This was a slow pace read for me, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it! There are some darker elements discussed within this book, but overall a historical romance I find myself wanting to go back and read more from Elizabeth.

I’m disheartened by the romance genre’s turn to romantasy, but always delightfully surprised to find a wonderful new-to-me historical romance author. Histrom doesn’t get the love it used to (Bridgerton notwithstanding) and even that I used to have for it. But there are a few new romance authors offering encouraging signs, Emily Sullivan is one and, now, after reading The Lady Sparks a Flame, Elizabeth Everett. I not only thoroughly enjoyed Everett’s “sparking” lady, but she made me think about and appreciate what she brings to the genre. To set us off, pun intended, the blurbish details:

Lady Phoebe Hunt never anticipated returning from exile. A fatal choice drove her from England, but the death of her father—and the revelation of his debts—has brought her home. Once she settles her father’s estate, she will return to America, where she has reinvented herself. There’s no reason to remain, not even for one gravitationally challenged but deliciously tempting entrepreneur: Sam Fenley.

Samuel Fenley is all ambition. Rising from shop boy to wealthy investor, he’s left knocking on doors that open only for those with a title. Unless he buys the damned door itself—and the estate that goes with it. Sam offers to relieve Phoebe of her burdens, but is her crumbling mansion all Sam wants? Or is it the Lady herself?

When threats from Phoebe’s past spark new dangers, Sam and Phoebe discover that neither is what the other expected. Standing on the edge of disaster, the disgraced Ice Queen will have to decide if she wants to forge through life alone, or let an unlikely hero melt her heart.

CW: though I don’t often include content warnings, I think The Lady Sparks A Flame warrants it because the heroine self-harms. I thought, without any claim to expertise, that Phoebe’s issue was handled with sensitivity and care. It also made sense in terms of her characterization. Phoebe isn’t an “ice queen” without reason and one of the compelling aspects to the novel is her family and its history, an abusive father who hurt his wife and daughters, Phoebe especially. For Phoebe, though she no longer self-harms, this was, under her father’s authority, a coping mechanism. That, and a fascination with the work of Michael Farraday; hence, the electrical metaphor running throughout Phoebe’s story, a dark, difficult story, which came to a head when Phoebe’s anger resulted in a reckless relationship with a radical, who used her scientific knowledge to serve his violent political ends. And this is why Phoebe has been “exiled” to the United States, which, despite its beginnings, has done her good, giving her freedom and space to leave her past behind and achieve, as a Pinkerton-type agent, another identity and a purpose. But return she must, to help pay her father’s debts and settle her mother and sister.

Into this dark story comes romance-reading Sam Fenley, as light and funny and loving as his “guinea-coloured” hair. There were moments, though there are differences too, when Everett’s romance reminded me of one of the my favourites, Mary Balogh’s A Christmas Promise. Though Sam is sunny where Balogh’s heroine is melancholic, I thought Sam’s rollicking good-natured family and Sam and Phoebe’s cross-class romance in reverse had its similarities. En tout cas, in comes Sam to Phoebe’s life, at first to woo her sister, who’s delightful but too smart not to quickly figure out Sam’s fascination with Phoebe. Everett deftly showed how Sam wanted “easy”, but loved a difficult heroine, was a goner from the get-go. Sam is too irrepressible to make do without challenges; he’s so easy-going, ambitious, just darn “fun” (and when was the last time you read a “fun” hero?) that he kindly, affectionately, with great humour and respect, woos Phoebe, breaks down her barriers, warms through her ice, and gives her the safety and happiness she never believed she deserved…until Sam showed her.

“Poe is the author of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart.’ One of my favorite stories,” she said.

Sam sat forward now, happily expectant. “Is it a romance? Do you know I have read all of Mrs. Foster’s horrid novels. My favourite is The Perils of Miss Cordelia Braveheart and the Castle of Doom.”

A look of disgust crossed Lady Phoebe’s face.

Obviously, she knew nothing of great literature.

Sam is sunshine to Phoebe’s dark and Everett cleverly offsets Phoebe’s tragic childhood with the possibilities of Sam’s love and care. Sam is funny and tends to this kind of delightful deadpan innocent humour, but he is equally wise and kind, though with a tendency to trip over stairs and inadvertently plunge into rivers. Everett infuses her romance narrative with as much humour as she does pathos and achieves a wonderful balance between the two, not an easy feat.

The inconvenient appreciation of his face and figure could not be dampened by the prodigious scowl he wore. Her eyes lowered to admire the width of his shoulders and breadth of his chest, and she surreptitiously breathed the particular scent of him; competence and soap.

It is obvious Everett wants to bring a feminist angle to the genre and this is laudable. What I found interesting wasn’t the feminist “twist” of a company of lady scientists, Athena’s Retreat, to which Phoebe belonged, but to passages like the above. I do love me a female gaze and when you couple that with a flipped nod to the ubiquitous man-smell of hay, horse and clean sweat with “competence and soap”, well, I can’t help but love it. I leave you with Sam…again:

“Oho,” Sam’s voice was round and golden, reaching both sides of the hall. “I knew there’d be a bunch of ancestral portraits. Look at this fellow here. Who is he?”

“Sam. That’s a picture of the Archangel Gabriel.”

And what does Sam see when he looks at Phoebe?

Against the backdrop of the unending sky, she stood like a barren tree, a monument made of straight lines; endurance and vulnerability.

Sam is thoughtful and smart and a perfect match for Phoebe, thanks to Everett’s mad romance-writing skills with elegant writing, finely drawn characters, humour and pathos in perfect alignment and balance and yowza, what a proposal scene…but I’ll let you discover that for yourself. 😉

Elizabeth Everett’s The Lady Sparks a Flame is published by Berkley and released on March 25, 2025. I received an e-galley from Berkley, via Netgalley. The above is my honest, AI-free opinion.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy!

I love Elizabeth Everett's books, and The Lady Sparks A Flame was no different! I enjoyed this one very much. The book was charming, and I really enjoyed the characters so much. They were well developed and interesting, and I think the chemistry was perfect among all of them. This book was perfection!

I have been waiting for this book since Elizabeth Everett's debut series. Viva la Phoebe Hunt! This book has so many emotions and depth to the characters that it's hard to fully put into a review.

Lady Phoebe was the villain in A Lady's Formula For Love. She owns it. It's who she is. And she was banished to America, but with her father's death she is back to England to settle the estates.

Samuel Fenley is the younger brother to one of Phoebe's former friends. An overall golden retriever of a human who has the brains and capacity for business. But he is looked down upon because he is a merchant.

Samuel helps Phoebe with her father's estate as he is interested in Phoebe's little sister-- a lady with a ticket to society. But obviously that's not what happens.

Instead you get the sweetest redemption arc of Phoebe and a grow-up of Samuel. Each of them learning from each other. The banter and chemistry between them is phenomenal. Like top notch. I was laughing a Phoebe's very dry humor and Samuel trying so hard to be liked by her. A true black cat-golden retriever couple. I loved the two of them trying so darn hard not to fall for each other.

And the end?!? Loved. Loved. Loved. Loved it.

This is such a great read. Highly recommend this book to a historical romance reader who loves STEM in their romance and all of the banter. (recommend reading at least A Lady's Formula For Love first, but you do you and chaos read what you like).

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Lady Sparks a Flame, Elizabeth Everett’s fifth book and second in her Damsels of Discovery series, is a captivating tale of redemption, atonement, and the slow-burning romance between two opposites. The story follows Phoebe Hunt, who returns from exile in the U.S. to settle her family’s estate after her abusive father’s death. Determined to ensure her frail mother and younger sister, Karolina, are cared for despite mounting debts, Phoebe is sharp-tongued, guarded, and used to fighting her battles alone. Enter Sam Fenley, an ambitious yet endearingly clumsy entrepreneur and businessman who dreams of expanding his influence. Initially, Sam aims to court Karolina for her title, but his time with Phoebe at the family’s gothic, oppressive country estate ignites a fiery connection neither expects. Although connected to the other books in Everett’s first series, this novel can be read as a standalone.

Sam’s sunny optimism and surprising perceptiveness reveal layers beneath his seemingly slapstick charm, a testament to his nurturing and supportive family. In contrast, Phoebe’s biting wit and armour of self-protection reflect the weight of her troubled past. Yet, under Sam’s genuine kindness and insight, she begins to thaw. Their growing bond brims with witty banter, delicious tension, and poignant moments of vulnerability as they confront the gulf between Phoebe’s dream of breaking free from England’s societal constraints to forge a new life in America and Sam’s determination to solidify his place within the English business world.

Everett’s storytelling excels in weaving the chemistry between Phoebe and Sam into the very fabric of the book. Each chapter opens with insightful epigraphs that link Phoebe’s passion for chemistry with the reactions sparking between her and Sam, using science as both a metaphor and a narrative thread. The book also bravely addresses weighty topics like domestic violence, patriarchy, and power, adding emotional depth and complexity.

By turns heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny, this beautifully written novel held me captive from start to finish. With steamy, skillfully crafted scenes that enrich the characters’ bond, Everett brings Sam and Phoebe’s love story vividly to life. It’s a romance that masterfully balances complexity and heart, leaving an unforgettable impression long after the final page is turned.

See author’s note for trigger warnings. A list of Canadian and American resources is supplied at the end of the book.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t pulled enough into the story and didn’t connect with the characters, which made it difficult to get through the book. Elizabeth is a wonderful person but personally, her books don’t jive with me but I know it will with others.

Thank you to @BerkleyRomance for the free #gifted copy of this book!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Lady Sparks A Flame
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Elizabeth Everett
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬:The Damsels of Discovery, Book 2
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 384

𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
Lady Phoebe- She was sent to America after an unfortunate bomb explosion which caused the death of an innocent man. She came home after the death of her father to sort things out for her mother and younger sister. Phoebe is strong, smart and independent. She came from an abusive household growing up which caused her to turn to self harm as a way of dealing with the abuse.

Samuel- Self-made wealthy businessman. He comes from such a loving family. He is clumsy, cheerful and always looks for the positive. He purchases Lady Phoebe’s family home and helps them to catalog their belongings to put up for auction since her father left them with nothing.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬:
Historical Romance
Age Gap
Women in STEM
Opposites Attract
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
• There was such great character growth in this book!
• I love Phoebe’s sarcasm - she is a true villain and I adore that about her!
• Sam is just perfect even with his quirks
• The chemistry between them was off the chart! Loved the banter!
• The friendships - willingness to forgive Phoebe for what happened before
• This cover is absolutely stunning!

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: I absolutely loved this book! I had previously read A Lady’s Formula For Love from The Secret Scientists of London series so I was familiar with several of the side characters. I will be going back and reading ALL of Elizabeth’s books. I love her writing style and felt like I was in the story with these people. I felt such sorrow for this family and all what they had to endure at the hand of such a terrible man. I look forward to reading more of these fantastic historical women in STEM!!!

𝐂𝐖: Read author’s notes before starting this book. Non-suicidal self harm, domestic abuse (past)

3.5 stars

The Lady Sparks a Flame is the second book in the Damsels of Discovery series by Elizabeth Everett and if you haven't picked up book one yet, don't worry, I think you can read this one without missing anything. That said, we are back with some characters from Everett's Secret Scientists of London series so if you've read that one, you'll recognize some of the people. If not, that's ok too because you'll get up to speed pretty quickly.

In this book, our fmc is Lady Phoebe Hunt. She is back from her exile in America due to the death of her father and his debts. Her goal is to try to settle his estate with as little damage to her sister and mother's reputations as possible and then return to America where she is someone completely different. There's nothing really keeping her in England anyway and if she stays, she will only create more problems for her family. What she didn't expect was that Sam Fenley, the man who is supposed to be courting her sister, would be the one thing that would make her want to stay.

Sam is ambitious. He has had to earn everything he has, rising from shop boy to wealthy investor and when he sees an opportunity to not only purchase the estate but also potentially align himself with the aristocracy via marriage, he decides to spend time with the Hunt family. He knows he's supposed to be courting Phoebe's sister but even though she has a sharp tongue, he can't seem to help but be drawn to Phoebe, no matter what is in her past.

With Phoebe back in England, there is a lot of history to get through as the Hunt women figure out what to do about the estate but I thought Sam was a great way to allow them all to acknowledge the past and realize they can let it go. It was important to understand Phoebe's feelings toward her father and what truly drove her to do what she did. Sam's personality was the perfect balance to Phoebe's which allowed her to let herself release some of the tension she has held for so long.

I have to say, I loved how these two came together. I find that Everett always does a solid job of not only writing the romance and spice but she doesn't skip out on building out the core story. I've truly enjoyed all of the books surrounding the scientist ladies and if you haven't had a chance to pick these books up, you really should. It's one of my favorite historical romance series out there.

3.5 stars - I was really unsure about this book at first, but ended up being delighted by it. I was a little (a lot) confused initially because practically all of the characters were first introduced in a completely different series and I genuinely felt like I was missing so much backstory. I thought that this was meant to be an interconnected standalone and if that's my mistake I'll own it, but if it's not this was tough to understand without reading the entirety of a different series (The Secret Scientist of London).

All that said, I absolutely adored Sam. He was so wonderful, kind, and sweet - and I loved every time he was on the page. It was harder to connect with Phoebe - I saw and respected her strength and tenacity of surviving something truly terrible but watching her lash out at so many people when they didn't deserve it was tough. The relationship Sam and Phoebe build together is really tender and the last like 40% of the book was just a lot of fun.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the eARC through NetGalley - all thoughts and opinions are my own!

This was a witch and fun read but I felt it lacked depth in plot and character. Definitely a great option to read between heavier books!

I absolutely love it when a villainess gets a redemption story and Elizabeth Everett’s The Lady Sparks a Flame is one of those real gems that does it, and does it well!

Lady Phoebe Hunt was one of the original ladies from Athena house that we meet in Everett first series, The Secret Scientists of London. She was good friends and one of the founding members of the secret society of lady scientists, that is until she uses her skills to create a bomb that ends up killing an innocent man, and she finds herself banished to the Americas. While in America, she manages to reinvent herself and finds that she wants more freedom than what to the peerage will ever allow back in England.

All is well until she needs to return to London to help her now widowed mother and sister settle their estate up upon the sudden death of their father, thus opening back up the black box of brutal memories from her youth.

Family friend and self-made man, Sam Finley sees the selling off of Hunt family s family assets as the perfect solution for his next business moves. He can purchase the house to set up his next Emporium and perhaps gain himself a title by marrying the younger Hunt sister. Too bad the villainess with a broken heart is too irresistible, and he spends all his time focussed on lady Phoebe.

I absolutely adored getting Phoebe’s backstory and seeing her grow and develop while purging her history with the help of Sam. She needed unconditional love and support to move forward and he gave it to her in spades. What an absolutely lovable, clumsy, sweetheart!

Elizabeth Everett has such a way of making these characters come to life. Her aristocratic characters have grit and grime that makes them so real.

This was an excellent story and showcases a lot of parallels with today’s society and our continuous fight for female autonomy and equity.

It took me a little while to get into this one, as the beginning felt quite slow. I’m not sure if it was due to the frequent references to the past and characters I wasn’t familiar with.

While there are plenty of fun and spicy scenes between the hero and heroine that help build the romance, I personally never felt fully invested in their story.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the author’s previous books.

**Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy. All opinions are my own**

This just wasn't my cup of tea. I knew it was open door before beginning, but that's not the issue I had with the content. There was way too much dialogue surrounding sex when it didn't help the plot at all. It felt like it was just thrown in. A historical romance can be well done with modern feminist themes and healthy views of sex, but this book didn't offer any of that in a smooth of creative way. It felt like everything was thrown together to try to force modern themes into this historical romance. I've read other historical romances where the characters are sex positive and have a modern outlook but its all portrayed through rich language and play on words in a clever and informative way. I think the plot and characters could have been lovable, but it was hard to get through to it/them.

Thank you to PRHAudio for the ALC and Berkley for the free book.

I started off really enjoying this, I especially love an emo and avoidant depressive FMC who gets her HEA. And they do have chemistry and connection. But the banter gets lost when there are long and slow scenes with her family for example and the ins and outs of their conversations. Constant rumination on the situation, before and after something major happens. Just wasn't my fav execution and I was reluctant to keep reading.

I very much enjoy Elizabeth Everett’s characters so I was excited to read this newest and it did not disappoint! And she managed to redeem a previous villain. I loved the black cat/golden retriever energy between Phoebe and Sam. I truly felt for Phoebe and what she had endured growing up. Their relationship was a slow burn and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately I didn’t love the grand gesture moment at the end, something about it didn’t feel as romantic as it could’ve but I’m still happy with their HEA and look forward to more from this series. And I hope we see Phoebe and Sam again.

A very emotional book, with a female protagonist who’s angry at the world, at life, because of a painful past. But she’s so lucky as to meet the perfect man for her, an open, sunny and caring younger man who has a supportive family and a very different background. I really loved all the characters and I was happy to see the characters of the previous books return and make me laugh and sometimes even move me to tears. I also loved the perfect depiction of the very Gothic and gloomy atmosphere of Phoebe’s family manor. Five stars are not enough!

I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I've seen a bunch of rave reviews, and this just didn't hit the way I expected.

Before I get into my review, I want to talk about "cozy" books. I'm not talking about books that don't deal with serious issues; I'm talking about book people call "no plot, just vibes," books with very low stakes. These cross genres; there are cozy mysteries, cozy science fiction books, cozy fantasies. I would argue that this book is a cozy historical romance, despite the fact that it has plenty of darker themes (the FMC's past, in particular, is quite dark: she has engaged in self-harm, was physically and emotionally abused by her father, and she was the villain of a previous book in Everett's backlist). Why would I argue this? First, there's really no overarching plot; there are plenty of things that happen, but there's no beginning-middle-conflict-end. Second, there are no real stakes; either Sam and Phoebe will get together or they won't, but it doesn't feel like there's anything serious keeping them apart or pushing them together. Third and final, kind of a combo of the first two, there's no suspense: I wasn't afraid that something would happen or wouldn't happen on the way to Sam and Phoebe's HEA.

Why do I say this? I find that for me, personally, cozy books are difficult for me to connect with, especially when they have no plot. I love characters, but I need them to be doing something together that has stakes for them. They don't have to be high stakes, but they have to be important to the characters. I'm not even an angsty romance lover - fun, frothy romances can still have fun plots with stakes. I know that cozy books are ridiculously popular right now, so this book may be perfect for you! But for me, it just wasn't very interesting, meaning that I kept wandering away to do other things before remember I should get back to this one. Also, because I wasn't as invested in the plot, I kept noticing things that I didn't love about the book that I might have glossed over. I'm going to mention them below, but some are spoilers so you may want to skip!

I enjoyed:

*The discussion of Phoebe's past and how it affected her choices in the past;
*Both Phoebe's and Sam's family dynamics, and how they were contrasted.

I disliked:

*Phoebe's "redemption." Spoilers for A Lady's Formula for Love and this book: In this book, Phoebe is remorseful and apologizes for using her science to create a weapon that ultimately killed a man. She also apologizes for mistakenly shooting her friend's husband (oops). HOWEVER, in my opinion, her true crime in the first book was betraying her sisterhood of women scientists by targeting their retreat on several occasions, bringing the attention of antagonistic forces upon her "retreat." She never acknowledges or apologizes for this. (Maybe the author forgot what Phoebe actually did? I guess it was written five years ago at this point...)
*Sam's grand gesture. I've complained before about books where the MMC makes a big decision on behalf of the FMC. Sure, she may end up absolutely loving it, but as a reader, I am not interested in having a man surprise his female love interest with a life-changing choice. I'm talking about buying a house for her (not one that she has visited, mind you, just one that he knows she'll love). I'm talking about selling your business (and means of support) so that you can spend more time with your wife. I'm talking about choosing the city where you're going to live without telling her about it. These are not "grand gestures" to me, they are just more instances of men making all of the important decisions in a woman's life.
*This one has to do with BJs: I am DONE with BJs as "empowering" for women. She might be on her knees, but he's the one submitting! She's got all the power! Ugh, spare me.

I am giving this book 4 stars, rounded up from 3.5, because it's not like the writing was bad. I just happen to dislike cozy romances. YMMV - this book seems to get a lot of love, so please don't let me stop you from reading it!

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

Lady Phoebe Hunt has just spent the last few years in America after setting off an explosion that killed someone; as the daughter of a marquess, she wasn't charged, but the death has been sitting with her. Now that she's back and prickly as ever, she's forced to spend time with Sam Fenley, brother of her former best friend Letty from Athena's Retreat (a haven for women scientists). Sam is courting Phoebex's sweet younger sister, even if it's quickly clear to Sam, the sister, and eventually Phoebe that Sam has eyes only for the cold and brilliant Phoebe.

This is marketed as the 2nd book in a series, but is really the 5th, as it's deeply connected to Everett's first series The Secret Scientists of London (more so even than her previous book.) In order to really understand Phoebe and her friends, the series should be read in order.

The Lady Sparks a Flame starts out slowly, with the plot building as Phoebe and Sam get to know one another. There's a lot of inner turmoil for Phoebe, whose father was abusive and who still carries the emotional burden even after his death. She doesn't allow this to be an excuse for what she did, but it does drive her character development. There is some great payoff with steamier scenes.

I ended up listening to the audiobook from the library, and I really enjoyed that format. It helped me move past the slower sections of the book, though I did wonder a few times how I was only at x% throughout...

There are a lot of conversations about non-suicidal self-harm throughout the book, so readers take care. While I think Everett has treated the subject seriously, and there are content warnings at the beginning of the book, it's can be an uncomfortable issue for many.

I LOVED this!! My favorite part of this entire book was Sam. He was perfect! His entire personality and his relationship with Phoebe was so fun to read about. I will say some parts were a little slow for me, but it was still very enjoyable!