Review by Booklist Review
What happens in France, stays in France. At least that is what Jo Brown would like to think with regards to her relationship with Elliot Wingate. However, a year after a dangerous rescue assignment led to some steamy moments and then a supposed parting of the ways, Jo could swear that Elliot is still hovering around the edges of her life. Given her proficiency throwing knives as a part of her act for Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre, Elliot knows he should be more wary about annoying Jo, but he can't help being fascinated by the seemingly self-sufficient woman. So, when Elliot learns about something in Jo's past that could threaten her future, there is no question when it comes to helping her--Elliot is all in. Spencer (The Dueling Duchess, 2023) wraps up the ingeniously inventive Regency-set Wicked Women of Whitechapel series on a high note, smartly playing to her preferred literary wheelhouse with a fabulously fierce yet heartbreakingly vulnerable heroine, an intrigue-infused plot with a fascinating historical what-if twist, and love scenes so hot they're combustible.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A fearless circus performer finds unexpected romance with a secret agent of the crown in Spencer's page-turning third Wicked Women of Whitechapel Regency (after The Dueling Duchess). Jo "Blade" Brown, a talented knife-thrower with Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre, reveals her incredible survival skills when saving the life of fellow circus employee (and undercover agent) Elliot Wingate in France after he is attacked by a local militia. This encounter sparks surprising and intense sexual chemistry, leading to a tumultuous, on-and-off affair. Despite her growing feelings, Jo is sure they have no real future, especially as she's concealing the fact that her late father was a suspected enemy of the crown, though she believes him innocent. The stakes rise when she becomes the target of an investigation by Elliot's boss at the Home Office, who knows all about the allegations of treason against her father. As family secrets come out and Elliot fights to keep Jo safe, their sensual connection turns to undeniable love. Spencer imbues Jo with strength, intellect, and resilience, while also revealing her insecurities, making her as authentic as she is admirable. With witty dialogue, sizzling sex scenes, and a touch of suspense, this will have readers riveted. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Spencer takes readers back to the world of the "Wicked Women of Whitechapel" with her third installment, after The Dueling Duchess. Josephine Brown's time as the knife expert with Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre has proven to be the most stable period of her life so far. Living in one place, finding friends--these were things she'd never dared dream of before the death of her guardian. But an inadvisable attraction to the Honorable Elliot Wingate, agent for the crown, could threaten all that she holds dear. Just as Jo is finally starting to believe that she and Elliot might have a future together, some unexpected news thrusts Jo into society and places a target on her back. The story will have readers on the edge of their seats as Jo and Elliot race against time--and a possible traitor in their midst--to reveal the truth and finally find their much-deserved HEA together. VERDICT For anyone who loves the "Bridgerton" books but wishes its heroines were more adept with close combat and weaponry than the pianoforte, Spencer's novel delivers.--Rebecca Moe
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two Regency-era secret agents open up to another person for the first time. Josephine Brown has secrets. She wears a mask to perform as Blade, the incognito woman at the center of the daring knife-throwing act in Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre. And she's spent most of her life in hiding, assisting her father with his cloak-and-dagger missions for the Crown and never staying in one place for long. She's grown used to solitude, but since making real friends at the circus after her father's death, she's begun to wonder if she should stay put for once. Plus, she hasn't stopped thinking about Elliot Wingate since they were briefly lovers on a rescue mission in France last year, and staying where she is provides glimpses of him. Elliot hasn't stopped thinking about Jo, either, even though he knows he should focus on his job for the Home Office and look for a proper lady to marry, as his grandmother desires. Spying on each other and finding excuses to keep in touch, both remain sure of their feelings, but keeping secrets and suppressing desires are hard habits for either to renounce, and some of those secrets may mean it's safer for them to stay apart. Fans of the first two Wicked Women of Whitechapel volumes will be delighted to see Blade get her time in the spotlight with this story. Unfortunately, because it overlaps significantly with the plot of the second volume, they may also feel a certain amount of déjà vu in this book's first half. It's easy to overlook in the face of the undeniable attraction and steamy scenes between Jo and Elliot. Because they are so clearly enamored so early in the story, the narrative tension mostly derives from the suspense in a predictable but enjoyable subplot. Newcomers to the series will be fine starting with this one, which can be read as a stand-alone. Uneven but ultimately successful feminist historical romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
