Thank you to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for the ARC of this novel. I enjoyed the different look into the secondary characters who rarely have any interiority in other romance novels. The book was short and sweet without many unexpected turns. I was not a fan of Edward but the reader is not meant to be and Sylvia was a proto-Francesca but was able to get her happy ending. I would give this 3.5 stars for the happy ending and enjoyable narrative.

James and Francesca first meet when Francesca is being wooed by his friend Thorne. A moment of understanding passes between James and Fran and they share a teasing camaraderie for the next 10 years.
Things change when Fran asks for a divorce and James is sent to ruffle her feathers. There starts their journey of intense attraction and forbidden romance inspite of a lot of obstacles in their path and a very public divorce proceeding made difficult for the woman.

Thorne was a rotter and I didn't want to know anything about his love life. He was petty till the end.
Mrs Kirkpatrick was a surprising lovely character. Caroline and Ashton were such cool characters, I would like these fine folks to have their own books.
I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the earc.

Kicked of February with a romance. Where are my historical romance lovers at?

During a time when divorce was unconventional, Francesca fights to leave her marriage for a life of freedom to live as she chooses!

Recommend for anyone who likes Victorian slow burn forbidden romance.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this eArc!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Worst Woman In London is a multiple POV that takes place in Victorian London and follows Francesca and James. Fran flaunts all of high society's expectations by trying to divorce her womanizing husband and James (her husband's best friend), intent on inheriting from his rich aunt, follows all the rules at the expense of any personality.

This story was delightful. I immediately loved Fran and grew to adore James. For just about all of our main characters, we get a deep dive into the psychology of why they are the way they are. Fran's husband is terrible. Fran makes some choices that I didn't understand at the time and same for James. But as the story moves along the author builds out our character's backstories that explain things so beautifully.

There were a handful of spicy scenes that were *chef's kiss*.

There are mentions after the fact of trouble conceiving which could potentially be upsetting to some readers. If that is you, perhaps go into this story with caution but otherwise, it is truly delightful and I would recommend it to anyone.

#TheWorstWomaninLondon #NetGalley

I’m regretting that smutty Victorian fiction is not a genre I’m more familiar with after reading The Worst Woman in London. Because if there’s a more enjoyable dichotomy than smut and societal manners, I don’t know what it is.

Yeah, parts near the end don’t make a lot of sense. Thankfully, the rest does make up for it. Fran and James are great protagonists, and many of the side characters are wonderful. I didn’t think I’d like Caroline at first, but once we met her husband, I started to wish they both were more present. The same goes with Mrs Kirkpatrick - like Fran, I found her to be more interesting with each meeting.

The plot is what you’d expect - court drama as a background to a doomed love story full of societal pressures and expectations - but Bennet's writing is captivating and difficult to put down. I can highly recommend you add this book to your TBR when it comes out in February!

When James Standish begins to spend more time with Francesca Thorne, his previous plan to marry a virginal debutante, and inherit a massive fortune, instantly changes. Ten years ago, he told his friend that marrying Francesca would not work as they were too different. Now he finds himself trying to convince her to stay with his friend, whilst trying to stop himself from falling in love with her himself. Torn apart by conflicting desires, James and Francesca must choose whether to keep chasing the lives they’ve always wanted or take a chance on a new and forbidden love.
Francesca is a strong willed woman who is determined to have her freedom despite the impact that it will have on her future, both financially and socially. It was the exploration into the divorce process that I found interesting. However, I couldn’t quite understand James trying to convince Francesca to return to her husband, when she was so determined to divorce. An interesting read overall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is like if Bridgerton was a bit more “grown up” and had actual spice.

I did enjoy this book after I got through the first 1/3 of it. The writing is pretty typical of this era of historical romance and sometimes that is a slog for me to get through.

The characters in this story were well written and I liked most of them. The banter between Fran and James was great - lots of funny little quips worth a nightlight. His poem and her reaction to it made me laugh out loud.

The author successfully made me loathe Edward - so I didn’t care for any chapters from his point of view. Why do I care if he finds love? He sucks, my friend.

Loved that although there is other woman drama, there is no cattiness.

I was sometimes confused while reading because it would switch POVs in the middle of the chapters and it would take me a little bit to figure out who I was reading about.

Overall, good book! If you like historical romance with a forbidden element, this is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher and author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Mini Summary:
♥️ Historical romance
♥️ Friends to lovers
♥️ Forbidden love
♥️ Non-conformist heroine
♥️ Main characters in their 30s
♥️ Great banter and chemistry

Review:
This was such a fun read! At the same time, it did delve into the social injustices, hypocrisy and lack of women’s rights in the 19th century England. I liked Francesca's character - she was flawed and not your stereotypical hero, but she had gumption! I loved her evolving relationship with James and the lengths they went to to be together. Their banter and chemistry was beautifully written.

Okay. Where do I begin with this? Firstly, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

In giving my brutally honest opinion, this book is really not my cup of tea. I love the era, the side characters and James himself is a bit of a sweetheart most of the time…but I just cannot reconcile myself to enjoying the premise. I really didn’t enjoy seeing the breakdown of a marriage form almost the entire plot of a story…not to mention the blatant cheating trope that is one of my all time least favourites. I would have enjoyed it more if it was simply a broken engagement. Ugh. I don’t know. I just didn’t enjoy it much.

What a refreshing historical romance!! I love how tough the heroine is! Definitely a change of pace from other historicals, especially since the heroine is technically married. Normally, I'm not a fan of that, but Bennet pulled it off. Bravo!

What are you willing to give up for your freedom?

In Julia Bennet’s Victorian era romance, The Worst Woman in London, Francesca Thorne is willing to give up family, friends, society, and her comfortable lifestyle to gain her freedom at the price of a divorce from her estranged husband.

In an age where women’s rights were still minimal, and husbands, even faithless/ absent husbands reign supreme, Francesca shows extreme fortitude and strength as she perseveres in this gruesome gauntlet known as divorce.

She finds a surprising source of comfort, and her husband’s friend James, after he first reappears in her life on her husband’s behalf to talk her out of the divorce. This meeting reignites the spark of their mutual interest and camaraderie between them, and soon more than a friendship is blooming… but they play a dangerous game, for the stakes are much higher for Francesca than any man.

This was a fascinating story that stayed true to the nightmare that is divorce in historical Victorian London. Francesca has to fight for everything she gets. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this romance that takes place during a divorce case. But the relationship between Francesca and her husband at dissolved eight years ago, and was never true in that regard. I didn’t feel that Francesca wasn’t deserving of this happiness at any point in this story.

It’s not every day you read a book and characters actually have to grow and evolve so much and they’re this deserving of their happily ever after.


The Worst Woman in London is available NOW in KU!!!

Thanks to the JuliaBennet and Netgalley for my review copy.

A new author to me and a different twist on historical fiction!

Married for many years, but estranged for most of that time, Francesca is determined to divorce her husband.

Especially when she meets again, her husband's childhood friend!

An entertaining slice of Victorian marriage and life that will keep you turning the pages until the end!

I’ve always loved regency romances but this one was not for me unfortunately. I liked the premise of a woman trying to divorce her husband and end up falling in love with his best friends. I loved the concept of a divorce in Victorian era when it was seen as scandalous. But the husband. Oh the husband got a redemption arc? If we can call it that too.

I tried to love the two main characters and their talks but I couldn’t. The only reason I think I give this book a 3 star is because it tried to discover something that was new and did it almost well enough.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this wonderful ARC.
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I've read this book since last year, but I've been 'patiently' waiting for its Publication date to post my review, it's the review I've been looking forward to post and I'm so happy it's finally happening.
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I really, really loved this book, it was beautiful and wonderful, I wish I had never read it just so I can read it again, yeah, it's that good!
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Our heroine, Francesca was going through a divorce, which at that time was catastrophic for a woman and yet she soldiered on, it was very brave of her! SWIPE TO SEE THE RIDICULOUS QUOTES SHE WAS TOLD ABOUT MARRIAGE.
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Divorcing now is definitely easier than it was 200 years ago and I really felt Frances' pain, she just wanted to be loved as a woman and her husband denied that right.
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I'm happy she found love and the man she rightly deserves. Can't wait to read more of this author's works!
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I'd have given this book a a five star, but I felt like Thorne (her bad husband) didn't deserve a HEA, apart from that it was perfect!
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I hope my review has convinced you to buy this book and read!

🦇 Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Everyone expects Francesca Thorne to act like the typical Victorian wife, even while her waste-of-time (a decade in fact) adulterous husband continues sleeping through half the town. When she finally petitions for a divorce, her husband sends his best friend, James Standish, to urge her to accept a quarterly allowance instead. The two are ridiculously attracted to one another, despite the fact that a relationship is forbidden--making it all the more alluring.

Francesca is a sassy, nonconformist heroine who sticks her nose up at societal expectations. James, while just as likely to bend the rules, knows how to play the game to his favor. The two have a decade-long friendship between them before the thought of something more begins to simmer; in defiance of societal pressures, which further adds to the tension. Francesca's defiance is a delight, her refusal to follow expectations inspiring. Julia Bennet balances the era's language with humor and wit, Once you fall into the prose, it's easy to lose time; the story draws you in. The characters' motivations are clear, the conflict realistic for the time, the dialogue engaging. However, it feels like too much time is spent on the ex-husband and other secondary characters. While the shift to a secondary character's POV is intriguing, it pulls attention away from the leads. There are a few areas that drag as a result (namely, Edward's storyline, who doesn't seem worth redeeming).

If you have a love for historical romances and rebellious heroines along with a dash of sassiness and spice, give The Worst Woman in London a try!

🌹 Friends to lovers
🌹 Forbidden romance
🌹 A sassy, rebellious heroine
🌹 Period-appropriate prose
🌹 Historical romance

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for the e-arc of The Worst Woman in London! I love regency romances and this one was such a fun read.

I have to say I'm very glad to be living in the 21st century and as a married woman I'm not seen as my husband's property. Throughout this entire novel, Francesca simply wanted a divorce from her wondering husband, Edward, so she could experience freedom. She wasn't expecting to get married again, or to necessarily fall in love with anyone she took as a lover. Fran was willing to go through a fall from society and learn how to budget her money and not live the extravagant lifestyle she was used to.
This mindset comes to a complete shock to James, the lifelong close friend of Francesca's estranged husband. As Jemmy begins to spend more and more time with Fran, he sees her determination and absolute need to have this divorce go through. He also sees Edward's behavior as more despicable and he begins to question if their friendship is worth saving or if he should support Fran in her quest for freedom.

The Worst Woman in London was primarily told in the viewpoint of either Francesca or James, occasionally a section or chapter is the viewpoint of a secondary character. I love regency romances and how the courting is so different and proper than what is common today. Julia did a wonderful job with Fran's character and made herself the hero in her own story -- especially when that wasn't able to be done during the 1800s. Reading how the love story between Jemmy and Fran grew over time pulled at my heartstrings, and I wish I could have like an epilogue novella that showed more of their love (and even the love story between Edward and Slyvia).

I'm a big reader of historical romance and I can say The Worst Woman in London was a very unique experience! The writing is very fluid and I read the book super fast. A great setting too.

Francesca was one of the most different protagonists I have read in books of this genre, I really liked that the character was not an "innocent maiden". James was a character okay, it took me a while to create some kind of connection with him, but he wasn't the worst character I encountered.

Unfortunately, what I didn't like very much in the book was Thorne and his final redemption, I don't think he was a character who deserved it after the hell that Francesca went through and he "released" her from marriage without further accusations, it wasn't a good thing. I could live without that ending to the character.

It is a good novel with a very nice story, I will keep an eye on the next releases of the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Alright, let’s unpack this. Our story follows Fran as she seeks a divorce from her husband in Victorian London. We get a flash-back meet-cute in chapter one that I felt would set the tone for the romance to blossom and circle back. In a way, sure, it did. But good lord we had to work for it. What do I mean by that?! Well you have to read the bulk of the book switching POVs between the heroine, hero and two other unlikeable characters. And honestly, I ended up being annoyed by Fran as well. The premise is really unique and could have been interesting, but I think the execution- in that we get the POV of the philandering husband-why?!- simply didn’t work. I think if you’re a dedicated historical romance lover, like myself, you may struggle with the approach as I did. I like the admittedly old fashioned mannerisms of the time period. I appreciate the strong female character and commentary on lack of women’s rights of the time, but I don’t need it in my romance books. And I definitely don’t need the bad guy to have redemption. Unless if was his own book perhaps?

Overall, this premise is memorable and that’s about it. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for my unbiased review!

I was freaking obsessed with this book till 80% and then that ending made we wish to throw my Kindle away. There is no way and I mean NO WAY that Thorne deserved that ending whereas our primary couple were given an ordinary less climatic one. It is unbearable.

The book was so enjoyable with the writing, the research, the plot but the ending is the worst ending ever! I felt so deeply about Fran and the author actually made me despise the time period the story is set in. The struggles were so raw and real. However, the ending doomed the entire plot, making it useless. It became dependent upon an insignificant character. I feel so sad. :(

The two stars are for Fran and Jemmy and their chemistry. That’s it. F**k Thorne, his weird love story and that STUPID ENDING!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Worst Woman in London coming out February 2, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

James Standish grew up in unusual circumstances in English society. He gets by with his wits and knows how to play society’s game. He knows he must follow the rules, he a respectable gentleman and marry a debutante. It’s the only way to inherit a massive fortune from his benefactor. That’s always been the plan until he meets Francesca Thorne. She’s not the kind of woman James could ever marry—not least because, strictly speaking, she’s already married.

Francesca is determined to go against convention and divorce her unfaithful husband. When James enters into her life tasked with convincing her to abandon her dream of freedom, she’s not ready for the desire that sparks between them.

Torn apart by conflicting passions, James and Francesca must choose whether to keep going for the lives they’ve always wanted or take a chance on a new and forbidden love.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! This is my first time reading a book by Julia Bennet. I thought it was unique in the Victorian romance fiction genre. I think the divorce storyline is rarely explored in Victorian fiction. It was definitely hard for women to divorce during that time. I think they both made mistakes, but it was best for them to divorce. There were a couple parts I didn’t care for, but it was a fun read. I loved James and Francesca’s relationship. It wasn’t as predictable as most romances I’ve read.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys unconventional Victorian romances!