I loved The Lady He Lost, so I'm glad to report Faye Delacour's sophomore effort is in no way a slump! Della is one of the proprietresses of a gambling club for ladies, which was established in the previous book. That book's heroine, Jane, is a very new mother, so nightly management duties have fallen to Della--who has also decided to market the club by publishing a London guidebook for ladies. She's inspired by the successful guides for men written by Lyman, Lord Ashton, a disgraced peer. Ashton is barely staying financially afloat, sending most of his earnings in monthly alimony payments to his long-estranged wife, so he jumps at the opportunity to mentor Della and get a cut of her profits. Delacour's main characters are so unique and fresh. I don't think I've ever read a MMC who was estranged from but still married to a woman that isn't the FMC (if you're worried about cheating/OW drama, know that he hasn't seen her in 9 years, there was never affection between them, she's no conniving harpy, and Ashton is entirely at fault; she's entirely off-page and he only deals with her jerk of a brother). He's a peer but with a scandalous past and no estate income, so he has to work and lives in a boarding house. In terms of personality, he's uptight and starchy precisely because of his past. Della is a society heiress, but her parents don't pay much attention to her so she's more able to indulge her impulsive nature than the typical FMC. I identified with her tendency to take on too many projects and say "yes" to everyone in fear of letting them down. She's certainly in over her head managing the club, working on her book, maintaining friendships (I loooove Reva and hope we'll get to see her and her Mr. Bhattacharya in the future!), cleaning up her younger sister's messes, AND flirting with an entirely unsuitable married viscount. I've never read a heroine I identify with more. Admittedly, I wasn't always sold on these two's relationship. At first, I didn't see much beyond initial attraction and perhaps Della being a bit of a "manic pixie dream girl" for Ashton. But Della's happy-go-lucky facade crumbles as her commitments overwhelm her. However, I realized this pair really does work for me when Ashton does a favor for Della that is exactly what I would want a partner to do for me. When seeing her struggle, Ashton asks what she needs and simply provides it. He doesn't complicate the situation like everyone else in her life would. He can't provide much, but he gives what he can and supports her unconditionally. I don't usually like an age gap (he's 35 and she's 26 so it's not extreme), but because Della is so headstrong and independent, I never felt like Ashton was in a position of power or control over her. I did find myself wanting an epilogue, if only because the "third act breakup" comes around 90% and their reunion is at 98% or so (I'm not referencing the book so these aren't exact). I wanted a happy couple vignette! Also--I know it's become trendy to hate third act breakups. I generally love them and the messier the better, but if you're concerned, please note that there's no misunderstanding and no one needs to grovel. They just need to take care of their own shit and grow independently before they're able to solidify that HEA. There's an ongoing theme of how interpersonal relationships evolve over time and how friendships must necessarily adapt, culminating in a tough, beautiful conversation between Della and Jane. Typically in series like this, previous heroines pop up, babies in tow, perfectly happy. Sometimes the new FMC thinks about feeling lonely or missing her friend, but it's rare that the two have a discussion where the married/babied friend voices anything other than total bliss with her situation. In the previous book, Jane was a stubborn businesswoman preoccupied with creating the club she envisioned. Delacour creates a natural continuation of Jane's character arc in a way that complements Della's flaws and struggles in her book. Not to say that it was distracting, but rather that it illuminates so much about Della herself. In sum, I think Delacour is a fantastic newer author writing feminist historicals that feel light and sparkly while still containing emotional depth. She's an auto-buy for me now (although thanks to Netgalley I didn't have to this time!). Highly recommend for fans of Sarah MacLean, Mia Vincy, Alexandra Vasti, Tessa Dare, Julie Anne Long, etc.

This book is so messy.