What a great continuation of the first book. But definitely can be read as a stand alone as well. So don't be discouraged if you haven't eead the first one . This concept is so well done , the jokes and the references are very fun. The book was really good and the story really entertaining. Hopping to get more of this series.

ARC review of A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal, book two in the Queen’s Deadly Damsels series by Darcy McGuire!

Thanks to @theboldbookclub I received an early ebook of the book and then I read it and loved it but bc my executive functioning sucks, it’s taken me way too long to post a review BUT HERE I AM NOW!!!

We have a wallflower who is desperate to escape an arranged marriage negotiated by an evil stepmother and we have a war vet who keeps to himself and isn’t really the most popular guy in London society.

So what is a desperate woman - Millie - gonna do? Well, create a scandal, render herself unmarriageable and continue working for Queen Vicky with her friends so they can take down some nasty criminals. She didn’t account for the scandalous kiss with Major General Beaufort Drake being so delectable nor that he would be of the gallant variety and offer to marry her.

But our friend Drake is also investigating the same nasty criminals but for the Prime Minister. And then Millie and Drake, her family and their friends and guests are alllllll together for a week for a wedding house party where they hope to reveal the culprit(s).

And of course Millie and Drake kiss, bang, and find themselves falling in love AS TWO PEOPLE INVESTIGATING CRIMES TOGETHER ARE WONT TO DO IN A ROMANCE BOOK.

I’m loving this series. It has everything I enjoy in a historical romance with a mystery. I’m hooked.

A testament to what makes a great romcom, with a twist of historical romance and a secret mission. The chemistry between the main leads was fantastic—I really enjoyed this one!

This could have been a wonderful sexy read. Don’t get me wrong; the storyline was good and steamy, but the f-bombs were dropping too frequently for my taste. They spoiled the romantic atmosphere. Although it was a delightful story, the F-bombs were crass; they took away the true romantic flavor.

This was an easy read for me. The character's personality traits colliding was the best part of the book!

Okay this was just fun! I was blithely unaware that this was a sequel and so struggled a bit to pick up context but was able to get there. While I wish some of the plot ran more smoothly rather than feeling like it was checking off archetypes as it went through, it kept me engaged and giggling 3.5 stars!

This was a real rollicking read! This is the second in the series, however I don’t think you need to have read that prior to reading this.

I love that Millicent is a feisty heroine and Drake is a great sparring partner and love interest.

There are some extremely saucy scenes in this book so if you prefer your romances more chaste, then this is not the book for you.

Thanksmust go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This was my first in this series and it was so great, even without reading the official first. I love the “mission” that the couple has in common–very important work fighting human trafficking!

The sparks certainly fly between our MCs and despite how they started the relationship, they are stronger together fighting for a similar cause. However, I think my favorite part of these books is how absolutely supportive our MMCs are with their counterparts. Although, if they weren’t, I don’t think the FMCs would hesitate to show them the what-for!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

As a Bridgerton fan I loved Millie and Beau. I often feel that historical romances drag on unnecessarily, but this one had a great tempo and kept me interested. I highly recommend!

So much better than the first part!

In second book in The Queen’s Deadly Damsels we follow Millie who by trying to escape her betrothal gets herself engaged to another man, Major General Drake. Their wedding presents a perfect opportunity to capture one of the man involved in kidnapping young ladies, the question is if they will come to understanding when it comes to this dangerous adventures.

I enjoyed this story so much more than the first book. The dynamics of force proximity, “arranged marriage” and broken war hero work so well in this book! I’m mad that I didn’t read this book earlier.

Highly recommend it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters, especially Millie and Beau. I was honestly rooting for them from the start. It was giving off major Bridgerton vibes- and with me being an avid fan of historical romance, this read had me captivated all throughout. I recommend this book to those who also love the genre and a great romance story with lots of chemistry!

A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal by Darcy McGuire is the second book in her series The Queen’s Deadly Damsels about a group of women appointed to work for Queen Victoria and with trained deadly skills. Although it’s the second book in the series, I had not read the first and did not feel disadvantaged by not having read the first book. I was captivated by it so much that I just had to get Book One as soon as I had finished it!

If you want a steamy book about a fierce female character and a battle-scarred male character, who find themselves in a scandalous situation that leads to marriage, while both working as secret agents for Queen Victoria and the Prime Minister respectively, hunting for a dangerous man responsible for kidnapping young women and trafficking them abroad, then this is the book for you.

The book has been called Bridgerton meets Mr & Mrs Smith which is pretty accurate. The wedding party in the days leading up to the marriage of Millicent (Millie) and Beau is used by both of them to identify the man behind the kidnappings. With Beau’s military experience and Millie’s knife skills, they make a formidable couple, even though neither of them believe they want to be tied down in marriage. Their steamy moments when they became unable to resist one another were sizzling off the page. This is the second book in the last couple of months where I’ve found a battle-scarred male main character that I have found irresistible, and I am starting to think this might be my niche for ‘book boyfriends’ in historical fiction!

There were some seriously evil characters, but it wouldn’t be the perfect romance without evil exes or people who wish ill on the main characters, so I found myself really appreciating what those characters brought to the story. In particular, Millie’s wicked stepmother Patricia was a character it was incredibly easy to hate!

A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal was a humorous and incredibly steamy romance, with an interesting mystery woven into the story. This was such a fantastic story that I cannot wait for Book Three, and I’m now off to read Book One!

I adoredddd the premise of this book and it started off very strong. Although I’m not the biggest fan overall of contemporary romances, this one pleasantly surprised me with the twist and turns and its Bridgerton-esque vibes. Seriously if you love Bridgerton and its drama, then you’re sure to love this book!!! The middle fell flat and had me struggling to get to the end but I ended up still loving this book regardless.

This was a fine book. Honestly, I read it a few months ago and I can't remember one detail about it. Maybe that says it all. I don't remember anything being particularly good or bad just the vague outlines of a plot.

In the second book in the Deadly Damsels series, readers continue this fantastic and spicy historical romance series featuring a cast of secret femme fatale agents from across high society as they carry out operations and fall in love. This time following Millicent Whittenburg in her attempts to escape an undesirable betrothal by seducing Major General Beaufort Drake, perhaps the only other person in society more adverse to marriage than Millicent herself. However, the plan goes horribly wrong when Drake offers to marry Millicent in the wake of their scandal, and the tension between the two has the unflappable Millicent and Drake completely off guard. As readers explore this new case at a week-long wedding house party that keeps forcing Millicent and Drake to interact -- for their detective work and their unwanted engagement -- the tension and attraction only grows, making the characters the total star of the novel and its fiery, spicy romance. Readers will love tracking this case and this incredible romance over the course of the novel, a brilliant continuation of McGuire’s series of competent and deadly Society ladies. Brilliantly written with incredible characters and fantastic character relationships, readers have to keep up with this series and its brilliant heroines.

Millie was such a good character! This book is a great historical romance with a bit of suspense! This is a second in a series, but can definitely be read as a standalone.

If you read Bridgerton and thought "this would be better if the women were trained assassins" --- this is for you!

Book Two of the Queen's Deadly Damsels series brings us a marriage of convenience between Mellie and Drake, two stubborn personalities we got a glimpse of in first book. Their courtship is unconventional especially as they are both using their wedding party as an opportunity to track down the leaders of a sex trafficking ring.

Great writing, great characters, great banter. A perfect read to get you out of a reading slump or if you're looking for something fun. If you are a historical romance fan, this is not a series to be missed!

This book was delight!! Mr. & Mrs. Smith but make it Victorian!

This book had so much to it - mystery, romance, adventure, family drama, friendship issues, strengths, weaknesses… I adored it! The inner dialogue had me giggle the whole time, it reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones. These two are working together and against each other at the same time, it was funny, heartwarming, and enduring to read. I loved both of these characters and their story!

I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed - I wished Millicent’s relationship with her dad had had closure, and we had seen how everyone reacted to the betrayal. But I’m hoping those are talked about in the next book!

Very intriguing and adventurous! Absolutely amazing! I was a little bit skeptical going in at first. but it completely enamoured me a few pages in. Looking for a sign to read this? This is it!

Oh I just loved this!

I went through a really strong historical romance phase during lockdown, then started finding things all a bit similar so went off the genre for a while.

I had requested this thinking it would just be another of the same, but I was so wrong! I absolutely devoured this and found myself wanting to dive right back into other books in the genre (though I am still worried nothing will compare).

Millie and Beau are so sweet, I instantly fell in love with them both and was really rooting for them throughout. I love it when a romance in a book feels real, and this one really did. I also loved the addition of a mystery and the adventure elements throughout, it takes you on such a fun journey and I was so gripped.

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal helped to reignite my love for historical romance, and I am eternally grateful to Darcy McGuire.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻