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A review by nadiajohnsonbooks
The Worst Woman in London by Julia Bennet
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
Once I started this book, I literally could not put it down. One sitting. Loved it.
While I love both historical fiction and romance, I tend to avoid modern regency and Victorian romances. I'm not a fan of the virginal-ingenue-meets-corrupting-rake trope that abounds in that genre. This book is not that.
When we first meet the heroine, Francesca, she is a young debutante, but, even then, she can't quite conform to the expectations of her class and era. At the start, she is engaged to be married to Edward Thorne, a somewhat out-of-touch romantic who has put her on a entirely unattainable pedestal, setting them both up for matrimonial disappointment.
The action of the book takes place some ten years later, eight years after the doomed couple has become estranged. In that time, Francesca has been isolated and Edward has become a complete reprobate. When Francesca demands a divorce, Edward tries to pay her off, pressuring her to settle for a well-compensated life in her own establishment.
He sends his longtime friend, James Standish to negotiate with her, setting off a spark between James and Francesca, tempting them both toward a relationship that they know can never happen. If Francesca is caught in an affair, she will lose her divorce suit, and James is caught between his desire for Francesca and the social expectations of his benefactress Aunt and his social class.
The banter between James and Francesca is electric, full of affectionate teasing and crackling wit.
The legal drama surrounding the divorce suit, compounded with Edward's blatant philandering had me stressed to the point of slamming down my Kindle more than once.
All in all, I adored it. So glad I took a chance on this book.
Once I started this book, I literally could not put it down. One sitting. Loved it.
While I love both historical fiction and romance, I tend to avoid modern regency and Victorian romances. I'm not a fan of the virginal-ingenue-meets-corrupting-rake trope that abounds in that genre. This book is not that.
When we first meet the heroine, Francesca, she is a young debutante, but, even then, she can't quite conform to the expectations of her class and era. At the start, she is engaged to be married to Edward Thorne, a somewhat out-of-touch romantic who has put her on a entirely unattainable pedestal, setting them both up for matrimonial disappointment.
The action of the book takes place some ten years later, eight years after the doomed couple has become estranged. In that time, Francesca has been isolated and Edward has become a complete reprobate. When Francesca demands a divorce, Edward tries to pay her off, pressuring her to settle for a well-compensated life in her own establishment.
He sends his longtime friend, James Standish to negotiate with her, setting off a spark between James and Francesca, tempting them both toward a relationship that they know can never happen. If Francesca is caught in an affair, she will lose her divorce suit, and James is caught between his desire for Francesca and the social expectations of his benefactress Aunt and his social class.
The banter between James and Francesca is electric, full of affectionate teasing and crackling wit.
The legal drama surrounding the divorce suit, compounded with Edward's blatant philandering had me stressed to the point of slamming down my Kindle more than once.
All in all, I adored it. So glad I took a chance on this book.