If revenge is a chess match, what happens when the queen falls for the king?

Lady Ela Dalvi, daughter of the Earl of Marwick, grew up lacking wealth and self-confidence, and she often hid in the shadow of her best friend, Miss Poppy Landers. But at the age of 15, their friendship fractured over the arrival of a duke's family in the neighborhood -- and the introduction of the handsome young Marquess of Ridley, Keston Osborn, into their lives. Betrayal forced Ela into a bleak boarding school in the north of England for years, where she nursed her heartbreak and plotted her revenge.

Three years later, Ela dons the disguise of a young heiress, Miss Lyra Whitley, and enters London society, determined to play out her strategy of befriending the leading debutante (Poppy) and making the most eligible bachelor (Keston) fall in love with her -- before destroying them both. But what happens when you start to see the pawns in your game as having more worth than you expected?

I've enjoyed some of Howard's previous romance novels, but this first venture into YA books really captured my attention. Billed as "an anti-historical Regency romp" for its many diverse characters and feminist vibe (I love how Ela/Lyra repeatedly ponders smashing the patriarchy), the book combines the revenge theme of The Count of Monte Cristo with some serious Mean Girls scenes. Generally speaking, I don't care for books where girls fight over boys and denigrate each other while they do it, but that theme is (sadly) still realistic for a teen romance, and Howard deftly gives Ela/Lyra the character growth needed to overcome that petty nonsense.

Most of the characters are skillfully written with care and humor, and they get the space to grow through the plot. Poppy, while being the sort of mean girl it's easy to hate, might have benefited from having at least one sympathetic characteristic to make the otherwise excellent ending more believable. (Or not. That might be Howard's point.) I loved all the details used to create more vivid mental pictures of the characters in the reader's mind, such as Ela/Lyra's chaperone's chai and saris, the physical symptoms of Church's illness, and the contrasts between Ela's younger and less confident self and Lyra's captivating presence.

The story alternates between past and present throughout most of the book, building the tension behind Ela/Lyra's motives for revenge and planting the seeds for the eventual showdown at the end of the book. I really liked how Howard used the chess theme throughout the story, both as a way to connect characters as well as to highlight the conflict.

As mentioned by other reviewers, this book will definitely appeal to fans of Bridgerton -- and anyone else who, like me, really loves the recent growth of historical romances featuring people of color as lead characters., And that makes it a perfect fit for the new Joy Revolution imprint at Random House. More of this, please!

Thank you, Joy Revolution/Random House Children's and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This was a spectacular anti-historical (I believe that’s what they’re calling it) regency romance! So many POC were seamlessly represented, the revenge story was told through fantastic flashbacks, and the found-family was giving homey vibes. 10/10 would recommend.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC*

This was a super sweet YA read for fans of Bridgerton. The appropriate age group for a book like this is somewhere in the High School realm, although certainly it can be enjoyed by older readers as well, as long as they know what to expect in terms of lexile level and content, etc.

This was just a fun take on the Regency Era with all of the markings of an incredible lead protagonist. I loved so many aspects of this story and I was sad when it ended (very happy with the ending though!)

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Since Bridgerton came out a few years ago, there's been a surge in Regency-era romances with diverse characters. While Jane Austen purists would be upset at the liberties authors have taken with romances from this time period (not just with the diversity in cultures, races, sexual identities, etc., but also with the language, since the language used is not true to the time period and cursing would not have been written so freely into books of the time period), a new generation of reader is finding themselves reading these romances and, perhaps, exploring some of Austen's work afterward. Anytime an author can pull in a reader, as a librarian, I'm all for it! Queen Bee focuses not so much on finding a husband, but on hooking one particular man into thoughts of matrimony, then dropping him like a dead fish once he's been reeled in. The main character, Lady Ela, has been betrayed by a scheming "best friend" and the boy who was used in the scheme, unwittingly, turned his back on her. Now Ella is determined to seek revenge on both of them for ruining her reputation and, thus, ruining her chance at a happy future. Without a fortune and forced to go to an ultra conservative boarding school in the countryside, Ela feels she has little hope for a place in the London Elite. With a little luck in meeting the right benefactress, however, Ela now has the opportunity to be back in her former social circle and have some payback with Poppy (her betrayer) and Lord Keston (her former love interest). Let the games begin! This is definitely written with teen readers in mind, but it has a good message about forgiveness in it. Parts of it are a little predictable, but there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Also, the intertwining of various cultures gave this book more appeal as I read it. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the chance to preview Queen Bee!

The cover copy for this book describes how Lady Ela Dalvi was betrayed by her former best friend, but as the storyline veers back and forth between the past and the present, it's very clear that this was not just a straightforward betrayal of confidence but rather a malicious plot to destroy her.

Ela plots revenge and reinvents herself in order to destroy her former best friend as well as all the people who failed to protect or believe her. But Ela's plotting only lasts a couple of chapters into her reunion with a former friend and love interest, at which point it starts to unravel into a more convention YA Regency (anti-historical) romance a la Bridgerton. Luckily, the alternating backstory keeps the revenge plotline alive and well, fleshing Ela out as a character and showing us how she's grown over time, adding tension to the plot. The ending is never really in doubt, but the final confrontation and denouement is both surprising and entertaining, well worth the journey to get there.

Overall this was a fun romp - more Bridgerton than Count of Monte Cristo, but either way very engaging.

I enjoyed the book. The plot was definitely aimed at young adults. Certain points were overly predictable. I loved the diverse cast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

I am absolutely obsessed with Bridgeton so I was so excited to find this book! It was amazing and such a fun read. The characters were relatable and my emotions were all over the place with this book. I will be purchasing this book and recommending it to all of my family and friends.