Playwrite Maxwell must clean up the mess made by his father's mismanagement of the family gaming hell. He turns to medium Madame Xyla for assistance. Lydia, also known as Madame Xyla, has a grudge against Maxwell's father due to the imprisonment of her cousin. She plans to use Maxwell as her vengeance against his father until pesky feelings start to get in the way. Great book.
Thank you Catherine Stein, Steam Cat Press and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Based on the writing, I can honestly say I would be thrilled to read another book from this author. The characters of Max and Lydia are wonderful, with Max continually surprising me with his observational skills, his kindness, and his wordsmithing. Lydia is resourceful, intelligent, confident, yet hesitant to allow herself to love. Both are realistically described and relatable. Both have alter-egos, which I thought was a clever point of similarity. Both are surprisingly open and fluid in their sexuality, which would have been considered shocking during this time period. It still is, if I'm being honest.

The plot is unusual and I loved some of the descriptions, especially how the theatre lights work and Lydia's skill at "fortune-telling." Max's father is the perfect real-life villain, totally self-absorbed and irredeemable. It would be difficult not to root for his demise.

Overall, I found this to be a story well-told and well-written, with likable and relatable characters (mostly). One of the things I appreciated most was there was nary a sign of the nobility. I truly enjoy historical fiction, but why must almost every one of them revolve around finding a Duke? This story was about regular people who were exceptional for who they were, not what they were. I definitely recommend reading it.

I thought it was interesting that both the main characters admitted that they slept with people of the same sex - especially as in this time, homosexuality was still a crime. and then it turned out to be the same man! There was a very down-to-earth discussion of this - no innocents here as they said - and the theatre lifestyle seemed to encourage - or at least not discourage same sex relationships. Max certainly trusted Lydia and this was the backbone of their adventures. Trust.
This was an era when spirituality, seances, psychics and so on were all the 'rage' - lots of parties with psychics and so on - and this gave the story authenticity - and i just loved the mummy scene.
Overall a nice book to read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

The Spinster Swindle is a fun, irreverent, romantic romp! Full of intrigue and passion, this tale of trickery and revenge delights and enchants.

Lydia Weaver, aka Madame Xyla, has made a comfortable life reading people and telling them what they need to hear. As a spiritualist, she takes advantage, yet at the same time brings peace and acceptance to her audiences. Lydia is no shrinking violet; she is independent and comfortable in her skin. Lydia holds a grudge against Max’s father and seeks revenge. However, she begins to think there are stronger emotions than revenge, for example, love.

Maxwell Millerson is an artist and playwright. He is forced into a mindless job to support his beloved sister and father, who uses people and overspends. Max longs to be free to chase his dreams. Max takes on the responsibility of the care of his family at the same time his father recklessly endangers his gaming hell. Max is drowning under expectations. Max is unconventional, romantic, awkward, and is a free spirit. His heart is enormous, and he has a naïve yet hopeful outlook on life. Unaware of Lydia’s past with his father, Max enlists Lydia’s assistance in saving his father’s business. Max is clueless to Lydia’s perfidy.

Max and Lydia connected at their first encounter, even with Lydia fighting her feelings. The couple compliment each other. Max’s verses and wooing of Lydia was sweet and entertaining. Lydia’s realistic, competent outlook on life complimented Max’s emotional, fanciful nature. I fell in love with Max and Lydia. Their love story was fiery and romantic.

This novel was unique and refreshing. It centered on the fringes of the working class in the Victorian era. Although respectable, neither Max or Lydia could be considered conventional. The plot married the outrageous spiritualism and revenge perfectly with passion and burgeoning love. The pace was quick and the characters were vivid and endearing. The backdrops of the gaming hell, seances, and theatre delighted and highlighted the writing. The Spinster Swindle is the second book in the Arcane Tales series. This was my first encounter with this author and I will definitely go back and read the first book, devoted to Lydia’s cousin. This book was an unconventional, spirited, intriguing read. Stein has created a savvy, smart story guaranteed to entertain and delight the reader. I was fully taken in by this book, no slight of hand!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fast paced, steamy, suspenseful and romantic all rolled up in one wonderful story. Catherine has a fantastic way of drawing the reader in.

Revenge is in her future. But falling for her enemy’s son is one fate this spiritualist could never have envisioned.
Playwright Maxwell Millerson would rather spend his days dreaming up stories than cleaning up his father’s messes. But a trendy renovation has the family’s gaming club on the brink of ruin, and not even Max’s imagination can conjure a way out. Desperate, he turns to the multi-talented—and alluringly audacious—Madame Xyla to help him spin gold from straw.
Lydia Weaver, professionally known as spiritualist Madame Xyla, has long sought revenge on the man responsible for her cousin’s imprisonment. When her enemy’s son visits her seance room seeking advice, Lydia leaps at the opportunity for vengeance—until Max’s easy charm and poetic words threaten to turn her plans upside-down.
As their friendship grows and they give way to their mutual attraction, Lydia and Max must weigh family duty with their hearts’ desires. And only when they confront old wounds and new feelings can a happy ending be in the cards.
I did not particularly like this book. I finished it but it was a problem. I don't think I will ever read another book by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Fate walks into her parlor, the son of the man she vowed vengeance gives her the entry she needs to start her plan. Revenge for a crime against her cousin, Lydia will destroy the gaming club belonging to Max Millerson's father. Pretending to save the club, she never expected to fall in love. Once she confesses to Max her game of revenge, she will not only break his heart, but her own. A nice change for all the characters to work for a living and no connection to upper society. Includes humor and very steamy encounters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

The premise of this book is a bit unusual. A young woman masquerading as a spiritualist meets a playwright masquerading as an assistant to a rich man. He needs help and money and she wants revenge. Nothing is as it appears, nor is the path to true love smooth. I loved the twists and turns and laughed at some of Lydia's stunts. All in all, a very satisfying read.

I enjoy books of all kinds. I like historical romance with a little heat. I enjoy erotica with a lit if heat. I enjoy Regency romancenwith no heat. But I like to know exactly what I am reading. I feel the author deserves to let us know.
This story is about a heroine trying to support herself with being a spiritualist and having card readings. She is also trying to bring down the man who destroyed her parents business and them also in the process. She and her cousin Jack were the only ones to survive. Both his and her parents were killed in a swindle and she is going to get the swindler back and destroy him. But, we have our hero. He is the younger son of a lord who owns a gaming house, who also was the swindler the heroine wants to bring down. The son works as a secretary for one of the richest men in England. And the hero has always pulled his father out of trouble, because his younger sister still is dependent on the father.
I enjoy historical romance and this one was doing just fine until the main characters decided to have a sexual encounter. She admits to sleeping with women and then they find out that they both had a sexual relationship with the same actor. I am sorry, but that is too alternative for a historical romance and needs to be alerted to readers before reading. I did not see any thing that said homosexual relationships were discussed in the story. I firmly believe that if there is homosexual relationships in the main characters, it needs to be up front.
Normally I wouldn't rate a book like this, but it was a good story until then. It was hard to read past that, but I did finish it.
I give this book a 3 star rating and recommend to read at your own risk. If you are okay with historical romance characters admitting that they will sleep with what ever sex pops up, then you will enjoy this. If you are like me, it gave me a different color on the story. Would the person be enough for the other? Would their love be enough? The basis of a relationship is some type of commonality, and I did not see that here.

Once again Catherine Stein creates a spunky , strong and self assured heroine in Lydia and pairs her with a charming, sensitive and kind hero, Max. When they meet Lydia is on a mission and it doesn't fit in with Max's plans, so what unfolds is a delightful relationship that leads to painful choices needing to be made. A delight. 4-1/2 sweet stars