I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have tried to pick this book up several times and have not gotten any further than chapter one. I am unsure if it is the tone of the book or if I am just not in the right mood for this read. I have soft dnf'd it for the moment. I will update my review if that changes.

The Queen of Fives
by Alex Hay
Pub Date: Jan 21 2025

A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable order: I. The Mark II. The Intrusion. III. The Ballyhoo. IV. The Knot. V. All In. There may be many counter-strikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities...

1898. Quinn le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.

Masquerading as the season’s most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society—and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.

But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception...

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay!

Queen of Fives features a Quinn, a young woman in 19th century Britain, who masquerades as other identities to right wrongs. This was a 3.5 for me.

I loved the premise, and the story kept me engaged. The ending felt rushed but I want to see more stories like this! The characters came to life and I liked seeing some layers and twists/turns throughout.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC.

I enjoyed the book as it was twisty and kept me guessing until the end. I found it entertaining and the pace of the book was good. I am however a reader who needs to connect with the characters and felt that it was more story driven. I recommend it for those who enjoy mystery and suspense.

What I Liked: I loved the 1800s London setting for this "heist" novel. The wardrobe and lack of technology made the tricks more fun and compelling. I also thought the five-day structure of this novel worked well. It kept everything moving quickly and increased the anticipation. I wish the author had provided more examples of what this five-day heist looked like, since the fake wedding was such a huge and elaborate endeavor.

What Could Have Been Better: I wish there had been more setup and explanation for the Queen of Fives organization. It was hard to root for something that I didn't really understand or the characters involved. There were a few "surprises" that were a little too easy to guess and that I didn't enjoy. Finally, when there are so few characters, it makes it very easy to slot everyone into place and takes a lot of fun away from the mystery -- so I wasn't very satisfied with the ending.

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay
.
Quinn is a talented con woman in 1898 London and she is in a bind. She needs to pull off one of the biggest schemes ever to set her debts in order. She is going to trap the most eligible duke of the season into marriage.
.
What I liked:
-I admired Quinn’s ambition. She was a real go-getter and believed in herself.
-I loved that we got POVs from not just Quinn, but several other characters. It helped round out the story so well and created some delicious tension.
-Speaking of tension: this book was WAY more suspensful than I imagined it being! I was doing everything I could to not bite my nails listening.
-All the reveals were very juicy.
-I was quite impressed with this story, and the narration in the audio was spot on brilliant.
.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I very much enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for more fun books from this author.

Alex Hay's The Queen of Fives takes my favorite genre - the heist! - to a grand level. Quinn Le Blanc's house of cons is facing hard times, so she reaches for one of the classic cons, the False Heiress, to wed a fortune in only 5 days. What follows is a maze of intertwining loyalties, deceptions, and calculated risks in a skilled melange of skullduggery. Just when you think you know what will happen, the misdirections appear.

The side plot of how inheritance and entail law bound the fortunes and genteel poverty of the forgotten women of the gilded age is wrapped around the con plot. Forced into choices by not having funds, Hays interrogates the lack of power these sisters had.

It's a great book. Very entertaining and puzzling. Bravo!

The Queen of Fives is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read in a while. The pacing was great, I was invested in the plot and the characters, and enjoyed the writing.

I was intrigued by this book, I heard a lot of things about The Housekeepers and thought this would be fun as well. I did enjoy the story and the mystery of who this other person was that kept following Quinn around and seemed after her. I loved the idea of the con and the ways that Quinn went about it. I would have liked a little more of the secondary characters, though there were some great OMG moments that I did not fully expect how things would turn out.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This is by the same author as The Housekeepers. This book shows his talent for an engaging read even more. This is the story of Quinn La Blanc, also known as the Queen. She is the Queen of Fives which is a five part plan to get money out of unsuspecting marks. This time she has set her sights on the Duke of Kendal. A lot of the book is her meticulous planning but also gives us glimpses into someone who is undermining her operation. This person is only known as the man in the blue waistcoat. A major problem is the fact that the Duke of Kendal has promised his sister Victoria, Tor, that he won’t marry. What follows is a good game of cat and mouse. I read this while on vacation, it kept my interest and I found I could pick it up easily after going for a dip. This would be really fun for book club. Read this and thank me later!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay.
Queen of Fives is an entertaining and clever novel, where nothing is as it seems. Quinn is London's most talented con-woman, and she has 5 days to pull off a very ambitious plan!
It gave me vibes of Oceans 11, Now You See Me, and the Prestige - you're rooting for the one(s) trying to get one over on the establishment.

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hays is a very intriguing novel. I found it to have an enjoyable plot, however the language and vernacular used was a bit challenging at first, as it does take place in the late 19th century. Once the reader gets into the swing of the story, a slow burning con game unfolds. The game seems to have many levels and our protagonist, Quinn, doesn't always know what she is getting herself into. The Queen of Fives has a great amount of plot twists, and character quirks written in that will keep the reader engaged and always guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel. I look forward to reading Alex Hays future works.

The Queen of Fives proved to be a story, set in London in the late 1800’s, full of deception and trickery. Quinn, also having inherited and earned the title of The Queen of Fives, finds she and her “family” are in need of money. Quinn seemed to me to be a very bright con artist with a dedicated, (most of the time) group of others who help her carry out her plans. She inherited the title from her mother and has been successfully completing cons.
She chose Max, a duke from a very wealthy family, and devised a plan to con him into marrying her. The plan involves her entering high society as a very wealthy woman seeking marriage. I had such high hopes for Quinn and Max, each with secrets they want to keep hidden. They seemed to be kindred spirits and I found myself rooting for them.
At times the story seemed to get bogged down with characters that did not seem to add anything other than confusion.
Much was made of the past involving Quinn’s mother, which later made sense. I so enjoyed the conversations Quinn and Max had. I personally found the ending with the dolls too bizarre.
Many thanks to Alex Hay, Graydon House, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this read. Three stars.

The Queen of Fives is set in the Victorian era and is packed with twists, heists, and surprises that keep you guessing until the very end.

Quinn is a bold and talented con woman who finds herself in a desperate situation. To survive, she has to pull off an incredibly daring heist—getting close to the Duke of Kendal, one of the richest and most powerful men in society, in just five days.

The premise of this book immediately pulled me in, and I really enjoyed Quinn as a main character. She’s strong, smart, and fearless, which makes her fun to follow. The story is full of unexpected turns, which kept me hooked, but at times, there were so many twists and new characters that it got a little confusing. I read the book and also listened to the audiobook, and I have to say, the audiobook is probably a better way to read this book.

Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing and The Hive, for this book!

I enjoyed the premise and the historical setting. The multi POV was necessary but I wish there was more separation as sometimes it felt that they were bleeding into each other, especially Quinn and Silk, when they were in the same scene.

"The Queen of Fives" is an intricate, twist-filled Victorian thriller that keeps you on your toes. The story follows Quinn Le Blanc, a master con artist, as she maneuvers through a high-society scam involving a duke, a fortune, and an ambitious plot. The concept of the five-stage confidence scheme is brilliant, and the book excels at weaving together clever scheming, unexpected twists, and dark deception. While the pacing is slow at first, with a bit more fluff than I typically enjoy, the final act delivers a satisfying payoff with plenty of surprises. The intricate plotting and sharp wit make this a fun, engaging read, even if the ending didn’t completely work for me. Overall, "The Queen of Fives" is a captivating historical thriller with a unique premise and plenty of suspense. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 on Goodreads.

This book was a fun read, but pacing was an issue. I enjoyed the story and the setting, but it felt like something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it, I will have to reread the story to see where I felt the disconnect.

Twisty victorian con man fair, the author sets up a series of rules the main character has to abide by to pull off her con, and then steamrolls her through those rules. One of the most fun parts of a con-man story is watching a puppet master pull strings, and the main character stumbles through the endgame here, which I think hurts the magic trick a bit. Still this was a fun overall read.

This is a book that had some really fun ideas, but the execution didn’t quite meet the mark for me. The premise, featuring a Victorian-era mystery with a confidence woman as the protagonist, had me intrigued from the very beginning. I was fully invested for the first quarter of the book! The intrigue, the Chateau, and the mark were all fascinating.

The mystery element felt obvious from the very moment it was introduced, though, and then it took a very long time to get to the payoff. And in all of that, the characters felt a bit flat so I didn’t get the character development I usually look for in a slower paced book.

I feel like this is one of those cases where a movie adaptation could be a better medium for this story. This might be fun for someone who likes an easy mystery with a strong female criminal as the main character!