't say that lightly. Ideally, it would be best if you read the previous offerings in the trilogy to maximize your enjoyment of this instalment. Meeting the pirates and witches, being familiar with all of the side characters and established relationships, and comfort level with the writing style is important to its perfection. That said, I feel like Alice and Daniel are the strongest of the main couples and

are working towards the same goal from the beginning, being A.U.N.T. operatives.

The references and callbacks to classic British literature are the cherry on top of a perfectly balanced sundae. To my delight, there is a preview of a new series that India Holton has coming out in 2024 ... perfectly placed to assuage my dismay at this book being finished, as more shenanigans are to come!

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meghanm404's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I’ve been in such a reading slump most of this year so this took me a while to finish but I loved ittt - it was completely ridiculous but super fun and had a really great time reading it :) it really gripped me esp in the second half

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annikaa's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

what I liked

had some of my favourite tropes (fake dating, secret identities, rivals)
Alice was such a badass
Daniel was a badass with hidden softness (my weakness)
I really liked the neurodivergent (autism) representation
funny
very charming and witty writing style
I loved all the references to books as well as all the literary quotes (and misquotes)
the chapter titles were very innovative and I liked them a lot (they really added to the overall witty writing style)

what I didn’t like

a little hard to get into at first (probably due to the fact that I read the third book in the series first and that I haven’t really read any historical fiction yet. Also, as someone whose first language isn’t English, the writing style took a little while to get used to)
the middle part was dragging a bit (it wasn’t really much happening plot-wise)
the reveal that
Dr. Snodgrass was the secret villain was no surprise to me (he was more of a caricature than a character)

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The first and second book in this series were gifted to me by Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing and when I saw that the third book was released, I had to find out how it ended. I didn’t overly enjoy the first two books, so I didn’t have high hopes for this, and it was okay just not mind blowing.

This book has two points of view. The first is Alice also known as Agent A and she 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. So when rumours of an assassination plot begins to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case. But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise knowns 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 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.

If you are wanting enemies-to-lovers – this isn’t it. This book is two people denying their feelings for 200 pages and one of them pretending to hate the other and the other of them having a crush on them but having conflicted feelings about. The only saving grace of this book was the dual POV and hearing Daniel’s thoughts and him being protective of Alice.

I think this book would have actual enemies-to-lovers instead of fake dating and pretending to hate each other. I wanted to know the conflict and why they hated each other and none of them had a valid reason. Another issue I had with this book was I was waiting for something to happen, anything to happen that when the big “villain” got revealed I was almost rooting for him because this book was just a bunch of filler pages until the reveal. I would have liked the separation after the mission to have been longer, but it was like they are forced apart in one chapter and back together in the next.

Throughout this series, all I've wanted was more from it and never got it. It was an alright read but I don’t think I'll re-read them again.

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