The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Dangerous Damsels, Book 1

Synopsis: A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.

Review: The synopsis of this book was very tempting. How do you resist an unusual organization of women, pirates, plots and all, in Victorian society? I say yes!

So we discover Cecilia, who is finally old enough to have an assassin on her tail. This is a great moment for a woman of the Wisteria Society. And one thing her pirate assassin doesn’t expect is to fall under her spell. But Ned is much more than just a pirate and we’re about to discover that he has many hidden sides.

I had a great time with this novel. Cecilia will open up to the world and maybe even her feelings. She is willing to do anything for the people in her family and even more so for her aunt who raises her. So when she has to ally herself with the pirate who is trying to kill her to save her, she doesn’t hesitate to do so, even if they have to pretend to be husband and wife so she doesn’t lose her reputation.

As you can see, this was a very enjoyable novel and I’m curious to see what the second volume will be about.