Author India Holton, please write more and more of these cozy books - the Dangerous Damsels series are the best books to read during quiet evenings at home. Utterly charming book #3 has Agent A immersed in historical romance and mystery as usual, and my teacup, shortbread cookies and fireplace all complemented Holton’s latest. A sure pleasure for everyone, No wonder it is one of 2023’s most anticipated in libraries all over! Five of five glorious stars!

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for this cozy, lap-cat, soft blanket and fireplace loving arc. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is the 3rd book in Dangerous Damsel's series and if you haven't picked up these books yet, you are missing out. I think the thing I love most about them is that they aren't your typical historical romance. Don't get me wrong, I love the genre as it is but it is wonderful to have some variety now and then and this book / series definitely mixes things up.

In this book, Alice and Daniel are rival spies who work with the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group. When they are assigned to go undercover as husband and wife, they find that while there is healthy competition to prove each one is the best, they are also attracted to one another and they can't let that derail their plans.

There is so much to love in these books and in this one in particular, we get to see characters from prior books come back into the fold (I love seeing how things progress once a book ends), the banter is always well done, and of course there is magic, flying houses, and a whole host of things that will keep you turning the pages.

If you're looking for a historical romance that has a bit of a twist, check out this series / book. While not necessarily required, I would recommend reading the other books in this series first because you may miss some reference to the other characters and how these two were originally introduced. I'll be looking forward to more books from Holton in the future for sure.

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is by far one of the most imaginative, hysterically funny and whimsical books I’ve ever read!

When a threat against Queen Victoria is uncovered, A.U.N.T. mobilizes their top agents, Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby. Their mission? To infiltrate a pirate house party and secure the secret weapon that will be used against the Queen. Alice and Daniel must work together to a) convince the pirates they’re pirates as well, b) convince the pirates they’re married and c) not go mad while obtaining the weapon. With both Alice and Daniel being used to being too agent, they must adapt and learn to work together. And work ~together~.

This book was absolutely bonkers and I loved every single minute of it! It’s book 3 in the series and I confess i didn’t read books 1 or 2. But really, I had no trouble following the plot or the information provided about their organization. The writing style is so funny and witty and just an absolute delight to read. The plot was funny and moved at a great pace. I loved how everything was whimsical and ridiculous but presented as if it was completely normal. Alice falls out of a window from a flying cottage? Of course she doesn’t die. She’s wearing her parachute petticoat after all!

Alice is so prim and proper and relatively naive, even though she is extremely intelligent and capable. I loved watching her grow out of her relatively narrow mind frame and open herself up to friendship and love. Daniel is charming and witty and a great partner for Alice. His experience as a pirates butler was obviously invaluable to the mission and he was an excellent pairing for Alice.

There is a bit of spice and it’s also hilarious. I don’t think I can say it enough: this book is FUNNY. I found myself literally giggling out loud more often than not. Even during the spicy bits!

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s such a different read than what you normally see in a historical romance! Don’t let the fact that it’s book 3 deter you. You want to read this book!

Thanks so much to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

What we have here is a spy romance written in Holton's inimitable style. It takes a little getting used to, but now that we've read two Holton books we know what to expect: witty turns of phrase, bonkers situations, and referential prose. We are 100% certain that we didn't catch all of the references to other works, but it also doesn't matter.

Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby (Agent A and Agent B) work for the unacknowledged government of Britain: a spy agency that seems to make up about two thirds of the "belowstairs" population. From the perspective of a servant, it's much easier to influence the decisions of the ruling class.

At the beginning of the book, Alice and Daniel are asked to go undercover as a married couple of pirates and infiltrate the Wisteria Society. Why? Because one of the pirates has let it be known that they are going to attempt to assassinate Queen Victoria with some kind of secret weapon. Alice and Daniel must find the weapon and the prospective perpetrator and prevent the assassination from taking place. And if, along the way, they happen to fall in love, it won't have any impact on the outcome of the situation... will it?

This has been our favorite of the series so far, perhaps because our protagonists are spies rather than witches and pirates. Alice and Daniel are out of their depth among the outrageous Wisteria Society. After all, they've been trained all their lives to be the perfect servants: unremarkable and yet incredibly competent. Seeing them navigate a relationship while also completing their investigation and fighting against their spy programming was a real blast.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

If you look up ‘joy’ in the dictionary, you will find simply a photo of India’s books…because that is precisely what they are - pure, unadulterated JOY. You can feel her love for these characters in the way she writes them and their stories, which in turn is so infectious that it is impossible to not fall head over heels for them as well.

Fake relationship, one bed (plus not even one bed), rivals to lovers…what more could you ask for? I have absolutely loved and adored each book in the Dangerous Damsels series and this third book was no exception…in fact, it may be my favorite out of all of them! Alice and Bixby are ridiculously adorable and their mission turned madcap adventure into love is a glorious perfection of hilarity and relatability, with an extra helping of heart. It made me laugh, cry (the epilogue, oh my heart), and feel so seen as a neurodivergent person. And coming full circle with Alice, Cecilia, and Charlotte…ahhhhhhh, chefs kiss! I could not have asked or hoped for a more perfect conclusion to this series.

The Dangerous Damsels are truly in a class of their own that will keep them forever at the very tippy top of my comfort-reads pile. And I cannot WAIT to see what India writes next.

I devour and love every book India writes, and THE SECRET SERVICE OF TEA AND TREASON is no exception (thank you, Berkley, for my early reading copy!). The last Dangerous Damsels installment is brilliantly bonkers, romping fun—sleuthing shenanigans, explosive action, and most of all, radiant, romantic joy. I truly adored every page. Get this on your TBR!!

"One of Buzzfeed's Romance Books To Look Out For In 2023!

Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice's capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she's immediately assigned to the case.

But she's not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life - pretending to be Alice's husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target."

A pirate house party!?!

This was a fun adventure mystery. Features a fake relationship between Alice and Bixby. They’re the top two spies who must work together as a married couple to infiltrate a private party and foil their plot.

This was funny and the interactions between Alice and Bixby were charged with tension. They supported each other and antagonized each other.

I was also fun to see them interact with the pirates when they were undercover.

I really liked to see the romance process. It was very sweet.

Definitely recommend. (And the audiobook was really good).

The latest entry in Holton's Dangerous Damsels series the novel focuses on Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby, servants and spies in service to A.U.N.T. (a poorly named government agency). Alice and Daniel are the agency's most competent agents and are assigned to infiltrate a house party (also being infiltrated by lady scoundrels) to find a weapon and stop an assassination. However, to do this job the two must pose as a married couple. And there is only one bed. Hijinks, romance, tragic backstories, and an adorable baby ensue.

This book is hilarious and it was fun to see Bixby (who featured heavily in The League of Gentlewomen Witches as Alex's unflappable butler) get his own story. Alice is also an amazing character she's basically Amelia Bedelia if Amelia Bedelia was a spy and knew how to kill a man. This book also addressed some heavier issues and it was interesting to learn about Daniel and Alice's childhoods and backgrounds (though definitely heartbreaking). The romance aspect was also really cute and the two of them learning to trust and care for each other was definitely a highlight.

I'm not sure if this is the end of the Dangerous Damsels series or if there will be another book in the series but I had so much fun reading about witches, lady scoundrels, pirates, ghosts, and spies. I highly recommend it.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Read if you like:
☕️ Rivals/enemies to Lovers
🏴‍☠️ Pirates
💍 Marriages of convenience
😆 Laughing out Loud
❤️ Historical Romances

This one was truly laugh out loud funny and had so many of my favorite things within one book with enemies to lovers, rivals, fake marriages/marriages of convenience and steamy chemistry amongst the main characters!

If you are looking for a historical romance with some unique twists to stand out from others in this category I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this one!

Thank you to Berkley Romance for my ARC of this one in exchange for my review!

urban-fantasy, historical-fiction, romance, magic, witches, pirates, espionage, punny, snarky, disguises, unputdownable, laugh-riot, laugh-out-loud, New Zealand-author*****

Between the publisher's blurb and the Table Of Significant Characters, it was obvious that this was going to be a Great Fun Read. And so it is! There is fantastic wordplay of all sorts, terrific world building, the zaniest characters ever, and a real plot! LOVED IT!
I requested and received an e-book copy from Berkley Publishing Group/Berkley/ courtesy of NetGalley. Thank you!

Two rival intelligence agents, Alice and Daniel, get paired up to help thwart an assassination attempt in this latest fantastical, out of this world paranormal/historical romance from India Holton.

I seriously can't get enough of this quirky, hilarious and heartfelt series of books! India has the most absurd stories and they just work for me on all the levels! These two characters bond over a shared love of literature (so many great book references) and their sense of adventure and similar orphanage upbringings.

Full of steam, antics and cameos featuring some of the pirates and witches from past books. I couldn't put this down and it was also great on audio narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden! Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary audio copy and NetGalley and Berkley for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was just as whimsical and bonkers as the first two in the series. Can India Holton write in this universe forever because I would absolutely read them!

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and exchange for an honest review.

I am obsessed! I have enjoyed each book of this trilogy, and for the first time, I have actually found the last book in a trilogy to be my favorite. I love our neurodivergent main characters, I love all the references to classic literature and I love that we get to see all of the main characters from books one and two together with these characters(Daniel and Alice). Is the ending predictable? sure, most romance is. But the journey to get to that ending was so fun! I wish we lived in a society like this world. With pirates flying houses, Secret Service servants and witches, who are NOT witches, I beg your pardon! This book was exactly what I needed to get out of my reading, some from reading books that were just very heavy in the subject matter. I already want to re-read this series to catch more glimpses of Daniel and Alice in the first two books. I’ve already told so many people about this book and I have no intention of stopping! I loved every second!

I have ANOTHER confession, similar to the one in my last post. 😂 I haven’t read the first two books in this series.🙈 BUT, I am planning on changing that soon!

Now, book friends you don’t necessarily need to read these in order! That’s the beauty of this book (and probably this series). There might be a few spoiler-ish points, but this book feels like it can stand alone on its own two beautifully humorous feet.

Friends, I adored this book! I haven’t laughed so hard where my other half is looking at me asking if I’m going to be okay.😂🤣

There was something so refreshing about this deliciously crafted novel, about two orphans who are recruited into the secret service at a very young age and grow into adults who yearn for something more than the robotic muscle memory of their day-to-day 007 lives.

With neurodivergent representation, there’s only one bed trope, grumpy plus grumpy (which I LOVE), fake marriage, plus belly laugh moments that will have you rolling off your couch, readers will thoroughly enjoy Holton’s third novel in her Dangerous Damsels Series starting on page one.

Go pre-order this one!

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Alice, also known as Agent A, has been an undercover spy for years. She's worked as a lady's maid to deceptive witches and dangerous pirates. Her latest mission is going to be even more demanding. She's not working alone. She's been assigned a husband, Agent B, aka Daniel Bixby to be her partner at a pirate house party. They have to find the dangerous new weapon, rescue the Queen and even worse participate in the conversations and games.

Why I started this book: Requested this title from Netgalley because I had enjoyed the first two books of the series.

Why I finished it: I found myself cackling out loud with true glee at the witty ridiculousness. It was delightful to slip into something this light and silly. Perfect February read, when the weather is bleak and you need the dialog to sparkle.

Fun quotes:
"Don't mind the mistress," Pleasance whispered loudly to Alice. '"She's one of them feminininists. While I agree that women suffer and we <i>should</i> rage about it-"
"Suffrage," Cecilia corrected her gently.
Pleasance shrugged with all the carelessness of a woman who has to tidy away her employer's voting rights pamphlets at the end of the day.

The third novel in India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels, couldn’t have been more perfect. Everything I enjoyed about her first two novels continues with more fantastic adventures including her cast of characters. From witty humour to the undeniable romance that sparks between Bixby and Alice. It is never a dull moment as two rival spies pose as husband and wife to infiltrate the Wisteria Society.
With cameos from past characters with super cute moments, this story overall made my heart whole and as a trilogy, I will be gravitating toward these books in the future.

Another delightful (and maybe my favorite) addition to the Dangerous Damsels series. India Holton manages to find the perfect combination of charm, romance, action, and fun. Bixby (so excited that he starred) and Alice are competitive secret agents who have been assigned to pretend to be a married couple at a pirate house party (which is a very different Victorian house party than I would have ever pictured). As expected, nothing goes to plan and the reader has a great time finding out why. The appearances of our favorite couples from previous books was the whipped cream on top!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The third book in the series with slight spoilers for the earlier books it can be enjoyed entirely as a standalone

CW: corporal punishment as a child (past), orphanage (past), violence

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f historical romance
-fake marriage
-pirate house party
-forbidden relationship
-horny sexual tension
-sexy spy talk
-two grumpy spies

GAHHHH I adore this series. It is just so original, just the right level of bonkers and just hilarious. Because in the world of flying houses, pirates and witches of course there is a secret spy society that goes undercover to thwart them. Everything about this book pulled me in, the amazing setting which just created all these delicious forced proximity scenarios with the house party, the fake marriage. But Alice and Daniel just had my heart.

Two people committed to their careers, Alice and Daniel then commit to their fake marriage with some fake kissing, so much sexual tension, gosh it was delicious, and just a whole lot of denial as these two slowly realized and even more slowly accepted they were falling for the other. The way they danced around each other, the flirting, the action. Alice was hard, obsessed with books and just demanding in the best way, she had standards, adored her job and expected the world.

And Daniel just wanted to give it to her. I love how he just became so soft for her. These two were such a match for each other. Honestly just a swoony read that had me cackling. I would read anything India Holton writes. Anything.

Steam: 2.75

Love this series! Every book is great, Wonderfully clever dialogue, charming characters and flying houses. I really want want to join the Wisteria Society, I think I could be an excellent Lady Scoundrel. Besides, who doesn't want a flying house.?