So this was a DNF for me but I think it was more about the timing of when I started reading this.

The quirkiness of it is a huge selling point, but that was what was not working for me at the time. I had a hard time really getting invested in the characters and the story and so I moved on.

I truly appreciate the opportunity to read early and will revisit some time in the future!

I love this book! I am a full-blown member of the Wisteria Society fanclub! I want my mug and t-shirt!

But seriously, this is one of the most unique books I have ever read, and certainly the most fun I've had reading in a long time. I'm having trouble putting it into words becaue I love it so much. This is like Terry Prachett for feminists, but also like the most devastatingly beautiful romance you can imagine (with pirates, & explosions & floating houses). The author is so sharp witted, every page has a laugh (and the banter is TO DIE FOR), yet there is plenty of tenderness and emotional depth woven throughout. The writing itself is absolutely gorgeous, the language perfectly in tune with the Victorian England setting, and dripping with sarcasm and innuendo. There is truly never a dull moment -- even when the Wisteria ladies pause to take their tea -- and I think you will find there is *always* time to take tea....

This is a slow-burn and the tension of it all is so well done. I'm not sure how the author managed to expand hand touching into a full body experience that had me blushing all over, but she DOES, and the steamy scenes are every bit as good. The chemistry between Cecilia and Ned is palpable on every page, whether they are stealing glances across the room or insulting each other while in the middle of a dual. (Remember that scene in Mr. and Mrs. Smith when Angelina and Brad are fighting? Think THAT but BETTER). Ned is one of my favorite love interests of all time. I am a sucker for the confident scoundrel who is really a softy inside. His backstory is heart-wrenching and comes at the perfect time in the story. Cecilia is an absolute pleasure to follow, and her emotional journey is incredibly satisfying to read. She flips convention on its head and never truly does what you expect her to do -- until she at last gets her HEA.

The true brilliance of this book, though, is the Wisteria Society itself -- a band of lady pirates who, though they cheat and steal and kill, cling to the Victorian etiquette we are all so familiar with. The author allows these scoundrels to also be feminine, to also enjoy wearing gowns, to also appreciate a soft drawing room and a good book, and still be considered an absolute threat by everyone around them. It's SO refreshing to see women written this way (and women of all ages, I should add).

I'm so looking forward to the other books in the series and can't wait to see what the author does in the future. This is definitely a book I will never forget!

This book is a hilarious good time - but it's also kind of exhausting.

Listen: the jokes and the farce and the gags just all keep coming too fast, with no reprieve. Which is FINE, but it means that basically nothing gets any space to breathe, and even the humor doesn't always have time to land properly.

My advice is this: read it for the fun, but take frequent breaks! I think that if I HADN'T read this all in one go, I would've liked it more, if that makes sense? It's like a regency, swashbuckling sitcom that you can only watch, like, one episode at a time!

(Also, am I the only one who wants to know way more about that lady that has tea with her dead husband once a month? Are there ghosts in the Wisteria Society universe? I kind of hope so!)

(This has got to be the start of a series, and I AM totally reading the next one. Just in smaller bites, next time!)

I got a few chapters in and decided to DNF. I really liked the playfulness of the characters and the prose at first but then it got too tricky to follow and a little much for me. Someone else might really fall in love with the prose and the style of writing but it just wasn't for me.

This is a ridiculous, hilarious, super-fun book, and I loved it! This will have you laughing and just having a wonderful time while reading! I would definitely recommend a little boozy drink to go with this one because it's just super fun LOL! I did think the chapter titles were a bit ridiculous. They were extremely long titles, but that's my only complaint! This would make an amazing stage play!

Lady Pirates, lying houses, roguish assassins and tea! Is it fantasy, romance, adventure or humor? Yes, yes, yes and yes! There is danger if both swooning and snorting laughter. It's going on the staff picks shelf as soon as it releases! I can not wait to hand sell this one, great fun and positively delightful, thank you!!

This book is a rollicking good time. I laughed on every page, I fanned myself from the chemistry between Cecilia and Ned, I dove head first into the adventure of it all.

Wisteria Society is unexpected, hilarious, and an absolute gem of a book. I'll definitely be re-reading this beauty.

This book is so much fun! From the Henry Fielding-esque chapter titles, to the mashup of Victorian politesse and piracy, it somehow strikes just the right balance between self-awareness and drama, humor and adventure, with plenty of 19th-century-novel easter eggs strewn about. I would recommend it to Bronte-ites and The Princess Bride fans alike.

Imagine a world with prim and proper Victorian women who happen to be... pirates. Pirates who can fly houses. Who take assassination attempts as a sign they're considered ready to be initiated into the society. Cecelia is one such young Victorian woman, eager to make her mark in the Wisteria Society and very excited that she's attracted an assassin (who just happens to be quite good looking). Said assassin, Ned, it turns out, is double-crossing one employer by working with another to not kill but kidnap Cecelia--dastardly indeed! Fun, somewhat fluffy, and apparently the start of a series.

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Light, fun, and frothy, and certainly unlike anything I've read before. It had me at High Society Lady Pirates, but managed to occasionally lose me along the way as houses flew and assassination plots were brewed up over tea parties. It might have been a tighter novella-length story.

A cute, humorous turn of the century romantic novel. The characters are entertaining. Cecilia is a classy, tough woman pirate and Ned is a swashbuckler. The dialog is witty and the storyline engaging. Would love to listen to an audio version of this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC. I would consider suggesting to my book club for a discussion. I think others would enjoy this story.

Looking for an alternative history, fantasy romance with lady pirates, witty banter, and sweet romance? Then The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is for you!

Imagine a Victorian England where lady pirates sail the country in their houses, plundering items that the owners were practically begging them to take (by leaving them unattended and in plain sight). And yet, these are no unmannered, unkempt, uncivilized lady pirates. Oh no, these are LADY pirates. The niceties of society must be observed. Like unmarried ladies need to be chaperoned and even married ladies don’t show their ankles in mixed company.

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the perfect Victorian lady. She just happens to have some amazing fighting skills and deft fingers perfect for picking pockets. She longs to be fully established as a lady pirate, no longer forced to sit at the juniors table when the Wisteria Society gathers.

She gets her hopes up when an assassin knocks on her door, sent by another lady pirate. But soon Cecilia and Ned must team up to defeat a true evil – Morvath, Cecilia’s mad father who’s intent on destroying the Society and marrying Cecilia off to some ninny of a cousin.

This book gave me strong Gail Carriger vibes in the best way possible. Lots of witty banter, a strong tension between the two leads, lots of swashbuckling, empowered women, and some seriously comedic moments.

India Holton has created a fabulous alternative Victorian England and then peopled her world with incredibly delightful characters. The romance between Cecilia and Ned is so charming with incredible sexual tension (but no steamy scenes). Even the villains of the piece are fabulous even if they do sometimes quote appallingly bad poetry.

This first book in the Dangerous Damsels is fast-paced, fun, laugh-out-loud funny, and will utterly and completely charm the pants off of you (you can pretend a lady pirate nicked them)!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I began this journey on page one, but I am more than happy to say I am pleasantly surprised with where I ended up! This is SUCH a cleverly written story and I found myself intrigued by the uniqueness of virtually every aspect of it! I would love to see this become a series....please tell me that is in the works? From the writing to the plot, the characters in how they are each uniquely developed, to the delightfulness of the plot's setting--this book is sure to be a hit! Thank you so much for the advanced copy!

This was just not for me - I think it was well written, but I felt like I was making myself read it. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was about lady pirates - but not like boats pirates, like pirates that can fly houses? I liked the romance between Cecilia and Ned, but that such a small part of this. There was just a lot going on, and I just didn’t care about much of it.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC!

If you like your romance with a side of spy intrigue, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is for you! It's a truly delight all the way through and a great twist on the traditional Victorian romance. The dichotomy between robberies and tea parties is exquisite and hilarious!

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

How do you write a review for such an utterly unique experience?

There's no way the author could've had comp titles when they pitched this, because I've never read anything like it.

It's Pirates of the Carribbean with houses instead of boats. It's Bridgerton if the Bridgertons replaced their Pall Mall with vicious sword play. These Lady Scoundrels are Badass Wolves in frilly Sheep's clothing, and it made this feminist want to jump to her feet and slow clap.

The book is filled with charming juxtaposition. Cecilia has a blade in her garter, but balks at being seen without a chaperone. Ned steals her keys, while at the same time stealing her heart.

I cannot figure out what my favorite part was because I loved every single word on every page.

What a witty and humorous romp through England! I've never read anything quite like it and enjoyed the surprising turn of phrases and unexpected conclusions within the story.

This was such a fun book! The writing was perfect and so, SO clever, and I loved Cecilia and Ned. It all played out in whimsical movie form in my head, and I have no doubt that's where I'll see it next. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future!

Take the light-hearted adventure of The Princess Bride, the tightly-laced comedy of The Importance of Being Earnest and the flying house of Howl’s Moving Castle, and you’re getting close to what’s going on in this bonkers book!

SUMMARY: Cecilia Bassingwaite, is a proper Victorian Miss and pirate-in-training. But when her beloved aunt is kidnapped by Cecilia’s evil villain/poet father, the young woman begrudgingly joins forces with the handsome assassin, Ned Lightbourne, to rescue her aunt and the rest of the granddams/pirates of the Wisteria Society.

This plot’s so crazy, it sounds like a dream: Imagine pirates, but instead of grubby men on the high seas, it’s proper Victorian ladies stealing jewels. Also, instead of ships, they fly their houses around. And they regularly try and assassinate one another.

Based on the cover, I thought The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels would be a fun, historical romance—and it is—but it is also so jammed-full of silliness, wordplay and magic, it was the genre-bending story I didn’t even know I was looking for!

I really liked this book, and even though I received a digital arc for review, I’m probably going to buy myself a physical copy anyway because it was just so fun and nuts. I need other people to read it, just so we can discuss.

This book is really imaginative and entertaining. I loved the whimsical elements and banter between the characters. Unfortunately I tend to connect best with books that are really character driven and there wasn't enough character description to make me feel attached. If you're looking for a fun, witty, read about strong women I don't think you'd be disappointed by this!