This wasn’t what I was expecting. You get a short overview of several regency era figures, but I was hoping for more of a deep dive on them as well as a bit more connection to historical romance novels than sharing a time period.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for my chance to review,

Loved this topic. Well-researched and documented. I loved the diversity that is included in this book, and plan to buy it for our library.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and I learned a lot. The short biographies are a good starting point to learning more about famous and infamous women during the Regency period. I liked that she included women of color, queer and Jewish women. The book is well written and easy to read. I look for word to reading more about these women. There are some illustrations to accompany the text. Enjoy

I appreciate the bedrock of this book, writing about lesser known Regency figures. This can be a wonderful jumping off point for folks looking to get into the era, and go deeper than Austen and Byron.

Just excellent. Well-researched and documented look at some of the women who shaped society in the Regency period--and really, history books often work better when they have a narrow window, such as this 9-year one. From the Patronesses of Almack's to the women of the royal family to the more marginalized members of society, there are fascinating stories here. The author strikes a good balance here of being passionate about the subject matter while still taking it seriously. The many quotations from letters and diaries are dishy enough on their own.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Mad & Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency is a set mini biographies during the Regency Era (1810-20) of women. There is also a short explanation of what each chapter is about, before diving into the biographies. Some of the women I knew of or heard of, others I didn't. It was quite interesting to read about them and the effect that each of them had had on those ten years.

The book is broken up into eight chapters that include the women who ran the social circle of the era, the royals, the famous mistress (who were more than that), artistic women, scientific women, queer women, black women, and Jewish women. At the end of each chapter there is a recommended reading/viewing after each section, which is nice. There are also pictures, which my copy of the arc is missing some.

Most of the women that I heard of were of course the famous mistress and the royal women. I had also heard of Mary Seacole, Anne Lister, and Mary Anning. I loved learning about women like Anne Mee, Jane Marcet, Anne Damer, and Judith Montefiore, who all had something to contribute even as the patriarchy tried to shut them. I also learned that there was another Mary Berry who was a writer of the time.

I enjoyed the book, since most of what I know about the Regency is from movies or books. These biographies brought the era to life in a new way and showed that women have always had an impact on society.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
Hi, Bea! Welcome to Fresh Fiction. Please introduce yourself and tell us about your new book, MAD AND BAD: REAL HEROINES OF THE REGENCY.

Hi! I’m one of the co-owners of The Ripped Bodice (the one not allowed on a ladder). I’m a romance fan and a historian. Those two things have always been tied together for me. I’ve been reading Regency romance novels since I can remember. This book is a love letter to the Regency time period and the fascinating, rule-breaking women who lived and loved then.

The Regency is an interesting time in England’s history. What made you focus on it?
I grew up with the Regency. All those early 19th-century romance novels showed me that this was a time period worthy of study because it had inspired this enormous fictional response. Jane Austen is perennially popular. Byron is always a good time. The Regency is full of so many characters we’re familiar with, and then there is also this world of just as exciting characters (many of them women) who haven’t enjoyed as much recognition from historians and pop culture. I wanted to spend time with those women.

There are so many different women represented in your book! Who was a new discovery during your research and what was so fascinating about her?

I was vaguely familiar with Anne Damer because of her connection to Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill but I loved learning more about her and the circle of women she surrounded herself with and how hard she worked to support her friends in their artistic endeavors.

Famously, 'Mad, bad and dangerous to know' was how Lady Caroline Lamb described Byron. Of course Byron is now well-known across the world for both his writing and his shenanigans. (I mean, who brings a bear to college?) Lady Caroline Lamb, however, is sadly much less (in-)famous. Thankfully Bea Koch is here to rectify that, with a rousing gallery of Regency ladies worth risking danger for! Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Who has seen the trailer for Bridgerton? If you haven't, do yourself a favour! The Bridgerton books are some of the many set during the Regency period, which are so often pushed aside as "mere romances" or "bodice-rippers". However, the Regency was a fascinating decade during which many of England's most famous authors and poets thrived. In order to understand the "vibe", I guess, of the Regency period, just the tiniest bit of (literary) history may be worth delving in to here, so bear with me as we go through a few English regal eras. Firstly, the Georgian period, which lasted roughly from 1714 to 1830 and is the period during which Romanticism truly began to thrive, with a steady helping hand from Gothic literature. When you think Romanticism, think Percy Bysse Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and of course Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Towards the end of the Georgian Period is when the Regency occurred, which formally lasted for a decade, from 1811 to 1820, when George IV stepped in as regent for his ill father, George III. (So many Georges!) However, when looking at the period's trends and their development, the period is also considered to have lasted from 1795 to 1837, when Queen Victoria's reign begins. The Regency was a period of high cultural and artistic achievement, as the Prince Regent was a key patron of many artists, including some in this book! There was also a large class divide, with the rich truly rich and the poor truly poor, which lends a darkness to the glamour and glitz of the period.

Now, this long preamble exists to give us a backdrop to the women Bea Koch discusses in her Mad and Bad. Koch shows us how women were able to thrive in the arts, to enjoy power through high society rules, and to break those rules as long as the did so quietly. But Koch also shows us the dark side of this, the slide into poverty, the cold shoulder when they had been too loud, the quiet disappearing once you're no longer popular. Koch divides her book into various sections, each looking at a different group of women. We have the Hostesses, the high society women who decided who was (and crucially who wasn't) invited to the season's key events. We have actresses who astounded the audience and then disappeared. Jewish women who kept up intercontinental correspondence, women who contributed to the sciences and the arts. It's quite inspirational to read about this women, which was surely the point. There are names that might be familiar, like Dido Elizabeth Belle, butt here also will be many that the reader has never heard of. What Mad and Bad does well is show the wide variety of lives possible during the Regency period, as well as the diversity of the English population itself, hopefully adding to the growing number of nails in the coffin of the idea that the English population was solely white until, let's say, the 1960s.

Mad and Bad is clearly a passion project. Bea Koch, one of the owners of the Ripped Bodice bookstore, has a deep love for the Regency era and its women, which shines through in how she speaks of them. Each little biography is well-researched, if perhaps not exactly investigative. The tone is kind and enthusiastic but therefore perhaps also lacks a bit of rigour. It feels as if you've settled down with your cool aunt, who is ready to drop some brilliant facts over a glass of red wine. This means that as an introduction to the fascinating women of the Regency Period, Mad and Bad is perfect. For those looking for an in-depth or academic breakdown, I'd recommend continuing the search. What Mad and Bad has done is address some of my own preconceptions in regards to the Regency Era and its women, which means my Christmas will be spent watching Bridgerton.

Although perhaps not the deepest book, Mad and Bad is a great introduction to the various women who made the Regency period fascinating! Sure, Lord Byron is fascinating, but honestly Caroline Lamb and her aunt Georgiana sound like the people I'd want to hang out with. Wordsworth might be it for some, but I prefer Mary Anning digging up fossils.

DNF at 50%

The writing is simplistic and lacking in humor. The essays manage to feel long while conveying very little information about the women included in the book. I've read similar books that were doing this same thing, and they managed to get more across in fewer words, generally while also being funny. I was going to finish out of stubbornness but I'd rather not have to one star publicly.

Given the popularity of Regency romance novels, I had high hopes for this historical look at some women who provided some inspiration for some of the characters. For the most part this title lived up to them. I think a "Mad and Bad" will appeal to students of Regency England interested in the women of that period.

written by co-owner of the ripped bodice, mad and bad: the real heroines of the regency is a pop history collection that endeavors to shine a light on some of the influential figures of the regency period.
the prose is breezy and provides an engaging peek at historical figures that some romance readers will recognize from their appearances in historical romances. some sections focus on lesser known figures as well.

there's a section that tries to dive into diversity in this time period. we know that there were people of color in regency england, even though history has done its best to whitewash them. the problem with this section is that it lacks some real depth. partly it's because the format of the book doesn't allow for digging deeper, but also because it might be that the author isn't really the best person to do a deep dive into racial issues prevalent in the time period.

**mad and bad: the real heroines of the regency will publish on september 1, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing in exchange for my honest review.

A brilliantly structured and well-researched book about the influence of women from the very short and oft misunderstood Regency period in Britain. The discussion of almost-secret societies of women bound to shared purpose left me re-evaluating both my understanding of literature and my understanding of women's history.

I enjoy taking breaks from my "typical" reads and educating myself on new and familiar topics I enjoy revisiting. This book offered me a quick trip and insightful look into the plethora of various women in the Regency period, many of which I knew very little about. This is a compilation of sorts of various historical women, their stories and insights into their lives. It is not researched to death and terribly in-depth, but offers a lovely snapshot, if you will, of what makes them important and memorable. I do recommend as it is unique and interesting in its own right!

5 stars

Do you love Jane Austen? Do you love Regency romance? If so, then you have to read this book.

So much of what we know about the Regency has been filtered through a very specific white, male lens. Mad and Bad peels back that veil to reveal the period in all of its multicultural and complex glory. The stories of trailblazing women like Mary Anning, Anne Lister, and Caroline Lamb are framed through the greater context of how women really lived during the Regency and it is an absolute wonder to behold.

As the owner of a bookshop dedicated to romance, author Bea Koch offers a unique perspective on the material. and often discusses how literature written about the Regency period has shaped our understanding of it for better or for worse. Best of all, she offers recommendations that cover a diverse scope of badass heroines at the end of every chapter.

This book is an absolute must-have for historians, romance readers, and strong women everywhere.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The Regency period of British History has long fascinated pop culture -- most notably in the form of Regency Romances a sub-genre of Historical Romance that can and does dominate the marketplace. Perhaps it's for that reason that Bea Koch, the owner of the Ripped Bodice bookstore (a store that only sells romance novels), wrote this book.

Mad and Bad is a quick trip through a few luminaries from a broad spectrum of "types of women" like Mistresses or Artists or the Patronesses of Almack's. And I do mean quick trip. Essentially this book features a bunch of snapshots of some of the more prominent historical women of the time period. The biographies of these women are brief... about the size of a Wikipedia article... and don't go into a lot of depth. What you get is a taste, an amuse bouche, of these women's lives.

But it's not really a filling meal...

As a lover of both history and Historical Romance, I was really looking forward to reading this book. There are so many fascinating women in the regency featured in this book including two of my personal favorites: Mary Anning and Emma Hamilton.

I was happy with their inclusion along with the inclusion of other awesome women who I've only a passing familiarity with, but I found the execution wanting. As in I wanted more. For example, I was excited to read about the patronesses of Almack's -- these monoliths have appeared or have been mentioned in many a Regency Romance and I have long wanted to learn the truth. And while I enjoyed this section, some of the Patronesses were left out and some of those who were featured didn't get much more than a quick summary of their life. It made me hungry for more.

I appreciated that the author acknowledged that the Regency was less white, less straight, and less Christian than most people think. But again, I wanted more. Her section on Jewish Women in the Regency was one of her best, and I'm definitely going to be looking into more of these awesome Jewish Women. But it wasn't the meaty morsel I want out of my non-fiction.

But that's not the only problem I had with this book, in her section on Women of Color in the Regency, the author, I feel, made a large misstep. The section only focused on three women: Dido Elizabeth Belle, Mary Seapole, and Princess Caraboo. The last one isn't even a woman of color, but a con-artist who pretended to be an "exotic foreign princess" to make money and mooch off of people. It didn't leave a good taste in my mouth. I'd have liked to have seen more women of color, including those from the Indian Subcontinent, featured rather than the Rachel Dolezal of the Regency.

On top of that misstep, the book wasn't laid out in a logical fashion. In many instances, the book would interrupt it's quick dive into its featured woman to talk about someone else... most of the time another woman, but in one instance a man. I found it confusing... more suited to a footnote than a large interruption. I don't know if the final book will feature a Bibliography, the ARC I was provided was clearly unfinished and didn't have one. There is at the end of each section a list of Recommended Reading/Watching at the back, but it's not a bibliography. Not really. It features Movies, TV shows, and Romance Novels in addition to non-fiction sources.

So did I learn anything? Yes, I absolutely did. But was it more than I would have gotten from a Wikipedia Article on the subject, I'm not sure.

So because of that, and because of the other problems I did have with this text. I'm going to give this:

Two Stars.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! It gave a high level overview of many Regency women and the amazing impact they had on history. It was great to see the incorporation of the influence on contemporary works of fiction, specifically how these historical figures influence Regency romance novels. There were many sections where I wanted more of the intersection of history and fiction, or a deeper dive into a historical figure.

Overall I would recommend this book for someone who's read or is interested in Regency romance but has never taken more than a glance at the actual history that influences those stories.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t necessarily as informative as I had hoped? I thought Bea Koch’s writing style was fun and I enjoyed all her pop culture references. I do wish there was a little more structure and that some topics went more in-depth, but overall I really enjoyed it. I did NOT enjoy that I could only read it on my netgalley app (but my dislike of the app does not affect my rating for the book) 3.5 stars!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mad and Bad was one of my most hyped books of the year, especially since I’ve fully converted to a guns-blazing fighter against anyone who weaponizes the term “historical accuracy” against women and marginalized folks, who were in fact doing things in history, in spite of being obscured. And while it definitely feels a little overly simplistic, I still felt like it served its purpose of reminding me (and hopefully others) that women (including women of color, LGBTQ+, and Jewish women) were contributing members of society during the Regency, just as much as many recent historical romance novels claim, and even touching on some topics I hadn’t learned that much about and doing so in a manner that is fairly approachable.

I appreciated Koch making a statement about the Bridgerton casting, as a major example of wrongful use of the term “historical accuracy,” prior to exploring the lives of the real BIPOC who lived during the Regency. And while it’s hardly the only case of racism in the name of “historical accuracy” (Adriana Herrera came through like Queen on Twitter this past week in the latest dust-up), this is a reminder that Black people’s presence didn’t magically happen in the civil rights era.

Other great moments were the chapter on early women in STEM, which was even more plentiful than I thought (and I knew of at least a couple of them), and Jewish people in the Regency, disconnecting the narrative from Heyer’s stereotypical portrayal.

This is a fun book, and while it may not have a lot that’s new for those who are well-read in Regency history, it is a great introductory book for those who have primarily been conditioned by patriarchal bias taught in school or who primarily know the period from reading Regency romance novels.

Bea Koch, one of the owners of the Ripped Bodice, a bookshop specializing in the romance genre, researches and reports on the women of the English Regency Era in this highly readable volume. Her research takes a broader view of the Regency Era, rather than limiting it to the 10 year period between 1810 and 1820 when George IV served as George III’s regent. It covers portions of the Georgian and Victorian Eras as well.

As one would expect, this book begins with a discussion of the Ton, specifically Almack’s and its patronesses and then moves onto the royal women of the period who, Koch writes, tended not to rely on each other, but rather on small circles of peers and advisors. It makes sense to begin here, because it is this crowd that is the main topic of discussion in Regency romance novels.

From the legitimate members of the nobility, Koch moves onto mistresses. There’s a good deal of overlap between the groups. Koch takes pains to bring her selected mistresses’ other accomplishments to light, rather than solely highlighting the salacious bedroom gossip surrounding them. This is a deliberate authorial decision aimed at combating the tendency to limit mistresses to their romantic affairs and thereby overlook or ignore other aspects of their lives.

There are several chapters devoted to the accomplishments and struggles of female entrepreneurs, artists, and scientists. These are all remarkable in spite of the stifling age into which they were born. It was interesting in particular to learn about the first woman in England to receive an official government position (Caroline Herschel). The final chapters examine queer women and the difficulties of labeling women such, conceptions of historical accuracy and race in the Regency, and finally Judaism in the Regency.

There are figures at the end of every chapter, often contemporary cartoons or artwork depicting the women under discussion. There are also several works of recommended reading for those who wish to learn more, and it would be a surprise if most readers didn’t come away with at least one name to look up. Koch’s research was thorough, but in distilling it for brevity and readability she left a lot to pique readers’ interest.

This was an intriguing look at an era in history which has come to be defined by fiction, and would make a great read for feminists, historians, and readers of Regency romances (which is not to say that one person cannot be all of those things or a combination of those things, people do contain multitudes, after all). Additionally, I imagine it would get a lot of reading in a library collection, or make for an edifying textbook in a survey course.

My goal whenever I read nonfiction is to leave the book with a more settled understanding of the topic than when I started it. I want to learn. That's the whole point of nonfiction, isn't it? Well, sometimes the writing in these things can be so dense and technical that I can't even get through them. Thankfully this was not the case here. That's always my biggest fear when starting nonfiction, and it makes me very picky as a result. Overall I was fairly meh about this book, which was mildly upsetting because the topic interested me a lot. It wasn't so much an issue of poor writing, or writing specifically for academic experts on the subject, which is often a problem I run into in nonfiction. It was more that the way the writer presented the information bored me. It's too bad because that was the exact opposite idea of the whole book. However while it didn't click for me, I know it will absolutely pull other people in. It's not something I would read again, but I do think if you're interested in Regency women and their stories it's worth picking up. I hope other readers connect to it in the way the author intended.