This is a deliciously written book (most of the time--and more on that in a bit...) expertly weaving a tale of day to day existence of two middle aged woman--one a printer and the other a bee keeper--during times of political unrest, quiet rebellions, hated kings (hmm....) otherwise known as the early 1800s London. While I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the descriptions of printing, and only a vague sense of the beekeeping, I still found myself riveted and hanging on every word. The characters of Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Flood are unique, likeable, and it's easy to see their friendship develop.
So there is quite a bit of historical subplot as well, and while it's helpful in explaining the "temperature" of the times, I didn't feel that there was much correlation between what was happening between the King and Queen and the main plot lines. Yes, every character seems to have an opinion, but it really has no bearing on where any of the characters begin the story or where they end. But, it's still factual history, which is then interwoven with fictional characters and I find that juxtaposition quite delightful.
The setting is described so beautifully, the characters are wonderful, but when it comes to the romance is where this book stutters for me. This isn't even slow-burn, this is glacial burn. There are probably about half a dozen opportunities that would have been more fitting for the "confession" but when the moment happens, it's a bit of a let down. The sex scenes read out of character with the women we'd grown to know for much of the book, and are distinctly lacking in the beauty and flourish of language that the rest of the book possesses. I had enjoyed to much of this book up until this point, but aside from the sex scenes, the final chapters also felt rushed when compared to the earlier chapters and pacing. It was almost as though the author ran out of time, and quickly threw together a terse ending rather than a satisfying conclusion.

When I first read The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, I remembered being enchanted by the writing, the world building, and the gorgeous, tender romance at the heart of the story. It was one of the smartest historical romances I’d read in a long while, and it fed both my heart and my brain. In the same spirit, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, while markedly different in pace and character, satisfies in the same way.

I’m a sucker for first lines, and enjoyed the way Waite’s novel catches the attention with these:

“The corpses were giving Agatha the most trouble. They looked too much like people.”

Besides grabbing the reader, the opening is excellent as an introduction to Agatha Griffin, a forty-five year old widow who runs a print house. She worries about her son’s penchant for staying out all night, as well as his inability to keep his hands off her brilliant assistant, Eliza. She also worries about keeping the print press going given the political climate, the oppressive taxation, and her son’s lack of business sense.

When she finds a beehive in her warehouse, it’s the last problem in the world she needs.

In comes Penelope Flood, a gorgeous beekeeper who helps her remove the beehive. Living in a small village where everyone knows too much about each other, Penelope spends much of her time with her bees, while her husband and brother work as whalers and are often at sea. When she and Agatha meet, it sets off a friendship that grows into love.

It takes time for the relationship between two women to develop – they don’t actually share a first kiss until three-quarters of the way through the book. However, what we do get is a great deal of deep connection and pining, evolving into a smoldering passion that sweeps Agatha and Penelope away. In the meantime, there is are wonderful subplots involving Queen Caroline and Penelope’s village, as well as wonderful discourses on the politics of the time, the workings of print presses, and the art of beekeeping. I enjoyed the political commentary about the importance of a free press and the need to maintain its independence from the state, a topic of direct relevance to the times we live in today.

It also thrilled my 40-ish heart to see older protagonists depicted in romance, and especially in a Sapphic romance as this one, where both women have lived rich and interesting lives and are no longer at their peak. It’s an important story that isn’t often told. Even with the obvious constraints on the lives of Agatha and Penelope, both because of their gender as well as their sexual orientations, these are two fully-realized women who also find a way to be happy.

As a corollary to this, secondary queer characters in both novels have satisfying relationships that are not shrouded in secrecy and shame, but accepted by others. It is high time to modify our understanding of queer relationships throughout history, how much more common they were, especially Sapphic ones, which had a bit more space within which to be carried out.

Waite makes a point of centering women’s occupations, and illustrating their value. She demonstrates this brilliantly in the The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics and continues to expose the reader in this novel. The entire arena of female engagement is revealed, from print shops and beekeeping, to poetry and political activism. The story of Queen Caroline weaves throughout the fabric of the story, providing a wider historical arc against which Agatha and Penelope’s love story develops. The centuries change, but what matters to women doesn’t.

If you are looking for an intelligent, layered, Sapphic historical romance featuring women of a certain age, then you will enjoy the book. It works well at the level of historical fiction, though as a romance, it does take a minute for it to take off. But when it gets there, the passion is wild and gorgeous. It is a romance that rewards a reader’s patience.

I absolutely adore Olivia Waite's Feminine Pursuits series and I was so excited for this novel. I was not disappointed! I love the strength in these women and the love that they share. Waite's universe is set in a history that is believable in which society is ruled by men and their traditional beliefs. As with the first novel, the amount of science and art found within the novel is wonderful and I love the detailed descriptions of beekeeping. This novel was truly beautiful! I can't want for the next one.

3.5 Stars

A slow start with a matching slow burn, turns into a scorcher!

This is Waites second in her Feminine Pursuits series, and she’s fast becoming an easy go-to choice for delicious LGBTQ Historical Romance. Though, I will say that I almost put this one down because it starts off rather slow from the romance and plot perspective.

We have two heroines’ from very different backgrounds. Agatha Griffin, widowed owner of a printing press who is trying to get her eighteen-year-old son to grow up. Then there is Penelope Flood, married to a whaler and caretaker of bees, who has recently inherited beehives from a prominent sculptress in her small town. When a swarm of bees invades Griffin’s printing warehouse, Flood is naturally the person to help move the swarm.

Good things do come to all who wait. The connecting incident between Griffin and Flood starts a friendship that builds from there. Set against the backdrop of King George IV and Queen Caroline’s tumultuous marriage and trial for potential divorce the book tackles issues around women’s rights (or lack thereof), marriage, the power of men, and even libel. Flood and Griffin navigate all of this while falling for each other and FINALLY, after more than half of the book I got what I had been waiting for. Flood and Griffin to quit beating around the bush and come together. I don’t think that’s a spoiler in the least because like I said it’s a slow burn that leads to a flipping forest fire.

Waite does an amazing job of characterization and playing out the complexities of being queer in a time when it was not openly accepted. The characters are easy to relate to, and I could empathize with nearly everyone, even those who could be classified as villains. I’m kind of sad too because there is some fabulous gay characters in these stories, and I wish Waite would write their love stories (pretty please).

This book did take me a little longer to read, but I enjoyed the rich background, the small-town feel, the history lessons mixed in, and the interesting parallels that events of the past have with the current events of today. If you want something that will give you a good mix of emotions this book is perfect for you.

For readers who enjoy KJ Charles or Cat Sebastian.

~ Landra

The Care And Feeding of Waspish Widows is indisputably well researched - the time period, political exigencies, details about printing and bee keeping... History buffs may appreciate this book, but the story drags a bit and the romance takes a backseat to other details. I’d still recommend it for readers who enjoy this time period and f/f romance. There are lovely passages of writing.

If you're looking for a book to sweep you away, look no further! This book perfectly blends world building and pacing in a way that sucks you into the story and never lets go.

If you love:

-Beekeeping
-Slow burn f/f romance
-Mutual pining
-Historical settings where queer people are everywhere

this book is for you!

I loved this book with our historical ladies loving ladies! Agatha and Penelope were great heroines, and I enjoyed watching them fall in love. I'm always on the lookout for great LGBTQ historical romances, and Olivia Waite is a guaranteed win. Agatha has been a widow for three years and is trying to raise her almost-adult son while keeping the family printing business afloat. Penelope is a small-town beekeeper dealing with changes after a local Lady dies. They meet when Agatha needs Penelope's beekeeping skills. From there, a friendship, and something more, grows. I felt that their hesitancy and dancing around having a relationship was both accurate to the time while still maintaining hope for a long and loving future. The supporting cast of queer characters definitely helped in that regard.

The book was heavy on the prose, and at times felt almost like the poetry that Agatha claims to hate. It was a bit wordier than I'd say the average romance novel is, but I don't think of it as a detriment, even if it slowed down my reading. I still read it in a day, but in bits in pieces instead of a few hours straight.

For much of the book, Agatha and Penelope are fighting different internal and external battles from each other. Agatha is trying to manage business family while weighing the risks of her son's radical ideas. Penelope is dealing with the squabbles of a small town that are mirroring national politics. Their battles overlap in their desire to be together fighting against societal expectations that they be no more than friends. This is further complicated by Penelope's marriage to a distant husband and Agatha's obligations as a mother.

I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it if you've enjoyed Waite's previous books or historical fiction featuring working class main characters instead of the aristocracy!

3.75 Stars. Another good WLW historical romance read. This is the second book in Waite’s Feminine Pursuits series. While I’m sorry to say that I didn’t love this like I did book one, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, I’m happy to say that I did still enjoy this. I like this world of strong women fighting for love and happiness.

I am very OCD when it comes to reading series books in order, but order is not important here at all. While a couple secondary characters from the first book are characters in this book, there is not the strong tie-in between books that I expected. This is a completely new story and we hardly even see the main characters from book one. The Countess does make a small appearance but that was it. I’m getting off track here a bit but this was actually a disappointment for me. I was so attached to the mains -from book one- that I wanted a little time with them again at least. Anyway, this is the long and drawn out way to say that you can read these books in any order that you wish.

While book one mostly took place in London, 65% of this book is in a small country town a carriage ride away from London. This led to a new setting that opened up the series to many new people and possibilities. What I loved was all the scenes about the bees. One of the mains is an expert bee keeper and looks out for the bees all over town. I have an interest in honey bees and would actually love to have some hives myself so I ate these scenes up. They were also oddly romantic too which seems weird to say but some of the better chemistry I thought the women had was over the bees.

I enjoyed both main characters most of the time. I liked Griffin very much and I liked Flood, but that was more when she actually had some nerves. She was a little spineless at times which drove me nuts, but I loved her character growth and I almost felt like I was watching a “Towanda” moment -for those of you old enough to get that quote- which was a lot of fun to see.

When it came to the romance I was a little more mixed. As I mentioned there were times that I felt things were sweet and romantic, but then there were a few times I felt more friendship that sexual attraction. I didn’t think this couple had the sparks that the main couple from book one had together. While I was missing some chemistry, I’m happy to say that there were more sparks than I expected in the bedroom. These two women clicked sexually and there was heat there that I had earlier found to be missing. So for me the sex scenes really were needed since they sold the two women as a possible real couple to me.

I think the biggest issue for me ended up being that I felt like Waite was trying to do too much. There was a lot going on in this story and I felt almost a little restless at times jumping to each different thing. When Waite really focused on something, like the bees, the story really shined. I wish she would have picked fewer plot topics and really focused on them instead of spreading herself a bit thin. It was not the end of the world but it’s mostly why I didn’t care for this as much as the first book.

If you were a fan of The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, I have a good feeling you will enjoy this book too. If you are new to this series and a fan of smart and well done historic romances, what are you waiting for go get book one. I’m happy to say that there will be a book three. In fact Waite teased where the new main character might be living. I’m glad we get another book is this world and I hope we get some appearances from past main characters (cough Lucy and the Countess cough cough).

There are some books you're just better off for having read, and every time I read an Olivia Waite I have that thought. This is the kind of romance that raises the bar — a slow, slow burn with lots of mutual pining that eventually crescendoes to something equally hot and tender, all wrapped up in gorgeous prose and the caretaking of bees. I love that Waite's heroines have different specialties that they're experts in, and the passion they have for their pursuits just seeps through every page. If you loved the first book in the series, don't forget to read this one too (there's a fun cameo from one of the heroines!).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you're in the mood for a historical romance, this is the perfect summer read. It will transport you to the picturesque town of Melliton to stroll through the countryside with Penelope and Agatha, feeling at home among the buzzing bees and fragrant flowers.

One of the most remarkable elements of Waite's work is the clear amount of in-depth research she puts into every aspect of her story. From historical context that makes for some incredible worldbuilding, to the specific details of each character's occupation, this book will immerse you in Penelope and Agatha's universe. Even though a lot of information is packed in, most of it provides fascinating details to support the plot and characters. I learned more about beekeeping and printing presses in 1820's England than I ever have before, and it was so much fun! These details also help establish why Penelope and Agatha feel and act the way they do, providing further insight on their character personalities and motivations.

Speaking of characters, if you like emotionally-driven plots with lots of internal character conflict, you will likely enjoy this book. Waite's character work is amazing, and I feel like I got to know everything about Penelope and Agatha, from their wants and fears to their histories and hopes for the future. A lot of these emotions play into their friends-to-lovers story, making for a very slow burn. However, once they do finally get together, the heartwarming romance and steamy sex scenes make the wait well worth it. Penelope and Agatha experience external conflicts as well, but in my opinion these take a backseat to the internal stakes and struggles of our protagonists. I truly felt for both Penelope and Agatha as they tried to do what was best for those around them while discovering what they want and deciding who they want to be. They complement one another so well and it's crystal clear they're meant to be together.

I also loved the wide cast of queer characters in this book. Not only is this an F/F romance, and not only do we get a cameo of one of the protagonists from the first book, but we also have at least three other queer couples in the cast. Each of these relationships is so beautifully written that I could honestly read an entire book on any one of them, especially John/Harry and Isabella/Joanna. If Olivia Waite gives these characters their own books I will devour them in no time!

My only critique, which I think comes down to personal preference rather than issues with the story, is that a certain aspect of the historical context added one too many layers for me. Specifically, I'm referencing the subplot around the Queen Caroline protests. At the beginning of this book, I fell in love with beekeeping and printing presses, could clearly envision the contrast between busy London and tranquil Melliton, and became quickly attached to our cast of characters and their individual interests and issues. While these personal issues are tied to the protests and ultimately lead to conflicts of their own, it was difficult to feel invested in the protests when I was already so devoted to our main characters' already-established dilemmas. The protests and connections to women's rights definitely still ring true today, however the story provides enough complex character pairings, such as Penelope/John, Agatha/Thomas, Sydney/Eliza, and the Turners, among others, to have more than enough material to examine the disadvantages of being a woman in society. If this book featured Queen Caroline as a character perhaps I would feel differently, but ultimately I wanted to get past the protests subplot so the story could center around the characters I'd grown to love.

Overall I would recommend this book, and I will definitely look forward to book #3 in the series - based on the title and premise alone, it already sounds amazing!

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers/ Avon Impulse via Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This review will go live on The Blogger Girls on July 28, 2020.

I loved Olivia Waite’s debut last year, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, so I was quite eager with this one. Alas, the sophomore book didn’t charm me as much. I struggled to get through the first part of this book. I thought there were too many things that were happening, it muddled the romance. Most especially everything related to the Royal Scandal of King George IV and Queen Caroline.

I understand that this book was set around that time, and with Agatha Griffin worked in printing business, this event might seep into her daily life. But I thought it was too much. I could feel my eyes glazed over all those parts; like, if I want to learn about history, I could check out Wikipedia.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows picked up about half-way through. In fact, if only Waite focused on Agatha Griffin, Penelope Flood, and the people of Melliton, I thought this could be a more enjoyable story for me. I had fun reading Agatha and Penelope dealing with The Melliton Auxiliary Branch of the Society for Suppression of Seditious Libel and Mendacity (my God that’s mouthful *laugh*). When Penelope arranged that ‘plan’ to help the beekeepers of Melliton against the vicar and the revengeful Lady Summerville… well, I was very much invested!!

This is a very slow-burn romance; we didn’t get any “action” until the last third of the book. But when we got to that part, it was good! I also liked Agatha’s relationship with her teenage son and his girlfriend. As well as Penelope’s relationship with her husband (don’t worry, it’s a marriage of convenience, because Penelope’s husband was in love with her brother, and Penelope only liked women). Oh, and this is a story about two women in their forties too, so that is another plus point.

So yes, this has its wonderful moments but those other side stories (including the real-life history) made The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows rather boring *shrugs*

This is simply a lyrically beautiful book. The story of Penelope and Agatha swept me away.

Penelope is a bee keeper in a small community. She knows both the gentry and the tradespeople, Her husband is at sea on a whaling ship, with her brother. Penelope navigates between all of it, with strength and grace. I found the descriptions of her to be absolutely glowing.

Agatha runs a print shop, with a place in London an a place in the small community where she meets Penelope. she is a widow, with an adult son. As much as Penelope glows, Agatha feels like the deep blue coat that she wears on her beekeeping walks with Penelope. She has a quiet strength as she runs her business, deals with political censorship, and falls in love with Penelope.

I appreciate the work Olivia Waite puts into describing women's work and women's worth. Included here are not only the print shop and the beekeeping, but writing, poetry, activism, and even Queen Caroline. It may be set in the early 19th century, but every moment is also timely and present.

CW There are scenes of homophobia. It is handled sensitively and honestly. There is both the ugly and the hate, and the solidarity of standing up for what is right and care for people as people. It is not trauma-porn.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait to reread it.

First of all - this book inspired me to look into getting a beehive for my school. I loved all the descriptions of the bees, hives and collecting of honey.

This was such a great book. It’s more of a slow burn romance with a ton of interesting research into printing, bees and the political movements of the time. I liked that Agatha and Penelope are both older women and know their own minds, but still grow within their friendship and then love.

Agatha is a widow with a 19 year old son and her own printing business. She discovers a hive in her warehouse and meets Penelope when she needs someone to remove it. Their relationship develops slowly through letters and visits until they realize it’s something more.

The politics of the time, to include divorce, the right to vote and issues of libel and sedition were tied into the story in multiple ways and heightened the suspense towards the end when I couldn’t put the book down.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is the story of two women, both over 40, who make decisions about how they're going to live their lives. Penelope Flood is a beekeeper is a small town, Agatha Griffin is a widow who is running a London printshop. When Griffin finds a swarm of bees in the small town branch of her printshop, she meets Flood, and they hit it off. Slowly, cautiously. It's a slow burn, so slow and delicious.

The book is richly researched and filled with lots of background about bee keeping. The politics of the time are hugely important to the story as well. I appreciate when topics central to a story are fleshed out enough that I come away know more about them than I did before.

The book is a slow burn, but the women are interested in each other early on, developing a solid friendship before cautiously moving forward. There are exchanges of letters that cement the friendship and that I just adored. And once that slow burn combusts, the heat level is very high.

I really loved this book. The developing relationship is rich and luxurious. There's very real danger from authority figures both large and small, and there are women who grow to know themselves better throughout. Just lovely.

Also, I consistently pictured them as the aunts from the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, more or less.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

I had heard mixed things about The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, with the main critiques being the uneven pacing and the focus more on the politically driven external plot with the romance being secondary. However, while I struggled a bit with book one for similar reasons, I was only marginally bothered by these issues.

For one thing, I think this is a great execution of slow-burn that really allows both Agatha and Penelope to shine and the tension to crackle while waiting for the long-awaited kiss (and more). And the two exchange letters early on, focused equally on business and pleasure, and I felt there was just as much relationship development in those as there was when they interacted in person. I did want a bit more of their respective family dynamics, since I expected them to play a larger role, however.

As a history geek, I loved the detail put into the social and political stuff in this one, a stark contrast to the science in the previous book which left me a bit cold. It did overtake the plot to an extent, but I wasn’t overly bothered by it, as it did come back to Agatha and Penelope and their work toward change in the end.

I did enjoy this book, even though the choices made seem to be a bit divisive. If you are at all interested in a politically driven queer historical romance, then I would recommend giving it a try to see if it works for you.

Last year I loved Olivia Waite’s The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics. When the sequel, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows became available on NetGalley I was so excited. I enjoyed it tremendously. I received this as an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like Lady’s Guide, Care and Feeding focuses on the hidden life of women in late Regency England. Agatha Griffin was a minor character in Lady’s Guide, the sharp-eyed and unsentimental printer of Lucy’s book. When the book opens, she has been widowed two years and is struggling to keep her printing business going until her son Sydney is mature enough to take over. Her son is more interested in going to the speeches of political firebrands and making eyes at her apprentice, Eliza. Agatha despairs. She meets Penelope Flood when a swarm of bees is discovered in her printworks library. Penelope is married to a sailor who is often gone for years at a time. Theirs is a marriage of convenience.

Griffin and Flood (as they refer to each other) begin their very slow burn relationship as a correspondence. Having a friend for the sake of friendship is outside of Agatha’s experience as an adult. As she somewhat reluctantly continues the correspondence and builds the friendship, she begins to consider what she wants, just for herself, not for the business or for her son. Both women are middle aged and they live in a society that is essentially uninterested in them. Together, as friends and then as lovers, they begin to consider their own dreams.

A lot of historical romances are set during the Regency era (thanks, Georgette Heyer). Waite upends the conventions of Regency romance by setting here story entirely outside the Ton, weaving in the political and social upheaval of the time, and placing the romance between older, queer women. Waite uses some of the secondary characters to explore the disadvantages to women who marry. Marriage and babies are often part of a Regency romance’s happily ever after, but in fact, married women had no legal rights.

Kindness and cruelty are also central to the story. Agatha and Penelope lack the wealth and rank that insulated Catherine and, by extension, Lucy. Agatha is in tune with the political climate because, as a printer, she could be liable for speech suddenly deemed seditious. Penelope is more dependent on the tolerance of her community that the wealthy Countess of Moth. There are some scenes fraught with an underlying homophobia that is more frightening because it is silent.

Homophobia and misogyny are not solved in the book, but Agatha and Penelope do get their happily ever after. Most assuredly a lot people thought they were just two good friends living together for the rest of their lives.

I had high hopes for this book but honestly, it was a letdown. I liked the general idea and adored that the two protagonists were older women, but the story was bogged down with so much other content that it felt padded out to make it longer. There was so much involving the politics and royalty of the country and beekeeping that I got bored very often. I felt like the actual romance part took up way less of the book than it should have. When things finally progressed between the two the explicit nature of the relationship between them felt so sudden and out of place that it felt the author changed her mind about how she wanted to write it in the last fourth of the book.

4.5 stars

I was really looking forward to this sequel ever since reading The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics and it met all expectations.

Agatha and Penelope immediately seemed like real people to me, their different experiences and personalities made them come to life right away. They are both sapphic women in their 40s (Penelope is a lesbian and Agatha bi or pan) and I just want to say that as a younger queer reader it's so good to see older protagonists, especially when it comes to sapphic relationships.

While I remember The Lady's Guide to be a faster romance, this one was very slow burn and I find it was well developed and not unnecessarily dragged for the sake of building up tension. It made sense for them to get together when they did and not sooner, and there was plenty of sapphic yearning and pining.

The presence of queer people (other than the main characters) in historical times was already given some space in the first book but here it was further developed with many side characters that are either currently in a same sex relationship or are canonically queer. Even the other characters, aside from the antagonists, are perfectly accepting of queerness and fully acknowledge these queer relationships in their romantic and sexual nature instead of glossing over them as "good friends". Since this was my favorite thing in the first book I'm really, really happy about how this aspect was further developed and always present especially in the second half of the book.

The historical context of England of that time was pretty much lost on me so I did miss a lot of the references and kind of had to skim the plot because I didn't care too much about it, but even without a lot of context the book was still enjoyable and if I had been more confused I could've certainly done some research of my own to understand it better, but the fact that I didn't feel compelled to do it meant that it was fine (also that I'm lazy, but I'm not here to review myself).

Overall if you enjoyed the first book this has a different relationship dynamic and different themes but similar vibes and, just as that one, it reads as social and cultural commentary on top of a beautiful romance. It follows different characters aside for a few cameos so it can be read as a standalone and I highly recommend it if you're into sapphic romances where they're both on the slightly older side and if you think bees are cute and important

This book is an absolute delight, warm and rich as honey.

The main characters are so real I feel as if I’ve had tea with them, and the world they inhabit is just as vibrant. Olivia Waite’s descriptions are scrumptious, the words as gorgeous as the story itself.

The romance centers on Agatha, and engraver overseeing her late husband’s printing business, and Penelope, a country beekeeper. It’s a proper slow burn, but one that felt achingly real as the two women go from awkwardly learning about each other to learning about themselves before coming together gloriously. I was hooked on every tiny bit of UST between them, while very much enjoying their evolving friendship.

The events of the time play a prominent role in the story while feeding the ever-present question of the novel, which asks what a marriage really is. The bees in their hives are also a particularly important extended metaphor about community and power structures, and I very much enjoyed how Agatha and Penelope decided they fit in at the end of the novel. It’s all lovingly done with a deft touch, the prose often achingly beautiful and the symbolism lush.

The love between Agatha and Penelope felt very real, and I adored Agatha’s unbending and Penelope finding that she could stand up and make a difference in her own way.

As the parent of a teenager, Agatha’s struggles over her son and Eliza frequently made me laugh or sigh in resigned agreement. It rang very true, and I was very happy to how Agatha resolved things in regard to that plotline. The secondary plotlines were treated with care, and I was very happy with how it all wrapped up in the end.

Overall, a very engaging and elegantly told story. It’s beautiful.

If you are looking for a thoughtful, thematically rich, slow-burn, f/f historical romance featuring middle-aged women, then this is definitely worth checking out. There's a lot to like here, although for a romance it does feel a bit bloated and has some pacing issues- dragging through the middle and then breezing through the last 25% or so. And it takes FOREVER for the romance to get going! Although once they finally admit their feelings for each other, it's fantastic.

The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows follows Agatha Griffin (buttoned up widow running a printing company in London and managing her politically radical, nearly grown son) and Penelope Flood (unconventional small-town beekeeper engaging in brief affairs with women in between her gay husband's long absences at sea). When Agatha discovers a beehive in her rural warehouse, Penelope comes to the rescue and the two begin a friendship, writing letters back and forth, and regularly visiting one another. As I said, they don't admit their feelings until the last 25% of the book and I wish it had begun sooner instead of just jumping in full-force so late in the game.

I loved the friendship and growing love between these women, not to mention the care and appreciation of their middle-aged, imperfect bodies. This really wrestles with how queer people lived during this time period- the dangers, the compromises, and the work-arounds. The author clearly did a deep dive of research into other topics as well- beekeeping, printing methods, and the nuances of politics during the time and their relationship to women's rights and lack of access to divorce. All of which are interesting, but I did feel like they dominated the narrative to a greater degree than I wanted for a romance.

I love romance that explores bigger issues, but in this case it felt like too much given the genre. This easily could have been a new favorite if it was pruned a bit and more attention was given to the romantic element. That said, once the romance (finally!) kicks off, it's a steamy whirlwind that combines love and friendship in a beautiful way. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.