This was most definitely my kind of read!.
Historical and thrilling all rolled into one really does provide us with a perfect read!.
Wonderful characters, a wonderfully paced storyline... I really do look forward to reading more from this author!

I enjoyed this book, a regency romance with a twist. It was fun to read of two 'rivals' working together in an equal partnership. I enjoyed The Secret Life of a Lady and would love to read more following that same network of spies.

Lady Hannah Simmons is seen by the ton as a wallflower, but she has a secret: she is part of a select group of young ladies who are agents of Queen Victoria. She also happens to be quite skilled with daggers and pistols.
Duke Robert Killian is a former soldier and war hero. He's also a private investigator for the Prime Minister.
Robert and Hannah end up working the same case, and in the process, they engage in a fascinatingly spark-filled romance.

Darcy McGuire gives the reader the perfect mix of intrigue, romance, witty banter, and spy games. It is definitely a winner, and a wonderful series debut!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Darcy McGuire's 'The Secret Life of a Lady' was sexy, spicy, and so much more!

Lady Hannah Simmons is a trusted and highly regarded femme fatale by day and an innocent, inexperienced wallflower by night. That is, until she meets Duke Robert Killian. The Duke is a highly regarded investigator and an ex-war hero. When their paths cross, neither could have anticipated the danger they would find....in one another.

If you're a fan of SUPER SPICY regency romances, and haven't picked this one up yet, you must! I'm so excited to read and review the second book I the Queen's Deadly Damsels series, A Lady's Lesson in Scandal!

Quick witted, flirtatious, and fun, the Secret Life of a Lady is an enjoyable, breezy read. The main character was well written and drown out and I look forward to more tales by this author.

This was the perfect post bridgerton read that everyone will need to read. It's empowering, charming, and unapoloticslly funny. I loved it

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lady Hannah Simmons might appear to be your usual, run of the mill wallflower, but she's hiding the fact that she is one of the Queen's deadly damsels. Using the fact she can easily hide amongst the crowds to discover the ton's secrets, Hannah has never failed yet, but Robert Killian, a Duke, ex-war hero, and investigator for the Prime Minister is about to put her to the test. Neither is about to give up the challenge, or the thrill of the chase, without a fight.

When this book popped up on my NG account, I knew I needed to read it. I loved historical romances, especially when there's a mystery aspect, and The Secret Life of a Lady fit all that, and more. Hannah is the illegitimate daughter of a duke, and currently she lives and works for her stepmother, the dowager duchess, as well as for the Queen. Her background is just good enough to get a foot in the door at ton events, but lowly enough that she can come and go without much notice. Except from Robert, who spots her straight away, and is intrigued enough to follow her. A duke himself, his background is impeccable, and the fact he is also a decorated war hero doesn't hurt either. He wants Hannah, but the difference in their stations is difficult for him to overcome - he's very much a Darcyesque figure in this. I liked that Hannah made him work for her love and respect, and he changed for the better because of it. This book was a really good start to a new series, and from a new author who I'll be on the lookout to read again in the future.

The Secret Life of a Lady was a great book involving women with guns & swords and men who couldn’t keep up with them. I LOVED how the main couple met while both solving the same crime and immediately became entangled in each other’s lives. I also loved the relationship between Hannah and Phillipa and I really hope Phillipa gets everything she wants in life.

The way in which this book had me smiling!! What a fun start to a new series from Darcy McGuire.

Hannah has spent the past ten years as a lady's companion and a wallflower. She intentionally dresses in drab and unassuming clothing because it gives her the opportunity to do what she does best -- work as a spy for the Queen. Her and her benefactress have been doling out justice to members of the ton for years under the noses of just about everyone.

But that is about to change because a decorated Lieutenant General and a Duke, Lord Killian, is hot on the heels of the same case, except he is working for the prime minister. And now that he's noticed Hannah he can't ~stop~ noticing Hannah. He quickly realizes that this warrior of a woman might just be the only person who can warm his bitter heart and understand the depths of his pain from his time at war.

I absolutely adored Hannah and Killian and the ways in which their passion for their work and each other smoldered throughout this entire (quick but) highly entertaining read. I loved the dual POVs and the ways in which these two worked through the trauma in their respective pasts to form new opinions about relationships and marriage.

The mission definitely took a back seat to the romance for most of this but that was honestly a-okay with me because it was so good!

I enjoyed this immensely!

Hannah is a companion. On the face of it she is a wallflower, dresses in drab colours so she can fade into the background and she likes it that way, because it provides her with the perfect cover as an investigator for Queen Victoria.

Lord Robert Killian is a former army leader, he is now employed as a detective for the prime minister.

When a hunt for clues and information has Robert and Hannah colliding into each other, there is an instant spark and they soon find a way to turn this to their advantage, faking a courtship in order to gain more information. However, neither of them are prepared for the attraction and growing feelings.

I loved that Hannah was strong, a fighter, a character of determination. Robert also has some depth, on the face of it a charming, handsome lord but fighting in the wars has left him with guilt and insecurities.

Additionally it is really refreshing that this is set during early Victorian period rather than regency.

This was a very very raunchy spy romp with lots of chemistry between the two lead characters. That this is going to be a series is fabulous! This is not a book to read if you like your characters on the chaste side - there are quite a few sex scenes but these are well written and add another dimension to the relationship between Robert and Hannah.

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

4.5, rounding up to 5

Flirty and fast paced, The Secret Life of a Lady is perfect for fans of India Holton.
With a huge chunk of the genre focused on Regency times, it was so fun to have a historical romance set in the Victorian Era. And while there was no on-page appearance from the queen herself, having Hannah as her spy and Killian as the Prime Minister’s made for an epic dynamic of kind-of-enemies-but-also-competing was delightful.
While primarily a romance, this book is also a murder mystery and deals with some darker themes including violence against women, guilt, and PTSD.
I’m crossing my fingers that we get some spin-off books from the charming and charismatic side characters we’re introduced to.

A perfect blend of historical romance, spy work, and spice. This book had me guessing the murderers at every turn. Hannah is a beautiful, powerful femme fatale for Queen Victoria who acts as a wallflower to slip through London unnoticed to gain secrets and catch criminals. She is tasked with figuring out who is murdering the young women of London but ex-war hero Killian is the PI to the Prime Minister and wants to catch the criminals before she does. Will the two cave to the spark of attraction between them? Or will they follow proper etiquette and race each other to solving the mystery?

This book was so fun and had me on the edge of my seat. Fans of Bridgerton or The Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton will love this book. I hope there is a sequel because although the mystery was solved, justice was not served in the end. And I want to see how Hannah and Killian would take down the secret society.

This was a really fun read, the main characters are well fleshed out and have depth to them. There is plenty of heat and angst

The Secret Life of a Lady is the first book in a fascinating new series – The Queen’s Deadly Damsels. It is 1847 and Hannah Simmons, lady’s companion to Lady Phillipa Winterbourne, the Duchess of Dorset, is not what she seems. She and her employer are both secret agents working for Queen Victoria. Hiding in plain sight, Hannah is trying to identify a killer who is burying innocent young girls alive. While looking for clues in the study of a possible suspect, she clashes with Robert Killian, the Duke of Covington, who is investigating the same case on behalf of the prime minister. They start out as rivals, but decide to join forces and fake a relationship to move the investigation forward as quickly as possible.
Both main characters are compelling, but are dealing with serious issues from their past that they must overcome in order to move on. It is necessary to suspend disbelief as a lot of the detail may not be factually accurate, but my view is that it is a work of fiction and should be enjoyed as such. There is strong chemistry between Hannah and Killian, and a lot of humorous banter which is very entertaining to read. The Secret Life of a Lady is an unusual blend of historical romance and spy thriller, and while I enjoyed it immensely I would have liked more emphasis on the espionage element of the the story. While set in the Victorian era, the crimes had a timeless quality and could just as easily be happening today. This is a promising start to an intriguing new series and I look forward to reading the next one, which will hopefully feature the stories of the many characters introduced here. Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Feisty and fierce, Lady Hannah Simmons is more than a match for any man. She can wield a knife like a warrior and yet underneath her stern exterior there beats the heart of a passionate woman. Hannah's unexpected meeting with the devilishly handsome Robert Killian unlocks something and pretty soon sparks fly between them and even though both are caught up in a clandestine investigation this doesn't stop their attraction and desire for each other.

Bringing the Victorian world alive, we flit from dark and dirty back alleyways, to the sumptuousness of a country house weekend and throughout it all this cat and mouse relationship kept me entertained in a story filled with passion, intrigue and danger. The story reads well, it moves quickly and the mystery at the centre of the plot keeps the momentum ticking over nicely however, it is the relationship between Hannah and the Killian where the passion really heats up and the story gets a bit spicy. There's quite a bit of explicit sexual content so perhaps that's not for everyone but putting that aside, I enjoyed the espionage and mystery. I would hope to be able to read the next book in the series in the near future as there are a couple of characters I would really like to know more about in further adventures.

The Secret Life of a Lady is a glorious mix of historical romance and thrilling espionage, set in Victorian London. This book by Darcy McGuire is a captivating blend of mystery, romance, and exciting escapades starring an unexpected heroine.

The story revolves around Lady Hannah Simmons, a character who challenges all the norms. Hannah is your classic wallflower, totally underestimated by the fancy folks. However, there’s a thrilling secret behind her plain appearance: Hannah is a secret spy of Queen Victoria’s. No one notices her as she strolls around London, picking up scandalous rumors and important intel from high society. Hannah’s got daggers in her stockings and pistols in her pockets. In this story, she’s out to catch a killer, making her a most interesting protagonist.

When she meets Duke Robert Killian, a private investigator for the Prime Minister and a super attractive ex-war hero, Hannah’s world turns upside down! Killian, a man committed to his responsibilities, finds himself torn between frustration and desire when he crosses paths with Lady Hannah during their shared daring mission. Killian’s efforts to captivate and charm the enigmatic Hannah are constantly met with her unwavering determination and unmatched abilities, resulting in charged interactions filled with tension. Hannah and Killian have a lot of chemistry, and their respect and attraction add to the suspenseful plot.

I found the love scenes a little too long and detailed and made me impatient to read about who the murderer was.

The Secret Life of a Lady isn’t just a love story, it’s a tale of espionage and catching a killer and is a recommended read for fans of historical romance and adventure.

Sparks fly when an agent for Queen Victoria and an agent for the Prime Minister cross paths in their investigation in the death of a maid. Fascination with each other leads to heated encounters. They both have ghosts to live with from the past, but only together can they make each other whole. Impatiently waiting for the next book in the series.
Very descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

3.5/5

This was a great historical romance! It had everything I like in a historical romance -- fun chemistry, good plot, good side characters (perhaps even a hint of future books). Highly recommend to lovers of Manda Collin's Lady's Guide series.

This is an amazing, engaging and funny historical novel!
Miss Hannah Simmons is doing her best to blend in, to not be noticed, she dresses is muted grey and brown colours and rarely speaks.

Operating in plain sight has become her best disguise, until Duke Robert Killian takes notice of her. They are both tasked with secret missions - one working for the queen and the other one for the prime minister. What can possibly go wrong?

Highly recommended!

I am not a mystery thriller girlie, but I did expect the mystery subplot to take more of a front row seat than what happened in this book. It seemed like an afterthought. In addition, I love a fake dating trope when done right, but in this book it seemed thrown in just for the sake of tropifying the romance. There was barely any benefit for either party.

I did love the femme fatale fmc, but unfortunately the romance and mystery aspects were extremely lacking for me

2.5 stars, rounded up