The Poetics of Passion is the first book I've read by Delphine Ross and it won't be the last. I happened across this on Netgalley and it sounded interesting so I took a chance and I'm glad I did! I'll admit, this one started off a bit slow for me but once the story picked up, I was all in.

Musa Bartham is our fmc and she has a secret. To support her destitute family after her father’s disappearance, she’s been publishing steamy poetry under the pen name of Felicity Vita. Unfortunately she has found out a few things that impact her ability to continue publishing. First, her sister is offered to be sponsored in society by a great aunt and nothing can reflect negatively on her if she is going to make a great match. And second, her publisher is bought by an heiress who doesn't believe in publishing books of what she considers questionable morality. As Musa tries to figure out what to do...she lands on an idea to publish a children's book but she'll need an illustrator to make it all come together.

Enter Sebastian. Sebastian Atkinson is an artist reduced to working as a printer to support his sisters but he also has a secret. He's been corresponding (secretly and anonymously) with Felicity Vita and he is determined to meet her in person. When he shows up at the publishing house, he's faced with Musa who gets him to agree to illustrate her book.

As they work together, he begins to suspect Musa may be Felicity Vita. Egged on by his best friend, an ambitious journalist desperate for a break, Seb seeks to unmask Musa’s secret identity. But the closer Seb comes to the truth, the more they are attracted to each other. I loved the banter between them and when push came to shove, they never gave up on what they wanted.

This story was well written, had well developed characters, and a story that kept me engaged. Musa was such a great character who was willing to do whatever it took to save her family and I couldn't help but be angry at her mother for checking out. And Sebastian too!

I'll definitely be checking out the next book in the series as I am curious to see what happens next for this group of characters. Add this to your TBR if you're looking for a new historical romance!

Such a lush historical romance, set in London in 1872, with MCs Musa, a writer, and Seb, an artist, who both work to support their destitute families.

At first she writes love poetry under a pseudonym. When a new publisher refuses to release her scandalous work, she turns to a more legit career -- writing children's books -- and turns to Seb to illustrate them.

Turns out he is a secret fan of her poetry and as they become pen pals (in a kind of histfic You've Got Mail), they develop a sweet romance that warms the heart and brings joy. I loved it!

This book really surprised me. It was so much fun, the two of them had no idea that they were basically in love with each other from the beginning. I think my favorite part was when she took care of him when he was sick. They were just really cute.

I received an arc through netgalley.

It's 1872 in London and The Bartham Family are at their lowest due to their father's scandal years ago and then his sudden departure leaving his family to repent for his sins and no word has been heard from him yet which led everyone to presume him dead.
Therefore, Musa Bartham the eldest daughter was left to support the family, and the only way she found it was through writing poetry(love poetry) under the pen name Felicity Vita. All of London buzzed about her and yearned to uncover her identity, especially one person who was enamored with her Seb Atkinson aka Henry Whitney a 28-year-old artist and a pressman the pen pal who had been exchanging letters with Felicity for over a year now and is dying to meet her.
So when things change at the publishing house and Musa's poetry books are longer allowed to be published she come up with the idea of writing Children's books to provide for her family and maybe try to make the Bartham family name acceptable again  and this where Musa and Seb are brought together by fate not knowing that they are the same persons behind the letters.

I loved this book so much. Historical Romance is one of my favorite genres and this book truly delivered such a beautiful story.
Everything was perfect from A to Z and the dual POVs made it much more enjoyable.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #ThePoeticsOfPassion in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo 💋

Musa supports her destitute family by writing steamy poetry under a pen name. When her publisher comes under new management, she turns to writing children's books instead. She asks artist Sebastian to illustrate, and a passionate love affair develops between them. What happens when he discovers her secret identity?

This debut by Delphine Ross is all the title promises. It's deeply emotional and filled with moral conflicts. Things aren't always black and white when you've got a family to feed, and the characters are repeatedly faced with difficult choices. I loved this book and can't wait to read the next one in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

𝐴𝑟𝑐 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑠
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

•𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
•𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝐼𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦
•𝐷𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑂𝑉
•”𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑣𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑡 𝑀𝑎𝑖𝑙” 𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑠

Musa’s family has always been drooped in scandal. And when you’re in Victorian England, that stain is hard to remove. Her father whisked her mother away from a famous fiancée, love triumphing over all else. Flash forward twenty five years and Musa is supporting her family alone after her father disappears when traveling overseas.

Musa’s hidden identity as a scandalous erotic poetry writer is the only thing keeping her family afloat. But when she has to write a children’s book with a new illustrator, the steamy chemistry is undeniable. Why does he feel so familiar?

This was a cute read with lots of banter and sweet familial moments. If you’re a fan of Bridgerton, I highly suggest this!

I haven't read much of this but I'm going to DNF. For me, the writing is too modern for a historical romance, especially the dialogue and I didn't love the way the main characters were introduced, especially the hero. He has a dream about the heroine who he's never met and it was very confusing. Also they've been communicating via letters (a trope I LOVE) but we haven't actually seen many of the letters, which is very disappointing.

What an enjoyable read, full of twists and turns in a spot-on historical setting. The two main characters, Musa and Seb, circle one another in such entertaining ways, and eventually, of course, fall into steamy love. Musa’s a great female protagonist, headstrong, practical, and totally believable as a woman writer of that earlier time. Seb’s super appealing as a striving artist, good hearted, not domineering, and sexy without knowing it. They make for a perfect couple when they finally untangle their casual deceits and fall into steamy love. I especially enjoyed how writing and visual art play key roles in the story—bringing them together and defining who they are as they work on a book project together. What a clever and super well written novel. The Poetics of Passion is a total delight!

Delphine Ross’ debut novel was the Victorian romance take on You’ve Got Mail that I didn’t know that I needed in my life. However, instead of being rival bookstore owners, Musa Bartham and Sebastian Atkinson are forced to collaborate as writer and illustrator for a wholesome children’s novel. Throw in the fact that Musa is secretly supporting her family as an anonymous best-selling ‘Love Poetess’ and Sebastian is secretly her biggest fan, and you’ve got yourself a delightful page-turner!

All in all, The Poetics of Passion was a fresh, charming read, starred likeable well-developed main characters and featured relatable obstacles. Thank you to PlotTrysts for the recommendation and Muse Publications for the ARC – I’m already looking forward to Ross’ next book in the series! (Out 7/25)

Enemies to lovers and miscommunication tropes are strong in this delightful debut.

The spice was generous and I liked main characters pretty equally.

This is a very different historical romance than I’ve read in a long while. Mainly because these are two regular people, struggling with everyday things like how to make enough money to afford food, rent, and medical care for their families.

The main protagonists are an artist and an author, both supporting their families for various reasons. The female main character is Musa Bartham, the eldest daughter of the notorious artist Neil Bartham and his muse and wife, Clio. During Clio’s short marriage to a renowned art critic, their affair and sudden elopement caused quite a scandal that has followed the Bartham family ever since, lowering their stations in life and leaving them on the edge of respectability. Now, with her father missing and presumed dead, Musa has taken up the role of head of household to her family and writes scandalous love poetry under the name Felicity Vita to cover their expenses. That is until she is told by her publisher that the new owner is moving in a new direction and there will be no more Felicity Vita books published. So Musa decides to head in an entirely different direction.

Sebastian Atkinson is an artist who is trying to support his two sisters after the death of his parents. He also works at a printing press to keep a roof over his head. Lately, he’s become obsessed with the woman who he has been corresponding with after reading her passionate poetry. Felicity Vita. After showing up at her publisher in the hopes of meeting her, he ends up being introduced to Musa Bartham instead and ends up agreeing to illustrate her upcoming children’s book.

Despite the main characters’ backstories, this was a light read with some fun moments. As you can guess, the correspondence between Sebastian (as Henry) and Musa (as Felicity) plays a big part in the overall romantic conflict between this couple. They’ve been writing letters to each other for quite a while, and have connected on a deep, emotional level long before they meet, but their first in-person impressions of each other aren’t all that great. While working together, their friendship evolves, and their attraction for each other along with it. I was eagerly awaiting the confrontation when they would finally confide in each other their true identities.

Along with that conflict, there are miscommunication issues between the two, and in my opinion, Sebastian kept his secrets way, way too long. But their slow-burn romance was nicely done. I enjoyed meeting the secondary characters and hope to see them again, especially Angela who I would like to see find her HEA. I felt like everything was wrapped up a little too easily, but hey- sometimes less drama is nice too, especially when a big blowup at the end is expected.

All in all, this was a fast, fun read and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Grade- B

The Poetics of Passion was a fresh and fun historical romance. The book starts out strong with a recounting of the heroine's parents' first meeting. I'll admit I wouldn't mind a full book on them. The heroine, Musa, is pragmatic and has discounted any possibility of following her parents into the folly of love. At the same time, she writes and publishes love poems (but for practical reasons! to make money and save her family!) using a nom de plume. The hero, Sebastien, is a painter (like Musa's father) desperate to meet the poetess. He is also desperate to make money to save his family (much like Musa). The two had been corresponding under assumed names and then begin working together without realizing the other is their writing correspondent. Their actual selves follow an enemies-to-lovers track. The book fell a bit flat at the end, but was overall enjoyable and I look forward to future books by Delphine Ross.

The romance is open door, but scenes are fairly brief.

One nitpicky complaint about something that pulled me out of the story every time it came up: the word penpal. The term didn't appear until the 20th century and always felt so jarring when I read it. I don't know what would have been the accurate term at the time, perhaps correspondent?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Muse Publications for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

A scandal in the past has caused Musa Bartham to fend for her family. For quite a while now, she’s been successfully publishing love poems under the name of Felicity Vita. But this well kept secret is in grave danger when her sister expresses her wishes to be introduced in society. So as not to jeopardise her chances, Felicity Vita has to go and never come back. Never is life that easy though, is it?

The suspense of whether or not Felicity’s identity stays hidden is maintained beautifully in this one. While it starts out a bit slow, things pick up at the halfway mark when a love story on the horizon threatens to make everything even worse. And then, it is just a matter of time to find out if Musa gets the happy life she’s always wished for!

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy!

What a great debut historical romance! Absolutely had a great time reading this one.

Musa: the eldest daughter of the scandalous Bartham family has a secret: she is secretly Felicity Vita, erotic poet. She's supported her family for the past five years, ever since her father went missing and her mother retreated into a deep depression. One of her only outlets is her correspondence with Henry Whitney, a pen pal who is devoted to her poetry. Only Henry isn't Henry, he's Sebastian, impoverished artist. Seb is supporting his own family while also trying to break through as a painter.

When they meet face to face, it's as Musa and Seb - and it's not love at first sight. Musa recruits him to illustrate her new, respectable children's book. He agrees, but only with the condition that he get to meet Felicity. But as they spend more time together, Seb starts to suspect that Musa is hiding something...

This was just plain delightful. Musa and Seb might not like each other to begin with, but they soon realize they have more in common than they think. For the reader, it is great fun to see them realize how compatible they are without knowing that they are already acquainted. Seb's intuition about Musa is based on his intimate knowledge of Felicity through her letters, not through some metaphysical romance novel ~connection~. Do they both make mistakes? Sure! But they're never unforgivable. There is an overarching sense of tension for the reader, since if Musa's identity is revealed she and her family will lose everything. Seb has his own stressors and temptations. Watching them come together felt like a romance should feel: both inevitable and unexpected.

Highly recommended!

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

Thanks to the Author and Netgallery for the chance.

What a wonderful story I have just read! I love everything about this. Muse and Seb were such good couple. Their chemistry is amazing. They made me feel butterflies in my stomach. I don't have any negative to say.

So, if you need a good story to read, this is the one.

This is an engaging, charming, fast-reading debut HR that is a retelling of the movie "You've Got Mail", or even more accurately, the classic movie, "Shop Around the Corner." It's not super spicy or twisty, just a pleasant read with a dash of laugh-out-loud humor and open-door, level 3 steam.

Seb and Musa end up working together as children's book illustrator and author when Musa's publishing company is taken over by a moralist who is totally against the popular suggestive poetry Musa has been composing under the name Felicity Vita. Of course, Musa has only been writing it to help bring in money for her destitute family. They were hit by scandal years before when her mother jilted her fiancee to marry Musa's artist father. Her father has since disappeared after he travelled to the Holy Land to create art that he had hoped would elevate the family's reputation. Similarly, Seb pairs up with Musa because he must support his siblings, in particular his sick younger sister, after his parents' death.

The two are also unwitting penpals; Seb had been a rather rabid fan of Musa's (Felicity's) poetry and felt a growing emotional connection as they communicated back and forth. He has been using the name Henry to write to her for reasons never fully explained, but it's easy enough to let that go. Seb and Musa's sweet connection through letters was a highlight for me, their letter personas vs. their "real life" personas like night and day. There is some steam involving their early relationship as well as the relationship as Seb and Musa, but this is a pretty "slow-burn" romance. Seb is a cinnamon roll type; you won't find any "alpha bosses" here.

I also enjoyed the humor throughout the book. The plot comes together fairly well, with the typical Big Secret looming in the third act. I'm not a fan of this trope, and Seb should definitely disclosed earlier, but the author does a better job than a lot of writers in giving her MC's their motivations.

There are a few reasons why this wasn't a 5 star book for me. First of all, Americanisms and repetition of details/ideas were occasionally glaring, and anachronistic behavior bugged me. POSSIBLE SPOILERS............................It was hard to believe that Musa was able to spend the night with Seb, and then leave his house the next morning (she would have stayed later if not interrupted), without any gossips spotting her or her family being concerned. As well, when everyone walked in during the library scene toward the end (must HR's always have a library scene??) it should have created a scandal, even if the big Ton gossip, the Countess of Sunderland, wasn't there. The scene is played for humor which detracts from the theme that Musa has to keep a spotless reputation.

Also, although I really liked the MC's, secondary characters are thinly developed. Musa's sister Angela comes across as a social-climbing ninny (I couldn't figure out why everyone thought she should marry Sunny, who is a self-centered twat). I honestly couldn't see the closeness between her and Musa. Aunt Minevera is supposed to be a comedic figure, I think, but her behavior toward Musa is so snotty and dismissive from the start she rubbed me the wrong way. Also, Musa's mom Clio is so self-absorbed. The author does try to give her a character arc, but when she scolds Musa self-righteously regarding the source of Musa's poetry ideas toward the end, I rolled my eyes.

Plotwise, the only big hole is that Musa should have been able to figure out Seb was Henry based on his handwriting much earlier.

Last nitpick: the book ends on a cliffhanger. I understand why writers use them, but I'm not a big fan.

Overall, though, this is a sweet, charming read. If you're used to erotica, "bully MMC's", or contemporary romance it may not be your thing, but I'm a fan of HR's because I enjoy the escapism element. This worked for me well on that level.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own.

The Poetics of Passion is a an historical romance that tells us the story of Musa, the eldest of the Bartham kids, who has to support her family both financially and emotionally after her parents’ poor decisions, meanwhile Sebastian has to support financially his younger sister after their parents’ death while also trying to follow his passions.

In this book you’ll find the secret identity trope, pen pals, complicated family dynamics, judgy aunts and lots of passion between Seb&Mina after various misunderstandings and bickerings💜


Thank you to Netgalley and the author Delphine Ross for an advanced readers copy, all opinions are my own🥰

I need more of this author. She struck a balance of lush prose and believable smut which is rare imo.

A steamy cute regency romance with Musa a secret poetry writer and Sebastion a love sick fan penpal
Musa is trying to help support her family in secret when she meets Sebastion and things get a little complicated and out of control.
Enjoyed this romance and characters.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Overall, the book was very entertaining; however, the internal monologue was repetitive in an unnecessary way. There was very little to distinguish this book from the many, many Regency-era romances except that there were trains. The plot line was interesting - a typical mistaken identity/secret admirer trope, but it was well done and kept the reader engaged.