Goodness I love a good lesbian romance novel - especially a historical one! I enjoyed this book even more than Waite's celestial Mechanics, and that is saying something!

I loved both of Olivia Waite’s previous novels in this “Feminine Pursuits” series, which consists of f/f historical romances with a focus on their characters’ crafts and knowledge, especially those considered either unbecoming of women or particularly feminine and thus undeserving of serious attention, from astronomy to embroidery to beekeeping. This third installment in the series is about a piano tuner/teacher and a silk-weaver, and it is just as lushly romantic, fascinating, and rich with historical detail as the first two. Though there are obvious and strong similarities between the three books, they also each bring in something new, avoiding feeling like simple repeats of the same basic story each time, a fact that I love! Though the second book, for instance, was a more languid slow burn romance, this one moves at much faster clip in both the relationship and overall plot (which involves our pianist and weaver teaming up for a Robin Hood-style heist). It’s a sparkling, fun read, and I hope there will be plenty more in the series yet to come!

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

I received an advanced copy of The Hellion’s Waltz through Netgalley so I could share my review with you! Though The Hellion’s Waltz is the third book in The Feminine Pursuits series, I have kept my review spoiler-free for each of the previous novels, as they focus on separate characters with subtle crossovers.

Content Warning: The Hellion’s Waltz contains scenes and discussions of panic attacks, past trauma, sexual content, and mentions of parental abandonment and death.

The daughter of a piano merchant and a musician, Sophie Roseingrave has grown up surrounded by music. But, after a trauma in her past shook her abilities in her own talent and stole away her family’s shop, Sophie has hardly been able to play a single note. Sophie has been swindled before, and she has no intention of ever allowing herself to be hurt in such a way again. So, when Sophie meets Madeline Crewe in the midst of the biggest con of her criminal career, disaster is in the cards. Madeline is a weaver who has had enough of the ways that Mr. Giles, a greedy merchant, steals from those around him. After watching her fellow weavers getting taken advantage of time and time again, she devises a scheme to knock Mr. Giles down a peg or two. Madeline and Sophie collide, their lives tangling over this heist. Could it be that some schemes are for the greater good?

You can get your copy of The Hellion’s Waltz now from Avon Impulse!

One of my favorite aspects of Olivia Waite’s writing is how she always gives her characters distinct interests and perspectives! In this book, it was extremely obvious when the story was being told by Sophie, as her love of music was infused into the way she described the world around her. In the same way, Madeline’s perspective was packed with ties to weaving and to her sense of justice. As both a musician and craftsperson, I found the inclusion of these character vocations helped to root the prose into the written world. In each of Waite’s books, I have noticed that she takes care to develop a true voice for the characters she’s writing, which allowed me to fall easily into the story. Sophie and Madeline had undeniable romantic chemistry, making this book a quick and exciting read for me!

My Recommendation-
If you enjoy steamy historical romances following Queer characters, you need to pick up a copy of The Hellion’s Waltz! I would especially recommend this book (and the others in the series) to fans of Casey McQuiston, Alexis Hall, and Cat Sebastian.

First off I want to say I am so happy to see a historical romance featuring two women. This book caught my eye when I read that it would be about a piano tuner and silk weaver, Something that it completely different to what I have read in the past with Historical Romances. However I am giving this book 3 stars. I felt that this book was lacking when it came to the "heist". I just wasn't invested in that part of the story line. I also felt the romance was Luke warm at best, it almost seemed too fast and forced. On a bright side I liked the character development of Sophie's character. I also found her families dynamic heart warming. I do plan to pick up another one of Olivia's books as I don't judge an author solely based on one book.

I am so very thankful I received an ARC from Netgalley and Avon Books!

Waite’s latest is a treat to dive into!

Music is life. A little secret about me… once upon a time I was a musician. Though I guess once a musician, always a musician. Regardless, when I found out that one of the main characters, Sophie, was a pianist and composer I was instantly grabbed by the story. I wanted to know everything about Sophie and how her family came to reside in Carrisford, a town known for weavers, tailors, and the manufacturing of clothing.

My interest in Sophie quickly spread to her love interest, Maddie. Maddie is a weaver and, on a mission, to fleece a certain greedy draper of his funds, all for a good cause of course if you’ve read the blurb. Maddie has plenty of help too, though Sophie at first is determined to stop Maddie because she can’t stand con artists. Cons are hard at the best times but worse as Sophie and Maddie find themselves attracted to each other.

These two are fabulous together. Maddie with her street-smart ways and thieving, along with her bold as brass attitude towards Sophie. I loved watching straight and narrow Sophie fall for a woman who is skirting the edges of the law like a sewing Robin Hood. What is equally enjoyable is how quickly the romance evolves in this book. Waite’s previous stories have always had a super slow burn element that I tended to get impatient with. The Hellion’s Waltz is none of that, but rachets up pretty fast as both Maddie and Sophie battle for their own futures as well as their growing need toward each other.

The overall story and setting are perfect, with Waite’s voice shining through with all the lovely artist details to get in lost, from music to weaving, there is a personal touch that makes me believe Waite has done both things for years.

Overall, this is my favorite in the entire series thus far. I loved the story, the characters, and the resolution. I only hope there is more to come from Waite as she’s a fresh voice in the F/F Historical Romance genre and I’m quickly discovering I want more of it.

~ Landra

This entertaining story has a tender romance and a first-rate plot to teach a swindler a lesson he won’t soon forget. Maddie is a weaver and an activist for labor reform. Sophie and her family have come to Carrisford to start anew after being bilked to near bankruptcy by a con-man in London. The family is musical. Papa builds pianos, Mama was an opera singer, the siblings sing and play instruments. Maddie heads a group that has a most ingenious plan for revenge against Mr. Giles, an unscrupulous businessman, in truth a cheat. The story is complex. There are several side stories. Along with Maddie and Sophie, there is an awesome cast of characters. The plans for justice are progressing, and will culminate at a concert hosted by Sophie’s family. Now, Sophie is not just a musician, she is a composer. Her selection for the concert is a piece she composed for Maddie, The Hellion’s Waltz. Interesting story, great characters.

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

I really really enjoyed this one. Sophie and Maddie are both well-fleshed-out and intriguing characters. Their romance is swift but mostly believable and the ways they complement one another make it a very well-balanced story.

I wish there were more of it, really. More of Sophie, more of Maddie, more of the swindle and the rise to composer stardom. The only thing I wish there were less of is sex scenes. The are too abrupt, with little lead-up, which is jarring. There are too many for such a short story, and they take up too much time. But then, I always want fewer sex scenes and more story, so that could be mostly me.

*Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an e-arc for review.

Sophie Roseingrave's family lost nearly everything to a swindler who managed to steal not only their fortune but also cast a pall over their good name. Branding is everything when you're in the business of making and selling fine musical instruments, and while no one can gainsay the quality of their pianos, no one wants to be associated with fraud either. Forced to abandon London and settle in the northern mill town of Carrisford, Sophie especially is on high alert for anything that could possibly endanger her family again.

So when she accidentally spies an exchange that seems to take advantage of the desperation of beautiful silk weaver Maddie Crewe, she thinks nothing of chasing down Maddie to alert her against being conned as well. Only Maddie has an unexpected response: she warns Sophie off, to the latter's confusion. As Sophie slowly realizes that Maddie is the one running the con, she needs to decide how strongly her antipathy to this kind of thing can resist the lure of Maddie's dancing eyes and, eventually, fiery kisses.

This was such a delightful confection of a historical romance as Sophie and Maddie not only fall in love but run a sting on an exploitative businessman, all while helping Sophie regain confidence in her own abilities as a musician. It had killer depictions of both the music and textile industries in the 19th century, and I loved that neither of our heroines were royalty, which is one of my biggest turn-offs for a romance novel. It all felt rather like a gentler Sarah Waters.

Tho, were I to be strictly accurate, it felt more like a Sarah Waters novella. There's a lot of meat in this slender volume, but I do think it could have been expanded significantly, particularly in the relationship between the heroines. While I don't mind how quickly the lust turned into love, I did feel that Sophie overcame her distrust of con artists much more easily than her background warranted. In general, there was a lot more telling than showing with things such as Mr Giles' cruelty, Jenny's tale and Maddie's stepfamily. I definitely wanted more exploration of feelings, more depictions of action, gosh, even more sex scenes. There were two? Which is quite greedy of me, I know, but I really enjoyed these characters and their story, and think they were all given a bit shorter shrift than deserved.

I've heard that the first two books in the series are more satisfying depth-wise, so I'm definitely putting those on my never-ending TBR list. Oh, I do have one quibble with this otherwise terrific cover! Sophie is supposed to be plump, and that girl on the left is definitely more slender than round. Sigh, what an apt metaphor for a book that could use some fleshing out! Otherwise, the models perfectly embody our heroines in this beautifully diverse, winningly sweet romance.

The Hellion's Waltz (Feminine Pursuits #3) by Olivia Waite was published today June 15 2021 by Avon Impulse and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9780062931832">Bookshop!</a>.

The Hellion's Waltz is the third book in a series of standalones. I actually didn't realize until later on that this author also wrote The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (which I haven't read yet, but am excited to read). This story follows Sophie, who's confidence in her piano playing was rattled by a betrayal with her family's business partner, and Maddie, a weaver who is out for revenge against a shop owner taking advantage of her and other artisans. There is an insta-lust situation between the two, which isn't a big deal to me. I don't really like insta-love, but there was definitely many conversations between the two that helped to further the relationship.

While I liked the story, there were a few elements included that maybe could have been left out to make more room for the romance. For example, Maddie gets a visitor but I didn't really understand the point of this visitor arriving? It didn't do much for the plot or progression of the main character's relationships. However, I did like that both our heroines had their own problems to solve and how their problems were both helped by working together. I love things like that.

Overall, I think this was a cute story, and I would definitely read more from this author. Also, this cover is a perfect representation of the characters!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the arc. This in no way effected my opinion of the book.
I’m going to be honest, I’m a bit disappointed with this. I was expecting a heist enemies to lovers romance but instead a got a boring storyline with insta-lust.
Sophie and Maddie are ok characters on their own but there just weren’t any sparks between them.
I think the piano storyline took up too much of the plot. That time could have been spent developing the characters relationship.
I would still recommend reading the first two in this series (especially book one!)

The third & final installment of Olivia Waite's Feminine Pursuits series - and quite possibly my favorite of the series!
In this book, we have pianist/piano tuner Sophie Roseingrave, and activist/weaver, Madeline Crewe. Sophie & Maddie's love story isn't like the previous two of the series.. there is no slow burn here and they are GONE for each other fairly quickly. Sophie's family relocated to Carrisford after a swindle nearly destroyed her family's reputation. She soon meets Maddie Crewe, who with the help of a large group of friends, co-conspirators, and allies, are working to pull a con of their own...

I thought this story was captivating, with the right amount of heat. Sophie & Maddie did an amazing job of communicating, and the background characters in this book (there were many!) were just as lovely and intriguing. Sophie's family was so beautiful and supportive (no real hiding in the shadows here for who Sophie loves). Maddie's tough exterior all but melted away when she was with Sophie. Sophie, who never felt extraordinary, absolutely shined in Maddie's eyes.

Honestly, the plot moved the story along at a fantastic pace - I loved the tender lovemaking scenes with Sophie and Maddie (Let's be real here, I wanted more!) but I think Olivia Waite did an excellent job showing two young women, who simply fell in love with one another, and weren't afraid to let them know it.

Would ABSOLUTELY recommend this book to anyone who loves a little light crime with your romance.

Many thanks to the publisher for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

It's so funny, this series has been so hit or miss for me. I ADORED the first book, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, and didn't much care for the second book, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows. This one fell somewhere in the middle for me. It felt like it slanted a bit more YA/New Adult as well, possibly because both leads are fairly young, with one of them still living at home with her family.

I really love that the romance in this was sort of the easy part... A lot of the conflict/plot has to do with Maddie's scheme, and a little bit with Sophie learning to come out of her shell and trust again. The relationship between Maddie and Sophie has a bit of an insta-love vibe (which maybe is also why it feels sort of YA/NA to me) but I really love them together. I also don't normally like romances with a strong suspense element, but this one I really enjoyed and was interested in how they'd pull it off.

Like the other books in this series, there is a focus on the ills of society, misogyny, classism... There are also GORGEOUS descriptions of the interests of the lead characters, which I've really come to expect and love from Olivia Waite's historical romances. I know nothing about pianos, music, or weaving, and WOW. The descriptions are so lovely and instill a sense of wonderment, I could just read about Maddie weaving ribbon or Sophie composing music or tuning pianos for the entirety of a book all itself.

This is the third book in the Feminine Pursuits series, but can be read as a stand alone. There are no spoilers for the first two books, and I don't think any of the main characters show up again in this one either.

This is the third in the series though I haven't read the others and I don't feel lost.

I enjoyed that the two characters weren't nobles just two everyday industrious working women trying to further their businesses/careers. It happened to be by conning a swarmy shopowner but that's fine. 

Their relationship started as a way for Maddie to distract Sophie who was catching on to her con and get her to side with her. This was a quick read for me as I wanted to see how it would play out!

Sophie is a pianist whose family was swindled by a con man. Maddie a weaver who wants to help the wrongs of the industry in her small town. As their interests - and attraction - collide, a new con is brewing.

The main plot of this story was fun. However, the romance seemed secondary. It felt like the characters went from zero to in love in just a few pages with very little insight into their thoughts in between. Overall, there isn't much I can point to that I didn't enjoy about this book but it didn't hold my attention. It was still a fun read though.

3.25 Stars. I’m a big fan of this series and was excited to read this third installment. While I did like it, I’m sorry to say that it was by far my least favorite of the series. This was a pandemic book and while I give authors credit for being able to write during one, I do think this book was affected since it was missing that bit of magic that her other books have.

While this is a WLW, historic-fiction book, it is also what I call a “heist” book. One of the mains is a bit of a Robin Hood who is recruiting people to take down this villainous character so that women can have better workers rites. While I like these types of books, and I had fun seeing this particular plot unfold, I was not happy with the villain character. We are told over and over how horrible he is, but we never really experience his villainous ways. Instead of being really excited to see if these characters can pull off taking this bad guy down, I was more like, “okay, I guess we’ll see” because my excitement was so tempered. We needed some POV scenes experiencing the pain he caused and I think Waite missed out on a big opportunity to do that. There was a story, which took place in the past, that almost had a fable like quality that we get sort of lazily told. Had Waite turned that story into a prologue, that we as readers could experience firsthand, she would have made me “hate” the bad guy and really care about his outcome, instead of feeling so-so.

This book is also a romance but that part is unfortunately too rushed for my personal tastes. I liked the two romances in the previous books so I was surprised to feel more of a disconnect here. We basically go from insta-lust to insta-love, and it surprised me but not in a good way. I did really like their physical chemistry, and I thought the sex scenes were well written, but I did not believe in a deeper emotional chemistry and connection. Everything was just happening too fast. In the same way Waite made a villain we are more “told’ about, she made a romance that we are more “told” about instead of actually experiencing.

While I have some pretty big complaints, this is still a Waite book. The writing is still good and I was hooked into the story enough that I read in one sitting. Unfortunately, this book just felt rushed and like maybe Waite was not into the characters as much as her previous books, and because of that I wasn’t either. In the end I’m still glad I read this, since I really like this series, but it just wasn’t Waite’s best.

I’m always looking for a great historical romance that has a stellar plot, a romance that sparks and characters that aren’t your typical Duke. The Hellion's Waltz by Olivia Waite is one of them! I couldn’t put it down and was able to read it in one day.

Waite does an outstanding job in setting the book in Carrisford. It has a small community that is industry driven. Sophie Roseingrave moves here with her musical family after they had been swindled in London. Sophie is a passionate composer, pianist and teacher healing from the past incident. Sophie notices a beautiful woman and also a scheme. Madeline Crewe is an extremely talented silk-weaver with a past and an agenda. She has so much more life experience than Sophie and a darkness to her personality that juxtaposes beautifully with Sophie.

What I loved most about the story is the community of characters, the musical family and the romance that is bursting in hot sparks from the pages.

I’ve read the entire series but this will also work as a stand-alone.

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

Pianist Sophie Roseingrave and her family have just moved to Carrisford to start over after a charming con man cost them their family store. When Sophie witnesses a local merchant get taken in by a different scheme, she is determined not to let anyone else suffer what her family has just gone through. Unfortunately the con is being run by the beautiful weaver Maddie Crewe and their attraction is immediate. When Maddie confides in Sophie that the scheme is to bring down a petty tyrant of a man in order to stop his abuses and fund a weaver’s strike, their attraction blooms into something more.

Olivia Waite has a talent for bringing her characters to life and The Hellion’s Waltz is no exception. Sophie is the daughter of a tradesman who is overcoming the trauma of being conned while trying to figure out her future. Maddie is a silk weaver who was raised at the knee of a Reformist mother who recently passed. While they come from very different backgrounds, both women are working to recover from their recent traumas when they meet, which gives them common ground on which to relate to each other. Though their attraction is instant and their union passionate, it feels rooted despite their whirlwind of an affair.

One of the things I personally enjoyed the most about The Hellion’s Waltz is that it isn’t about the ton or the upper class of British society. Many Regency era romance novels are about the wealthy so it was really refreshing to read one about two working women. Waite writes with such rich and well researched details that it made the story really come alive. Though both characters are working women, they’re still from different classes. Waite brings in the smallest details to illustrate that. The fabrics they wear, the places they shop, such small things that give the reader so much information. You can tell she put in the time to find out about the trades they’re in and the world they would have lived in. I love a book that makes me learn something new when I least expect to and this one managed that multiple times.

Though The Hellion’s Waltz is the third book in the Feminine Pursuits series, it absolutely works as a stand alone. Each book in the series is only loosely tied into the others. Sometimes there are characters that appear in multiple books, but they are never central to stories outside their own. One of the leads in this series appeared briefly in the the previous book, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, but a reader won’t miss out on anything if they haven’t read it. If this is the first of the novels you do read and you enjoy it, I would definitely recommend you pick up the other two because you will love them as well.

PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE! PANSEXUAL HEROINE!

The Hellion's Waltz is the story of Sophie, a pianist who's family recently moved to the area after some bad luck, and Sophie, a weaver/con artist out for justice.

I think this books was fine. There was a ton of technical stuff about pianos and weaving that I don't feel was entirely necessary to the story and kind of made it hard to get immersed in the story. The romance was fine by itself, but it didn't mesh well with the other components of the book. It felt like reading two different books at once. I was only interested in the romance.

I did like that the main conflict was not "We can't be together because of society's rules", but it was a little strange that it wasn't included at all given the time period in which this book takes place in. The characters seem to live in a bubble.

The writing style was fine, if a bit wordy. I enjoyed it.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

2 stars.

I was so excited when I got approved for this ARC, and desperately wanted to like it. The premise sounds amazing — a piano tuner and a silk weaver teaming up for a con? Yes please!

It ... didn’t work for me. If it wasn’t an advanced copy, I almost definitely would have DNFed it. As it was, it took me nearly two months to slough through.

I just didn’t care? About the main couple, their relationship, the con, any of it. It felt flat and uninteresting to me. I didn’t buy that they were in love (though I did greatly appreciate that the 80% crisis was the external con, rather than a shoehorned in fight between our heroines).

The writing is solid though, and the premise has such promise. So your mileage may vary on this one.

Steam: 2/5🔥

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy; this review was left voluntarily.