Thank you to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC. Francesca Thorne is seeking a divorce from her husband. A woman's duty is to love her husband, give him heirs and to be loyal and dutiful. Francesca has failed to provide children and she can no longer stand around waiting for a cheating husband that doesn't want her. Following the death of her parents, her aunt and uncle Lytton took her in and raised her. After pursuing the divorce, they disowned her. Much of society shunned her and her husband's family was aghast at her proceedings.

Francesca has chosen her course, spoken her mind and she is willing to live in much more humble conditions, if it means her freedom. Her husband sends his good childhood friend, James Standish, to bribe her into staying in the marriage. Even though he doesn't love her, one must not stain their reputation. Society demands its rules, etiquette and rituals. Well, Francesca dares to ride against convention. Will she get her divorce? Will she find happiness? I liked her pluck and courage. Society no doubt was confining in its rules, especially unfair to women. I enjoyed parts of the book, not all, especially the smutty parts. 3.5 stars.

“For a woman, one silly slip meant ruin. (...) It infuriated her, but it was the way of the world.”

The Worst Woman in London - 4/5 ⭐️
📍 Historical Romance
📍 Friends to lovers
📍 Banter

I loved Fran's character and the very unconventional premises of this book. The way her relationship with James takes time to evolve and has a natural progression is well depicted and the subplot that recounts the troubles of divorce and the difficulties women faced in getting a divorce was especially interesting.
One thing I didn't care for was the secondary romance story line. I don't think that the POVs other than those of the two MCs were essential to the story and it even made me a bit less interested in the characters.
Above all I enjoyed the development of the story and really appreciated the representation of social issues of that era such as women's rights, patriarchy and social class.

Thank you to NetGalley and Julia Bennet for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Worst Woman in London will be released on February 2nd, 2023!

i didn't expected to like this but i very much enjoyed it.
pleasant writing, loveable characters, funny and lovely dialogs.

francesca is an unhappy married woman who's trying to divorce his unfaithful husband, edward, but things get complicated in the process because she is a woman, the time (80's) is not in her favor and also, she falls in love with his husband's best friend, james.
she has to prove herself to get the freedom she profusely desires even if that means giving up her chances to be happy with james.

the characters have good development (even the villain of the story) and there is a happy ending for everyone.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶🌶/5

This is a historical romance like no other I’ve ever come across. I was so intrigued when I started it, a romance (and particularly a historical), doesn’t usually start out with the fmc not wanting a divorce. No she DEMANDS a divorce.

The book starts when Fransesca meets James. She is engaged with Edward Thorne and they have a very short courtship and engagement. James notices that Fransesca isn’t what she seems and tries to talk Edward out of marrying her. But Edward thinks he’s talking shit and to him she is the perfect woman for marrying.

The book then accelerates to 10 years later and Fransesca is miserable in the marriage. Edward and her have been estranged for 8 of those years and she is sick of it, she wants total freedom, no matter the cost. Edward obviously fights her on this because the scandal will ruin him too in the process. Cue him sending out his best friend James with a proposition for Fransesca. A last resort because she won’t talk to Edwards lawyers.

The friendship that we see that grows slowly between James and Fransesca is beautiful to watch. Then you also get a second romance story line with Edward who has an infatuation with a debutante.

The struggle that James has with the rules of society, but needing the money that comes from it is so good to read. Him realizing that he wants to be free just like Fransesca wants is amazing.

I don’t want to give too much away, you’ll have to find that out for yourself. The beginning does read a bit slow but when I got to about the 30% point I read it in pretty much 1 sitting.

If you like the historical romance genre, read this. Just get the book and read it.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a e-arc copy of this novel to review.

Francesca Thorne has had it with her marriage that has been over for almost a decade. She wants to be free of it and get a divorce, but her husband is opposed to it. Since they aren’t on speaking terms, he sends his best friend to convince her not to go through with it.

James honors his friendship with Thorne and goes to Francesca. They have known each other for as long as she has been married, but haven’t seen each other for a couple of years. They both find joy in the renewed acquaintance.
They soon begin to spend more time together than is wise for a woman asking for a divorce.

REVIEW

It is a true friends to lovers romance. The relationship takes time to develop and has an organic and realistic progression.

I love how James and Francesca tease each other and can be honest with one another. It makes their friendship very believable.

I didn’t like that there were points of view other than those of the two main characters. It took me out of the main story and I am certain it made me less invested in the relationship. I did not think those scene were essential to the story.

The intimate scenes are open door but there aren’t too many. I didn’t like them very much because they felt a bit aggressive and very centered around the men, but it is personal taste.

I loved the side characters. The Ashtons were great.

I also liked the pacing of the story and enjoyed how the characters evolved through the story.

I would recommend it to fans of slower paced historical romance who like a well fleshed out story that is focused on each characters’ journey as well as their relationship together.

I enjoyed the The Worst Woman in London much more than I was expecting to. It's been sometime since I've read a historical romance and I was pleasantly surprised. Fran is unhappy in her marriage and wants a divorce from her husband even though she will lose all social standing and what family she has left. She strikes unlikely friendship with James friend of her estranged husband who tries to initially convince her to go back to her marriage. Of course that friendship leads to more and both have to decide what they really want for their futures. I found myself liking all the characters of this book even the ones we weren't really supposed to. I gave this read 4 stars rounded up from 3.75. I want to thank Netgalley and Julia Bennet for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED THIS BOOK. Even the unlikable characters (like Fran's husband) you ... sort of like We join the characters just before Fran's marriage to Edward - where Edward introduces James to his fiancee. James realises that Edward and Fran are ill suited - which is confirmed when the book jumps forward 10 years, and Fran is desperately trying to get a divorce. Along the way she reconnects with James.

This book touches on lots of different themes - women's rights, marrying young, patriarchy, social class - but without hammering you over the head with it. It's entertaining, it's sweet and it's funny and I really highly recommend it!

Thanks very much to Netgalley for the ARC - I loved this book!

This was a fast read for me, I loved it. I enjoyed the progress of the characters and the emotions that come from reading this. It had the historical romance I was looking for. I really enjoyed reading this one.

I received this from netgalley in exchange for a review.
3.75 rounded up to 4 stars.

I’m not totally well-read in historical romance, so this was the first book I’ve read where a divorce was a prominent part of the plot and honestly it made me so anxious because what Fran had to go through and consider for all of her actions just made me so sad and thankful that divorce isn’t quite that bad anymore.

I really liked the character of Fran - which is partly why I felt so anxious for her. Edward was a horrible husband and she deserved (and got!) so much better by the end, thankfully. Edward got way more than he deserved.

I liked James as the love interest and the conflict with him and his aunt and also him and Edward added a lot to the decisions that he and Fran made that helped make it fuller. I’d recommend this.

In the Worst Woman in London, Julia Bennet weaves a story about what might happen after a historicial romance novel ends: In this case a horribly mismatched couple fight wretchedly. The wife in this equation is the heroine in the story, who cannot imagine continuing on with her ill-suited marriage, while her serially adulturous husband doesn't understand why she would want to fight convention when she could live in a life of comfort (albeit with a cad of a spouse). Conflict is introduced when Francesca's husband elicits his friend to try to convince her to stay. and they find themselves compelled by each other. I was intrigued by the concept, and I gave very high marks to Ms. Bennet's previous novels. But this one, I'm sad to say, is only for masochists. I love me some good angst, but this was just pain layered onto pain, then sauced with some more pain. I absolutely despised Francesca's husband, and this novel dragged on and on as all of the characters tried to find a way through to a resolution by basically torturing each other. It simply was not an enjoyable read as everyone was MISERABLE. Ugh! I've never read anything like this before in the genre and sadly it is not a compliment. I suggest you pick of Ms. Bennet's earlier novels instead.

An ARC was generously provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I ended up loving this one more than I thought I would because I loved that Francesca was determined to do what was right for her. No matter what society thought. That she was going to get herself out of a bad marriage. That it's better to be true to yourself.

If you like the Bridgerton books but wish there was a little more scandal involved, you’ll love The Worst Woman in London. Julia Bennet writes a complex friends-to-lovers romance that was so difficult to put down once started.
Very gripping, from the first page onwards, with a great cast of complexly drawn characters & fulfilling relationship & character development. The book also includes some interesting insights into what happened during a divorce trial in the late 1800s. Francesca and James are delightfully engaging as individuals and as a couple, and seeing Edward’s character grow was a happy surprise.
Definitely recommend to anyone who’s a fan of regency-era romances that have some spice!

This book was just around 240 pages but felt like 500. I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters and it dragged so much towards the end I had to fight the temptation to skim through.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I found the dilemma of divorce and the difficulties women faced in getting a divorce to be a very interesting subplot. Francesca being ostracized by her family and peers added a layer of interest and empathy to the story. James and Francesca were a great pairing and watching them navigate the complexities of a world in which women were given so little freedoms.

I also enjoyed the Edward and Sylvia subplot more than I expected to. I didn't really think I could empathize with Edward but alas, I was pleased for him in the end.

It's been a while since I've read a historical romance, but I really enjoyed this one. It is well written, has some great banter and quite unconventional premises (the story begins with a wedding, when usually historical romance ends with a wedding) and even more unconventional plot: the heroine is seeking divorce from her husband and falls for his friend. I loved the way the author depicted the injustice women encountered when trying to get divorce at the end of 19th century. The main characters were likeable, though flawed, growing during the story, the passion between them palpable, maybe just a tad too instalust'ish? And I really hated Edward, what a shitbag, his change towards the end failed to convince me, I guess I'm not a very forgiving person.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of honest review.

I loved the way relationship progressed for the two main characters. How it went from them somewhat liking them to actually falling in love and realizing that they love this person more than their reputation and life in society. A good non-angsty read to get into historical fiction.

rating: ★★★★
spice: 🌶️🌶️½

Honestly, I was struggling what to think about this book because it made me feel so many things at the same time. But then again, it’s been quite a while since a book had taken me to a rollercoaster of emotions as much as this one did.

Hurt. Anger. Pride. Sympathy. It was a whole new combination of these. I’m not really a historical fiction lover, but I do enjoy this genre then and now, and I thoroughly liked it here. The banter between the characters was so cute and yummy, including the weaponised parasol (umbrella) thingy LMAO. tbh, i was confused what the heck happened but it didn’t take me long to figure out. It was real funny. Another reason why this is not my go-to genre is the writing. As much as I love a tasteful choice of words, it tires me just as much to not to be able to read without reading everything twice to make sense of it. But surprisingly, it wasn’t the problem here at all. I did kinda went lazy with the beginning because I had problem getting into the story, but after almost 20%, things began to loosen up and I could see the whole picture—just what went wrong with Francesca’s marriage, and her will to fight for her freedom.

I really loved how much depth the characters had, it was almost moving. Above all, what I really admired about the story was how deeper the author went with why Francesca wanted an out from her marriage. Majority of the times, this is where any plot lacks the most and everybody believes the husband to be the evil. Don’t get me wrong, the husband here was wicked too(and i still hate him) but I can’t wrong him entirely because more or less, it was a matter of indifference here. Edward Thorne (her husband) was indeed, a flawed character. All of them were, but I just couldn’t quite understand him. His personality altogether made me roll my eyes and wanted to smack him right in the face. The whole divorce thing actually succeeded into angering my feminist side to the core, and as much as I hate everything about the system, it’s useless because the book was obviously not from the modern times😭.

And can we take a minute for Mr Standish here?? Charming. Hilarious. A perfect friend and a lover. And an absolute sweetheart! Additionally, I don’t usually expect much when it comes to smut from this genre, but to my surprise, it was very interesting. I really prefer the characters mature and aware of what they are doing because if you don’t you might cover the headlines of tomorrow’s paper!

Had it been any other timezone, I’d have been thoroughly disappointed with how things ended for every character. But given that, and the issue the whole book was about, I believe it was justified and most rational thing to happen.

Thankyou so much Xpresso Book tours and netgalley for sending the e-copy my way!! I appreciate it!

[THE WORST WOMAN IN LONDON COMES FEB 2, 2023!!]

I wanted to enjoy this but was overly unimpressed with the relationships, the dynamic, and the plot felt convoluted.

This was not what I expected.
Contains spoilers.
This book was not the romance I expected at all. I read the description, but I still, for some reason, thought this would be a heart warming tale of happy ever after. There were two happy endings, but the way to get there was so round about. I was looking for a nice romance which was light hearted, and this book was more of a drama or historical fiction.
The story opened with the hero being invited to his best friend's fiance's house to meet her. He thinks that he was not impressed by the fiance'. He describes her as being a typical young lady, dressed as a doll. And he is actually more interested in her aunt, because he usually dallies with older woman. But as he speaks to his friend's fiance', he thinks that they do not go well together and do not know each other. He actually changes his opinion about the fiance', and sees a different side to her.
I did not like the infidelity of this story. A couple falls in love and within two years, they are unable to be in the same room. They both have affairs and both have bad reputations. Of course, it is okay for the man to have affairs, but not the women. The hero in this case, is actually the best friend of the groom. The heroine is the bride. The groom does find love, but only after they both go through a horrible and public divorce. The heroine will not be received in polite society any more, and her ex husband is able to find a young lady he wants to marry. The ex husband had to create another scandal to get the young lady of his dreams and when she asks about all of his affairs, he says, "it will be different with you." What a line!!
But some people may feel that this is a good story because both the bride and the groom were able to find happiness with different spouses. I did not like this. I want to read a story where the couple is able to work together to keep their love and attraction alive. I gave this 2.5 stars. I do not recommend reading, unless you are in the mood for a very drama filled, intense story.

This is a new writer for me and I really loved her book . It has amazing charachers and plot . We have a couple in 1882 who after ten years of marriage the wife want a divorce because her husband was unfaithful from the beggining of their marriage . When her husband sends his best friend to talk to her insted of him she and James form a friendship . While they try to be friendly they can't stop their real feeling . Will she be able to divorce and get her happy end or not ?
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.