Because this is not the type of story I would typically read, I was curious what I would think of it. I listened to the audiobook, and found it very entertaining all the way through. It's got quite a few moments where you want to find out what happens next, and the characters are likeable and enjoyable. Definitely better than I was anticipating!

(I received a free copy of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Ahhhh! I loved it! This is the very first audiobook l've listened to and I was not disappointed! The buildup was insane! This made me feel what the characters were feeling! The author did a great job and I will be reading more of their books!

Such a well done romance novel.

It was amazing to read about Emily and how quick witted she is. Zach was a character you don’t see often in historical romance novels and was such a great male lead.

They kept eluding to Emily’s big great secret and once it was finally revealed it felt like a let down. I wish Emily and Zach talked about it and she told him why. It felt very here is the secret and two pages later here is the murder so we will forget the secret.

I can’t wait to learn more about Dove.

I went into this thinking it was more of a romance than it seems to be, and the subject matter gets a little heavier than I expected, what with the focus on the murders of sex workers and Emily's past with her husband.

Oddly, the tone of the novel is quite breezy and light and doesn't really fit with the subject matter. The writing is also not the best. I know it's a debut novel, but there were so many times where the wording was just clumsy and took me out of the story. The one that sticks out most in my memory is the phrase "fingers of rage tapped the backs of Zach's eyeballs."

I had been really trying to give it a good go despite the awkward writing, but that phrase was the last straw for me. Phrasing that is that clumsy and awkward is something I absolutely cannot handle.

I will say that if readers who don't mind awkward phrasing like that and are aware of the heavier themes, might really enjoy this one.

The audiobook is well done but the narrator was too chipper and upbeat and read the story with too much lightness for the subject matter. That, combined with the awkward phrasing, made it hard to take it seriously.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Forever, and Hachette Audio for providing an early copy and audio copy for review.

I simply LOVED this book! How can a story contain a s3rial k!ller, a mrdr and talk about such dark topics, and yet be so adorable that you just can’t stop smiling? Maybe I’m twisted after all 😂

Emily is a fake governess with a dark past, and Zach is a policeman who becomes the catch of the Season by making a fortune from his investments. I loved them together — their interactions, the chemistry, the notes — damn, those notes 🫠🫠

Zach is such a precious man, and he fell so hard for Emily. And poor Emily, with her Big Secret! I thought it was going to be something stupid when it’s revealed, but it turned out to be quite the convincing obstacle. I was impressed. Even the twist I didn’t guess, though I didn’t try very hard either.

I’m not sure I care yet about the overarching plot, but I’ll gladly read the next ones to discover more about the secret society of governess spies. 🕵️‍♀️

The narration was phenomenal! I fell in love with the characters from listening the audiobook.


Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(Just because of a couple of modern expressions that unexpectedly took me out of the story for a moment. Otherwise the book is perfect!)
🌶️🌶️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The narrator for this audiobook really brought it to life. I had such a fun time listening to this one. I look forward to future novels in this series.

I love me a good historical romance, and I have my tried & true favorite authors. But I'm also always open to trying someone new. The premise and description of this one caught my interest so I gave it a try, and I'm glad I did. This was a nice mix of romance and mystery with interesting characters and a mysterious woman known as "The Dove", who recruits for and runs the Secret Society of Governess Spies. It held my interest throughout, and while there were times I thought I'd figured out whodunnit (in this case, who was killing "women of ill repute") - in the end I was wrong. The audiobook was narrated by Ella Lynch and Rupert Channing and they did a nice job. Overall it was a fun and engaging listen, and I'll be on the lookout for the next installment of this series from Lindsay Lovise.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This debut from Lindsay Lovise was such a great surprise! I went into this one a little hesitant, since I haven’t had a lot of good luck recently with historical romance mysteries, and this one ended up checking off all the right boxes!

The story opens up with Emily, a governess who was recently approved to join a secret spy network run by The Dove. Who better to spy on the ton, than the governesses in their homes!

Lucky for Emily. she starts this gig right as a serial killer is stocking ladies of ill repute in London…

Also hot on the trail of the murderer, nicknamed The Evangelist, is the wealthy self made society playboy and the Metropolitan Police Department’s task force leader, Zachariah Denholm.

Both of these characters are on the hunt and team up to give their own respective assignments an edge. Two minds are better than one!

Emily and Zac are so much alike and their checkered pasts not only help their investigations but also brings them closer together!

This was an excellent romance and murder mystery! I was totally guessing until the end- and best of all, not only do they solve the case, the get an HEA together as well!

I listen to the audiobook version narrated by Ella Lynch and Rupert Channing. I found Rupert’s voice to be a perfect match for Zac and really enjoyed listening to his characterization. Ella was a little too nasally for my liking, but she was well pronounced and Once I got used to her, she was easy to listen to. I like the combination of the male and female dual narration. It worked really well with the romance aspect and the mystery.

Thanks to Forever Publishing and Hachette Audio for my ebook and audio review copies via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover on this novel. Wow! Just gorgeous. Then I saw the series name: “Secret Society of Governess Spies”? Sold!
Lindsay Lovise’s debut novel successfully combines romance with both mystery and intrigue. Both main characters were raised in poverty. Emily Leverton has been hand-selected for a secret network of governesses who spy on the ton and provide information to the metropolitan police that only women in the working class can provide. Zach Denholm has earned his own incredible wealth in smart investments following his military service. As a volunteer detective constable for the metropolitan police, he has been tasked with finding the most recent serial killer to terrorize London: “The Evangelist.” Zach falls almost instantly for Emily. She, however, is determined to keep him at a distance because she is convinced her darkest secret prevents them from ever having a future together. Zach is so patient and persistent throughout the novel. He successfully “reads” Emily and her intentions or motivations time and time again. He’s an amazing hero– until the reveal of the deep, dark secret. Although he eventually comes around and realizes he’s not a dummy, he lost some points with me for his initial reaction, and it just didn’t seem to be in keeping with his character throughout.
As for the mystery and intrigue, it’s definitely secondary to the romance, but it’s substantial. I’m not a huge mystery reader, but I thought the reveal at the end was very satisfying. I look forward to the next secret governess spy and her story!
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and both narrators (Ella Lynch and Rupert Channing) were amazing. I loved having both the female and male perspectives, and their diction and pace was excellent. I will definitely seek out more audiobooks with either of these narrators.
This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy. Opinions are my own.

Smoking hot and fun. One governess spy and one uber rich detective makes up the threads of this story.

Emily is from a horrible background, poor, daughter of a prostitute and sold as wife to a brute. She is making over her life by being a governess who spies on ton families. She meets Zach during a ball, catching his attention by winking at him.

Zach, a self made rich detective is working on finding a murderer who is killing prostitutes. His main suspect is the family where Emily is a governess.

Man Zach falls hard for Emily. Her wit, her looks, her guts, she has him wrapped up around her little finger.
She runs away he catches up. Her past catches up to her, they resolve it together. The push and pull in the storyline and relationship between the hero and heroine is just very well written. I also loved the steam just rising up from the pages.

I would say this is a romance first and the mysteries and subplots while resolved are more secondary.

I listened to this book and loved rhe narration. It was well done, accents intonations, genders were all represented well. This is my first read by the author and won't be my last.

I enjoyed the both the mystery and the romance parts of this book. Love the strong female lead. Hopefully there will be a sequel, the author does introduce a potential new plot at the end!

Original and fun historical romance. I like what is being set up for this series and I will continue on for sure.

I thought the heroine was scrappy and resourceful and it was fun to watch her figure out this new situation.

I also enjoyed the audio book. The narration was well done.

A spy and a policeman, great book. Lots of good drama happening here, adventures and tension filled. Loved it.

3.75 Stars
An entertaining and steamy historical romance

I really enjoyed the romantic storyline between Emily and Zach. I love the playful banter they had. However, the balance between romance and mystery was not quite equal, as the romance seemed to take center stage. I wanted a bit more mystery throughout the novel. Nevertheless, I still found it to be a fun read, and look forward to reading more from this author.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Lindsay Lovise, and Hachette Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I really enjoyed this book! It's a really good mix of romance and mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and can't wait for more of!

I absolutely loved both Zach and Emily and thought their banter was really funny and engaging. I think the alternating POVs really added to the story. I really like historicals where the main characters are not members of the nobility so this really worked for me, with Zach being a detective and Emily being a governess. I really liked their relationship, and though I don't always love when a character is keeping secrets from the other, I think this makes a lot of sense in the context of this book and Emily's past.

I was totally surprised by the reveal of the villain, though to be honest I rarely guess that sort of thing.

I alternated between reading the book and listening to the audio and really enjoyed the audio performances by Ella Lynch and Rupert Channing. I love a dual narration so much and thought both narrators did excellent jobs and brought a lot to the book which really added to my enjoyment.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

great pacing! The author keeps the story moving along nicely. She also balances the different plots very smoothly!

I have a list of suspects! Great pacing and intrigue Lovise!
Such a great story! I do have to say I think "too much" was going on... and at the 70/ 80 % mark it seemed that too many subplots were waying the story down... However, great pacing, fun story... and I am awaiting the second book! Lately the books I have read have not had me this excited to know what happens next!
The only reason that I didnt give it a higher rating is bc I am not a fan of instant lust and thought too many subplots... but really it's splitting hairs. It's been so long since I have laughed-out- loud during a book.
Thank you Netgally for the audio and ebook. i was able to go back and forth ane read and listen. Narrators were excellent and true to the story.
These opinions are my own.

Never Blow A Kiss was an entertaining read even though it was a bit predictable. I still enjoyed it. I loved that it was a blend of mystery and suspense with a bit of steam in a historical romance wrap. It was interesting. I loved the premise of it and thought the author did a good job of executing it as did the narrators in bringing the characters to life. This was an awesome debut and I look forward to reading the next in the series especially after the set up in the epilogue.

Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise
Secret Society of Governess Spies series #1. Historical romantic suspense. Alternating POV between the hero and heroine.
Emily Leverton has a dark and difficult history but she is determined to make a better life for herself. In an honest trade or profession. But while that may be her preference, there are others that won’t allow her to “better” herself more than they think is due to them.
Ex-soldier Zach helps the Metropolitan Police investigating crimes. He has access to the better drawing rooms as a rich railroad magnate. People love to share their secrets. When a saucy woman blows him a kiss as he’s being sought by a matchmaking mama, Zack follows Emily. He’s soon fascinated by her unique attitude and outlook and falls for the governess but secrets may cause problems

🎧 I alternated between an ebook copy and an audiobook reading this. The audiobook is narrated by Ella Lynch and Rupert Channing. Both gave a marvelous performance. The two narrators made it easy to track whose POV the chapter was for while the ebook was not labeled. The full text is in 3rd person so the audio actually did a better job in that respect. Both performed with great diction, and emotions. The surprise, and anger and frustration were so well done, I don’t think I would have read it with the same passion. The ebook was a smidge better for following or backtracking on the surprising twists that kept occurring!

I’m starting to enjoy historical romance much more lately with these unique and non traditional characters. Emily is not just a governess but has a lot of rich history woven into the story. She’s a survivor. I look forward to more of this series to see what’s next.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Hachette Audio.

3.5 ⭐️

This historical romance was a fast paced, wild ride full of mystery, murder, twists, knife fights, and steamy rendezvous in carriages and hedge mazes. I really enjoyed the concept of this network of governess spies unearthing the ton’s darker and deadly secrets, but I was hoping for more info on “The Dove,” especially after the epilogue.

Emily and Zach, who both clawed their ways out of impoverished childhoods to change the trajectory of their lives, were endearing and interesting characters. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop, though it was rather quick as sparks were flying when these two were in each other’s vicinities, and their physical connection was accompanied by emotional depth. They worked so well together and I’m hoping the pair makes an appearance in the next installment!

I received an ALC for review and I enjoyed the story even more on audio. The dual narration with the story’s dual POV was fantastic and a very entertaining listening experience.

Overall, this was a solid debut from Lovise - incredibly bingeable with its fast pace, mystery, and steamy romance - and the start to an intriguing series. After reveals in the epilogue, I am looking forward to seeing what mystery and dangers lay ahead for these characters.

First in a new series by a debut author.

Emily is a governess... with a past. She is a former thief who lied to get her position. When she is tapped on the shoulder to spy for a police informant, she sees it as a way to right some of the wrongs of her past. She meets Zach, who is a detective tracking down a murderer killing prostitutes. Emily feels guilty- not only for her past, but because she knows who the secret police informant is.

I really enjoyed this. It was nice to get a touch of the <i>ton</i>, yet focus on characters in their periphery. I liked both Zach and Emily as characters. I also liked them for each other. Both are very open, accepting, and understanding.

I look forward to the next book in the series.

This is told from multiple POVs, but mostly from the POVs of Emily and Zach.

Two narrators are used for the audiobook- which I always appreciate for dual POV books. Unfortunately, there are a couple of chapters from a third POV, so you do have to be careful not to assume you are in Emily's POV.

Ella Lynch and Rupert Channing do a great job narrating.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.