DNF @ 54%

This is an amazing piece of historical fiction, but the romance just... wasn't there for me. It's a suuuuuuper slow burn, and when I decided to DNF at 54% I wouldn't call it a burn so much as ... I was going to say simmer but it's barely even that. The focus is so fiercely on the politics in this book that I felt like there just isn't a lot of development for Penelope and Agatha. We get this budding friendship and sort of glimmers of "oh, I am into this person" (more on Agatha's side than Penelope's). I love a good slow burn, but it had better be FRAUGHT with tensions and pining, and that's just... not in this book. At least not in the first half, and reading some other reviews it seems like it takes until about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way into the book for their romance to really get going. If this was historical fiction, fine, but I expect my genre romances to have a focus on the ROMANCE by at least a third of the way through the book. The writing is still great and I'm giving this three stars because the book itself is fine, it's just a miss for me.

This is the second book in the Feminine Pursuits series, and can be read as a stand alone. DEFINITELY read the first book, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, as it's AMAZING. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, The Hellion's Waltz, and hoping it's more to my tastes.

The Lady's Guide was one of my favorite books of the year. It was intelligent and romantic and everything I wanted in a romance. Waspish Widows, unfortunately, did not live up to its predecessor. 

This second installment in the series focused very heavily on the politics of the time, but, to be honest, not in an interesting way. The emphasis on divorce felt a little bit like small potatoes given the lack of universal suffrage, and the beekeeping ended up being too technical for the most part to be enjoyable. Part of what I loved about Lady's Guide was that the main characters got together fairly early and that the book was more about them being together, but Waspish Widows fell into ye olde romance format and I feel like it suffered. I'm still going to pick up the next book in the series, but it will be with much lower expectations.

Lovely and well-written F/F friends-to-lovers. I found it a little slow and a bit heavy on the beekeeping background and sedition subplot. I also had trouble tracking POV characters and felt that the "advanced age" of the two heroines was overemphasized. That said, there were sentences that made me swoon simply from the delicate yet precise writing. This was probably not my favorite book from Ms. Waite, but she is a talented writer who I will read again.

Olivia Waite did not disappoint in this f/f historical romance set in 1800s England. A widowed Mrs. Griffin runs a printing business and runs into trouble at her country warehouse in the form of bees. Mrs. Flood, a sailor’s wife, comes to the rescue and a fast friendship forms. The two develop feelings toward the other amidst talk of revolution and growing unhappiness with the monarch. Will they find their happy ever after? It’s definitely worth the time to read and find out!

My thanks to NetGalley and Avalon Impulse for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.
Having enjoyed Olivia Waite’s ‘The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics’, I looked forward to her second book in the Feminist Pursuit Series. ‘The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows’ did not disappoint. With historical detail and the slow simmering of romance we follow Penelope Flood, who is in a ten year marriage of convenience and a bee keeper in the local village and Widowed print shop owner Agatha Griffin. As paths cross, an attraction begins. Penelope and Agatha face external conflicts and internal desires as their relationship slowly unfolds. Olivia Waite’s writing beautifully describes each character and  the relationshipS within this novel, Isabella & Joanna, Penelope’s sailor husband who happens to be in love with her brother, Agatha and her son Sydney are so well done..
This is a novel of loyalty, of love, of women and history and is thoroughly enjoyable and recommended.

Slow slow SLOW burn book (no physical contact until about 60%) but good grief, the build up was so hot that when they finally DO touch each other it's explosive.

Agatha Griffin is a widow who runs a press in London with her son and her female apprentice. She worries for her son as he is politically involved and she doesn't want him to get in trouble. However, when a book in her other press outside of town is invaded by a bee colony, she needs help. Through her mother in law, she meets Penelope Flood. Penelope is eccentric: she wears mens clothes to do her job as a beekeeper. We also find that she is married to a sailor who she sees maybe once every decade, and that suits her just fine as she is a lesbian. Agatha and Penelope's friendship-- and eventual attraction-- grows parallel to the return of Queen Charlotte who does not want her husband, the Prince Regent, to divorce her very publicly. There is a great secondary storyline about women's rights (or the absence of) once they get married as well as morality and double standards in Regency England. I kept wondering how two women could have a HEA in this context and yet... we get it! Yay! 

Can we talk about that horrible cover though? It is so weird and awkward and not at all Regency! This book deserved an amazing cover. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this review.

As a big fan of Olivia Waite's first book in the Feminine Pursuits series, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, I've been eagerly awaiting the publication of The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows since it was announced. I'm grateful to have been given an ARC, in exchange for an honest review, but honestly, that review... 

There's a lot of good in Waspish Widows, but it feels like a jumble of positive things rather laboriously placed next to each other rather than assembled smoothly into a whole. I've seen some other reviewers complain about the many pages spent focusing on 1820s politics, or the drawn-out details of beekeeping; I don't have a problem with either, and actually really enjoyed learning more about both, but they felt like sections separate from the love story at the heart of the novel. There are three books happening in parallel here - the slow-burning but eventually quite steamy romance between the widowed Agatha and beekeeping Penelope; an introduction to the history and politics of Queen Caroline's trial and of divorce laws in 1820s Britain; and a treatise on beekeeping practices. (This book is, in many ways, the Moby Dick of bees...though more explicit about the queer love story.) And I was absolutely here for all three of these things, I just wanted them to feel like they interwove more seamlessly than they did.

Penelope and Agatha are strong, interesting, human characters, though their attraction to one another feels rushed for a book that is otherwise fairly lengthy and slow-burn-y for a romance. The other people in their lives, from the fiery poet Joanna Molesley to Agatha's radical son, Sydney, and his beloved, the apprentice Eliza, are just as fleshed out and engaging. The love story works, it just takes a while. The beekeeping information works, it just...goes on a while. And the tale of a small country town's fight over prudish 'civility' versus free speech, reflecting the broader issues happening in the country at large, works. They all just work a bit disjointedly. 

Ardent fans of Celestial Mechanics will probably enjoy Waspish Widows; those less in love with the first one might find this second one "that, but more so." But I'm still looking forward to the eventual third, and further books, in the Feminine Pursuits series. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advance review copy!

as the follow up to waite's the lady's guide to celestial mechanics, the care and feeding of waspish widows is an excellent second entry in the feminine pursuits series. 

agatha griffin, a widowed mother trying to keep her printing business afloat while taxes are on the rise and censorship is rampant. so when she finds a nest of bees in a warehouse it's a pretty big problem.

so when penelope, a beautiful beekeeper, comes on the scene to help agatha get rid of the problem, the connection and friendship that blossoms between them is unexpected. 

penelope has a long-absent husband, and england is ruled by a queen who is consumed by the idea of modesty so the women risk quite a bit in exploring their relationship further, 

but what they find in each other is well worth it. this was so worth the read. 

**the care and feeding of waspish widows will publish on july 28, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/harper collins (avon) in exchange for my honest review.

Olivia Waite writes beautiful books that are the slowest of slow burns. The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is no different. This is a romance between two middle-aged women, who are pushing back against society's conventions in their own ways. One runs a printing business after the death of her husband, and one is a beekeeper, in a "convenient" marriage to a whaler who is only home a few times a year. These two become friends, and then slowly, slowly become lovers. The prose in this book is gorgeous. Olivia immerses the reader in the story with wonderful side characters, beautiful descriptions, and historic details. The romance is set against the backdrop of the political unrest surrounding King George and Queen Charlotte's divorce, and the accompanying issues of women's rights. This is not a ballroom historical. It's a beautiful glimpse of the everyday lives of the working class. 

(I was provided with an ARC of the book by NetGalley, but the opinions here are my own.)

Agatha Griffin is a printer.  Penelope Flood is a beekeeper.  They meet when Agatha finds bees in the wall of her warehouse in Melliton.  Both are alone.  Agatha is a widow; Penelope’s husband (of convenience) is at sea with her brother on a whaling ship.  The women enjoy each other’s company.  There is a spark of attraction at first, and as they spend time together in Melliton and London that attraction grows.  Could they be falling in love?  Can they make a relationship work?

Agatha and Penelope (Griffin and Flood to each other) are wonderful characters.  Their story takes place amid political upheaval and small-town tyranny.  Intelligent, strong, and independent, they weather it all.  A little history, interesting side stories, interesting facts about printing and beekeeping, and a heartwarming romance make this an enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.  My review is voluntary.

This is the second book in Olivia Waite's Feminine Pursuit's series. I haven't read a lot of wlw romances, but this series has made me want to read more.
Penelope Flood is a bee keeper who has just lost her mentor. Agatha is a widow who runs a print shop. The two form a friendship during the regent scandals in the early 1800s in England. 
The historical aspects of this book are interesting and informative. They simultaneously add to the story, the tone, and the characters. I also love how the issues that these characters face feel realistic for their time. This is definitely a slow burn romance, but the historical events and characters keep it interesting and exciting.

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.