Recommended for fans of Gail Carriger's Finishing School or Parasol Protectorate series, The book is whimsical and bonkers, and maybe a bit too much, but a fun ride.

Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series blended with The Princess Bride, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was great fun...thieves and pirates and flying houses! Fantasy and romance, and an absolute romp. Thank you so much, NetGalley and Berkley Books!

This delightful historical romance is full of piratical plotting, swashbuckling adventure, and long, steamy glances. I highly recommend it for fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Pirates of the Caribbean, historical romance, and romantic comedies.

You’d think a love story featuring flying houses and proper Victorian ladies who happen to be pirates would be a rather unserious book, and you'd be right. However, like the works of Terry Pratchett (which this book reminds me of a lot), THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS wraps incisive social commentary in sparkling satire and a ripping, absurdist yarn.

WISTERIA SOCIETY has plenty to say about community, family, gender roles, and the class system, but it's hardly a tract. India Holton's prose shines, and the plot, in which heroine Cecilia Bassingthwaite must avoid the evil Captain Morvath’s clutches with the (dubious) assistance of handsome stranger Ned Lightbourne, skips along nimbly. Holton has a keen eye for character and voice, with many amusing side characters, and her observations, as sharp and quick as Cecilia's dagger, apply as much to our own time as the nineteenth century setting of the book. Cecilia and Ned are adorable together (and in the ways they try to resist falling for each other) and I would gladly read another 80,000 words about them setting up their house, having breakfast together, arguing about whether arranging books by color is evil or merely insufferable, etc. A deeply charming read, but don’t let the whimsy fool you. Holton is a talent to watch.

Well, this book was definitely not for me. I will fully admit that after reading over a third of the book I skimmed the rest. I can see why some are calling it "delightfully bonkers" but for me, it was just bonkers.

This is a world where houses do actually fly, lady pirates can be civil (while trying to assassinate each other), and everything is frankly... bonkers. I thought this would be about a secret society and these "Lady Pirates" would be members of society but no- they are just women flying their houses from place to place to "liberate" others of their possessions. Along with that the world just didn't work for me. The fact that it was Victorian England just with flying houses somehow did not work in my brain. It honestly felt like a weaker and less supernatural version of Soulless. I also did not connect with the writing style and the chapter heads bothered me. I decided to give it a three-star as I did find moments enjoyable, but they could not keep me engaged. If you are interested in this book I highly suggest reading a sample first to see if the writing style is compatible with you.

My Rating System
1 Star- No
2 Star- Meh
3 Star- OK
4 Star- Good
5 Star- Great

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

The description of this book is misleading. It sounds like an entertaining historical read, yet that is not the entire tale. This story is part historical fiction and fantasy. In a time where ladies take tea and worry about propriety, they also sail houses like ships and work as pirates. There is action and romance and a slew of quirky characters to entertain readers, yet I found it a bit outlandish and overdone. It is filled with elaborate descriptions and character thoughts that are so overemphasized they get in the way of the story. It is at times hard to follow. Had I known the historical element is combined with flying houses and far-fetched chaos, I would have skipped this book entirely. Even trying to get out of my comfort zone and enjoy the story, I found it to be an exhausting read. True historical fans should skip this one.

Whimsical & delightful sailing through a new, piratical version of Victorian England 🏴‍☠️

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

I’ll have to admit, as much as this appealed to me - and as humorous as it was in the beginning - it was a slow start. It just didn’t grip me, so I didn’t finish it. Because of that, I can’t really give an accurate review in that department. However, the bits that I did read were full of wit and whimsy, and so similar and dissimilar to every book I’ve ever read set in Victorian England. The world that the author created was truly one-of-a-kind, and I could totally imagine this as a movie directed by Autumn de Wilde! I just wasn’t in the right mood for this one.

I just hope this isn’t the beginnings of a reading slump.
One can dream.

Big thank you to Berkley Publishing for sending me an ARC copy of this book!

Book Breakdown:

Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
World-Building: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Characterization: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Romance: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Dialogue: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Plot: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆」

*Review will be posted on Goodreads on Sunday, June 13th*

This story is set in an alternate 1880s England where that bat-shit Banks family neighbor from Mary Poppins—the one who turned his house into an armed ship deck—must’ve started a new housing trend.

For here you will encounter such things as flying battlehouses and vengeful lady pirates, a bookish, take-no-shit heroine, a hero that could give the Dread Pirate Roberts (aka Cary Elwes, ca. 1987) a run for his money, and a dastardly villain who can’t write a single decent poem. Best of all, there’s a liberal sprinkling of Bronteism that set my moor of a soul howling with gothic laughter.

In case it wasn’t clear, let me reiterate: This is NOT your standard romance novel. It’s a side-splitting satire, facetious and flirtatious in prose, occasionally darkly humorous and always self-aware. It’s totally, wonderfully unlike anything else in the romance genre right now.

The banter between Cecilia and Ned is so smart and zappy, I hardly noticed (until it was much too late to care) that the couple falls a tiny bit under the insta-love trope. Their verbal trades and pistol sparring tantalize like foreplay, and I love that they make each other laugh; it’s easy to see how they suit. Never mind that they just met or that one was hired to assassinate the other.

Despite its subversive witticisms, there’s still a restrained and straining seductiveness to the love story: a mere finger touch is enough to set the heat on high. Victorian romance indeed.

This was a refreshing read, and one that I haven't come across before. It was absurdly fun, witty, and I absolutely adored every character! Fans of historical fiction with a dash of romance will enjoy this!

I’ve never read a book quite like this which is full of plucky, wicked and funny pirate ladies. The dialogues are witty and make you laugh until you drop with laughter. Amazed at the talent of Holton’s in creating an enchanting world and made me want to live in the world for a few days just to witness these ladies in action. You must read this book to experience the wild, adventurous and madcap ride as I couldn’t describe the awesomeness in words. Nothing unfazed these feminist ladies even the attempt on their lives.

These society ladies and junior members of it are completely wicked, unique and bonkers. They rejoice at the assassination attempt on them, go to any lengths to save their enemy so they can kill them, takes it as an invitation to rob when the treasure was guarded by a bare minimum security, go on jolly picnics by leaving husbands to babysit and guard their houses, assume ‘severance pay’ meant paid for severing a couple of limbs. OMG these are only a very few ways to describe their pluckiness, wickedness, peculiarity, and craziness.

I loved many characters in this; they are all bizarre, fearless, distinctive, quirky in their own way.

Being a pirate, longing for promotion at the Wisteria Society, Cecilia doesn’t like violence but she has to fight with the villains to save the society. You have to read to find out with whom she goes to this war and who are her fighting partners as it doesn’t get any more peculiar than this combination. I am in awe of her. She is fascinating, courageous.

Our hero Ned has many avatars in this. You have to read to find out about all of them. The chemistry between Ned and Cecilia is sizzling. The dialogues between them are witty and sometimes full of double-entendre.

Another great character I loved is Constantinopla(isn’t this a cute name?). Thoroughly entertained by her machinations in persuading her fiancée Tom to break in against his will and succeeds in making him think he is still in charge of whatever their mission is. You have to read how she achieves this.

Captain Morvath wields a gun in one hand, writes poetry on the other hand and buttonholes his henchmen to these awful poems.

Pleasance is the housemaid of Cecelia and her aunt Miss Darlington. She is quite an eccentric character who regularly has tete-a-tete with in house ghosts and conveniently throws blame on them whenever she loose mouths saying the bad ghosts possessed her voice.

Lady Armitage is another strong character who hires an assassin to kill Cecilia. She lusts over this assassin. Rather than worrying about her life, she worries over her knees buckling out when ordered to sit down at point block.

There are a lot of misquoted literary references weaved into the story which generates plenty of laughs. I wished there would be a chapter detailing these ladies’ outrage when the turning point event has happened.

Overall, I would highly recommend this amusing, charming and original historical fiction with well-developed characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's a rare book that has me running around telling friends they absolutely must read this - before I've even finished it. THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS by India Holton is one such book.

It's a love story - more sweet than steamy, and doesn't fall into any of the usual tropes or traps. It's an absurd comedy, but is so matter-of-fact that I never once questioned that somewhere in the histories was a society of women pirates flying their castles around Europe, fighting bad guys, robbing rich jerks, and trying to assassinate each other. It's delightful and fanciful, even while being grounded in a solid backstory.

Imagine Princess Bride with flying houses, or Clueless with sword play. From casual thievery to a strict code of (un)ethical behavior, THE WISTERIA SOCIETY OF LADY SCOUNDRELS is a gorram whimsical joy to read. 10/10 recommend to everyone!

I adored this book! Clever plotting and characters move the story along at a rapid pace. This book is love child of Gail Carriger and Jasper Fforde. I am hopeful for a sequel.

I apologize in advance for this review because I am clearly in the minority here based on others!

I feel like if I'd known what I was getting into with this book, I might have liked it a little more? But the blurb really hides the fact that they are FLYING HOUSES around England. And I just ... could not get past that. I can see it in the book description now that I know its there but if you aren't looking for it, the blurb really does not indicate HOW "fantastical" a story this is. And that kind of ruined this for me. It all felt a little silly. I did like some of the characters, but they weren't strong enough to redeem the surprise-flying-houses thing.

An exceptionally enjoyable gaslamp fantasy romance! The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a romp from start to finish. The titular Wisteria Society is a loosely affiliated group of women who fly their houses around to carry out acts of piracy. (Yes, they actually use magical incantations to levitate their houses.) They are, however, "Lady Scoundrels," meaning that in addition to theft, breaking and entering, and assassinations, they are also devoted to the rules of society.

Our heroine Cecilia has been raised by her aunt to become a member of the Wisteria Society... but at 19 she has not yet been promoted to full membership. Our hero Ned has at least 5 alternate identities (we're still not sure which is his "real name"), and we're still not sure of his motivations at the beginning of the novel (at least where they concern Cecilia). Ned and Cecilia are thrown together in all sorts of situations as they go to the rescue of the Wisteria Society on their way to their own particular Happily Ever After.

We also want to mention that the style of this book is highly referential to romantic and Victorian authors and poets, so if you are a fan of 1800s literature you will find much to entertain you here! That said, Holton's style is not just a pastiche of other authors. Her whimsical turns of phrase are delightful and will have you chortling while you read.

This was just too ridiculous for me. I got about 66% into it and skimmed to the end. I cannot recommend this book, but I seem to be in the minority on this one as a lot of people think the madness of it is what's appealing.

Utterly delightful and charming! This book had the perfect mix of fantasy and humor and romance. I was so compelled by the world India Holton created. It was a stress-free escape in a stressful world. I absolutely loved Holton's prose. This is the sort of book you read slowly because you want to savor every world. I saw it compared to The Princess Bride, and it definitely has that vibe, but Holton's creativity and voice are one of a kind!

And come on, isn't that one of the most gorgeous covers you've ever seen?

Thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

4.5/5 stars

Cecelia Bassingwaite is a character to be reckoned with. As a Wisteria pirate, she’s incredibly well-mannered but also ready at any moment to annihilate an enemy. We start her journey at home with her Aunt Darlington reading poetry and drinking tea only to be interrupted by a hired assassin. Cecilia is delighted to finally have a hired assassin coming after her, she has made it as a pirate!

This enjoyable, unique, and thrilling book follows Cecelia on a mission to rescue her aunt and the rest of the Wisteria women pirates from an evil man. Said evil man is tired of women speaking their minds!! Must silence them permanently (so many feminist themes in this book)! Who accompanies Cecelia on this glorious mission? None other but her hired assassin whom she is strangely attracted to.

I wouldn’t say this is just a historical romance novel but also could be a historical fantasy novel. When you hear pirates you may think of thieves on ships but in the land of the Wisteria pirates, they are thieves in houses. They possess a magical spell that allows them to fly literal houses. I kid you not, that is how they travel around. The stronger the pirate you are, the bigger house they are able to fly around.

When I say this book is fun, I mean it. I was actually laughing reading the lunacy that was Cecelia’s life. I loved the writing style and how nonchalant everything was. Breaking and entering? No, visiting without disturbing the occupants. Someone annoying you with bad manners? Stab them. This book was a HOOT.

India Holton created such a unique and wonderful story full of incredible characters, I can’t say enough things about how much I enjoyed it. The only thing I would have changed was how much description paragraphs there were. Instead of reading a battle scene we would read a description of the after-math. I needed just a little more action from a book about pirates.

However, that aside, this book was immensely original and fun and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone.

I don't even know how to review this except to say you need to read it! It's fantasy, it's romance, it's--to quote Jen DeLuca--"delightfully bonkers." If you like prim and proper pirates, flying houses, a side of thievery with your tea parties, and the occasional assassination attempt to break up a dull afternoon, you might like this book. If you love or hate the Brontes (either is fine), you might like this book. Just let it steal a bit of your time, and be swept away in one of the most fun books you're likely to ever read.

Such a witty and wonderful story. I blew through this so quickly I’m the best way. It was easy to read and yet another story I didn’t want to end.

Jen Deluca said it best, when she said this was a "delightfully bonkers" book, so I will quote her. Because it really was! One parts fantasy, one parts historical fiction, one parts romance and maybe some sci-fi, this book was astounding and had me laughing out loud and writing down my favorite lines. There are too many for me to write here - if I did, this review would be almost as long as the book. Suffice it to say that this was the most original, funny, hilarious and bonkers book I've read in a long time.

I cheered for Cecilia and loved the juxtaposition of her as a proper lady who also kills, murders and steals, but all within a ladies code. The lady scoundrels all try to have each other assassinated, but within their code. The dialogue had me laughing so hard and the "proper" way the pirate ladies behaved while stabbing someone or stealing was hilarious. I have no idea how India Holton came up with this concept but I'm in awe.

If you need a book to take you out of your life and into a fantasy world, this is the book for you. Highly recommend!