This final installment in the Dangerous Damsels series takes two of the side characters from [b:The League of Gentlewomen Witches|58395042|The League of Gentlewomen Witches (Dangerous Damsels, #2)|India Holton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628691906l/58395042._SX50_.jpg|91593095], Daniel Bixby who was Alex O'Riley's butler and Alice, an unassuming maid for one of the pirate ladies and reveals that both have been secretly working for the Agency of Undercover Note Takers and gathering intelligence on the pirates. Now they are to be paired together for the dangerous mission of uncovering a weapon at a pirate house party that might be used to assassinate the queen.

My experience with this series has been kind of wild. I honestly didn't particularly enjoy the first book but every book since then has been progressively better and The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is legitimately a favorite read of 2024. It was very fun to watch Alice and Daniel, both of whom have been trained to focus only on the job, have an initial very strong rivalry that quickly moves to mutual respect and reliance. There is great neurospicy rep in this, with both Daniel and Alice not really loving being around people and navigating conversation and Alice frequently misunderstanding things like metaphors. I appreciated how they each came to support each other and have a real partnership, for all that they continue denying it for most of the book.

And honestly, the wordplay and the hijinks in this were top tier. There was frequent commentary from the pirates hinting that maybe the spies weren't fitting in quite as well as they thought and the subtlety and humor of that had me giggling. And it's exactly as ridiculous and over the top as [b:The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love|200555182|The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love (Love's Academic, #1)|India Holton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1710620074l/200555182._SY75_.jpg|203383001] which was another favorite of 2024. I appreciate India Holton most when she's going full pedal to the metal on the humor and the goofiness.

If you enjoy the melding of an almost Monty Python level of humor and silliness with Victorian vibes and some neurospicy main characters, I'd highly recommend this one. It does a spectacular job of wrapping up this series, tying together many of the characters from previous installments and ending on a high note. It's easily a new favorite for me and I'm excited for Holton's next book!

Thank you SO MUCH to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Hands down one of my favorite series of all time. I don't think any other historical romance will live up to my love for this series.

Since book 1, I've fallen head over heels in love with these characters and this world. India Holton built such a fun, quirky, and lovable world.

This book follows a secret society of undercover spies (Butlers, Maids, Cooks, and other employees who go unnoticed). We follow the top 2 spies in the organization as they try and infiltrate the Wisteria Society by pretending to be a pirate couple.

Just like in the previous books, these characters are witty, charismatic, and laugh out loud hilarious. Bixby's dry humor and likelihood to miss jokes makes him such a fun character to follow. The banter between him and Alice was everything I've come to expect and enjoy in this series.

But I think my favorite part of this entire book was the ending. The way Bixby fights for Alice broke me in ways I wasn't expecting (I cried. Through like 4 chapters). And on top of that, the final scene where all the characters came together... beautiful.

I'm going to miss these characters so much but I can't wait to see where India Holton goes next!