Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I think everybody who likes romance should read The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett. I have read all of her books, but this is by far her best. I am blown away by the maturity and beauty that Everett gives to such sensitive and important topics. Now back to the romance! Lucy is fiercely independent, and loyal to her family. She is a working woman in a time where the idealize woman is the perfection of staying at home. But that’s not a choice.all women have. Thorne has fallen a few rungs in society, and yet still maintains the prejudice of the upper class. It was beautiful how they learned together and grew to be better people thanks to their relationship. Very cute mystery subplot. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book, but it just was not for me. This book is a historical fiction so it has the historical aspect with some suspense and even romance. I just thought it was rather slow and I just could not connect with the characters.

Lucinda Peterson, Victorian apothecary to London's working class, needs to hire a detective to help her save her business. Someone has stolen her revolutionary recipe, and she needs it back. When she turns to taciturn Jonathan Thorne to help her solve her business woes, she isn't quite sure what to make of the grumpy man, he is however, quite good at his job.

Jonathan Thorne, reformed rake, former prizefighter, recovering alcoholic, is raising his intelligent and lively daughter alone. While Lucy does tend to aggravate him, he finds she might perhaps have thr insight, and a cure, to healing past mistakes, and moving forward with more joie de vivre.

I always enjoy Elizabeth Everett's books, especially as she combines romance with science and women's rights. This new series is set in the world of her women scientists series, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I'm already excited for the rest of the series.

I definitely appreciate competency in both men and women, and both Lucy and Thorne have competency in spades, so I really loved that. In each of their respective areas, they both excell, and while they both have really satisfying emotional arcs in the course of the novel, I loved how true to themselves they also stayed - all while being open to change.

Elizabeth Everett always to manage to highlight that women throughout history have always striven to help their communities, and that many have partaken in traditionally male jobs to ensure a community doesn't flounder. It is a good reminder to look more deeply at history, and to find the often overlooked, those written out of history, and those completely erased.

Along these lines, the working class is front and centre in The Love Remedy. I always find this refreshing, as many historical romances focus so much on the upper classes. Some of the side characters among the community really helped highlight some of their plights.

Another part of focusing on working women in particular, was the frank and candid conversation about reproductive rights. While there is no country on earth with gender equality and complete equitable rights for women, it is tragic to watch the gains made over the past century, dwindling in many parts of the world. The Love Remedy discusses this topic so well, and I love how Lucy is able to express to Thorne what exactly is on the line. It is such an important conversation. I think we could have had a little more of Thorne processing what Lucy said and how it influences his actions later on.

And of course I also loved the romance and found family aspect we have with Lucy, her family, Thorne, Sadie, and co. Watching Thorne parent Sadie, was also lovely. He was so loving to her. It was particularly gratifying to see him change his rigid views as well. Helping Sadie get the best education also added to the conversation about women's education, and just in general, Sadie was easily one of my favourite characters.

I hope to see these characters in further books in the series because I want to hear more of their story.

I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this series. The Love Remedy will be published 19 March, 2024.

Thank you to Berkley Romance, NetGalley, and Elizabeth Everett for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett is a wonderful historical fiction that I really enjoyed.

This book has it all: history, mystery, suspense, and romance. The author succeeds in blending all of these elements nicely into a well-paced narrative that kept me coming back for more.

Lucy Peterson was a great main character and the combination of Lucy and Jonathon Thorne made for a nice connection, and I am glad that thread did not overtake the overall plot of the book. Both characters, I felt, were realistic, flawed, and personable…and it really showed throughout the story.

Set in the Victorian era, I also enjoyed the professions discussed, especially in the world of Apothecary and its blending of the advances of medicine. That part was my favorite.

An enjoyable read that was a pleasant surprise.


4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Berkley Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/19/24.

Overall, 3 stars for me. While I liked Lucy and Thorne as individual characters I had a hard time seeing what drew them together. I don’t think I fully bought into their romance, which made it a slow read for me.

Lucy is strong, sympathetic, and kind, but doesn’t stick up for herself with her family and has a hard time asking for help. Thorne is gruff, straightforward, and a good father but has limited himself to such a degree that he isn’t moving forward in his life. Thorne is determined to never fall in love with a beautiful woman ever again and, of course, Lucy is a beautiful woman so there’s some conflicted feelings there. But as I said above, I’m not entirely sure what drew them together as a couple outside of their initial desire for each other. I just didn’t feel a strong driving force compelling me to keep reading the book, which was disappointing because the cover is such a knockout.

Tropes: single dad, historical romance, competence kink, age gap, women in STEM(ish), beauty and the beast

I have been a big fan of Elizabeth Everett since her debut (I love Arthur and Violet FOREVER) and was so excited when she approached us to be on C and C again! Her newest book - The Love Remedy - is perfection. Lucy is fierce and brave and brilliant and soft. Thorne is grumpy and smart and trying so hard to be a good man. I loved the Petersons (I hope we see them again!) I adored Sadie (it is a great name!) who was a very accurate nine year old and also not just a place holder character!

But really this story is about huge topics - sexual health, reproductive health, addiction, trauma - and just trying to be a good person. For all my thoughts - you will have to listen as I ask Everett all the things!

TL/DR Review
Stars: five (even thought there wasn’t an epilogue and I wanted more - I was just so immersed in the story!)
Series: Damsels of Discovery - book one
POV: dual third
Steam: slow burn but it builds up and there is a wall and a cravat used creatively
Tropes: age gap, single dad, experienced heroine, competence kink, forced proximity
For Fans Of: sooooo take Day of the Duchess by Tessa Dare and add in Her Naughty Holiday by Tiffany Reisz
Theme Song: The Pill by Loretta Lynn
Subgenre: historic late Regency/ early Victorian
CW/ TW: references to period specific and general misogyny and reproductive shaming, references to racism and the enslavement of people

This story takes place in the same world as Everett's The Secret Scientists of London and stars Lucinda Peterson who is an apothecary and Jon Thorne who is a former prize fighter turned private investigator.

Lucinda is outraged that her recipe for a cough lozenge was stolen by the man she was dating and turned into big money for him. When her formula for a croup remedy goes missing, she naturally suspects the ex. She hires Jon Thorne to find her missing formula and find out if it was the ex who stole it.

Thorne takes the case, but he has no intention of falling for Lucinda. He's sworn off beautiful women and many other things including alcohol, music, and dancing in his quest to make a good life for his illegitimate daughter Sadie. Since his relationship with Sadie's mother - a beautiful member of the demimondaine- failed, Thorne has tried to create a safe though constrained world for himself and his daughter.

Lucy has been burned in the romance department too. Her suitor dropped her and declared her unmarriageable after they had a physical relationship. Then he stole her formula for cough lozenges. However, sparks fly as the investigation continues causing Thorne to question his old promises. There is a lot to investigate here beyond the former suitor. A growing political organization which targets women who work outside the home has set its sights on Lucy's pharmacy and the free clinic where her sister works caring for poor women. Lucy's own brother is keeping secrets which causes Thorne to suspect him for a while.

This was almost more a social commentary than a historical romance. Lucy's belief in women's rights to control their own reproductive rights conflicts with Thorne's Victorian beliefs that women - good women - should let their husbands or fathers manage their lives and sex outside of marriage makes a woman unwomanly.

Fans of Everett's other books will enjoy this return to the setting of her earlier books. Fans of romances with a bit of kinky sex will also enjoy it.

An apothecary’s shop was the equivalent of a pharmacy shop in 19th century London.
Lucy runs one but has been cheated out of two of her formulas. Enter Thorne who has a lot of baggage who is hired to retrieve the cherished recipes.
There is a lot that happens and some was predictable while other parts were a surprise.
Many of the themes still resonate today but one that is the strongest is most people are searching for love. Any kind of a partnership without it is just it worth it.

Lucy Peterson, an apothecary, hires private investigator Jonathon Thorne when her formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing. While he is uncovering the culprit behind the remedy's disappearance, Lucy gets to know Thorne, his daughter, and more about his intriguing past. A stoic, ex-prize fighter and a passionate apothecary who society considers scandalous turns out to be a perfect match.

• Lucy is both talented and incredibly caring. I'll never tire of reading about heroines who are doctors, midwives, or work with medicine and/or herbs in any way. Herbalism and women's reproductive health are both special interests of mine, so Lucy was a character I instantly connected with and rooted for. The apothecary scenes could be quite heavy and emotional, but they depict the reality for a healer.
• Victorian era single dad trope - can't get enough of it.
• Sadie, Thorne's daughter, is an absolutely lovely part of this story. I love the ways Lucy bonded with her and that Sadie became interested in the sciences.
• As an anxiety sufferer myself, there's pretty much nothing I love more than when the love interest sees the MCs panic or anxiety struggle and helps them in some way. The times when Lucy's brain couldn't shut off and Thorne knew what to do were really beautiful to read!
• Gorgeous steam! The teeeeensiest bit of kinkiness. All of it just really suited these two.
• The conflict between Lucy and Thorne is well done and tackles issues that are very relevant today. I really admire Elizabeth Everett for taking this on--especially as it is (somehow) a controversial topic even today.

Thank you Netgallery and to the author Elizabeth Everett.

Sadly I am DNFing at 50 percent. I feel no connection to the characters and am too bored to finish the story. I’m super sad because I wanted to love this so much between the tropes and beautiful cover I thought this would be amazing but it’s not working for me.

I am not usually a big fan of historical/historical romance books, but I thoroughly enjoyed "The Love Remedy", the first of the new "The Damsels of Discovery" series by Elizabeth Everett.

Lucy Peterson, owner of an apothecary shop in London, must seek out help in the retrieval of her missing formula for a new salve for treating croup that she has developed in order to help keep up her shop, which is struggling financially. She believes that her old beau Duncan, whose family runs a rival apothecary, is behind the missing formula, as he took off with her formula for a cough lozenge that she developed, and which his family began making and selling in their shop. After Lucy seeks out help from Tierney & Co, agent Jonathan Thorne takes on the case, acting as a bookkeeper for Lucy's business while he investigates the theft. After he and his young daughter, Sadie, move into the upstairs of the Peterson's shop while he investigates the missing formula with Lucy, they find themselves falling in love.

"The Love Remedy" was a quick read, with a cast of enjoyable characters, including Thorn's adorable daughter Sadie, who has an interest in science, and whom Lucy and her sister Juliet get her father to enroll her in a girl's school that focuses on the sciences, and Lucy's customer Mr. Gentry, who is constantly ruminating on the many ailments he believes he has, and who Lucy takes under her wing as both a friend and an assistant after he lost both his wife and daughter. "The Love Remedy" also deals with a number of issues at the time, including women's rights, the difference in the treatment of men and women in society, the way society negatively looks at women interested in the sciences, and differences among the social classes. My only complaint- the wording in the sex scenes between Lucy and Thorn was a little cringy (I get it, it was trying to keep with the wording of the period, but just, NO). Overall, it was an entertaining read and I look forward to the next book in the series, as well as checking out her previous "The Secret Scientists of London series).

This was totally a case of me judging a book by it's cover and I am so glad I did. This book is beautiful inside and out. I love the Victorian time period and the whole concept of apothecaries so much. The main character, Lucinda, is such a perfect, strong, feminist heroine. I loved getting to know her. I also loved grumpy Thorne. They had fantastic chemistry. Is is hot in here or just me?

I was very happy with this book. It was more than I was even expecting considering it also mentioned women’s rights and a woman trying to make it on her own. I am a sucker for a good regency romance and this one was no exception. In fact, the exception here was the fact that this book had a MMC that wasn’t decked out in titles! I can appreciate the trauma both the MCs went through that led them where they were in the beginning. The only thing I didnt like was the miscommunication/noncommunication trope.

I found the synopsis for this very appealing, and began reading with high hopes.

The concept of an apothecary as a career has always struck me as oddly appealing, but reading this pretty much cured me of that. Teeth can be impossible to remove without an oral surgeon because they can literally break apart, and I don’t even want to imagine what other horrors the professional life of a Victorian apothecary was comprised of, but I was immediately drawn into this one.

*The we-can-never-really-be-together vibe
*Beauty and the Beast
*”I will never fall in love again” mindset
*women in STEM
*feminism

Lucy and Thorne are both terrific MC’s.

The STEM is here, but, alas, the STEAM is not.

During my reading, reading about other characters, I wanted to read Ms Everett’s Secret Scientists of London series, along with adding the future titles of this series to my tbr. The Love Remedy was my first time reading Ms Everett, and I’m looking forward to changing that soon 🙂



Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC

Lucy is a female Apothecary whose latest remedy recipe has been stolen by her erstwhile beau. When her next remedy recipe also goes missing, she blames him and hires a private investigator to get to the bottom of it. Jonathan Thorne is a former champion prize fighter turned private investigator who is trying to give his daughter the life he thinks she deserves.

This book got off to a little bit of a slower start for me - I would have liked to see just a little more tension between Lucy and Thorne in the first half. But the second half of the book really hit it's stride! I liked the evolution of their relationship and thought they had some pretty good chemistry in the second half. As always with Elizabeth Everett, the spicy scenes were 100% on point and perfect for the characters in my opinion. Also: Sexy Glasses. Need I say more?

I do think Lucy needed to have a bit more character development - she was a bit self sacrificing but then also got upset with her siblings for making their own life choices that affected her, despite her never asking them for help. I don't love a self sacrificing character and I don't know that we really got any resolution or growth from Lucy in that sense.

I also always love the way that Elizabeth Everett includes women's suffrage and specifically reproductive rights into her books - she made a point at a panel I saw her speak at that women back in history had more reproductive rights than we do right now in America and I always just sit with that. These issues were being thought about back then and a part of society so I always appreciate it's inclusion - even when it's just a conversation about condom use.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Elizabeth Everett's The Love Remedy, a historical romance, is not at all what I was expecting, and I was excited about it all through the first half of the book. The characters are unique and interesting. Lucy is the rare female apothecary in Victorian England, who diagnoses maladies, creates curative compounds, and even performs dental surgery. But the business her father left her is in financial dire straits, and her ex-lover has deprived her of needed funds by stealing her formula for tastier and more effective throat lozenges. Now she can't find her newest formula, intended to relieve tired mothers by reducing the symptoms of their babies' croup.

When she can't find proof that her ex is to blame, Lucy seeks the services of a private investigation firm masquerading as a bookkeeping service. The agent assigned to her case is the brawny and imposing Jonathan Thorne. He used to be a champion prizefighter who lived high and partied hard, while collecting a multitude of injuries that changed the beauty of his face and the tenor of his voice. But he left all of that behind when his lover died, leaving him with a 2-year-old biracial daughter.

In the second half of the book, however, it becomes clear that the initial spark between Lucy and Thorne is sexual in nature, and that the restrictions both parties have imposed on themselves--for different reasons--and their lack of meaningful communication will make it almost impossible for them to connect in a romantic way. That's when I found it less entertaining, Thorne does solve the case, but it seems like an afterthought. Lucy's siblings, especially her physician sister, are part of the plot but underused. And the ending is abrupt and unconvincing. Having said that, I really enjoyed Thorne's relationship with his precocious 9-year-old daughter, as well as the emphasis on feminism and women involved in STEM occupations in Victorian times. And the book cover is to-die-for. This book is the first in a series and includes some characters from a previous series (which I didn't realize). If you enjoy a period romance/mystery with an emphasis on character rather than mystery or romance, along with steamy sex scenes, this one may be for you.

My thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

The love remedy was certainly not what I thought it was going to be. But I think that’s a good thing. This book covered things that are important and problems that should be discussed. Even if they are uncomfortable and let me tell you this book felt uncomfortable at times. The author managed to capture Victorian England so perfectly that I felt like I was there. The description and word choice all encapsulated the unpleasant period in which the book was written, because it was unpleasant and being a woman was bloody hard.
Going into this I was NOT expecting it to be so profound and historical, I did enjoy those aspects, they just felt unexpected. Perhaps the title alluded to a more light hearted plot, but I enjoyed it all the same.
Lucy was an excellent protagonist and I really felt like the characters were having important discussions in regard to questioning the status quo. Perhaps something that can be applied to our current time.
Overall this story was written in the way that it wasn’t overly romantic. The characters didn’t feel romantic, they were practical- or perhaps the author managed to capture what romance would have truly looked like in the nineteenth century. Albeit uncomfortable at times. A truly profound read that leaves the opportunity to reflect and of course question “the way things are.”

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a power couple. They were so freaking amazing. Their occupations were unique. The cover was what pulled me in, isn’t it stunning?
I’m so excited to read more of Elizabeth Everett’s work.

I enjoyed Elizabeth Everett’s first series so I was excited about starting this one too. I enjoyed parts of The Love Remedy, like the apothecary setting and the feminist themes throughout, but there were other aspects that weren’t as satisfying. Finding out who had stolen Lucy’s formula was one of those things, once the mystery was solved it then felt as if it was brushed under the rug. Lucy was a delightful FMC who I really enjoyed. Her romance with Thorne was sweet and sexy. Although, their ending was lacking, I wanted more from him. Overall, this was a good read, but not Everett’s best work, I am looking forward to what’s next in this series though!

I loved the premise but I didn’t feel any chemistry between these characters.

Lucy Peterson, with her older brother, David and younger sister, Juliet, has been continuing her father’s legacy as an apothecary. She and Juliet apprenticed with their father and then attended the college of medicine. They are both accepted members of the Society of Apothecaries but that doesn’t stop The Guardians (a male hate group) from standing outside of their establishment protesting the unnaturalness of women holding a career or caring for women’s health.

Lucy’s heart is still stinging for falling for the lies of Duncan Rider. Not only did he promise marriage after their being intimate but he left with her formula for throat lozenges, which are currently making a small fortune for Duncan’s rival apothecary shop. Now her formula for croup medicine is also missing. A medicine parents would desperately pay a fortune for to soothe their sick children. A formula which would be all the difference to Lucy’s financially struggling apothecary.

Lucy engages the services of Jonathan Thorne, a private investigator, to find out if Duncan stole the formula and if not him, then who?

THOUGHTS
I really liked the idea of this story which features the struggles of the first women who were stepping into a male dominated field when women were still expected to be wives and mothers, or if they were of a class that need to work, they were to be governesses or chambermaids. Being an apothecary or learning science or medicine was more than just an uphill battle for women. If they could find someone who would allow them admission and a graduation, trying to find patients willing to trust a woman was almost impossible, especially when they were focusing on the care of other women. Good to see that nothing has changed.

What I didn’t like here was the main characters. Yes, I understand we need characters to grow but let’s start with the simple fact that these two didn’t really have chemistry which makes it hard to root for them. Lucy is a bright, and very overworked, woman and initially, she falls for a pretty dimwit who is Duncan Rider. Really? First, you don’t question that a rival apothecary is trying to court you. And then, you let him take your very promising formula for lozenges so he can help you experiment. How pretty is he since Thorne pegs him as a dimwit within two minutes? I am disappointed that Lucy fell for this moron while fighting for women to advance in science fields. Shouldn’t she at least be offended that he is a “respected” apothecary while she has more intelligence and has to fight for respect? She then falls for Thorne, and we will get to his issues in a moment. Lucy has horrible taste in men. Lucy also has a case of middle-child syndrome where she won’t ask for the much needed help from her sister and her brother. While she works herself to the bone worrying about the family business, they go off doing things that interest them.

Thorne is supposed to be hot/grumpy but the more we learn about him, the less I like him. Thorne is the third son of a Baron and ended up as a boxer known as The Gentlemen Fighter, boxing to get out his anger issues. Between the boozing and debauchery, he met a former courtesan and had a child with her. After her death, he sobered up for his daughter and has become almost militant with the avoidance of drink, dancing and song, looking down on Lucy and her siblings, if they have a little fun. If I can’t handle drinking, no one should enjoy it. We also learn that some of those prejudices that Thorne learned as an aristocrat’s son are firmly in his psyche. He admits he would never have married his daughter’s mother since she was a former courtesan and men don’t marry their mistresses. And while he has no problem falling into bed with Lucy, we see those same thoughts arise about her, that a woman you married wouldn’t have condoms, let alone use them.

Thorne’s only redeeming grace is his love of his daughter. Thorne doesn’t get redemption until someone he thought he admired points a damning finger at his daughter since she is an illegitimate child of a former courtesan and mixed race. This person thinks she should realize her lowly future, and accept it, while Lucy and her sister had the young girl accepted to a school of science which challenged her and allowed her to dream big. Once Thorne realizes that someone is wrongly judging his daughter does he look inward to his own judgmental prejudices towards Lucy. I say it’s a little to late buddy.

We met several characters in this story which appear to be part of a prior trilogy also incorporating the hidden worlds where women were secretly learning science. It was an interest plot point but Lucy and Thorne were not drawing my into this world for more stories.