The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
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Web ID: 13391526Rip-roaring and rip-snorting
Cecelia is a lady pirate. She wants to belong to the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, like her late mother before her. She is doing everything right, just as her aunt has taught her. An assassin is after her. He tries to break into their home, but Cecelia will not let him. Ned, the assassin, is known by many names. He fascinates Cecelia. He also claims to be protecting her and lets her know who is after her and where is really from. Cecelia is not sure about him, but he does make her feel new feelings. Can she trust him? How far? Will she become a member of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels? Will she rescue her aunt and the other ladies? This is a rib-roaring, rip-snorting book. I had so much fun reading it. Tongue-in-cheek is the only way to read this. I loved Cecelia. She seems so prim and proper, just like those Victorian ladies, but Ned has a way about him that makes her take chances with him and her behavior. She had her mission--finding and killing her father but she gets off on a tangent each time with Ned. She also has to deal with her Aunty Army (not the aunt she lives with) wanting her dead. She's able to charm her and get her help when the Wisteria Society needs help. I plan to read more of this series. I want to see If Cecelia and Ned's dreams come true.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An Utter Delight!
Thank you to PRH Audio and Berkley for this gifted audiobook of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton. All opinions are my own. This book was absolutely delightful! I don’t think I’ve ever read another book quite like this one. It was hilarious, whimsical, and utterly bonkers. The characters were so likable, and they had amazing banter. I also loved how the author was able to include magical elements that didn’t seem weird at all. This was such an easy book to listen to because the narrator did such a great job with the different characters. I loved her accent and appreciated how she told the story. You honestly can’t go wrong with a book narrated by Elizabth Knowelden. I honestly would recommend this book to everyone, and I’m excited to read more books by India Holton.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hilariously charming!
I originally pick this book up because the cover caught my eye. After reading the back it sounded good, so I took a chance. I'm so glad I did!! I laughed out loud so many times, clutched my pearls, and felt my heart swell with joy. I do not normally read books of this genre, however India Holton has changed that for me! 10/10 recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Absurd, yet so fun! Unlike anything I've ever read
CW: Gun violence; murder; death of parent; sexism The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is unlike any book I’ve ever read. It’s absurd and over the top, yet I loved every second of reading it! This book combines a fantastic romance with an incredibly unique premise, badass female characters, and razor-sharp wit. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun reading a book in ages! Cecilia Bassingwaite is the perfect Victorian lady – and also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England in her Aunt’s house, drinking tea, blackmailing friends and acquiring treasures. Sure she has a villainous father and an overbearing aunt, but it’s a pleasant existence. Until Ned Lightbourne, a sometimes assassin/pirate, shows up. Ned is fascinated with Cecilia when he meets her, despite his orders to kill her for one person and capture her for another. One of those people is Captain Morvath, Cecilia’s father and an overall villainous person who intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. When Morvath captures the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with Ned to save the women who raised her and hopefully prove that she’s as much a scoundrel as the rest of them. The premise of this book is preposterous. I mean, lady pirates who have flying houses instead of boats? An evil villain intent on wiping out a secret society? A handsome pirate/assassin/spy? All that together should feel like too much, but it all works perfectly. The plot is over the top, yet the book leans in and embraces the absurd, so it works perfectly. I was deeply engrossed in the story and couldn’t wait to see what wild and zany twist India Holton would throw in next. Holton’s writing style is so unique, and I was instantly hooked! The book is very tongue-in-cheek with so many fun asides that add to the humor. I don’t often laugh out loud while reading, but this book made me do that multiple times. The dialogue felt real (despite some of the absurd conversation topics) and flowed rapidly. I also loved the chapter headings – it made this book feel like a play or something you’d see on screen. This book also gave me major The Kingsman vibes with the action and humor! The characters give this book so much life and heart. I loved all of them. Everyone from our main characters, Cecila and Ned, to the secondary characters, such as Jacobson, felt like fully-fleshed people with their own personalities. Queen Victoria is one of my favorite characters in this book – it was such a fun play on a figure you think you know. Morvath is also such a fun villain. He’s truly an evil character, but his obsession with the Brontës and his bad poetry frequently made me laugh. He’s so over the top and dramatic in his desire to destroy the Wisteria Society, and I loved it. And Miss Darlington was such a fun guardian for Cecilia. She’s overbearing, overly cautious and a bit of a hypochondriac, but she’s also a badass and incredibly caring. And then we have Ned and Cecilia, our main characters. These two were so good together! I loved how Ned had 20 identities – I feel like more kept coming out of the woodwork! Cecilia was a great, strong female character, and I love how she didn’t let others define her actions in the end. And the romance between them! I got major Mrs. & Mr. Smith vibes from them with the top-notch banter happening during action-packed scenes. This book is also packed with so many good tropes! Holton leans into the tropes in a fun way, making the romance sing. Also, color me surprised that this book was opened door! The cutesy cover and the rollicking plot convinced me it was going to be closed-door. But this book has not one but two sexy scenes – and they were the perfect mixture of sexy and sweet. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was so fun – an incredibly impressive debut novel! India Holton has such a fresh and unique voice – I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this before, and I cannot wait to see what she writes next! I will be picking up The League of Gentlewomen Witches as soon I can (though I may be holding out on picking it up until a little closer to book three, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, which comes out in April 2023, as I feel I’m going to want to binge the rest of the books).
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Long and little over bearing
I was so excited to start this book, it seemed so interesting at first. It quickly became over bearing. There was so much fluff to this book it could’ve done without. At times I felt I was reading in circles. It got interesting about 100 pages in and then very dull again after. It was a struggle to read.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Mystery
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is a fun and witty story about a lady, who happens to be a thief. Cecelia Bassingwaite, is a member of a group of ladies that have tea and travel around England blackmailing and acquiring all kinds of treasures. Her aunt is protective and has her own act and life is good. Ned Lightbourne is an assassin who is hired by one of Cecilia’s victims and he is all set to commit his crime. Only problem is, the minute he sees her, he falls in love. He hesitates to do the job and his boss Captain Morvath is getting impatient. He thinks the job should be easy and can’t understand the delay. Can Cecelia outsmart Ned? Can Cecelia help her aunt and the lady’s society. Should Cecelia and Ned work together? I really enjoyed this story. The storyline was good and the characters were even better. They were flawed but human. There was hijinks at every turn. This was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley & the author for my copy of this book for an honest review. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book.. i am looking forward to reading the next one..
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
so whimsical and fun
A tongue-nearly-always-in-cheek blend of Parasol Protectorate/Finishing School with dashes of Sorcery and Cecelia and Thursday Next. Hoping this will be a series.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So entertaining!
Reminds me so much of the Veronica Speedwell series. Loved it. Can’t wait to read India’s next book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com