⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

I was a big fan of Alex Hay's debut novel, The Housekeepers, and his sophomore release is just as good.

I love how his stories have you rooting for the bad guys, and catch you with a great twist that propels it to the next level.

These heist stories are so much fun, and I find them to be a great escape from the chaotic and messy world in which we are currently living.

If you enjoy books that are equally plot and character driven with complex storylines, I think you should give Alex Hay a try.

I do think I ever so slightly enjoyed The Housekeepers more, but The Queen of Fives is a force to be reckoned with.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this Audiobook Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Queen of Fives is a romp of a historical mystery. Our MC, Quinn is a con woman and she has set her heights on a Duke, a member of one of the wealthiest families in England. Quinn tries to draw the Duke into marriage but of course, nothing quite goes to plan.

Alex Hay has written a delightful, twisty story and I really enjoyed Quinn as a character. The audio version was excellent, great production quality and I enjoyed the narration. I would highly recommend reading that version. This story is perfect for fans of Victorian historical fiction or cozy mysteries. It read a lot like a PBS miniseries to me. I'm excited to read more of Alex Hay's work,

Queen of fives

Quinn is a fraud and a con woman. Her latest con is to get the Duke to fall in love with her and steal from the richest family in England., then disappear.

She quickly enters the inner circle, but starts to wonder if she may be on the other end of a con herself orchestrated by the Duke’s family and others around her. Maybe she’s not as sharp as she used to be.

Lots and lots of twists in this one. A fun and engaging read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Queen Of Fives
By Alex Hay
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Release Date: January 20, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced listener copy of this book.

This is the story of a confidence scheme set in Victorian-era (1898) England.

The story was slow to get going in the first half, and I had to re-listen the beginning twice to cement the characters in my head.

At one point I was so frustrated that I bought the Kindle copy to follow along.

And THAT is when this book catapulted from a 2 star to a 4 star read. The back half of the story was good. I settled on 3.5 stars, but rounded up.

The unraveling of the game, the deals made, the reckless women and secretive men… whew!!

I enjoyed this interesting combination of the historical fiction and mystery/thriller genres. Protagonist Quinn LeBlanc sets to execute a major confidence scheme in Victorian London, pretending to be an heiress in order to snag a marriage proposal from a wealthy duke. Her scheme gets very complicated and this allows for some intriguing twists. I did find the book to be a bit too long, but the excellent narration of the audiobook kept me hooked. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review of this audiobook.

This is my second read from Alex Hay, and I felt similarly to how I did with The Housekeepers -- enjoyed this one a bit more, if I had to tier them! The tone and the concepts of Hay's mysteries are fun and entrancing, and there's always some old-world glitz and glamor to savor. The plots leave a bit to be desired for me -- I've found both to be a bit drawn out and I'm personally not the world's biggest fan of the dramatically escalating conclusions -- but they're great for a quick light read to mix things up!

This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I missed reading her debut book last year, but be assured that I will be picking that one up when I get a chance. There is a lot to like about this book, but I think the characters and the twisty plot are what will captivate you keep you invested in the story to the end.

Polly Edsell does a good job with the narration. She is able to make each of the many different character points of view come alive with emotion and style. I really liked her voice and how she was able to convey emotion without losing the feel that this was victorian times when everyone was so buttoned up emotionally. I would choose another book with her as the narrator.

This is an ensemble cast of characters that all have a very important role to play. Quinn probably gets the most page time though and it is she who you will end up rooting for. She is always cheery and I loved how she stuck to her rules of how the con should go, even when it was obvious to her that things were going wrong. She is struggling to survive as a conwoman but she is really going through a struggle of self discovery. I loved her relationship with Mr Silk, her advisor and friend and even her burgeoning friendship with the Duke was fun to watch. There were a couple of characters I didn’t care for, but it was interesting to see how they all thought they understood what was going on, but none of them really did.

There is one perspective we got that really had me a bit stumped from the start. They are nameless and are referred to as either the man in the blue silk or the woman in the cream dress. It took me almost to the end of the story to know for sure who this person was in the large scheme of the story. It was very well done and really made the story more interesting. The cat and mouse game this character was playing with Quinn was a lot of fun to watch unfold.

The writing was suburb, I loved the descriptions of everyone’s clothes and the settings. The pacing could have been a bit faster, but it was fine otherwise. I loved how all of the different subplots and stories were woven together throughout the story until we finally see the big picture at the end. It was really well done.

If you enjoyed the first book by this author than I think you will enjoy this one as well. If you haven’t yet read the first book, this is certainly one to give a chance. Especially if you like historical novels with a brilliant con gone wrong, and a dangerous cat and mouse game being played by one of the characters.

This intricate and sharp-witted Victorian-era thriller follows a master con artist as she schemes her way into high society, executing her plan through five calculated stages: The Mark, The Intrusion, The Ballyhoo, The Knot, and The All.

This period piece and historical thriller presents a captivating concept, and I’m always drawn to a well-executed faux marriage scheme. Though the pacing starts off slower with more fluff than I usually prefer, the clever scheming and unexpected twists in the final act made for an entertaining payoff.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads

I loved The Housekeepers by Alex Hay, so I was excited to read this book. However it was a miss. There were so many side characters, double crossing, changing of not just clothes but entire identities that it was impossible to keep straight. It was also borrowed heavily from his previous novel instead of being its own work. This book seemed to drag on and even the ending was unsatisfying after the ordeal of getting there. I'm hoping it's a sophomore slump, because Hay's first book was glorious.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Alex Hay, and Harlequin Audio for my advance copy of this audiobook.

Bridgerton meets Oceans 11 in the high society heist story. This is a fun and intriguing story with mystery, action, and high stakes, perfect for fans of historical fiction, mystery, and suspense.

The narrator does an excellent job here. I highly recommend listening to this one on audio.

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! I went back and forth between reading the ebook and listening to the audio, and the narration of the audio was fabulous!

Quinn le Blanc is London’s most talented con woman, who always follows a properly executed confidence scheme. She has five days to pull off her most recent scheme, marrying a Duke from one of the richest families in London. Quinn plans to present herself as the most wanted debutante on the marriage mart, and catch the eye of Max, who is heir to the Kendal fortune. As Quinn’s scheme unfolds, she finds herself caught in a web of secrets and lies, and learns that everything is not as it seems with the Kendal family.

There is so much to love about The Queen of Fives! Being set in late 1800s London, brings some great Bridgerton vibes to the society of the time period. Quinn makes for a strong female protagonist. She is very chippy and steadfast at sticking to her tried and true order of the confidence scheme. We also get other POV chapters throughout the book, and I loved how each character unraveled Quinn’s plan, without her knowing what was happening outside of her own scheme.

So many secrets and betrayals are taking place throughout the story, and the reader discovers that Quinn is not the only character playing a dangerous game. Each of the characters are well-written, and I felt like Hay did a great job connecting the reader with each of their stories throughout the book.

I was happy that the ending didn’t feel rushed, and that conflict wraps up with a satisfying conclusion. If you love Victorian era stories, with a fun cat and mouse story line, then I would definitely recommend The Queen of Fives.

Holy smokes. This was so impressively done. I loved the multiple POV. The story telling felt non-linear which was so interesting. There were so many twists I think I listened to this in one day. Quinn le Blanc is the reigning Queen of Fives, a con woman residing in the Chateau. Her recent cons have not been very successful and crushing debt accrued by the Chateau threatens Quinn le Blanc's home. To help with the debt, Quinn attempts the greatest con and gives herself five days to execute. Her target? A rich nobleman and the goal is to take his fortunes before making it down the altar. This was an intriguing heist mystery takes place in the 1800s. Looking forward to the next Alex Hay novel!

A huge thank you to the publisher, to Alex Hay, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of the audiobook to read in exchange for an honest review. Now, to the good stuff. Alex Hay is a rare talent in historical fiction telling women’s stories without the male gaze impeding their characters, and I cannot say how here for it I am! I adored the Housekeepers and have to say that The Queen of Fives has stolen the crown of my most recent historical fiction favorites. The twists on twists on twists keep you guessing the entire time you are reading, and once the action really gets going (around day 2) it doesn’t let up! From a would-be assassin, to con women conning literally everyone all of the time, to a three way carriage race, this is action-packed in a way few historical fictions are. A true triumph of a second novel! I can’t wait to read the next!

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay highlights some of my favorite plot devices. Sometimes you just want to read about rich people behaving badly and con artists. What can I say?

Quinn, our Queen of Cons, navigates a world of secrets and lies (hers and others) in her attempt to land a duke in Victorian London. It's an engaging and escapist read.

Many thanks to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

While I liked Hay's debut, The housekeepers and was looking forward to this sophomore title, I sadly just couldn't get into his newest British historical mystery. It totally could have been a me thing or a mood/wrong time moment but I chose to DNF and pick up something that grabbed me more. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. The audio book narrator was really good for what it's worth and I would recommend this book to fans of Beezy Marsh.