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I thought the romance was excellently written! There were no doubts about India Holton's talents, but I feel like my expectations for this book were surpassed. The witty banter and the sexual tension between Charlotte and Alex were just spectacular. I shipped them from the moment they met and Charlotte became too flustered she stole a bicycle and flew it home. And I really loved Charlotte's character - she loved books, she absolutely loved Jane Austen and took a lot of comfort from Austen's heroines whenever she couldn't think of what to say or do in a situation, and above all, she was a very lonely young woman. She felt like she had to suppress her real personality around her aunt and her mother and all the witches of the League, but with Alex, she could be herself. And in turn, Alex could lower his guard around Charlotte, be soft and warm and be himself that laid behind his piriatic ways. It was just beautiful. Very romantic!
Filled with wit and an intriguing enemy-to-lovers romance. For fans of Jane Austen and Evie Dunmore." --LibraryReads This novel is filled with the same wit and humor as The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and is just as enjoyable as the first. A brilliant mix of adventure, romance, and Oscar Wildesque absurdity - one of the wittiest, most original rom coms I have read all year." --Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Bringing Down the Duke Clever word play, delightful double entendres, and adventurous high jinks will delight fans of smart, witchy romances, including the first in Holton's Dangerous Damsels series, T he Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (2021)." -- BooklistI was a very delighted fan of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, so when I discovered the opportunity to gallivant once more in its world, and this time with gentlewomen, I immediately prepared my petticoat for perusal, peril, and a proper good time. Of course, these gentlewomen are really gentlewicca, using magic for serious matters rather than amusement. I was really delighted at the juxtaposition of Charlotte's good sense and Alex's devil-may-care attitude. With both of them enemies that should be at each other's throats, there was no end of banter, barbs, and bluster, all sprinkled with plenty of Victorian references that are sure to satisfy even the most Shakespearian of hearts. Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.
The League of Gentlewomen Witches is just as witty, referential, and bonkers fun as its predecessor, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. This book follows the enemies-to-lovers, road trip romance (but in a flying house) of Alex and Charlotte. Alex is a pirate - meaning that he flies his cottage around the British Isles, thieving and pillaging and generally flaunting his use of magic. Charlotte is a witch - meaning that while she uses magic much more often than a pirate might, she makes sure that it's more subtle and secretive. A brilliant mix of adventure, romance, and Oscar Wildesque absurdity - one of the wittiest, most original rom coms I have read all year Ah" Her tone seemed to express that she considered joking equivalent to a cup of green tea distasteful and to be politely ignored if at all possible. "Are you ready?" Fantastical, romantic fun! Sparkling with witty allusions to Shakespeare and Austen, whimsical adventure, and tenderhearted romance, The League of Gentlewomen Witches is a book lover's dream come true." --Chloe Liese, author of the Bergman Brothers seriesSetting that aside, this book is still quirky and loads of fun. It took me a while to warm up to Charlotte, but I already loved Alex from the first book, and it was entertaining to run into plenty of old friends along the way. Incredible! Sensational! Fantastic! So charming your inner Lizzie Bennet will swoon' 5***** Reader Review As much fun as the English language will permit.”—New York Times Book Review on The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels I’ve always felt that bookish, introverted and sensitive women can be just as powerful as the warrior type . . .”
The plot is pretty simple, the pirate and the witch hunting for an amulet for their own purposes. Both enemies to each other, find themselves in a position where they become allies. It sounds good but I had problems with it in the sense, that except for the romance I had zero interest in the amulet which was a major part of the plot. It was supposedly very powerful and blah blah blah but all I cared about was the romance, which India Holton does write well. Holton takes readers on a wild ride through a fun, limitless world, where frivolity and whimsy reign supreme and skilled swordwork and grand displays of magic abound. It’s all a hodgepodge of delightful silliness, with over-the-top action, exaggerated villainy and the fact that it’s possible to fall in love with your sworn enemy while recovering an ancient amulet. Think Mel Brooks meets The Princess Bride with a dash of Austen-esque comedy of manners. And then crank that all up to 11. I’m in the middle of Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese, which is a truly delightful rom-com due out this fall. And I’ve also started If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher, which is a charming, hilarious rom-com. I chose a historical setting because the things I wanted to say about women were really emphasised by a Victorian milieu, rather than an imaginary world. For example, I’ve always felt that bookish, introverted and sensitive women can be just as powerful as the warrior type, given an opportunity. By placing my heroines in a time period in which women were constrained to be ladylike (“the angel of the house”), I could explore this more easily. So it wasn’t so much about changing the Victorian period as using what it offered for my purpose. Although the books offer light fun, at their heart is a contemplation of how we as a culture view women—and indeed men, too—and how that can harmfully influence their relationships with themselves, as well as with others. Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said— witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.
Christmas Gifts
I loved this book as much as the first one, but I think this one was more funny. I laughed so much. India Holton has a similar sense of humour to me and that's why I found myself nearly crying from laughter at several points. Here's a quote I nearly expired over: Immediately I recognised the same melodramatic tone of the first book, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, also present in this book, which easily drew me into familiar ground. The world is once again whimsical with flourishes of surreal magic present, the characters are once again eccentric, like caricatures of Jane Austen’s characters with added witty humour and a more skewered view on propriety, and I loved this combination so much. In fact throughout the novel Holton’s love of Pride and Prejudice is clear. With Charlotte, Holton introduces a new character who is bookish and aspires to be just like Elizabeth Bennet. Whenever she finds herself in a situation she’s unsure of she’ll always aim to behave in the same manner as Elizabeth would, that is until she finds herself in situations Elizabeth had never faced. Charlotte at her heart is extremely insecure, her overbearing aunt and passive mother have left her feeling like she cannot be herself, that herself isn’t good enough and I loved seeing her overcome that. Then there’s Alex O’Riley, who happened to be my favourite side character from the first book so I was pleased to see him appear more predominantly here. Alex is cheeky, mischievous but underneath he’s also weighed down by a traumatic childhood. In this instalment the romance is rather heavy handed in comparison to the first and there is a touch of ‘insta-love’ which usually I’d grumble about but here I didn’t mind it one bit. Charlotte and Alex’s relationship grows in the most wholesome way but also in the most hilarious way—seriously they both came out with the best innuendos! Over the years I have become more and more drawn to books which can make me laugh so this aspect was perfect for me. I don’t want to say just yet who will be featured in book three; I want to see if readers can guess. But I’m so very excited to share their story, because I fell in love at first sight with both characters. It involves one of my favorite tropes: fake marriage. It also includes rivals-to-lovers, forbidden love and only one bed, of course! The League of Gentlewomen Witches is the second book in the Dangerous Damsels trilogy by India Holton and it is a superbly entertaining sequel. With playful dialogue, openly crafty characters and a sizzling romance, this is truly a tale to enchant its readers.
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