Tea & Strumpets: A Regency Romance Review Zoë Wernick & Kelsey Lubbe

Jane Fairfield has four hundred and eighty days more that she needs to remain unmarried - and her enormous dowry is a prize for any man. She has to devise a way to stave off even the most desperate suitor, and luckily she's found an act that seems to do the trick. Oliver Marshall knows what it's like to be the butt of a joke, and he hates to see anyone be trampled by the ton. He's been biding his time and building favors as he rises to power in Parliament. But one of Jane's rebuffed suitors has taken things personally, and he's willing to trade his vote on a very important bill for Oliver to absolutely humiliate Jane. Will Oliver become the villain in Jane's story or is he actually the villain in his own? **It's like being beaten to death by SPOILERS!!**

Spooky Ooky season is here at last! We’re getting you in the mood with a pair of lovers who seem to be encountering a restless spirit. They need to trust and rely on each other to get to the other side of this mystery. Today’s Halloween novella is Highland Haunting by Lily Maxton. **You’re cursed to hear SPOILERS!**

Everything was going well for Lady Hero Batten until she finds herself attracted to her fiancé’s scandalous brother. Pretty soon they cannot keep their hands off each other. Griffin Reading knows he needs to stay away from Lady Hero but after one taste he cannot get enough. We’re heading down Maiden Lane with Elizabeth Hoyt’s second book in the series, Notorious Pleasures. **St. Giles is filled with gin and SPOILERS**

Sesily Talbot has lived her life in the spotlight as one of the ton's favorite troublemakers - and she likes it that way. She uses her reputation as cover for her missions with the Hell's Belles - a group of women with special skills that dole out retribution when the more conventional channels don't. Caleb Calhoun has secrets that are just a tiny tinder away from fully exploding and completely changing his world. He doesn't have time for distractions - and he can never let himself get too close to anyone else lest they get burned in his downfall. But for some reason, he can't resist Sesily's bold ways, even with an ocean separating them. Will sparks turn into fireworks? Or will their love combust all that they've tried to build? We're reading Bombshell by Sarah MacLean! **Tick tick BOOM! Spoilers!**

Two years ago, two intrepid ladies set out on a creative endeavor inspired by their shared love of regency romance. And today, we're delighted to share with you the discussion we had with the author that started it all: Julie Anne Long. From Pennyroyal Green to the Palace of Rogues, from drawing from the pool of creative energy to transforming emotion into art, we are endlessly inspired by the wit and wisdom that Julie shares with us on page and podcast!

Freyja Bedwyn is enjoying life as an unattached, privileged woman. She rides recklessly and she wields her social status expertly, setting down those who need it without sparing a second thought. A few chance meetings with Joshua Moore, Marquess Hallmere, give Frejya plenty fuel to the fire for his public humiliation, but her impulsiveness gets the better of her and she falls on her own sword while the Marquess emerges unscathed. But neither is undeterred, for their is nothing much to do in Bath, and they find trading barbs with the other to be a perfectly good way to spend their time. Soon, a begrudging admiration for the other forms between them as they both find the other a worthy adversary. And when a meddling Aunt enters the picture intent on marrying Joshua to his cousin, a fake betrothal seems like a very entertaining addition to Freyja's time in Bath. What was supposed to only last a handful of days turns into a tangled web as the two band together against many twists and turns. We're heading to Bath with the Bedwyns in Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balough! **Taking the waters is good for your heath but you may find them SPOILED!!!**

The following content warnings apply to the book. We do not discuss them significantly in our synopsis but readers who would like to know should be informed:
CW: Rape, incest, sexual abuse of a minor.