[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Scarlett Wynn and the rest of the Maidens of Mayhem seek to right wrongs and protect the less fortunate. When Scarlett’s seamstress goes missing, and the search leads to a brothel, Scarlett becomes worried for the young woman.
Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, is beside himself over his brother’s irresponsibility. In fact, right after a big speech and cutting off his brother’s funds, Ambrose is summoned to a brothel to bail his brother out of trouble once again.
Soon, Ambrose and Scarlett are both looking for the missing seamstress. Their stations allow them access to different areas of town for sleuthing. But those differences also cause a lot of complication as the two become closer and start to explore the draw they feel toward one another.
Review
This is a good romance/mystery centered around a dark topic – prostitution and the sex trade. This is the first title in a new series – the Maidens of Mayhem. And while we meet the other women, we don’t get a good feel for them in this book. I assume the other women will star in their own future stories. (This has a similar set up to the Wallflowers of West End, although that series, or at least Capturing the Earl, which is the one book I have read so far, has a much lighter tone than this story. )
I appreciated the mystery in this book. The author put together a great set up where the two main characters are at odds with one another while searching for answers on what will amount to the same case. It’s quite clever. But the subject matter is dark and I found it disturbing. It made it difficult to enjoy the rest of the story. The ending for the couple was a happy one, but the heinous crimes of the book were not really resolved in a satisfying way for me.
Historical fiction fans who enjoy stories like this where women defy conventions in order to be themselves and right wrongs and such should check out this series. (Sex, TW: Assault, sex trade)
Rating: ♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥ = Good/solid/fine