For when you're vibing with... A grown-ass woman of heroine and a grown-ass man of a hero, a bit of scandal (my God, he's supposed to court her daughter), female friendships and women living on the edge, and just... punishment for bad men.

Sophie Jordan takes on a whole new series that's a bit less "ingenue stumbling through her debutante season" (which we love, but is, let's be real, in huge supply in the subgenre) and more about high society women who've seen some shit. Gertrude, the Countess of Chatham, has been awfully wedded to her shithead of husband for nineteen years, having given him two children and seen little of him since. During that time, she's cultivated a reputation as the Cold Countess, one of tastemakers of the ton, and has found solace in her friends (but no lovers--her reputation is beyond reproach).

Unfortunately, Chatham reinserts himself in her life by demanding that their daughter, Delia, wed an upstart of a man who doesn't have a title but does have tons of money--all the better to pay Chatham's debts with. Tru won't have her daughter consigned to the misery she's been dealing with... but that's really not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that the man Chatham is eyeing for their daughter is Jasper Thorne--who happens to really, really want to sleep with Tru. Really really. And the feeling is, in fact, mutual.

This series concept (The Scandalous Ladies of London) has me absolutely hooked. I am in for the ride, take my money, I will be reading every single one of these. Because listen--I love a virgin heroine, I love a young heroine, I love the Classiques. But how fucking refreshing was it to read about women who are by and large thirty or over (not sure about one of them, but she's certainly not an ingenue) and experienced in life? You have Tru, but also her friend Valencia--the heroine of the next book in the series--a duchess in a once-happy marriage that went horribly wrong. I assume we're also getting a setup for Tru's "old maid" sister Rosalind, who put aside marriage to care for their parents, and maybe Hazel...? Valencia's scandalous stepmother who used to be the mistress and is now married to a doddering old man? Maybe? Will we get Hazel's book? I love Hazel, please Sophie Jordan you're my only hope.

But let's focus on Tru. She's thirty-seven, she's jaded, she's very aware of her reputation, and she's also a bit... prim for even her own set. This book totally dispels the notion of the ton as this uptight society wherein people were shocked, SHOCKED, if even a hand was held, and gets into the reality of the situation. There's the societal rules, and then there's the shit everyone knew everyone else was getting up to, but just didn't cop to out loud. One of my favorite scenes in this book involves Tru's mother telling her to go and get some because everyone is doing it and she needs to get LAID.

A lot of Tru's conflict is really less about what society will allow and more about what she will allow herself, her own self-perception, and the risks she's willing to take. Her growth is just excellent. And this is a heroine-forward novel. Jasper is a great hero. He's sexy, he's romantic, he's got a cute kid that drives his early motivations but like. Never speaks. The best kind of kid, in my opinion. But we get much more of Tru's perspective, and most of the conflict is Tru's. If you're looking for a novel in which the man is all in from day one and the heroine is the one that needs some seduction and persuasion, this will hit those buttons.

A few highlight notes aside from what I've already said:

Quick Takes:
--Tru's a great mom, and while we don't have too many scenes of her mothering (we really don't need to see it on the page, so much of her conflict is about being a good mother to Delia) her relationship with Delia is lovely and never falls into overwrought cliche.

--There is so much positivity towards women in this book, from women. Yes, Chatham is horrible, Valencia's husband is horrible (if a bit more tragic), and most of the men besides Jasper basically suck. But the women... Valencia has animosity towards Hazel, understandably, because having a stepmother essentially your own age is awkward. Yet Tru really doesn't. And when we see Chatham's mistress, Fatima, she's actually not at all what a lot of books would set her up to be. And she has a moment at the end that's just ...!

--There's a huge "everyone can see his feelings for her coming through because of this heightened situation" moment that had me dying. It was very classic and kind of old school-feeling. Like, keep your shit together, man!

--It's pretty funny, honestly. There is one scene in this book that is just... the kind of humor you can really only make work in a historical romance.

--The world is really well done? You get the balls, yes, but also the seances, the weird little candlestick game that gives everyone an excuse to kiss everyone publicly, which most certainly is something our hero takes full advantage of. There's what goes on behind closed doors, and what you do in public, and it's just... a lot.

--This is a book wherein you do have snippets from the perspectives of characters that aren't the leads. In part because you're totally getting setup for the rest of the series, and in part because... The series conceit is so dependent on gossip and perception, and you kind of need to see other people watch a scene and go "oh fuck, Jasper Thorne looks like he's about to eat that woman alive in the ballroom". I do think we could've perhaps gotten a bit of it trimmed, or otherwise added more scenes that are just Jasper and Tru. It still absolutely works and you want to follow their story, I just could have used more. Sophie also writes a pretty tight historical romance compared, always fast-paced and quick, and I don't know if there was space for more--but if there could've been, I would've liked it.

--The ending is very quick, and it does come off as a little abrupt. I honestly had no problem with how things are resolved (in fact, reader, I did cackle with delight) but it is a pretty sudden resolution that could've been drawn out a bit further. Again, this is something that didn't totally surprise me as a lot of Sophie Jordan books I've read have a quick charge to the finish line, but it was pretty apparent here.

The Sex Stuff:
I will say that the sexuality in this novel is a bit more contained than it is in some other Sophie Jordan books I've read (and I suspect that this has to do with the delicacy of the subject matter, especially in a traditionally published romance novel--I'm sure so many people will jump to judgment about this book based off the summary alone) it is CHARGED. The sexual tension between Jasper and Tru is fabulous. There is so much longing, and almost every moment they have before Thee Moment is just this dam-breaking, can't hold back anymore type of situation.

I wholeheartedly recommend this one, and I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series. My critiques are minor, and I think that you get something super fresh here. I was actually really excited while reading this book, because to me, it felt different from a lot of historical concepts I've seen thrown around lately. Again, I have no issue with the innocent debutante books, but it was just really nice to read about high society in a lens wherein a woman is married, just accepts that it is what it is, and then has her life blown up by a hot guy who's like "you deserve better". Tru is the type of character who would give a cautionary tale monologue to a heroine of a different book. Here, she gets to shine.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book comes out tomorrow and if it's not on your buy list, correct that immediately. It’s no secret I am a big Sophie Jordan fan and I think this is her best book yet!

Tru was blindsided early on in her marriage to discover that her husband was not the man she believed she married. As a result, she has lived for years loyal to a man who has never shown her the same courtesy. After having a tense encounter with an unknown man, she starts to reconsider her stance on taking a lover. Things get more complicated when her unknown man turns out to be Jasper, the man her husband has chosen to wed their daughter!

This book has me questioning why we don’t have more books with mothers willing to protect their daughters' right to choose their husband? Tru is determined to protect her daughter from the fate of a loveless marriage. I feel like often in historicals mothers just side with their husbands. I know there are many reasons for this, but I loved Jordan’s approach in this book! What mother wouldn’t attempt to protect her daughter from unhappiness and a fate of “that’s just the way things are''?

Now, it’s difficult to write a mother who falls for the man courting her daughter, but believe me when I say Jordan makes this okay. Unfortunately, that kind of makes the book a slow burn, but I loved every second, so I am more than okay with it! I did find fault with Jasper's tact as he kept Tru in the dark far longer than I would have liked, but again. This book checked a lot of boxes for me and had some eerily relatable characters. I predict this whole series will be epic. A group of women in crappy marriages finding happiness? I am here for it!

Thank you Net Galley and Avon for allowing me to read an advanced copy for an honest review!