“Everyone knew a woman’s place was in charge, if you want something done right.”

A Perfect Equation, the second book in Elizabeth Everett’s Secret Scientists of London series, picks up about a year after the events of A Lady’s Formula for Love. When Violet and Arthur Kneland have need to leave London, Violet has to leave someone in charge of Athena’s Retreat while they’re gone. Enter Miss Letitia Fenley and Lord William Hughes, the Viscount of Greycliff. Both have their own reasons for protecting the women’s social club. And both can’t stand the other. But just as quickly as their truce unravels, it can be stitched together again with unspoken words, soft caresses, and truths revealed. As outside forces threaten the ladies’ secret society and a ghost from Letty’s past returns to threaten her dreams, Letty and Grey will find themselves unexpectedly on the same side – and in each other’s hearts.

I loved Violet and Arthur’s story in A Lady’s Formula for Love, so I was excited to see where the story went as Everett focused on new main characters. That being said, readers will really want to read the first book before embarking on A Perfect Equation. While the main characters are different, Everett frequently mentioned prior events and referenced things even the secondary characters did in the previous novel. While readers can follow Letty and Grey’s romance without having read the first book, much of the little details and throwaway comments from the characters will be lost on any reader who hasn’t read A Lady’s Formula for Love.

I really enjoyed Grey and Letty as main characters. Letty has a no-nonsense, take no prisoners attitude when it comes to men in general, but her hackles were more than raised the second Grey entered a room. Everett created such palpable tension between the two that you just knew it was going to be explosive if they ever gave into their chemistry. I thought Everett did a fantastic job fleshing out their stories; Letty and Grey’s lives might have crossed paths in the past, but that history played out so well in this book. There is a very strong misunderstanding/misinformation trope running throughout their story, so fans of that trope will especially love watching Grey and Letty get together.

Everett’s writing continues to be entertaining and socially aware. I absolutely love this series for the strong and intelligent women it features, women who are at the front of their science and mathematics fields. Women who are on the forefront of advancement, yet have to fight society for their spot. Victorian women in STEM is a romance sub-genre I will gladly get behind.

There are plenty of things to love about A Perfect Equation: strong women who know their rightful place, entertaining scenarios for pretty much every character, and some great representation. If you enjoy historical romance as well as smart (and sharp) women in STEM, this newest release from Elizabeth Everett will surely be an entertaining read for you.

This book was explosively good! Elizabeth Everett has once again created a fabulous story about a smart, brave woman and a man who develops the good sense to love her. Letty and Grey were marvelous characters. They both won my heart from the very beginning. Letty's fierceness and Grey's determination made for a romance that never faltered in carrying the story to its fulfilling conclusion. I loved their mutual insults and their palpable sexual tension and I loved the way they learned to truly appreciate each other. Woven through this was an unflinching portrayal of the many injustices and barriers women of the era experienced, making for not just a swoony read but a powerful, feminist one too. Everett continues on form, and I can't wait to read the third book in the series.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A slow burn, enemies-to-lovers historical romance that involves the fight for women to be able to study Math and Science and be treated as equals. Great read!

🗯Thoughts:

I loved the witty banter throughout this book! I loved the chemistry and I just overall loved this book immensely. It was everything I needed/wanted. Give me more please!

Letitia being a mathematician gave me much joy as I am also a woman with a career in math..let’s face it we are spoken down to, disregarded and have to fight like hell to succeed in our field. So go Letita!

I love a quality enemies to lovers story and this provided me with the proper dosage I asked for!

DNF - genuinely not sure why i requested this but i tried to read it and just wasn’t a fan :/ just not my favorite genre of romance

THE PERFECT EQUATION is such a perfect example of how we need more heroines in media who are academic geniuses and have gone through lots of efforts and struggle. But they are also human and must have their HEA.

Letty is a mathematician , genius, sensitive, swept off by a rogue who betrays her. Socially ruined she finds a solace in the scientist's club by Violet. Whose step son has quite a reaction to Letty but is also sure she is the one who waylaid the rogue in question

Enter Grey (the stepson above) with his prejudices (I got such great reverse pride and prejudices vibes while reading the book) grumpy, determined to keep his emotions in full check, but unable to resist Letty.

As they navigate their bittersweet hate love story you see a beautiful relationship building!

Have you read it yet?

this book was so cute and precious!!! i really enjoy romances at the moment and this sweet one did not disappoint! Thank you so much netgalley! this was splendid!!!

From the cover, I was expecting this to be a cute, low-angst romantic comedy. Instead, I found it to be a high-angst feminist treatise. I prefer the feminism to be woven more smoothly into the story and not to be so in-your-face. For me, reading it was a distressing experience, and I wasn't able to finish. I'm sure other people would love it. It just wasn't for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The series "The Secret Scientists of London" opened strongly with "A Lady's Formula for Love," and I was anxious to read about Letitia and Grey's story in this second book. It was good to see earlier characters reappear and take part in the action as well.

While the initial clash between main characters in the first book worked well for my reading enjoyment, the friction and disconnect between Letty and Grey in the second book was almost too strong and carried on too long for me.

The strong feminist narrative that showed women as capable / more successful than their male counterparts was stirring, and I loved the author's resolution of Letty's indecision and ultimate triumph. (and resounding redemption).

This is a strong historical fiction series that I recommend. And I thank NetGalley and Berkley Books for the chance to read an advance copy.

Another amazing historical romance from Elizabeth Everett! I loved this author's previous release, and this one certainly did not disappoint. Can't wait for Everett's next book!

After reading all of Evie Dunmore’s books about extraordinary women in Georgian England, A Perfect Equation seemed like a good continuation of strong women overcoming a society that doesn’t recognize them as people, let alone people with intelligence.

Letitia, a strong woman attempting to earn the Rosewood Prize for Mathematics which is never awarded to women, is a compelling character and very likable. Greycliff, her somewhat rival who could keep her from her goal, fits the grumpy character idea to a t. The two characters, share intense chemistry and tension, often bumping heads and disagreeing, nearing a rivals to lovers storyline. The writing was enjoyable and the character and setting descriptions were well done and enjoyable.

Greycliff didn’t seem to take Letitia seriously, often disregarding what she wanted or said and undermining her desires. While I thought this book could be read as a standalone, there were so many references in the first hundred pages to explosions and unknown characters, it felt as though I was missing a significant part of the story. The start of the story is slow and difficult to get into.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Books for the opportunity to read this arc.

I absolutely adore this niche of historical romances that just portrays women doing whatever the hell they want consequences and society be damned. Elizabeth Everett really seems to have such mastery over the characters the subject ands the time period that these books are always a diamond of the first water.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This is a fun series for fans of historical romances featuring strong female characters and a STEM twist!

I think I liked this one even more than the first book! We've got enemies to lovers with quick witted banters, high chemistry, and tons of sexual tension. You want to know about Letty and Grey's past, why they get separated, what went so wrong about their relationship. I also loved seeing the political climate and social issues weaved into the story!.

This one is a little more difficult to review than the rest. It was steamier than I typically read but I loved the plot. I thought that it flowed nicely, the characters had nice progression in their growth, and there were solutions that didn't seem contrived, just to end the book.

The bedroom scenes were more open door than I like, but if that isn't for you it is easy to skim over. As for the romance and the enemies to lovers trope, it was well done. I always love a good enemy book. In my humble opinion, it makes the relationship so much sweet in the book when at first they couldn't stand each other. It means they spent time and tried to change opinions and had to work a bit harder at things than most.

So overall, 4 stars for plot, 2.5 stars for explicit content. It really was an enjoyable book!

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Everett’s books are the kind of historical romances that feel effortlessly educational, delving into the women who were making scientific advances before the world even knew their names, but also skillfully funny and charming with just the right amount of spice blended in. Grey and Letty were a perfectly matched pair for one another, and I really enjoyed them starting from such a significant place of misunderstanding about each other before growing into their love. Also the way in which Grey attempts to stage a grovel to win Letty back was entirely delightful! I’m already eager about the next book (which seems to be Grantham and Maggie and childhood friends to lovers? Yes please).

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

Fun historical romance (with a STEM spin) that fans of India Holton or Harper St. Geroge. Just enough whimsy to keep it entertaining and enough romance to make you smile.

A Perfect Equation is the second installment in a fun and sexy series…The Secret Society of London Scientists and it’s great!
Letty Fenley is a founding member of Athena’s Retreat, where the secret society women meet, and a brilliant mathematician at the time when “ladies” aren’t supposed to trouble their pretty little brains with things other than home making and child rearing. As the daughter of a wealthy tradesman, at best, she’s at the periphery of “the ton” but was cruelly led astray 6 years ago and has retreated from society to mathematics and romance novels ever since.
Viscount Greycliff is the austere and tightly wound stepson of another founding member of Athena’s Retreat and in line to become the director of a clandestine organization whose goal is to maintain the status quo in Victorian England. He doesn’t believe that women only belong at home but is a strong defender of crown and country. He’s trained himself to be in control of his feelings at all times.
Can Letty and Grey overcome their pasts and competing goals and allegiances to turn their mutual sparks of attraction into the kind of ever after love found in Letty’s novels?

Brilliant Petite Scientist + Sardonic Alphahole = Love Match

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and a setting in a Victorian STEM institute run by women--A Perfect Equation has many things going for it. The book was laugh out loud funny from the get-go with an action-packed introduction and wonderful steamy tension.

What happened to our heroine, Letty Fenley, six years ago? The answer, when he finally understands it, will bring our hero Grey (the Viscount Greycliff) to his knees and give him a glimpse of what it is like to be a woman in a world which many men believe is theirs by right.

"Lord save us from men who have all the answers," Letty huffs at Grey. It is satisfying to see Grey's transformation from a hero who very much believes he has all of the answers into a slightly gentler, slightly more humble man. However, it is also difficult to get over Grey's original harshness, his essential slutshaming of a seventeen year old girl from a much less privileged class than his own, and his innate instinct to be self-serving at the cost of the Athena Society for large parts of the book. For this reason, I found Letty a much more sympathetic character and had a harder time appreciating Grey.

Letty's brother and the rest of this cast of eccentric and charming friends also add a much needed dose of comfort to a book that contains a great deal of stress-inducing, all-too-realistic sexism. Grey is a forceful, alpha hero who falls hard when he finally admits he is falling, and the outstanding banter between Grey and Letty is cackle-worthy. If you enjoy enemies to lovers, this is one where the trope is strong and the writing excels.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the advance reader copy of this book!

Outstanding Quote: "Yet once Letty did become irresistible, like everyone had told her to, she was punished for it.
Be pretty, but not prettier than the others. Look like you want their attention, but turn away from it when offered. Act as though you wish to kiss him, but do not do it. Spend your time and money to get them to want you, but then you must deny them. Make him love you, but do not act upon it.
A cunning trap for girls who listened to their hearts instead of the messages not so subtly communicated by society.
In the pages of a book, love is its own reward.
In the real world, it was a transaction."


Steam Level: Steamy