This book has a unique writing style which I think could be marmitey, but it worked for me.

A compelling tale which intrigued me from the off and I liked the historical detail. A well rounded sense of time and place with some superb characters along the way.

This was very different to a lot of Regency romances I read, and was quite complex and political. I loved the romance at the heart of it - I thought Cressida and Greville were written beautifully - but at times it was very confusing and felt like a book in a series. A little more contextualising for the reader would have been ideal, and perhaps a smaller cast of characters.

Lovely, engaging read - I really enjoyed exploring an entirely new side of Regency history, of the women who follow the armies. Took a bit to get into as quite heavily descriptive and a lot of characters and names introduced at once, but worth sticking with

My Lady's Secret is a refreshing look at Regency England and relationships, but I don't think it was fully successful. I felt as though I was missing information, or that I had started reading in the middle of a book or series. The withholding of plot points didn't make it mysterious, more so confusing at times. I appreciated the overall plot and how this was a much different take on Regency England, and can see a very great book within.

The other bit I struggled with were the two mains and their communication issues. They're both so intelligent and clearly care for each other, but cannot communicate at all. If they stopped to talk to each other at any point (past or present) most of their issues would've resolved in the first third. Additionally, I didn't understand Cressida's decision to run initially. Yes, her father is a rebel/criminal so she didn't have the most traditional upbringing, but she is still a "gently bred" young lady and running as she did in the night in a dangerous area is very against the nature of that class.

Overall I think there's a good story here but could do with additional polishing to make it a more successful and enjoyable read.

Once I got into it, I did enjoy this story. It’s a fun, fast paced mystery of sorts. It was a fun read, and if there’s to be a sequel, I’d read that as well. These kinds of stores are what I call palate cleansers. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for what I think this book was trying to accomplish. I went into this thinking it would be a fun romance romp with spies in ballrooms but it was very gritty and tense touching on the futility of war, PTSD, the sad plight of the lower classes in Regency England, blackmail, and the multitude of ways a woman could be cast out of polite society when the men suffer no consequences.

Prior to this book, I'd never given much thought to camp followers - the women and children that followed an army. I wish there had been more flashbacks to that time with named characters who were not high society besides her current maid/friend who we also don't hear enough from. I also think I would have been more invested in Cressida's and Greville's relationship if they had found each other again during that time and reconnected even if only to be separated again. Their relationship is built on such rocky ground and it left me wishing they had used their fierce intelligence to communicate effectively at any point.

My biggest critique would be that there was something about the writing that made it very difficult to grasp what was going on at times. The politics with the war and then the rebellion at home and the smuggling was very hard for me to parse out. Why certain people were spies but still worried about being hanged or why others were able to do whatever they wanted with impunity and just about everything with Cressida's father's intentions and backstory I just did not fully grasp.

In general I think this was an interesting story touching on what the author intended - the gross excess and terrible hardships of this era. Just that readers should be aware that this isn't light Regency romance/intrigue and that the "love story" is a rough one.

Loved reading the exciting and engaging story. Even though Cressida and Lord Greville are married and haven't seen each other in awhile, they are sent on a mission together, and the chemistry between the two is off the charts. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of mystery and intrigue, and a must read riveting story.

This book was very well done. The romance was perfect. The story kept me interested the whole time. The writing was beautiful!

This book made me question my understanding of english. The author style is so overcomplicated that I was lost all the time. So many names and different scenarios didn't help. So this read was making me feel miserable at times. But for native english speakers may not be that bad, who knows. The author has a very identifying writing style that it's not my cup of tea at all but might be someone else's. Interesting plot as far as I could undestand.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, but I feel like more backstory should have been included at the beginning. You're thrown right into it with no explanation of who's who and their past together. There could have also been some further historical context added because I was also unaware of what was happening politically. That being said, I liked the writing, and I think this would be a great book if it had a bit of rejiggering; so if you're a historical fiction fan and don't mind a little work, you should give this a try.

3.75 stars

When I started reading My Lady's Secrets , I had no idea what to expect. It sounded like something I would have enjoyed, but there were just some things about it, that kind of made reading this not so much fun. I did enjoy certain things, such as Cressida's fierceness and determination and how she dealt with the many intense situations she found herself in. However, the writing style of this book...it was written in such a way that it made things slow. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was, but the way certain phrases and words were used just felt off to me. There was a lot of strategising and politics at play in this book, however, they were written in such a boring manner, it felt like I was reading a textbook, instead of a novel. I feel like the writing could have been made sharper and some of the strategy chapters cut down or reduced in length.

Also, when you start reading this book, you start with some really intense moments. But you have no idea of the story behind them, until you start picking up the clues scattered across the story.

While a good attempt at a historical and feminist fiction novel, My Lady's Secrets falls short in terms of its writing. If we get more explanation behind certain things (direct explanations) and the strategy chapters are reduced, this would definitely have been a book that I would have enjoyed. But I am sure people who are fans of the historical fiction genre will definitely enjoy this.

This was… not a fun read.

I felt like I was reading book 2 or 3 in a series. I was dumped into the middle of the action and 15 years of events were summed up for context as they became relevant to the plot and I was somehow supposed to intuit what the characters felt and why they’re reacting the way they are.

That being said, the juxtaposition of silly social maneuvering with living in a war camp made the events of the book seem incredibly trite and low stakes, even as the author kept comparing the feelings of the characters to how they felt at war. I really don’t think an old rich lady insinuating your cousin may be gay will give you the same chill as almost dying. Especially because everyone in this book was crass as hell, a passive aggressive allusion probably won’t bother you. I kind of appreciated the perspective that the aristocracy was just as crude and horny as the working man but it was a little jarring. Also, there was not one single likable character in this entire book.

I think I would have enjoyed it more starting at the beginning- seeing these characters as teens, getting into hijinks, discovering themselves and falling in love as book 1. Book 2 is how they each got through the war. This would be fine as book 3. Because the characters were so awful I don’t think I’d actually read that series but it would have made more narrative sense in my opinion. As it stands, I don’t understand these characters motivations and the whole relationship and societal angle just seemed shallow compared to the massively traumatic events they’ve experienced.

This is the first time I have read a book by this author. Her writing style is different.

Greville and Cress story is fraught with scandal, war, deep hurt, misunderstanding and estrangement. 4 years after their separation the couple come back together to solve some mysteries involving blackmail, smuggling, weapons and potential radicals. During this time, they realize the mistakes they both made and while it's hard for them to get over the past, the story ends with forging a future.

I found this book unique, there are no overt declarations of love or indications of a hea.

Thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the ARC!

In typical fashion, I"m starting off my review with an asterisks. To be honest, I'm a bit worried that maybe I've not read enough books by British authors. I really struggled to comprehend what was happening in this book. Between some of the outdated regency slang (ex: swyving), family trees, patriarchal titles (Ex: Greville is the son of Crauford), and overall the writing was a bit convoluted in parts; it was hard to grasp the plot of the book.

The first two chapters Moran tries to drop the reader right into the middle of the action, which I REALLY appreciate. However, I think the problem was the Moran was trying to be humorous but also structure the dialogue to be in the shortened language between close friends. It DID NOT TRANSLATE. Context clues were my friend through the entirety of the story.

I loved the idea of trying to bring light to the history of these camp followers, forgotten women in history who had to take care of grown men as they went off to murder one another. The juxtaposition is hilarious for a modern day feminist still fighting for equality. However, there was not a lot of clarification nor context for the political landscape of this novel and as such the CHAPTERS dedicated to strategizing were a bore.

Overall, the book inspired me to research the camp followers, but otherwise I had a hard time getting into the story for all my confusion. I wanted to like Greville and Cressida more than I did. Especially as they had more in common (than their sexual attraction) due to their joint experiences in the war. The war (and the protection of a husband) is the only reason I understand Cressida's continued desire for Greville. There was no resolution to the affair that caused their early turmoil and catapulted her into a completely different life. It seems lopsided that she would thrust herself into danger and disgrace over his casual infidelity and then come back to him with shame. There was almost too much emphasis on Greville forgiving her miscarriage vs a true resolution of their marriage.

This was a lot more complicated than I initially expected- so many characters and so many different threads to the plot. From following the soldiers at war in Spain, to suddenly an aristocratic house party and then a plot with radicals and smuggling of contraband. It was thrilling and interesting and crucial to it all was the fact that I loved the character of Cressida- she was complex, fiery and I longed for her and Greville to understand each other again. A great read!

Katy Moran's My Lady's Secrets will leave your mouth hanging. Absolutely one of the best books I'd review in a very long time. This will be the 2024 most anticipated book to read. Go and add this to your TBR lists. Cressida and Lord Greville are a bitter husband/wife duo who will do anything to pin one against another. But sometimes second chance love breaks all heartache and honestly, will they survive with or without one another? Page Turner and at the end, it's a plot twist that leaves you wanting more.

10/10