Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Everlee's solid third Lucky Lovers of London queer Victorian romance (after A Rulebook for Restless Rogues) balances an upbeat and erotic love story with the realities of life in 1880s England. Primly ambitious social reformer Dr. Emily Clarke has dedicated her life to the healing arts, only to be forced to do twice as much work as her male colleagues for inadequate pay. Meanwhile, louche lesbian Jo Smith leads a comfortable if decadent working-class life--until she learns her platonic husband's paramour, Vanessa, is pregnant. A search for a doctor who will oversee Vanessa's high-risk pregnancy without judgment leads them to Emily, who is loath to pursue obstetrics after her own mother died in childbirth. Still, her values won't allow her to turn Vanessa away--nor can she resist her intense attraction to Jo. Obstacles abound for these two women, but most are either easily surmounted or rationally discussed, leaving a satisfying amount of conflict, and the focus on community and mutual aid is especially timely. Emily, Jo, and their motley companions will win over Everlee's established fans and new readers alike. Agent: Laura Zats, Headwater Literary. (June.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
A buttoned-up woman doctor and a brash, dashing printer of erotic literature learn about love, family, and pleasure in the third in Everlee's queer historical series (following A Rulebook for Restless Rogues). Jo Smith lives her life as she pleases: wearing men's suits, selling books (both erotic and otherwise), and running an extralegal business with a man who is her husband only on paper. However, when her husband's lover falls pregnant, Jo worries that her place in her business, her home, and her world may be jeopardized. Desperate to make herself useful, she takes it upon herself to find a doctor who will treat her husband's lover, difficult because the pregnant woman is unmarried. Emily Clarke is devoted to duty: her patients, her education, her moral principles, and furthering the cause of women physicians. When Jo comes to her to take on the case, the two clash immediately but grow to realize that they have more in common than their outward circumstances would suggest. VERDICT A compelling romance between two very different women nonconformists in Victorian England that's a good fit for any reader who enjoys queer historical romance.--Sierra Wilson
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