3.75/5. Releases 10/24/2023.

Vibes: romance with a side of espionage, a totally in love hero, "a motley crew of oddballs" sensibilities, and light assassin feels

Blade expert Josephine Brown never stays in one place long, and doesn't form deep relationships. But now that she's a partial owner of Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre (think a traveling circus full of dangerous ladies) connections are becoming difficult to avoid. Particularly her connection with Elliot, an agent for the Crown who quickly falls head over heels for her. As the two work together on a dangerous assignment, Jo finds Elliot increasingly hard to resist--while he's determined to know her secrets.

With a good dose of plot (often having to do with Napoleonic shenanigans), the Wicked Women of Whitechapel series is entertaining and always sexy, with a spin on historical romance you don't see often. I really enjoyed the chemistry and interactions between Jo and Elliot--but I do feel like you might want to read the first two books ahead of this one.

Quick Takes:

--One thing I like about this series is that the heroines tend to be a bit on the jaded side, regardless of age. They've been around the block, they've been emotionally (and usually physically, thanks to their dangerous lifestyles) wounded in the past. This makes it totally believable when they began physical relationships with their heroes without being able to emotionally commit. These are women who seize pleasure when they can get it, and find it difficult to resist indulging their desires.

Similarly, the heroes might be snarky, might be a bit dangerous themselves, might be frustrated with their heroines at points--but they also tend to be heroes that fall first and fall hard. You get that with Jo and Elliot. No matter how much she wants to resist falling for him, it's hard for her to do when he's just so smitten and so charming.

--Jo has a pet raven. His name is Angus and he is excellent. I love it when heroines have random weird pets; it's a quirk that I find particularly satisfying. Maybe the raven watched them have sex? Only God knows.

--There is an interclass conflict, and I do love an interclass conflict. However, at points it did feel like a bit of a rehash of the previous book's personal relationship conflict (separate from the larger suspense plot) which is "I shall not be your mistress, sir". The thing that makes it a little more baffling here is that Elliot is so clearly gone for Jo early on. So it's like--girl, I don't think he really cares if he comes from a wealthier family (and he's not even a firstborn son). He wants you.

--Additionally, I will say that while I enjoyed the relationship between Jo and Elliot and the larger mystery plot... Where I think this book suffered was in the overlapping with the two previous novels. Don't get me wrong, this works as a standalone, but considering how much this entwines with the previous installments... I don't know, I feel like you'd get more out of reading the series in order.

This kind of overlapping plot element can work, especially in romance. But when I compare this to say, The Duke Gets Even, a book that was the culmination of a four-novel buildup to the final couple--this book just feels a little two connected to its companions. It slowed the plot at points, because you'd have to get a catchup on what was happening. By no means did it hurt the story too much, but it was noticeable.

The Sex:

The sex scenes begin pretty early here, and they're great, and they really don't let up throughout the novel. Spencer has a real talent for writing a sex scene that's both quite carnal and quite emotionally satisfying. I really loved the way Jo and Elliot interacted with each other; from the beginning, you felt that she was technically giving him a lot, while emotionally remaining closed off. Over time, you feel that emotional connection strengthen, and that's reflected in the way they have sex. It's a smart writing choice.

While I think I preferred the previous books in the series a little more, The Cutthroat Countess is still a fun, satisfying read. Would recommend to anyone who wants to explore a more action-packed historical romance with a heroine whose skill set extends beyond the ballroom.

Thanks to Kensington and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.