Leave it to India Holton to seamlessly bring secret agents into a world of nefarious lady pirates and (definitely not) witches. There’s kissing! And spycraft! And just the right amount of double entendres! The Secret Service of Tea and Treason was a perfect culmination of the series, and everything I love in an India Holton story.

This book was such a delight to read about. I had a blast reading it. It was very entertaining and engraving. And the characters were funny, witty and adorable. I simply loved it

This series has quickly become one of my favorites!! Witty, fun, with so much swoony moments and hilarious banter. I will read anything India writes. ANYTHING. Even her grocery lists.

The thing that is persistently lovely about India Holton's books is that each couple, though determinedly odd, is made up of two people who find each other's oddities charming and endearing, even as the other people around them become exasperated. In the case of THE SECRET SERVICE OF TEA AND TREASON, Holton gives Daniel and Alice common quirks--a love of tidiness that is somehow violent, a bitter rivalry as secret agents that falls apart almost immediately, a love of reading. Rife as ever with literary misquotes, word play, and the chaotic revelry of pirates and witches, Holton's third novel in this series is very fun.

All kinds of delightful and sparkling as one has quickly come to expect from an India Holton novel. That said, this might be her best yet (and certainly my most favourite of the trilogy - which, given how much I loved the first two, says a lot!)

I'll update with a more detailed review closer to pub date (on here as well as my socials) but till then I'll say that this is a must-read!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I LOVED IT! Even though I loved the first two books, this was my favorite of the series! Fun from cover-to-cover and at times outlandish, I haven't ever laughed and smiled so much while reading a book. Alice and Daniel are fantastic main characters and their chemistry is top notch! Seriously the tension made my heart race and I felt them pining for one another as they stole glances across the room. This book has so much of what I've come to love from India Holton's books: flying houses, dangerous shenanigans, word play and bookish characters. I also loved the cameos from other books! All the stars!! I know this is the final book in the Dangerous Damsels series, but I can't wait to read what India Holton writes next. She's an auto-buy author for me!

DNF at 5%. This author isn’t for me. Their humor is heavy on farce and slapstick while also trying very hard to be intelligent. I’m already irritated and haven’t even made my way very far into the book.

Not worth it.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This, the third book in this series, is yet another delightful and fanciful read. This time around we have two "secret agents" who, under their objections, are assigned to work together to ferret out and steal a weapon that is supposedly in the hands of pirates. Of course, the witches are also involved, and nary a page can be turned without some new conflict between some of the large cast of characters, including the return of the protagonists from the previous books. Read this book for the terrific sendups of Victorian society and the many laugh-out-loud moments in the midst of battles and high teas. (OMG, a group of pirates that are the Terror of the High Teas! How I would love to read that one.)

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is the third book in the Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton and it is just as delightful as the previous entries. The main characters of this book are two of the servants from the other stories. We learn they are, in fact, operatives for a government agency and must find a way to work together in this enemies-to-lovers romance. The characters are neuro-diverse, which is a nice change and very relatable, even if they can do magic. Highly recommended.

There is just so much life and wackiness to love here. Literally everything is characterized, even the air. It's the most tickling, dazzling thing! And the innuendo has just completely runneth over with this one.

But I love that beneath the screwball comedy and satire, there are real moments of heartbreaking vulnerability. One page I'm laughing hysterically and the next, it's like my heart plunked into my gut. It's this wonderfully swooping experience (bit like being in a flying house, I suppose) and is truly the quality I love the most about this series.

I really, really like Alice and Daniel. I admit that I completely overlooked them when they first appeared in the previous novel. They might be my new Dangerous Damsels favorite! They're certainly the series' most sensual couple and while I can't speak to the portrayal of autism, I think it's definitely a unique quality to see BOTH MCs of a romance falling on varying points of the spectrum.

The one thing is... I think the plot gets a little lost amongst the wacky this time. Or maybe I just got lost. Either way, I still laughed and loved, and I can't wait for India's next series!

This was definitely my favorite book out of this series so far! It was 💯 hilarious and I loved the characters so much! I think it would make an amazing movie.

The third installment in the Dangerous Damsels series will leave readers laughing once again as our favorite characters are now the foes of our new heroes. The pirates and witches are at it again and the government needs some help. Agent A and Agent B don’t get along too well, but now they must go undercover as a married couple for A.U.N.T. (a secret government intelligence agency that works for the Queen). All the characters come together for a new adventure. The pirates, witches, and secret agents (along with their spouses) are as quirky as ever, the fun is absurd and that is why the book is so enjoyable.

If you need more flying houses, proper pirates, witches, and regency romance this one will leave you in stitches. Perfect for fans of humor, pirates, witches, secret agents, and regency romance. Don’t forget to put on a fresh pot of tea!

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series is truly phenomenal. Very few books have made me literally cackle with glee while reading their prose and dialogue but all three of her books in this series have. Alice and Daniel are the main characters working for A.U.N.T. and their neurodivergent banter and escapades truly delight on every page. Furthermore, the return of beloved characters that we first met in the Wisteria Society make this book feel like a wonderful escape and a warm hug all in one.

The long wait is over, and Bixby has met his match. India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels series rolls on with The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, which features an unusual sort of secret agent duel which may just result in love. It’s funny, it continues the series' strong world building, and it has cracking chemistry between its leads.

Agent A – AKA Alice – works for the Agency of Undercover Note Takers. It’s her job to protect the innocent and keep order – and since her world is laden in magic this proves to be quite the difficult task most of the time. You try dealing with dangerous witches all the time – it is not a pleasant task.

Alice is assigned to protect the life of Queen Victoria, who has received a series of death threats. To her shock, she’s been assigned a partner on the case – David Bixby, Agent B, and Alice’s rival in all things Note Taker-related. To blend in with the pirate society planning Victoria’s downfall, they pose as a married couple and try to infiltrate a weekend gathering. That’ll be tough going, since they can’t stand each other. Well, at least at first.

I loved this book so much. Alice is probably my favorite Holton heroine so far – strong, smart, but vulnerable and romantically naive. Bixby has grown into an awesomely handsome hero. They are rule-bound by their jobs and yet perfect for one another. It’s competence kink agogo in the best way.

And competent they are. I mean, Bixby falls for Alice when he realizes just how deadly she is, which is always a fun trope. Beds are shared and tension crackles and bubbles. It’s fun to visit Holton’s pirate-versus-witches society, and now that royalty is even more deeply entrenched, its super spies and secret agents. The world building here continues to be charming – it’s funny and intrigues, but here I’ll issue a warning to newcomers to the series and suggest reading the previous book first so as to get a handle on the magical world building that has already taken place.

But that matters little if you’re familiar with the universe. This is a swiftly-moving, snappily written little novel. The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is a glorious and big-souled bit of magical romance, and it’s a ton of fun to dive right into.

Alice, AKA "Agent A," is part of a very secret English government intelligence agency called A.U.N.T., or the Agency of Undercover Note Takers. Alice's rival is Agent B, a man named Daniel Bixby who formerly posed as a pirate's butler in The League of Gentlewomen Witches. When Agents A and B discover that their next assignment is to pose as a married pirate couple, they are less than thrilled.

The chemistry between Alice and Daniel begins before the novel, and they spend much of the book trying to deny the frisson between them in every scene. Having feelings for each other goes against several of A.U.N.T.'s regulations, so the agents must decide between the agency to which they've devoted their lives or their burgeoning relationship.

Highly recommended for fans of the previous books in the series. Also recommended for fans of historical fiction or fantasy with humor, like The Princess Bride.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I absolutely love this series, and this book was a great edition. Due to memory problems, I didn't really remember Alice from the previous books really well, but that didn't stop me for enjoying this one. I love all the snark, humor, and plain silliness this book offers. My only complaint is the last few pages, where EVERYONE from this book and the previous two were shown their happily every after endings. It was a little too schmaltzy for my tastes. Other than that, chef's kiss.

The Dangerous Damsels series wraps up in lightheartedly chaotic fashion with downstairs characters finding their way to center stage. Alice Dearlove, erstwhile ladies' maid and top fixer for the Agency of Undercover Note Takers (A.U.N.T.), once again encounters the handsome manservant Daniel Bixby, former butler to O'Reily the pirate, in a social setting disrupted by the criminal element. Following their argument over a seemingly simple purse snatching, they meet once again in the office of Mrs. Kew at A.U.N.T. -- to discover that they both work for the agency as legendary agents A and B, and that they are now assigned to work together, posing as a married couple, to thwart the possible assassination of Queen Victoria by stealing a secret weapon from the clutches of the pirates. AT an English country house party with said pirates.

If that description leaves you breathlessly baffled, you will thoroughly enjoy this fast-paced, over-the-top adventure romance. You need a fun and escapist sort of read? You can find it here. Spies! Pirates! A witch! A mad scientist! Spy groupies! Attempted assassinations! Exploding shoes! Flying house battles! Strangely heated feelings! Firm touches and kisses! Oh MY!!!

Daniel and Alice are wonderfully restrained characters in the face of all the other wildly drawn enemies and unbelievable allies they meet. (I would even suggest that Alice reads as neurodivergent, though she is not explicitly stated as such -- she gives off slight Extraordinary Attorney Woo vibes, and I support that.) Though fraternization is strictly verboten by the Agency, Daniel and Alice find themselves drawn steadily to each other through their mutual admiration of each other's skills and their shared penchant for literary references (which they clearly share with their author). Their romance starts off with a slow burn, but when they decide to embrace the pseudo-marital state thrust upon them, the chemistry between them explodes.

As with other books in the series, look for plenty of familiar literary quotes and allusions tweaked to fit this outrageous tale of intrigue and romance, and fasten your seatbelt for a wild and bumpy ride. Four exploding stars of delight!

Thank you, Berkley Romance and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

ARC Review Courtesy of NetGalley -

In The Secret Service of Tea and Treason we return to Bixby and Alice, whom we met in the previous book. They are highly adept spies of A.U.N.T. on a mission to protect Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria. To do this, they must infiltrate a country party for pirates, find a secret weapon, and desperately guard their hearts from falling in love. This is a Rivals to Lovers story and it is done expertly. On several occasions, I found myself actually laughing out loud while reading. Alice and Bixby are so cleverly autism coded that I found myself thinking that surely Holton would have said something in an afterword. But no, to confirm my suspicions I scrolled down on her twitter feed to find any reference to these characters having ASD and it was there. It's rare to find autism represented in a historical setting, and even more rare to see a woman with autism. If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, I highly recommend picking this title up. If you want a fun, Victorian romp that also has spies, pirates, witches, and flying houses? I HIGHLY recommend reading The Secret Service of Tea and Treason as well as the other titles in this series.

Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby may seem like your every day, run of the mill, maid and butler. But, the two are actually the top operatives at the Agency of Undercover Note Takers (A.U.N.T. for short) a top secret organization made up of housekeepers, maids, butler, and all manner of housekeeping folk. The two operatives must go undercover as a married piratic couple to uncover an assassination plot. Undercover, that is, at a house party full of pirates who are constantly trying to kill each other when they are not stealing the cutlery.

India Holton has done it again with The Secret Service of Tea and Treason. I laughed, I cried (from laughing so hard), and I fell in love with Alice and Daniel as individuals and as a couple. Holton has yet to pen a book that I haven't instantly fallen for and I loved to see the cast of characters that I've come to love once more in this third installment of her Dangerous Damsels series. The fact that she has also written Alice as an autistic woman (without outright saying that she's on the spectrum) and that Daniel simply understands and loves her for these ticks and quirks, is fantastic!

While enjoyable for the most part, this was pretty wordy, with long action sequences that were not essential to a story that was primarily meant to be absurd in nature. All of the books in this series possess these qualities, so no surprise, but this was my least favorite. The characters were also not overly likeable, largely due to all of their neuroses, which seemed to warrant a more serious tone.