Format: Paperback
Genre: Historical Romance
Page Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley Romance (February 9, 2021)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
I purchased A Lady's Formula for Love because I saw it compared to Evie Dunmore's writing on bookstagram, and I am so glad I discovered this book series!
Here’s a plot synopsis from GoodReads: What is a Victorian lady's formula for love? Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer. Add in a measure of danger and attraction. Heat over the warmth of humor and friendship, and the result is more than simple chemistry—it's elemental. Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets. First, she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England's most brilliant female scientists. Second, she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown. But the biggest secret of all? Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland. Solitary and reserved, Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first. But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members, the more his best intentions go up in flames. Literally. When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet's laboratories, endangering her life and her work, scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart.
I really enjoyed this book. Lately, I've been on a bit of a regency romance obsession thanks to Evie Dunmore and Harper St. George, so A Lady's Formula for Love had a lot to live up to. This book is so cute, and I'm so excited it's a series! I didn't know that when I picked this one up, so now I have even more to look forward to from these characters.
First, I love that Violet is an independent thinker in this book. So many women in regency type romances are just written all wrong to resonate with women of today, but Violet makes me want to stand up and cheer for women everywhere. She resilient, she's tenacious, she's dedicated, and she's all these things after suffering mental abuse from her late husband. He shamed her into thinking her enjoyment of sex was a bad thing, so she really doesn't know what to do with all her desires. She feels somewhat shamed, even after his death, but she wants to feel and experience life. She's really a pretty cool character, and she's a character willing to do whatever it takes to meet her academic goals. Unfortunately, those goals and work have also put her in danger, and that's where Arthur comes into play.
Second, Arthur is such an interesting male lead, and I loved that he had a bit of a dark and twisty past. Arthur is Violet's bodyguard, a counter-assasin trained by the very best. His job is to protect Violet, even if that means protecting her from himself. He's stoic and so very British (he's even disdainful of Americans, which I love, even though I am American), but he can't stand up to Violet's quiet determination and witty attitude. I loved Arthur's internal struggle, and this story had a certain will they, won't they aspect that kept me on the hook.
My one complaint about this book is that the ending kind of dragged. I waited so long to find out who was after Violet's work, and while it was a nice reveal, I feel like that portion of the book suffered from a really bad editing job. The end just didn't flow for me, and I found myself skipping pages to get to the real ending because some parts just didn't hold my interest at the end.
Overall, this was a solid four star read for me because I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, the STEM related storyline, and the theme of female empowerment throughout the book. I think anyone who enjoys Evie Dunmore, Harper St. George, or regency type romances with a moderate amount of steam will love this series!
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