A Lady's Formula for Love

I hate it here

** spoiler alert ** I do really like the love between Violet and Arthur. It makes me jealous. Her women’s science retreat is admirable in a time where women aren’t allowed to think on their own. Overall a nice romance book but it never really gripped me.

4.25 ⭐️ Odd to see how this book is averaging under 4 stars 😏 Regardless, I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. So I was pleasantly surprised by that. This will give you Bridgerton vibes, but is also nothing like that plot—especially if, like me, you’ve only seen the show and haven’t read the books 😂 This is basically about a bunch of genius women, suppressed by men and society standards, who all further their inventions through Athena’s Retreat, a club they founded to aid women who have nowhere to go. I love them. I love their wacky inventions, how they blow things up and don’t even bat an eye, how determined they are in leaving their mark even if they have to do it in private. I did find that the love story overshadowed some of the plot, and that the plot development was pretty average. Violet needed a bodyguard because she was developing an antidote that an organization wanted to get their hands on and would harm her into getting it. so in comes Arthur. The overall plot had to do with the antidote and the organization, but I paid less attention to that and more attention to the relationship developing between them. There are tons of well-placed humor in here and obviously a lot of romance. Thank God for that, too, because by the end of the first chapter, you get the build up of their attraction. I will say that it seemed a bit rushed just in terms of them literally going from strangers into the possibility of falling in love. The story felt quite simple despite what its main plot was about, but not really a bad thing for me because I actually enjoyed the simplicity of it, especially to help me get over a reading hangover from a different book. Some steam here, not THOROUGH spice, but the adult language was there. Probably would give it 🌶🌶/5 just because of the mention and some execution. “The connection between himself and Violet was the same: like breathing and sleeping. Blind or deaf, now or a hundred years from now, Arthur would know what to say to make her color that gorgeous shade of crimson, to make her stammer and set her pulse beating at her throat.” UGH—one of my fave quotes.

Definitely one of my top romances of the year! Victorian England, Female Scientists, an assassination attempt, and a sexy bodyguard is what you’re going to get in this book. Lady Violet opened a social club for society women in London. However it is really a scientific laboratory for women who, given the patriarchal nature of society, must hide their talent and intelligence. Her scientists are currently working on an antidote for a chemical that a workers organization is using in their violent protests. She gets her orders from the Queen herself, however someone doesn’t want Lady Violet to succeed. Enter Arthur Kneland a bodyguard who instantly feels attracted to Violet, despite his number one rule: don’t get personally involved with clients. This book is smart and sexy and there is so much passion (both in the lab and bedroom). I could have read this in a single afternoon but actually made myself stop reading so that the experience could last longer lol. According to Goodreads, this is part of a new series and you have no idea how thrilled I am! Also I just want to say that the sexy scenes were some of the best ones in a romance I read. They definitely went beyond your typical description in most romances. I found that they represented sex in a refreshing way than your usual romance does. If you like romance, feminism, women in science, and mystery/assassination plots and this one is for you. This is also the first book I’ve ever read with Trans-representation.

We have a new historical romance book this month. And the book cover is bringing us all of the vibes for love. It started off with a bang or more of explosives. Let me explain. Lady Violet Hughes is a very intelligent scientist but she is a woman. Women could not do many things during that time. This inspires Lady Violet to open a lady-only club for future and present scientists. It's such a wonderful thing to do but it does bring trouble especially with the Lady Violet case. Don't you worry, she gets protection from protection officer Arthur. And her attraction is off the roof when she meets Arthur. Arthur is more reserved than most people. But that's part of the charms for being a protection officer. It may hurt some people's feelings but they should not take offense. Arthur always wants to protect his guards rather than be friends. It's easier but Lady Violet won't let that happen especially since she had high attraction for him. Their chemistry is off the rocks that it makes the read so good. But the side characters make it difficult to read. They have so much opinion about Violet and Arthur as a whole and as a couple. Like mind your business. Stop being so judgy about things.

Brief synopsis: The head of a secret society of female scientists in the 1800s is assigned a body guard when someone is found trying to prevent her from fulfilling her clandestine mission for the Crown. Romance ensues. Unfortunately, my excitement and potential for love for this book ended with the cover and the premise. I found nearly all the characters (and science) far more surface-level than I wanted, and I didn’t believe the insta-love at all. So, all in all, a dud for me.

Lady Violet Hughes doesn't fit in much with the rest of England's high society. She doesn't wear the right dresses, she doesn't host the grandest events, but the biggest reason is that Violet is hiding a massive secret. She founded a secret club for England's most brilliant female scientists, and she's also using her knowledge of chemistry to assist the Crown on a dangerous mission. To protect her and her work, Violet is assigned a bodyguard, the rugged Arthur Kneland, who has quite a few secrets of his own. Arthur knows to keep a clear eye on what's at stake he can't divert from his task, and Violet is quite the distraction. The more time he spends around her, the more his attention starts to shift and feelings begin to grow. But with bombs and thieves threatening Violet's life and work, the pair must work together to uncover the culprit before everything goes up in flames. This had so much potential! Everything from the setting to the characters to the premise sounded right up my alley, but it was all just one big mess. You're thrown right into the plot with no lead-up, so the first few chapters are all jumbled with action that you're trying to wade through to understand what's going on. There are so many characters introduced and none have any distinguishing factors so they all mesh into one. There were maybe one or two characters who grew on me, but the rest I could take or leave. Another thing I didn't love was the romance. There was zero chemistry between Violet and Arthur which made everything feel so unbelievable. Since I wasn't invested in the relationship, I didn't care much about what happened to them. I also found the mystery itself to be all over the place and unfocused, and the way the villain was ultimately handled was completely unsatisfying. Overall, I think the author tried to do too many things at once which led to an uneven plot and lackluster characters, and sadly, it just wasn't for me.

3.5* This is my first ‘bodyguard romance’ and it was a great introduction to this trope! A Lady’s Formula for Love offered a dynamic plot with a self-sufficient woman who’s determination to make a scientific discovery on behalf of the Crown makes her a target. I loved how science took such a singular focus for Violet. Everett was able to write this character from two different views in such a great way. Most of the time she is quiet and keeps to herself and even zones out for hours on end when she is trying to crack something. But then there is also the side who is fiercely protective of her friends and the other ladies of her organization. While they don’t always appreciate it and even disregard her, there is no denying that Violet is meant to lead. Throughout reading this book, I thought I knew what was going to happen, to know who the culprit was and solve the mystery before everything is revealed (which is what usually happens for me) but I was actually taken a bit by surprise with this one! I think the subtle twists and turns that Everett takes the reader on is just enough to have you second guessing yourself about whodunnit. I also really enjoyed how much of the other female scientists we get to see and can only imagine what will come next in subsequent books. I can’t even guess at who we will get to see more of next! The fact that they each have their own unique agendas and strains of science that they are specialists in leaves this series open to so many possibilities. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the romance. I really enjoyed Arthur and Violet’s romance but I was never fully convinced about Arthur’s reason for staying distant. He kept saying it but his actions never showed his concerns until it was able to affect the plot. It just seemed like a convenient plot point but not inherent to the character. It took me a while of questioning this motivation before I just decided to simply ignore it. Other than that though, I really enjoyed these two together. There was definite chemistry, they were both ‘older’ in terms of what you normally see in these types of books, there was mutual respect, and banter… really such a great time. I will definitely be keeping up with this series as I feel like it is very unique to the space and entertaining to boot!