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The Damsels of Discovery #1
The Love Remedy
When a Victorian apothecary hires a stoic private investigator to protect her business, they learn there’s only one way to treat true love—with a happily ever after.
When Lucinda Peterson’s recently perfected formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing, she’s certain it’s only the latest in a line of misfortunes at the hands of a rival apothecary. Outraged and fearing financial ruin, Lucy turns to private investigator Jonathan Thorne for help. She just didn’t expect her champion to be so . . . grumpy?
A single father and an agent at Tierney & Co., Thorne accepts missions for a wide variety of employers—from the British government to wronged wives. None have intrigued him so much as the spirited Miss Peterson. As the two work side by side to unmask her scientific saboteur, Lucy slips ever so sweetly under Thorne’s battered armor, tempting him to abandon old promises.
With no shortage of suspects—from a hostile political group to an erstwhile suitor—Thorne’s investigation becomes a threat to all that Lucy holds dear. As the truth unravels around them the cure to their problems is they must face the future together.
When Lucinda Peterson’s recently perfected formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing, she’s certain it’s only the latest in a line of misfortunes at the hands of a rival apothecary. Outraged and fearing financial ruin, Lucy turns to private investigator Jonathan Thorne for help. She just didn’t expect her champion to be so . . . grumpy?
A single father and an agent at Tierney & Co., Thorne accepts missions for a wide variety of employers—from the British government to wronged wives. None have intrigued him so much as the spirited Miss Peterson. As the two work side by side to unmask her scientific saboteur, Lucy slips ever so sweetly under Thorne’s battered armor, tempting him to abandon old promises.
With no shortage of suspects—from a hostile political group to an erstwhile suitor—Thorne’s investigation becomes a threat to all that Lucy holds dear. As the truth unravels around them the cure to their problems is they must face the future together.
Audible Audio
First published March 19, 2024
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About the author
Elizabeth Everett
6 books798 followersElizabeth Everett is a USA Today Bestselling author of historical romance and lives in upstate New York. Her work is inspired by her admiration for rule breakers and belief in the power of love to change the world.
Head over to Elizabeth's website and subscribe to The Rule Breaker's Report for the latest news, exclusive excerpts from Elizabeth's books, giveaways, and terrible jokes.
Head over to Elizabeth's website and subscribe to The Rule Breaker's Report for the latest news, exclusive excerpts from Elizabeth's books, giveaways, and terrible jokes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 455 reviews
March 4, 2024
dnf @ 61%
the premise of this book sounded so intriguing, but the execution just fell flat for me. i appreciated the feminist themes and the women-in-stem representation, but it was such a slog to get through.
footage of me reading this (real):
i didn’t care for any of the characters. they felt kind of bland and underdeveloped, (and because of that) i wasn’t fond of the romance. much to my chagrin, it overshadowed the mystery of lucy’s missing cure, which was what i found most interesting. i’m so used to contemporary fiction that this abrupt change in genre may be part of the reason i disliked it so much.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc!
the premise of this book sounded so intriguing, but the execution just fell flat for me. i appreciated the feminist themes and the women-in-stem representation, but it was such a slog to get through.
footage of me reading this (real):
i didn’t care for any of the characters. they felt kind of bland and underdeveloped, (and because of that) i wasn’t fond of the romance. much to my chagrin, it overshadowed the mystery of lucy’s missing cure, which was what i found most interesting. i’m so used to contemporary fiction that this abrupt change in genre may be part of the reason i disliked it so much.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc!
Read
February 24, 2024Thank you Netgallery and to the author Elizabeth Everett.
Sadly I am DNFing at 30 percent. I feel no connection to the characters and am too bored to finish the story. I’m super sad because I wanted to love this so much between the tropes and beautiful cover I thought this would be amazing but it’s not working for me.
Sadly I am DNFing at 30 percent. I feel no connection to the characters and am too bored to finish the story. I’m super sad because I wanted to love this so much between the tropes and beautiful cover I thought this would be amazing but it’s not working for me.
March 3, 2024
Lucy has perfected a formula for croup, and she needs it to be able to salvage her apothecary. Too bad she can’t find it anywhere. She thinks that the rival apothecary has taken it, so she hires a private investigator, Jonathan Thorne, to help.
Thorne is intrigued by this case. As he and Lucy work side by side, they get closer and closer. As the truth unravels around them, they realize they must face the future together.
This book had a lot of things to love, feminist topics and spice! Sign me up! I love reading books about apothecaries and this one did not disappoint.
While it did take me a while to connect to Lucy, once I did, I didn’t want to let her go and I loved her. Lucy was such an advocate for women’s rights, and she was so advanced for her time, I really enjoyed it. She was just so interesting and so much fun. The male main character, Thorne, was also great. Single fathers who are involved in their children’s lives hold a soft spot in my heart and I adored him.
The relationship between Lucy and Thorne was realistic. Their relationship had some ups and downs, but it was a great journey. There was a little spice in this book as well and it was well done.
Sometimes I struggle with Victorian era romance, but that wasn’t the case here because it was so well written. I loved how the social issues with portrayed and brought to light within the pages and this was such a great story overall. It’s not often that you read about women in STEM in the 19th century so this book was a nice surprise and welcome.
Thank you so much to Berkley @Berkleypub, Berkley Romance @Berkleyromance and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thorne is intrigued by this case. As he and Lucy work side by side, they get closer and closer. As the truth unravels around them, they realize they must face the future together.
This book had a lot of things to love, feminist topics and spice! Sign me up! I love reading books about apothecaries and this one did not disappoint.
While it did take me a while to connect to Lucy, once I did, I didn’t want to let her go and I loved her. Lucy was such an advocate for women’s rights, and she was so advanced for her time, I really enjoyed it. She was just so interesting and so much fun. The male main character, Thorne, was also great. Single fathers who are involved in their children’s lives hold a soft spot in my heart and I adored him.
The relationship between Lucy and Thorne was realistic. Their relationship had some ups and downs, but it was a great journey. There was a little spice in this book as well and it was well done.
Sometimes I struggle with Victorian era romance, but that wasn’t the case here because it was so well written. I loved how the social issues with portrayed and brought to light within the pages and this was such a great story overall. It’s not often that you read about women in STEM in the 19th century so this book was a nice surprise and welcome.
Thank you so much to Berkley @Berkleypub, Berkley Romance @Berkleyromance and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 27, 2024
✨This book and every character in this book: “He’s ugly. That man is UGLY. That is not a handsome man!” Which I, for one, found to be hilarious and beautiful. Definitely gave a Lisa-Kleypas-describing-Westclif vibe lol.✨
Okay, I definitely feel like I have an unpopular opinion right now! Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot about this book, I’m also just conflicted about a lot of this book. I’m happy my opinion seems to be in the minority though, because Elizabeth is a wonderful writer and the themes are deeply important. So before we get into my spoiler portion, of which there are many, I want to highlight all that I loved about this book.
To begin, if your favorite book in the Secret Scientists of London series is A Lady’s Formula for Love, I think you’ll really appreciate the pacing and romance dynamic set up here. It really made me want to revisit Arthur and Violet again, since I do love Everett’s mature and unconventional characters. The Love Remedy is a bit of a slower and more mellow burn, but the payoff was definitely not.
Elizabeth definitely read my MIND when it came to the sex scenes. Literally, the first scene when Thorne was asking Lucy to “let go,” I was like I think we need some bondage or sensory stuff like a blindfold to really help focus/unfocus her mind, and what did we get??? Her tied to the bed and blindfolded in the next scene! It was so perfect. The sex scenes were super hot.
I also loved that Thorne was a single father with sexy spectacles with a good head for account books. I really enjoy seeing characters interacting with spunky and smart children, and Sadie was so charming. I can’t wait to see her grow throughout this and maybe future series! She also helped soften some of Thorne’s rougher edges (for me). She was always a bright moment in the book.
I think if I reread this via audiobook, I’ll have a better experience the second time around and maybe even round up my rating. I didn’t have much time the past week to read this, so it took me ten days to finish. I was reading bits and pieces, so that combined with a rather slow, character-driven plot made it hard to finish. That’s partly on me, so I do wish I read this via audio the first time around. There were so many wonderful parts of this book, I just either wasn’t really the right audience or not in the mood for the type of romance this was.
All of this (and that below) being said, I read the teaser for book two and let me tell YOU. We as a society are not prepared for that book!!! I’M SO STOKED. I’ve literally been wondering about the potential since book one. I’m shook.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5
Warning: Below is a very long review which may not even make much sense until you read the book. I probably don’t even recommend reading this half of the review until after you’ve read the book. I had to include several spoilers, including who stole her recipe, because I’ve just been left rather confused. All thoughts are my own and hopefully illustrate how the book made ME feel, rather than what the book was trying to convey—because the message of this book remains super important!!!
***This review contains spoilers below this point.***
It was an important book but it was also a heavy book. Poor Lucy was just so downtrodden by those nasty Guardians of Domesticity and the way that father who lost the child reacted? I just didn’t enjoy having take the misogynistic slander from yet another man for something out of her control. Did that father ever get told what an ass he was being? No, Lucy just had to sit there and take it. And she didn’t even open up to anyone about what happened, not even the hero! Literally devastating.
And then a young side character got raped—yes to show the importance of women’s healthcare—but it just made me even more sad. I think we could’ve still had those important conversations if, let’s say, a condom broke, rather than her being forced to have sex without protection. She was having a consensual encounter until she realized they didn’t have protection; she wanted him to stop, he didn’t.
She was a young woman and seeing the change in her character after was just so disheartening in the middle of the book. This was included to show that it was good for sexually active young women to be educated about prevention and abortions if necessary, and to show some of the hero’s lack of awareness…but I’m sorry women already lost a lot in this book and nothing was ever really done to any of the horrible men? I wasn’t really inspired, just sad, especially knowing where we are currently as a society.
I admire Elizabeth so much for writing this book—which was a direct response to abortion bans, politicians interfering in a woman’s right to choose, etc—but it really just illustrated (to me) how powerless it felt to be a woman then and honestly now. Don't get me wrong, I want all of the abortion access and women's health conversations to be in this book. I just also wanted Lucy to punch the shit out of a guardian of domesticity. Just one little punch! Or maybe some light poison! And for Thorne to K/O Timmy because nothing happened to him! Maybe he didn’t realize not using contraception against Katie’s will was rape but???? He deserves to be at least reprimanded!! So he doesn’t hurt someone else!!
✨
Thorne was kind of an oddity to me. In a book about strong women making decisions about their bodies, he was written to in part push back on Lucy and Juliet’s work. He started the book rigid and it took him very long to change…if he did. He was also a bit religious which wasn’t bad, but it was a bit jarring. I get the juxtaposition of specific religions and abortion, but it just seemed like another layer of things to unpack that were never unpacked.
While I think Thorne ultimately came around to supporting Lucy, it was never really discussed? She was mad at him for a bit but then he realized “love can be easy” and got Katie to enroll in science school and apparently that was it? Does he actually support the sexual health education? I guess it’s realistic, but again, I wanted to feel a bit more empowered? He seemed like a good guy, but did I like him? I don’t really know.
Now, onto Lucy. Oh Lucy, I just want to give you a hug. And then I want to give you a SHAKE. Because how can you look me in the eyes and tell me the premise of this book is based on her hard work being stolen by a man and her desperately wanting it back (because he’s already stolen and profited from her other ideas) and have the mystery end like THAT. Again major spoilers, but her sister literally stole the formula, gave half to the same sniveling MAN hoping that he would be convinced to marry Lucy to get the rest of the formula so she would be happy??? And then she just wasn’t really reprimanded? Because once again Lucy just gave in and forgave her for the better good. It the most polite way, what the FUCK.
I guess Juliet had good intentions, but seriously? It made me so angry and she barely got a slap on the wrist and Lucy was still considering marrying the dude to get it back. Like??? She was blaming herself for not asking for help from her siblings when they didn’t want to help her! She needed to be more selfish, but she suffered from “eldest sister in a historical romance syndrome” which meant sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. I guess I just really wanted Lucy to yell REALLY LOUDLY at someone. ANYONE. I’ve got a lot of rage and I thought this book would help expel some of it, but alas it kind of created more.
It seriously felt like she was going to let Duncan keep the recipe until Thorne got it back. After all that, the entire book, she was closer to marrying him for the recipe than anything else. She probably wouldn’t have gone through with it, but it still made me sad she even had to consider it that late in the book.
✨
Which brings me to my next point of, why lord WHY did we introduce that plotline of literally both main characters entertaining the ideas of marrying OTHER PEOPLE at like eighty percent of the book. Yes it illustrated what they ultimately loved in each other over the other “right” choices, but I was just so tired at that point. It’s a book where it felt like not much happened but also so much happened, simultaneously.
It was very slow burn and then after they finally got together after many many pages, they for some reason started considering offers of marriage from OTHER people! Bad people! Annoying people! Why??? Took the steam right out of me, and right out of their romance. And then when we got around all of that, Thorne still didn’t believe in love and was still thinking they couldn’t be together. Why? I couldn’t tell ya.
Also, there was no epilogue, so when Thorne suddenly made the shift to accepting love, the book just ended. I just wasn’t entirely convinced they were a compatible couple. I can’t really remember a lot of deep conversations between them, and I’d have liked to see a glimpse into their future life together, to see how they cohabitate. How is Lucy as a mother to Sadie? What’s their day-to-day dynamic? Does Thorne keep bookkeeping or is he still an agent?
✨
Thanks so much to the author and publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
Okay, I definitely feel like I have an unpopular opinion right now! Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot about this book, I’m also just conflicted about a lot of this book. I’m happy my opinion seems to be in the minority though, because Elizabeth is a wonderful writer and the themes are deeply important. So before we get into my spoiler portion, of which there are many, I want to highlight all that I loved about this book.
To begin, if your favorite book in the Secret Scientists of London series is A Lady’s Formula for Love, I think you’ll really appreciate the pacing and romance dynamic set up here. It really made me want to revisit Arthur and Violet again, since I do love Everett’s mature and unconventional characters. The Love Remedy is a bit of a slower and more mellow burn, but the payoff was definitely not.
Elizabeth definitely read my MIND when it came to the sex scenes. Literally, the first scene when Thorne was asking Lucy to “let go,” I was like I think we need some bondage or sensory stuff like a blindfold to really help focus/unfocus her mind, and what did we get??? Her tied to the bed and blindfolded in the next scene! It was so perfect. The sex scenes were super hot.
I also loved that Thorne was a single father with sexy spectacles with a good head for account books. I really enjoy seeing characters interacting with spunky and smart children, and Sadie was so charming. I can’t wait to see her grow throughout this and maybe future series! She also helped soften some of Thorne’s rougher edges (for me). She was always a bright moment in the book.
I think if I reread this via audiobook, I’ll have a better experience the second time around and maybe even round up my rating. I didn’t have much time the past week to read this, so it took me ten days to finish. I was reading bits and pieces, so that combined with a rather slow, character-driven plot made it hard to finish. That’s partly on me, so I do wish I read this via audio the first time around. There were so many wonderful parts of this book, I just either wasn’t really the right audience or not in the mood for the type of romance this was.
All of this (and that below) being said, I read the teaser for book two and let me tell YOU. We as a society are not prepared for that book!!! I’M SO STOKED. I’ve literally been wondering about the potential since book one. I’m shook.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5
Warning: Below is a very long review which may not even make much sense until you read the book. I probably don’t even recommend reading this half of the review until after you’ve read the book. I had to include several spoilers, including who stole her recipe, because I’ve just been left rather confused. All thoughts are my own and hopefully illustrate how the book made ME feel, rather than what the book was trying to convey—because the message of this book remains super important!!!
***This review contains spoilers below this point.***
It was an important book but it was also a heavy book. Poor Lucy was just so downtrodden by those nasty Guardians of Domesticity and the way that father who lost the child reacted? I just didn’t enjoy having take the misogynistic slander from yet another man for something out of her control. Did that father ever get told what an ass he was being? No, Lucy just had to sit there and take it. And she didn’t even open up to anyone about what happened, not even the hero! Literally devastating.
And then a young side character got raped—yes to show the importance of women’s healthcare—but it just made me even more sad. I think we could’ve still had those important conversations if, let’s say, a condom broke, rather than her being forced to have sex without protection. She was having a consensual encounter until she realized they didn’t have protection; she wanted him to stop, he didn’t.
She was a young woman and seeing the change in her character after was just so disheartening in the middle of the book. This was included to show that it was good for sexually active young women to be educated about prevention and abortions if necessary, and to show some of the hero’s lack of awareness…but I’m sorry women already lost a lot in this book and nothing was ever really done to any of the horrible men? I wasn’t really inspired, just sad, especially knowing where we are currently as a society.
I admire Elizabeth so much for writing this book—which was a direct response to abortion bans, politicians interfering in a woman’s right to choose, etc—but it really just illustrated (to me) how powerless it felt to be a woman then and honestly now. Don't get me wrong, I want all of the abortion access and women's health conversations to be in this book. I just also wanted Lucy to punch the shit out of a guardian of domesticity. Just one little punch! Or maybe some light poison! And for Thorne to K/O Timmy because nothing happened to him! Maybe he didn’t realize not using contraception against Katie’s will was rape but???? He deserves to be at least reprimanded!! So he doesn’t hurt someone else!!
✨
Thorne was kind of an oddity to me. In a book about strong women making decisions about their bodies, he was written to in part push back on Lucy and Juliet’s work. He started the book rigid and it took him very long to change…if he did. He was also a bit religious which wasn’t bad, but it was a bit jarring. I get the juxtaposition of specific religions and abortion, but it just seemed like another layer of things to unpack that were never unpacked.
While I think Thorne ultimately came around to supporting Lucy, it was never really discussed? She was mad at him for a bit but then he realized “love can be easy” and got Katie to enroll in science school and apparently that was it? Does he actually support the sexual health education? I guess it’s realistic, but again, I wanted to feel a bit more empowered? He seemed like a good guy, but did I like him? I don’t really know.
Now, onto Lucy. Oh Lucy, I just want to give you a hug. And then I want to give you a SHAKE. Because how can you look me in the eyes and tell me the premise of this book is based on her hard work being stolen by a man and her desperately wanting it back (because he’s already stolen and profited from her other ideas) and have the mystery end like THAT. Again major spoilers, but her sister literally stole the formula, gave half to the same sniveling MAN hoping that he would be convinced to marry Lucy to get the rest of the formula so she would be happy??? And then she just wasn’t really reprimanded? Because once again Lucy just gave in and forgave her for the better good. It the most polite way, what the FUCK.
I guess Juliet had good intentions, but seriously? It made me so angry and she barely got a slap on the wrist and Lucy was still considering marrying the dude to get it back. Like??? She was blaming herself for not asking for help from her siblings when they didn’t want to help her! She needed to be more selfish, but she suffered from “eldest sister in a historical romance syndrome” which meant sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. I guess I just really wanted Lucy to yell REALLY LOUDLY at someone. ANYONE. I’ve got a lot of rage and I thought this book would help expel some of it, but alas it kind of created more.
It seriously felt like she was going to let Duncan keep the recipe until Thorne got it back. After all that, the entire book, she was closer to marrying him for the recipe than anything else. She probably wouldn’t have gone through with it, but it still made me sad she even had to consider it that late in the book.
✨
Which brings me to my next point of, why lord WHY did we introduce that plotline of literally both main characters entertaining the ideas of marrying OTHER PEOPLE at like eighty percent of the book. Yes it illustrated what they ultimately loved in each other over the other “right” choices, but I was just so tired at that point. It’s a book where it felt like not much happened but also so much happened, simultaneously.
It was very slow burn and then after they finally got together after many many pages, they for some reason started considering offers of marriage from OTHER people! Bad people! Annoying people! Why??? Took the steam right out of me, and right out of their romance. And then when we got around all of that, Thorne still didn’t believe in love and was still thinking they couldn’t be together. Why? I couldn’t tell ya.
Also, there was no epilogue, so when Thorne suddenly made the shift to accepting love, the book just ended. I just wasn’t entirely convinced they were a compatible couple. I can’t really remember a lot of deep conversations between them, and I’d have liked to see a glimpse into their future life together, to see how they cohabitate. How is Lucy as a mother to Sadie? What’s their day-to-day dynamic? Does Thorne keep bookkeeping or is he still an agent?
✨
Thanks so much to the author and publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
May 21, 2024
**Many thanks to Berkley and Elizabeth Everett for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley! Now available as of 3.19!**
In a world dominated by men, Lucinda (better known as Lucy) Peterson is determined to stand out. She works at an apothecary and is INCHES away from finding the cure to a very common malady: croup. Lucy's business is a family business, making it even more vital for her to do her father proud, and working in tandem with siblings Juliet and David, she feels certain this new discovery will cement her and her family as the most beloved and innovative apothecary in town. So imagine Lucy's surprise when she learns her secret formula has been STOLEN...and in an appalling twist that adds insult to injury, she learns it is none other than her former flame, Duncan, who has taken the goods.
Furious, Lucy is MORE than ready to get her formula back before it's too late...and she enlists the help of a gruff PI, Jonathan Thorne, to help in the effort. Working as the apothecary's bookkeeper, he slowly gets to know Lucy and her family...and the two can't ignore the fiery sparks between them. But with a tortured past that has left him a single father, Jonathan keeps his heart firmly under wraps. As Lucy and Co. continue to fight rival political groups over a woman's right to choose and Lucy struggles with whatever feelings may or may not be lingering between her and Duncan from the past, her passion for Thorne continues to grow...and she wonders how long she can suppress her feelings...or if she even WANTS to hold back anymore. Will Lucy restore her rights to her formula, take on croup once and for all, AND find love in the end? Or will Thorne be a 'thorn' in her side after all...leaving her formula-less...AND brokenhearted?
I'll be the first to admit I've never read anything resembling this sort of book before...and after finishing this one, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I'm always game for a strong female protagonist, and it is refreshing to read STEM representation more often in the genre, if not simply to give us as readers a change of pace. Female scientists of all sorts have been pushed to the footnotes of books for FAR too long (that is, if they were included in the book at all!) and a more complex, intelligent heroine is always more fun to read than a swoony, "I'm a woman and therefore NEED saving" sort of MC any day of the week. Throw in some feminist rep (with Lucy's pro-choice support, which was potentially even MORE of a hot button topic in the Victorian era than it is today, although at this point it's probably a toss up!) and this book seemed to have the foundation for a thought-provoking, interesting, but still comfortable, predictable HEA romance.
So...why couldn't I exactly ENJOY this reading experience?
For starters, the characters in this one felt simply...inaccessible. For a woman who was so brilliant, Lucy seemed to have forgotten that she could both possess book smarts AND common sense...and this led her to a lot of decisions I couldn't really understand or connect to at all. Her siblings were even more of a mystery, as neither of them felt fully developed at all and were simply names on the page for most of the book. To be honest, a week after finishing this, I had to LOOK UP what their names were: they were that forgettable. And then of course there's Thorne, the almost stereotypically stodgy yet devilishly handsome single dad who to me read more like a sixty year old man than a Casanova...I just didn't get the appeal.
And this dialogue? Just did not work for me. It felt very much like the author was making an effort to make it seem as though it read 'of the time period'...but at the same time, the characters randomly would say things that felt very 'of' the modern day...especially in the bedroom scenes. While I'm not suggesting that this talk never happened, to go from the very stilted formal dialogue to rather explicit language between the sheets just felt very odd. For instance, all of Thorne's chat about condoms (which he sometimes called condoms and other times prophylactics) which was APPROPRIATE...but still felt strange to hear coming from the mouths of these characters. Because Thorne read as older to me, it made it even MORE strange to 'witness' a romantic rendezvous between the two...and almost a bit icky.🤢
Which leads me to the most torturous aspect of this book...its slow moving plot. I could have sworn this book was at LEAST 100 pages longer than it actually was, because it just felt like it took so LONG for anything to happen and there was so much extraneous detail and unnecessary conversations...not to mention times that took me out of the romance entirely. For instance, Sadie and Lucy OFTEN talk about some pretty gross things...including fecal matter of animals. So there's that. Don't believe me? Here's an example:
"Did you know that a frog's poo can measure a quarter of its body size?" Sadie exclaimed after a rushed greeting. "Can you imagine if that were true for people?"
Thorne most likely could imagine but preferred not to."
...
Yeah, I'm all set here too, Thorne.
Buried amidst all of the forced romantic overtures and entanglement between Thorne and Lucy, there WAS the potential for a truly impactful and insightful story...and there WERE crumbs of this discussion sprinkled along the way to keep me interested...I just hoped that the plot itself would lead to a more exciting and unexpected end. The 'mystery' was never the focus (which also could have led to more of an unexpected conclusion, and for me as a reader, the 'romance' had all the sizzle of a forgotten pan left on a cold stove.🍳 No amount of Bondage Lite was going to be enough to overcome all of the issues I had buying Lucy and Thorne as a duo.
But I'll leave you with some of the 'pillow talk' between these two lovebirds and you can decide for yourself if you think this relationship will be the 'remedy' to cure the 'not quite Spring because winter won't let go' blues:
Thorne: "That was incredibly satisfying. Please, never tell me if you were thinking about Mr. Gentry's tumor while I came. I will never survive it."
🤦♀️
3 stars, rounded up from 2.5
In a world dominated by men, Lucinda (better known as Lucy) Peterson is determined to stand out. She works at an apothecary and is INCHES away from finding the cure to a very common malady: croup. Lucy's business is a family business, making it even more vital for her to do her father proud, and working in tandem with siblings Juliet and David, she feels certain this new discovery will cement her and her family as the most beloved and innovative apothecary in town. So imagine Lucy's surprise when she learns her secret formula has been STOLEN...and in an appalling twist that adds insult to injury, she learns it is none other than her former flame, Duncan, who has taken the goods.
Furious, Lucy is MORE than ready to get her formula back before it's too late...and she enlists the help of a gruff PI, Jonathan Thorne, to help in the effort. Working as the apothecary's bookkeeper, he slowly gets to know Lucy and her family...and the two can't ignore the fiery sparks between them. But with a tortured past that has left him a single father, Jonathan keeps his heart firmly under wraps. As Lucy and Co. continue to fight rival political groups over a woman's right to choose and Lucy struggles with whatever feelings may or may not be lingering between her and Duncan from the past, her passion for Thorne continues to grow...and she wonders how long she can suppress her feelings...or if she even WANTS to hold back anymore. Will Lucy restore her rights to her formula, take on croup once and for all, AND find love in the end? Or will Thorne be a 'thorn' in her side after all...leaving her formula-less...AND brokenhearted?
I'll be the first to admit I've never read anything resembling this sort of book before...and after finishing this one, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I'm always game for a strong female protagonist, and it is refreshing to read STEM representation more often in the genre, if not simply to give us as readers a change of pace. Female scientists of all sorts have been pushed to the footnotes of books for FAR too long (that is, if they were included in the book at all!) and a more complex, intelligent heroine is always more fun to read than a swoony, "I'm a woman and therefore NEED saving" sort of MC any day of the week. Throw in some feminist rep (with Lucy's pro-choice support, which was potentially even MORE of a hot button topic in the Victorian era than it is today, although at this point it's probably a toss up!) and this book seemed to have the foundation for a thought-provoking, interesting, but still comfortable, predictable HEA romance.
So...why couldn't I exactly ENJOY this reading experience?
For starters, the characters in this one felt simply...inaccessible. For a woman who was so brilliant, Lucy seemed to have forgotten that she could both possess book smarts AND common sense...and this led her to a lot of decisions I couldn't really understand or connect to at all. Her siblings were even more of a mystery, as neither of them felt fully developed at all and were simply names on the page for most of the book. To be honest, a week after finishing this, I had to LOOK UP what their names were: they were that forgettable. And then of course there's Thorne, the almost stereotypically stodgy yet devilishly handsome single dad who to me read more like a sixty year old man than a Casanova...I just didn't get the appeal.
And this dialogue? Just did not work for me. It felt very much like the author was making an effort to make it seem as though it read 'of the time period'...but at the same time, the characters randomly would say things that felt very 'of' the modern day...especially in the bedroom scenes. While I'm not suggesting that this talk never happened, to go from the very stilted formal dialogue to rather explicit language between the sheets just felt very odd. For instance, all of Thorne's chat about condoms (which he sometimes called condoms and other times prophylactics) which was APPROPRIATE...but still felt strange to hear coming from the mouths of these characters. Because Thorne read as older to me, it made it even MORE strange to 'witness' a romantic rendezvous between the two...and almost a bit icky.🤢
Which leads me to the most torturous aspect of this book...its slow moving plot. I could have sworn this book was at LEAST 100 pages longer than it actually was, because it just felt like it took so LONG for anything to happen and there was so much extraneous detail and unnecessary conversations...not to mention times that took me out of the romance entirely. For instance, Sadie and Lucy OFTEN talk about some pretty gross things...including fecal matter of animals. So there's that. Don't believe me? Here's an example:
"Did you know that a frog's poo can measure a quarter of its body size?" Sadie exclaimed after a rushed greeting. "Can you imagine if that were true for people?"
Thorne most likely could imagine but preferred not to."
...
Yeah, I'm all set here too, Thorne.
Buried amidst all of the forced romantic overtures and entanglement between Thorne and Lucy, there WAS the potential for a truly impactful and insightful story...and there WERE crumbs of this discussion sprinkled along the way to keep me interested...I just hoped that the plot itself would lead to a more exciting and unexpected end. The 'mystery' was never the focus (which also could have led to more of an unexpected conclusion, and for me as a reader, the 'romance' had all the sizzle of a forgotten pan left on a cold stove.🍳 No amount of Bondage Lite was going to be enough to overcome all of the issues I had buying Lucy and Thorne as a duo.
But I'll leave you with some of the 'pillow talk' between these two lovebirds and you can decide for yourself if you think this relationship will be the 'remedy' to cure the 'not quite Spring because winter won't let go' blues:
Thorne: "That was incredibly satisfying. Please, never tell me if you were thinking about Mr. Gentry's tumor while I came. I will never survive it."
🤦♀️
3 stars, rounded up from 2.5
March 26, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
This one ended up being disappointing, though I'm finding that I'm REALLY enjoying regency era romance lately. This one definitely had potential, but most of the story seemed to far removed for me. There wasn't enough...intimacy in a lot of these scenes, and I don't mean sexually. There was just no description really on what the characters were doing throughout scenes. Just a lot of dialogue and internal dialogue. Not all scenes were like this but it was something that stood out for me.
And Thorne didn't grovel NEARLY ENOUGH. He essentially tells her that she's not marriage material and is ungodly (that obviously wasn't issue enough to fuck her though), and he basically says one her two things and that whole part of their issues just goes away? Nah, fuck that guy. I liked Thorne, and I think what I'm really starting to enjoy in regency romances are the MMC's that are spitting in the face of "tradition" and treating the FMC with nothing less than respect and support. Thorne had that for a bit but that whole conversation that led to their third act breakup was infuriating.
I'd be interested to see what EE comes out with after this; I think she has the ability to produce some good romances but not quite what I'm looking for yet.
This one ended up being disappointing, though I'm finding that I'm REALLY enjoying regency era romance lately. This one definitely had potential, but most of the story seemed to far removed for me. There wasn't enough...intimacy in a lot of these scenes, and I don't mean sexually. There was just no description really on what the characters were doing throughout scenes. Just a lot of dialogue and internal dialogue. Not all scenes were like this but it was something that stood out for me.
And Thorne didn't grovel NEARLY ENOUGH. He essentially tells her that she's not marriage material and is ungodly (that obviously wasn't issue enough to fuck her though), and he basically says one her two things and that whole part of their issues just goes away? Nah, fuck that guy. I liked Thorne, and I think what I'm really starting to enjoy in regency romances are the MMC's that are spitting in the face of "tradition" and treating the FMC with nothing less than respect and support. Thorne had that for a bit but that whole conversation that led to their third act breakup was infuriating.
I'd be interested to see what EE comes out with after this; I think she has the ability to produce some good romances but not quite what I'm looking for yet.
March 14, 2024
I appreciate the publisher and Netgalley for the copy I received in exchange for reading and reviewing honestly. I liked the cover and I thought the premise had a lot of promise. I love a story about a strong female character, especially when she is ignoring society’s rules about what she should or should not do. Lucy is an apothecary despite it being pretty much unheard of for a woman. Despite how hard she’s working her business isn’t doing well and when her suitor stole and patented her lozenge formula she is furious. Disillusioned about love and determined to take care of herself she is beyond the moon angry when she realizes her next formula for treating croup has gone missing. She hires Jonathan Thorne a bookkeeper who works for an agency that also dispenses justice to prove her ex Duncan stole the recipe and get it back. Thorne and his daughter have been on their own since her mother died and his parents disinherited him when he refused to foster out his mixed blood daughter. This is a romance/historical fiction/light mystery. I found the mystery to be the most interesting so I was disappointed it was barely mentioned and not fully developed. Jonathan and Lucy didn’t have chemistry and their relationship felt bland for me. I actually thought that all of the characters weren’t as developed as they could be and the only character I liked in the whole book was Sadie (who doesn’t like a young girl obsessed with animal anatomy?).
March 19, 2024
Another wonderful feminist historical romance from Elizabeth Everett! Lucy and Thorne are a great pairing of complementary strengths: Lucy is independent to a fault. She's trying to keep her family's apothecary shop running, allowing her siblings to follow their dreams, but spiraling into anxiety by trying to do it on her own. When she suspects her latest formula for a new medicine has been stolen by her former fiance, she hires Jonathan Thorne to find it for her. Thorne is his own brand of independent. Born into an aristocratic family, he is now a single father who's drawn so many boundaries around himself that he's finding it difficult to connect with anyone new. Jonathan was a part of the demimonde for a long time, but he pulled himself out of destructive behavior by holding himself to a "higher standard." But what happens when what saved him then is keeping him from finding happiness? Of course these two find each other.
Everett brings her signature emphasis on progressive issues to the romance: Lucy and her family are involved in treating and supporting "fallen woman" by providing contraception and gynecological services. Their business is also being threatened by a Victorian men's rights group. And the issues that keep Lucy and Jonathan apart for so long are their ideological differences. (This feels especially apt in today's dating world...)
This is also Everett's sexiest book yet. She brings a little bit of bondage into the bedroom. I recently complained about the dry hump in a different book (it was a real letdown) so let me mention that there's a very satisfying dry hump in this book. This is everything I wanted to see in that one!
15-Word Summaries:
Laine: Woman who has spent life taking care of everyone gets taken care of in bed.
Meg: Thorne and Lucy are perfect for each other in private. Will Thorne take it public?
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Everett brings her signature emphasis on progressive issues to the romance: Lucy and her family are involved in treating and supporting "fallen woman" by providing contraception and gynecological services. Their business is also being threatened by a Victorian men's rights group. And the issues that keep Lucy and Jonathan apart for so long are their ideological differences. (This feels especially apt in today's dating world...)
This is also Everett's sexiest book yet. She brings a little bit of bondage into the bedroom. I recently complained about the dry hump in a different book (it was a real letdown) so let me mention that there's a very satisfying dry hump in this book. This is everything I wanted to see in that one!
15-Word Summaries:
Laine: Woman who has spent life taking care of everyone gets taken care of in bed.
Meg: Thorne and Lucy are perfect for each other in private. Will Thorne take it public?
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
January 10, 2024
Lonely apothecary meets grumpy private agent and so much chaos and pining and stolen kisses ensue? THE LOVE REMEDY is the historical romance book you need this year!
I read this in one SINGLE day. You know that's so bizarre for me, never do it lmao except!!! EXCEPT when a book catches my attention and I find myself wanting to know what happens next. While this book definitely made my day, I do want to say that I fully believe 100% this deserves an epilogue or an extra chapter. I'm sorry but !!!! I needed a closing scene after that chapter. I feel like many would agree with me so I will be ready for your thoughts.
Still, I liked the science aspect of this novel and the single dad trope, the family, the forced proximity, the apothecary, the formulas, the loneliness, the hard work, the fear of opening up again to someone you love, and so much more. I have never read an Elizabeth Everett novel but I've been meanign to. I'm happy that this one was my first!
I read this in one SINGLE day. You know that's so bizarre for me, never do it lmao except!!! EXCEPT when a book catches my attention and I find myself wanting to know what happens next. While this book definitely made my day, I do want to say that I fully believe 100% this deserves an epilogue or an extra chapter. I'm sorry but !!!! I needed a closing scene after that chapter. I feel like many would agree with me so I will be ready for your thoughts.
Still, I liked the science aspect of this novel and the single dad trope, the family, the forced proximity, the apothecary, the formulas, the loneliness, the hard work, the fear of opening up again to someone you love, and so much more. I have never read an Elizabeth Everett novel but I've been meanign to. I'm happy that this one was my first!
March 24, 2024
Elizabeth Everett has regaled her readers with a new series. It is the Damsels of Distress, and the first book is The Love Remedy. In this historical romance we have another STEM heroine, much like the heroines in Everett's The Secret Scientists of London series. This book is the first in a new spinoff series where women are not fitting into the molds of society of their time. Instead, their love of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is their focus in love, with romance entering into the picture.
Lucy is an apothecary. What is more is that her father left her the business, instead of one or both of her siblings, and that would include her brother David. David was certain the business would pass onto him, but even so, he and their younger sister Juliet all work together in one fashion or another. In this story, Lucy is beside herself when her lover Duncan wanted much more than she was ever prepared to give. In fact, keeping her family's apothecary running might just come to an end when Lucy discovers that Duncan has stolen a critical formula from her. Lucy hires Jonathan Thorne to retrieve the formula. Although acting in the capacity of private investigator, he comes into the family's business as their new bookkeeper.
Both Lucy and Thorne present as strong and independent people. Lucy, fighting in a field usually left for me. With regard to Thorne, he had a young daughter out of wedlock and chose to have her as a huge part of his life, paying close attention to her care and education. Of course, society simply did not bode well for those born 'on the other side of the cloth'. For Thorne, his daughter Sadie is everything to him and it was refreshing to read a historical romance where this was the case.
Lucy and Thorne are perfect for one another. Besides the fact that they are both as smart as a whip, they are impossibly drawn to one another, with the sexual tension between them nearly jumping off of the pages. I definitely look forward to continuing with the second book in this series.
Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Lucy is an apothecary. What is more is that her father left her the business, instead of one or both of her siblings, and that would include her brother David. David was certain the business would pass onto him, but even so, he and their younger sister Juliet all work together in one fashion or another. In this story, Lucy is beside herself when her lover Duncan wanted much more than she was ever prepared to give. In fact, keeping her family's apothecary running might just come to an end when Lucy discovers that Duncan has stolen a critical formula from her. Lucy hires Jonathan Thorne to retrieve the formula. Although acting in the capacity of private investigator, he comes into the family's business as their new bookkeeper.
Both Lucy and Thorne present as strong and independent people. Lucy, fighting in a field usually left for me. With regard to Thorne, he had a young daughter out of wedlock and chose to have her as a huge part of his life, paying close attention to her care and education. Of course, society simply did not bode well for those born 'on the other side of the cloth'. For Thorne, his daughter Sadie is everything to him and it was refreshing to read a historical romance where this was the case.
Lucy and Thorne are perfect for one another. Besides the fact that they are both as smart as a whip, they are impossibly drawn to one another, with the sexual tension between them nearly jumping off of the pages. I definitely look forward to continuing with the second book in this series.
Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
June 7, 2024
⭐️ 3 stars
Although I liked the book and that little of the romance, it still wasn't enjoyable for me. There were too many elements that the author wanted to bring in, but the execution of the storyline was quite poor. Some parts of the plot that I found quite interesting were just left out and not developed. The relationship between the love interests was not something I adored; I felt no chemistry between them because there were so many differences.
I kept putting this book down sometimes but rushed to finish it for the sake of my curiosity. I definitely liked it for light reading and its fast-paced plot. However, I'm sure I won't pick up the next book after this one.
Although I liked the book and that little of the romance, it still wasn't enjoyable for me. There were too many elements that the author wanted to bring in, but the execution of the storyline was quite poor. Some parts of the plot that I found quite interesting were just left out and not developed. The relationship between the love interests was not something I adored; I felt no chemistry between them because there were so many differences.
I kept putting this book down sometimes but rushed to finish it for the sake of my curiosity. I definitely liked it for light reading and its fast-paced plot. However, I'm sure I won't pick up the next book after this one.
April 12, 2024
I always love a good historical romance novel especially when it’s part of a new series! I was super excited to read this one and knowing it was by an established author made me even more excited to read it. But I have to admit—I have been having a really hard time getting into Everett’s other series The Secret Scientists of London. By all accounts, the Secret Scientists of London should be a series that is 100% up my alley but I have tried reading the books and they just haven’t held my interest.
Now I know I am in the minority with readers of that series. But just because I couldn’t get into that series doesn’t mean that I was fully ready to write her off as an author. When this book came up for review, I was like ok here we go a fresh slate something new and different to try. This book is similar to the Secret Scientist series as it too has a STEM and science-y feel to it which has been a hot trend lately and I think that Victorian London really worked well as the setting for this book.
If you love historical romances, especially books with a STEM/science feel, then I think this book will be an exciting start to a new series. I think there are a few little things to figure out but overall I enjoyed this one more than I liked the other Secret Scientist books. Reading new series is one of the reasons I LOVE book blogging because I don’t know if I would have picked this one right right away had it not been floating around the blogosphere!
I really liked how this book just jumped right into the ‘meet cute’ between the two main characters. I loved Lucy and thought she had a lot of spunky and pluck which I love in female leads. I also liked Thorne’s characters. I thought he was sexy and yet has this grumpiness about him that makes him even more charming, I will say though I read him as older than he was which at times felt……weird. But here’s the bigger thing—-I didn’t love them together. Don’t get me wrong I thought there was certainly chemistry between them and I loved the hotness of the sex scenes however I felt like in the end he didn’t do enough to deserve her. I don’t want to give any spoilers here but for me I think he needed to work a little harder to get back on her good graces. Plus because I read him as older than he was some of the scenes were a little weird but if I didn’t think about that too much then it was fine.
I was also expecting this book to be a bit more lighthearted. It did have some pretty heavy content that I was NOT expecting. Again no spoilers but I was surprised that there was some heavier stuff in a book that I was expecting to be a little more on the fluffy side. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, I just found it surprising. Overall I felt like this one was OK. It has some issue that I think need to be ironed out and I hope the series doesn’t continue be similar to this but I didn’t hate it and I felt invested enough in the book and characters to add the next book to my TBR list.
When I read the Bridgerton books, the first book The Duke and I, was just OK for me too but the second book I LOVED and it cemented the series for me. If I stopped reading every series just because I felt like the first book was just ok then I would have missed out on some great book series. I think there is a lot of room for this series to grow and develop. If you have enjoyed Everett’s other book series then I think you will enjoy this book. It’s a solid start to a new spinoff series and I liked how it started but if you are looking for something light and fluffy this might not be the book for you. I am looking forward to reading more from this series though.
Now I know I am in the minority with readers of that series. But just because I couldn’t get into that series doesn’t mean that I was fully ready to write her off as an author. When this book came up for review, I was like ok here we go a fresh slate something new and different to try. This book is similar to the Secret Scientist series as it too has a STEM and science-y feel to it which has been a hot trend lately and I think that Victorian London really worked well as the setting for this book.
If you love historical romances, especially books with a STEM/science feel, then I think this book will be an exciting start to a new series. I think there are a few little things to figure out but overall I enjoyed this one more than I liked the other Secret Scientist books. Reading new series is one of the reasons I LOVE book blogging because I don’t know if I would have picked this one right right away had it not been floating around the blogosphere!
I really liked how this book just jumped right into the ‘meet cute’ between the two main characters. I loved Lucy and thought she had a lot of spunky and pluck which I love in female leads. I also liked Thorne’s characters. I thought he was sexy and yet has this grumpiness about him that makes him even more charming, I will say though I read him as older than he was which at times felt……weird. But here’s the bigger thing—-I didn’t love them together. Don’t get me wrong I thought there was certainly chemistry between them and I loved the hotness of the sex scenes however I felt like in the end he didn’t do enough to deserve her. I don’t want to give any spoilers here but for me I think he needed to work a little harder to get back on her good graces. Plus because I read him as older than he was some of the scenes were a little weird but if I didn’t think about that too much then it was fine.
I was also expecting this book to be a bit more lighthearted. It did have some pretty heavy content that I was NOT expecting. Again no spoilers but I was surprised that there was some heavier stuff in a book that I was expecting to be a little more on the fluffy side. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, I just found it surprising. Overall I felt like this one was OK. It has some issue that I think need to be ironed out and I hope the series doesn’t continue be similar to this but I didn’t hate it and I felt invested enough in the book and characters to add the next book to my TBR list.
When I read the Bridgerton books, the first book The Duke and I, was just OK for me too but the second book I LOVED and it cemented the series for me. If I stopped reading every series just because I felt like the first book was just ok then I would have missed out on some great book series. I think there is a lot of room for this series to grow and develop. If you have enjoyed Everett’s other book series then I think you will enjoy this book. It’s a solid start to a new spinoff series and I liked how it started but if you are looking for something light and fluffy this might not be the book for you. I am looking forward to reading more from this series though.
March 22, 2024
Lucy Peterson’s recipe for throat lozenges has been stolen and now her salve for croup has gone missing as well. She thinks she knows the culprit and wants it back as her family desperately needs the money that would come from the patent and sales of the remedies, so Lucy goes to Tierney & Co. for help.
Jonathan Thorne is an agent for Tierney & Co solving tricky problems like Lucy’s, but he’s not happy about his assignment to help her because Lucy is beautiful, and Thorne doesn’t need the temptation. After several years of debauchery that led to tragedy and left him a single father, Thorne tries to keep on the straight and narrow.
I really felt for Lucy, working so hard, as the neighborhood apothecary, she was basically the doctor for all that ailed the people around her. She was talented and smart in her field, working out the throat lozenge and croup recipe, so I was outraged by the theft! I wanted Thorne to get to the bottom of it and restore the recipes back to Lucy! I feel like the matter wasn’t fully resolved and didn’t fully address the culprit’s hand in things.
I felt like there were a lot of threads in this story including women’s rights over their body, and I do appreciate that, but it felt like a lot of things going on. I feel like the pacing suffered by shoving in several issues.
The romance between Thorne and Lucy was a slow burn and I enjoyed their chemistry. Nice and unexpectedly spicy! I did get a little exasperated over the miscommunication in the end. It felt like it dragged out a bit, but I knew everything would turn out by the end.
The Love Remedy is a spinoff of Everette’s previous series, The Secret Scientists of London, a series I enjoyed as well. Athena’s Retreat, The Guardians of Domesticity and a few previous characters show up again. I look forward to the next installment, which features Sam Fenley and Lady Phoebe, a sort of villain in the previous series.
A copy was kindly provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
Jonathan Thorne is an agent for Tierney & Co solving tricky problems like Lucy’s, but he’s not happy about his assignment to help her because Lucy is beautiful, and Thorne doesn’t need the temptation. After several years of debauchery that led to tragedy and left him a single father, Thorne tries to keep on the straight and narrow.
I really felt for Lucy, working so hard, as the neighborhood apothecary, she was basically the doctor for all that ailed the people around her. She was talented and smart in her field, working out the throat lozenge and croup recipe, so I was outraged by the theft! I wanted Thorne to get to the bottom of it and restore the recipes back to Lucy! I feel like the matter wasn’t fully resolved and didn’t fully address the culprit’s hand in things.
I felt like there were a lot of threads in this story including women’s rights over their body, and I do appreciate that, but it felt like a lot of things going on. I feel like the pacing suffered by shoving in several issues.
The romance between Thorne and Lucy was a slow burn and I enjoyed their chemistry. Nice and unexpectedly spicy! I did get a little exasperated over the miscommunication in the end. It felt like it dragged out a bit, but I knew everything would turn out by the end.
The Love Remedy is a spinoff of Everette’s previous series, The Secret Scientists of London, a series I enjoyed as well. Athena’s Retreat, The Guardians of Domesticity and a few previous characters show up again. I look forward to the next installment, which features Sam Fenley and Lady Phoebe, a sort of villain in the previous series.
A copy was kindly provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2024
4.5 stars — A well-written, well researched historical romance
I loved The Love Remedy! This historical romance is well written, well researched, and deals sensitively with issues of women’s health and women’s rights that are as relevant today as they were in the 19th century. The main characters and their emotional journeys are both believable and relatable, and Ms. Everett has done an excellent job in making them sympathetic to modern readers while still maintaining historical sensibilities.
The plot avoids many of the familiar tropes of historical romances set in the 19th century. To begin with, both main characters are working-class, in their lifestyle if not (in Thorne’s case) by birth. There are no balls, house parties, or soirees; no fake engagement or forced marriage; no huge misunderstanding that could easily be solved with a simple, adult conversation. There is, however, a problem that Lucy needs to have solved if she is to keep her family from sinking into poverty, and Thorne is the inquiry agent she hires to solve it. Lucy and Thorne feel like real people, dealing with real, everyday struggles, loving their families, working out their different views of the world, and doing their best to survive. Their romance isn’t the stuff of high drama, but it’s highly satisfying nonetheless.
And it is set in a London that is diverse and alive, with characters of various ethnicities, races, classes, and gender identities… again, well-researched and written believably. If your mental picture of 19th-century England is based on older traditional historical romances (particularly when it comes to racial diversity), this novel’s milieu may come as a surprise to you—but trust me, it’s more accurate.
Speaking of diversity, I particularly appreciated Ms. Everett’s nuanced and sympathetic approach to her characters’ faith in God. This isn’t a Christian romance in the subgenre sense of the term; it’s not primarily intended for a Christian audience, and it doesn’t preach or hold up Christianity as the best or only true way to think, believe, and live. Instead, The Love Remedy accurately reflects the fact that people believe in God in a variety of ways and to varying degrees, from not at all to deeply. Some people are sustained by their faith; some find it constraining. Although 19th-century London was far more diverse culturally and spiritually than many historical romances portray it, at the time and place when The Love Remedy occurs, the majority of religious believers in London were probably following some form of Christianity. Ms. Everett’s characters are a completely believable mix in this regard; they hold differing interpretations of Christianity, and their participation in it ranges from disinterested to devout. Thorne, a recovering alcoholic, is also a practicing Methodist; he finds Methodism’s strict rules helpful in staying sober. Lucy is not a regular church-goer, but she does believe in God and strives to see the good in everyone, and this belief is reflected in her life and her business practices.
A final note: Ms. Everett explores several women’s issues in the course of the book, from the right to study and practice science and medicine, to contraception, abortion, and the right to control one’s own body. Lucy’s views on “restoring menses” and the question of when human life begins may trouble those in the pro-life/anti-abortion camp as much as they resonate with those in the pro-choice camp. Her beliefs in these matters are, however, historically accurate.
I enjoyed The Love Remedy so much that I immediately bought A Lady’s Formula for Love, the first book in her earlier, related trilogy, The Secret Scientists of London. Some of the characters from that series appear in The Love Remedy, and I can’t wait to read A Lady’s Formula for Love. I’m also looking forward to the next book in the Damsels of Discovery series.
Reading Challenges: COYER Unwind (2024), Chapter 2; NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2024
I loved The Love Remedy! This historical romance is well written, well researched, and deals sensitively with issues of women’s health and women’s rights that are as relevant today as they were in the 19th century. The main characters and their emotional journeys are both believable and relatable, and Ms. Everett has done an excellent job in making them sympathetic to modern readers while still maintaining historical sensibilities.
The plot avoids many of the familiar tropes of historical romances set in the 19th century. To begin with, both main characters are working-class, in their lifestyle if not (in Thorne’s case) by birth. There are no balls, house parties, or soirees; no fake engagement or forced marriage; no huge misunderstanding that could easily be solved with a simple, adult conversation. There is, however, a problem that Lucy needs to have solved if she is to keep her family from sinking into poverty, and Thorne is the inquiry agent she hires to solve it. Lucy and Thorne feel like real people, dealing with real, everyday struggles, loving their families, working out their different views of the world, and doing their best to survive. Their romance isn’t the stuff of high drama, but it’s highly satisfying nonetheless.
And it is set in a London that is diverse and alive, with characters of various ethnicities, races, classes, and gender identities… again, well-researched and written believably. If your mental picture of 19th-century England is based on older traditional historical romances (particularly when it comes to racial diversity), this novel’s milieu may come as a surprise to you—but trust me, it’s more accurate.
Speaking of diversity, I particularly appreciated Ms. Everett’s nuanced and sympathetic approach to her characters’ faith in God. This isn’t a Christian romance in the subgenre sense of the term; it’s not primarily intended for a Christian audience, and it doesn’t preach or hold up Christianity as the best or only true way to think, believe, and live. Instead, The Love Remedy accurately reflects the fact that people believe in God in a variety of ways and to varying degrees, from not at all to deeply. Some people are sustained by their faith; some find it constraining. Although 19th-century London was far more diverse culturally and spiritually than many historical romances portray it, at the time and place when The Love Remedy occurs, the majority of religious believers in London were probably following some form of Christianity. Ms. Everett’s characters are a completely believable mix in this regard; they hold differing interpretations of Christianity, and their participation in it ranges from disinterested to devout. Thorne, a recovering alcoholic, is also a practicing Methodist; he finds Methodism’s strict rules helpful in staying sober. Lucy is not a regular church-goer, but she does believe in God and strives to see the good in everyone, and this belief is reflected in her life and her business practices.
A final note: Ms. Everett explores several women’s issues in the course of the book, from the right to study and practice science and medicine, to contraception, abortion, and the right to control one’s own body. Lucy’s views on “restoring menses” and the question of when human life begins may trouble those in the pro-life/anti-abortion camp as much as they resonate with those in the pro-choice camp. Her beliefs in these matters are, however, historically accurate.
I enjoyed The Love Remedy so much that I immediately bought A Lady’s Formula for Love, the first book in her earlier, related trilogy, The Secret Scientists of London. Some of the characters from that series appear in The Love Remedy, and I can’t wait to read A Lady’s Formula for Love. I’m also looking forward to the next book in the Damsels of Discovery series.
Reading Challenges: COYER Unwind (2024), Chapter 2; NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2024
March 4, 2024
Fierce, feminist, and passionate historical romance. I love seeing women with professions - particularly medical - in the 19th century in romances. Everett bases Lucy off of a real life heroine, and addresses the struggles of women gaining trust in the medical field as well as learning to trust her own family and her own heart.
Genre: historical romance
London, 1843 - Victorian Era
Lucy Peterson dreamed of being an apothecary since she was old enough to sweep the floors at her parents’ shop and she started her apothecary apprenticeship as soon as she could. When her parents died, they left the shop to Lucy rather than her older brother (who has charm, but no real apothecarial acumen) or her younger sister (who prefers to see patients in St Giles who have limited access to other care). While they both help with the shop, Lucy is largely on her own, which is how she easily fell into the arms of a rival apothecary who in turn stole and patented her recipe for a throat lozenge. Now, her recipe for a croup salve that could help save the shop’s finances has gone missing, and Lucy wants blood. So she hires an agent from Tierney & Co, single father Jonathan Thorne, to help her uncover the mystery. He’s everything she’s not: a former prizefighter and disinherited aristocrat who likes tidy sums and accounting, while Lucy prefers compassion towards her patients and wild experiments at Athena’s Retreat. But Thorne and Lucy aren’t ones to turn away from attraction, moral principles be damned.
The Love Remedy is a fierce, feminist, and passionate historical romance. I love seeing women with professions, particularly medical, in the 19th century in romances, and Elizabeth Everett bases Lucy off of real life trailblazers Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Elizabeth Blackwell and other women who took risks to apply for membership into the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. She uses a strong historical background to address the struggles of a woman gaining trust in the medical field as well as learning to trust her own family and her own heart. While this is formally the first book in a new series, fans of Everett’s will recognize characters from her earlier books, hero and villain alike. You do not need to be familiar with the Secret Scientists series to fully enjoy The Love Remedy.
Let’s be honest though, the reason you’re picking up this historical romance is for the romance. And the romance, my friends, is excellent. Thorne is the single father of a natural daughter, and he’s reformed from his fighting and drinking days to build an honest and loving life for Sadie. Because of this, Thorne manifests as the starchy rule-follower, who hasn’t touched another woman since Sadie’s late mother. Lucy is not a virgin, and she’s a staunch supporter of women’s access (including her own) to birth control methods. She’s not ready to connect with her own emotions about romantic love, but she’ll chase her pleasure in the meantime with the handsome agent/accountant renting the apartment above her!
Thorne and Lucy’s relationship builds in parallel emotionally and physically. Their emotional reluctance is initially outmatched by their physical attraction, but as they become more intimate, they build a level of emotional trust which leads to immensely satisfying sex scenes. Even with their past experiences, Lucy and Thorne clearly discover more about themselves as they fall in love with each other.
And a last note: the author's note at the end of the novel is really important for us to consider in our present-day environment. If the audiobook doesn't have the note (I did not have an ALC for review), make sure you go seek out a copy that does. It's only a few pages, but it's a passionate call for reproductive rights and compassionate discourse.
Thank you to @berkleyromance and NetGalley for an eARC for review. The Love Remedy is out 3/12/24!
Genre: historical romance
London, 1843 - Victorian Era
Lucy Peterson dreamed of being an apothecary since she was old enough to sweep the floors at her parents’ shop and she started her apothecary apprenticeship as soon as she could. When her parents died, they left the shop to Lucy rather than her older brother (who has charm, but no real apothecarial acumen) or her younger sister (who prefers to see patients in St Giles who have limited access to other care). While they both help with the shop, Lucy is largely on her own, which is how she easily fell into the arms of a rival apothecary who in turn stole and patented her recipe for a throat lozenge. Now, her recipe for a croup salve that could help save the shop’s finances has gone missing, and Lucy wants blood. So she hires an agent from Tierney & Co, single father Jonathan Thorne, to help her uncover the mystery. He’s everything she’s not: a former prizefighter and disinherited aristocrat who likes tidy sums and accounting, while Lucy prefers compassion towards her patients and wild experiments at Athena’s Retreat. But Thorne and Lucy aren’t ones to turn away from attraction, moral principles be damned.
The Love Remedy is a fierce, feminist, and passionate historical romance. I love seeing women with professions, particularly medical, in the 19th century in romances, and Elizabeth Everett bases Lucy off of real life trailblazers Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Elizabeth Blackwell and other women who took risks to apply for membership into the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. She uses a strong historical background to address the struggles of a woman gaining trust in the medical field as well as learning to trust her own family and her own heart. While this is formally the first book in a new series, fans of Everett’s will recognize characters from her earlier books, hero and villain alike. You do not need to be familiar with the Secret Scientists series to fully enjoy The Love Remedy.
Let’s be honest though, the reason you’re picking up this historical romance is for the romance. And the romance, my friends, is excellent. Thorne is the single father of a natural daughter, and he’s reformed from his fighting and drinking days to build an honest and loving life for Sadie. Because of this, Thorne manifests as the starchy rule-follower, who hasn’t touched another woman since Sadie’s late mother. Lucy is not a virgin, and she’s a staunch supporter of women’s access (including her own) to birth control methods. She’s not ready to connect with her own emotions about romantic love, but she’ll chase her pleasure in the meantime with the handsome agent/accountant renting the apartment above her!
Thorne and Lucy’s relationship builds in parallel emotionally and physically. Their emotional reluctance is initially outmatched by their physical attraction, but as they become more intimate, they build a level of emotional trust which leads to immensely satisfying sex scenes. Even with their past experiences, Lucy and Thorne clearly discover more about themselves as they fall in love with each other.
And a last note: the author's note at the end of the novel is really important for us to consider in our present-day environment. If the audiobook doesn't have the note (I did not have an ALC for review), make sure you go seek out a copy that does. It's only a few pages, but it's a passionate call for reproductive rights and compassionate discourse.
Thank you to @berkleyromance and NetGalley for an eARC for review. The Love Remedy is out 3/12/24!
March 18, 2024
Everett has outdone herself.
Lucy is a fiercely independent woman doing everything in her power to keep her world from unraveling at the seams. She bears the brunt of providing for her family and ensuring that those less fortunate have access to care and reproductive assistance when called for.
She suffers no qualms about the state of her moral compass. She believes in charity and compassion, and judges no one on the basis of their origins. When she enlists the help of former boxer Jonathan Thorne to deliver proof of a competing apothecary’s espionage and restore her stolen formula, she doesn’t expect her world to spin on its axis.
The brooding, scowling former prizefighter whose countenance clearly betrays his past is far more than she suspected.
Thorne is a single father who has lost everything he loved to chance or choice except his nine year old daughter, Sadie. He’s determined to protect her at all costs. To find a place for her to flourish that’s safeguarded by his strict moral code and ruthless denial of his own wants and needs. He has sworn off beautiful women, and the quicksilver apothecary is a temptation he can ill afford.
Lucy and Thorne’s dynamic reminds me of the Elizabeth B. Browning sonnet that begins with “When our two souls stand up erect and strong, Face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher.” The closer they become, the more undeniable the pull and the more inexorable their surrender.
This complex love story of forced proximity and self-abnegation explores the shifting political and social strata of early Victorian England. It fearlessly tackles personal and sexual autonomy, gender equality, and the art of compromise. The hero’s epiphany is an eloquent commentary on the erosion of female actualization in the U.S., and a pointed reminder that complacency and lack of vigilance lead to the death of personal freedom - especially for those not in a position of power.
The sharp-tongued heroine, tight-knit found family, believable act of redemption by a hero who at first appeared infallible, and edgy scenes of intimacy, made me desperate to inhale the next installment.
Absolutely brilliant and impeccably executed.
Recommended for fans of Evie Dunmore, Joanna Shupe and Sarah Maclean.
Lucy is a fiercely independent woman doing everything in her power to keep her world from unraveling at the seams. She bears the brunt of providing for her family and ensuring that those less fortunate have access to care and reproductive assistance when called for.
She suffers no qualms about the state of her moral compass. She believes in charity and compassion, and judges no one on the basis of their origins. When she enlists the help of former boxer Jonathan Thorne to deliver proof of a competing apothecary’s espionage and restore her stolen formula, she doesn’t expect her world to spin on its axis.
The brooding, scowling former prizefighter whose countenance clearly betrays his past is far more than she suspected.
Thorne is a single father who has lost everything he loved to chance or choice except his nine year old daughter, Sadie. He’s determined to protect her at all costs. To find a place for her to flourish that’s safeguarded by his strict moral code and ruthless denial of his own wants and needs. He has sworn off beautiful women, and the quicksilver apothecary is a temptation he can ill afford.
Lucy and Thorne’s dynamic reminds me of the Elizabeth B. Browning sonnet that begins with “When our two souls stand up erect and strong, Face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher.” The closer they become, the more undeniable the pull and the more inexorable their surrender.
This complex love story of forced proximity and self-abnegation explores the shifting political and social strata of early Victorian England. It fearlessly tackles personal and sexual autonomy, gender equality, and the art of compromise. The hero’s epiphany is an eloquent commentary on the erosion of female actualization in the U.S., and a pointed reminder that complacency and lack of vigilance lead to the death of personal freedom - especially for those not in a position of power.
The sharp-tongued heroine, tight-knit found family, believable act of redemption by a hero who at first appeared infallible, and edgy scenes of intimacy, made me desperate to inhale the next installment.
Absolutely brilliant and impeccably executed.
Recommended for fans of Evie Dunmore, Joanna Shupe and Sarah Maclean.
April 16, 2024
I was so excited to get an advanced copy of The Love Remedy after reading and loving Elizabeth Everett’s The Secret Scientists of London historical romance series. This is the first book in the spin-off series, and it’s an entertaining read with mystery, humor, great secondary characters, and a lovely romance.
Lucy runs the family apothecary shop and has a talent for creating different remedies, one of which is stolen. She is overworked, strong, and independent, and she puts the needs of others, especially her siblings, before her own. Determined to prove who stole her remedy recipe, Lucy hires Thorne, a bookkeeper/investigator. They make a great team, and their romance is slow-building swoon-tasticness.
I love the grumpy/sunshine trope, so it’s no surprise that I loved the relationship between Thorne and Lucy. Even his name sounds prickly! He is a total grump, but he’s also a wonderful father and very intelligent. Initially, he seems very judgmental, but I like how he grows and changes over the course of the story. Beyond his gruff and unfriendly demeanor lives a thoughtful and kind man, and it’s easy to see why Lucy falls for him.
Something that always stands out in Everett’s stories is the themes, which often center around gender roles and social restrictions put upon women at the time. In The Love Remedy, Lucy faces a lot of hatred from people who refuse to accept her role as a businesswoman. Medical care for women is also examined, as is the uphill battle for women interested in STEM-related subjects. It’s interesting (and a little sad) to see how many of the social themes are still relevant today.
Special thanks to Berkley Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Lucy runs the family apothecary shop and has a talent for creating different remedies, one of which is stolen. She is overworked, strong, and independent, and she puts the needs of others, especially her siblings, before her own. Determined to prove who stole her remedy recipe, Lucy hires Thorne, a bookkeeper/investigator. They make a great team, and their romance is slow-building swoon-tasticness.
I love the grumpy/sunshine trope, so it’s no surprise that I loved the relationship between Thorne and Lucy. Even his name sounds prickly! He is a total grump, but he’s also a wonderful father and very intelligent. Initially, he seems very judgmental, but I like how he grows and changes over the course of the story. Beyond his gruff and unfriendly demeanor lives a thoughtful and kind man, and it’s easy to see why Lucy falls for him.
Something that always stands out in Everett’s stories is the themes, which often center around gender roles and social restrictions put upon women at the time. In The Love Remedy, Lucy faces a lot of hatred from people who refuse to accept her role as a businesswoman. Medical care for women is also examined, as is the uphill battle for women interested in STEM-related subjects. It’s interesting (and a little sad) to see how many of the social themes are still relevant today.
Special thanks to Berkley Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
April 17, 2025
This was... okay. I felt that this had so much potential and it just wasn't executed as well as I'd hoped. I wished I had DNF'ed at 40% like I wanted to because nothing between that and the end was interesting enough to stay.
(Thank you berkley for the arc)
The first few chapters were really confusing to me. I honestly didn't know where I was or what was going on. I couldn't stop reading, though. The book is very slow and quite boring, but I was still, for some reason, intrigued. I liked the premise enough to keep going and see it through. While I was bored, I couldn't put the book down. I enjoyed the writing, the language, the setting, their outfits, etc. I loved the apothecary and Lucy's motivation for it. But the chapters were choppy, things happened without thorough explanation, especially by the end. One minute he believes she'll marry Duncan Rider and the next chapter he's proposing? What is going on?
I thought the relationship development wasn't as good as it could have been. Their reasons for not being together were outright childish and stupid and immature. I didn't care for it. "I will never be with a beautiful woman again" was so corny and a weird conflict for your character to have.
Thorne was fine. Apparently he was ugly, but Lucy didn't care about looks. There's not a lot we learn about Thorne besides his cycle of issues---his baby mama who died, his past of prize fighting which never really gets a good story, and his daughter. His and Sadie's relationship was really sweet. I loved how much he loved her and enjoyed those parts. I liked how Sadie grew on Lucy, too, even though she claimed to hate kids.
Lucy was also fine. She was a hardworking woman who cared passionately for her work; it was her livelihood. The little twist with Juliet was fine, I guess. Everything was just fine. I didn't care much for what was going on. Half the time I didn't know where I was.
So I'm pretty disappointed because the premise was promising but the execution was flat to say the least. Blown tire flat, skidding across the asphalt.
(Thank you berkley for the arc)
The first few chapters were really confusing to me. I honestly didn't know where I was or what was going on. I couldn't stop reading, though. The book is very slow and quite boring, but I was still, for some reason, intrigued. I liked the premise enough to keep going and see it through. While I was bored, I couldn't put the book down. I enjoyed the writing, the language, the setting, their outfits, etc. I loved the apothecary and Lucy's motivation for it. But the chapters were choppy, things happened without thorough explanation, especially by the end. One minute he believes she'll marry Duncan Rider and the next chapter he's proposing? What is going on?
I thought the relationship development wasn't as good as it could have been. Their reasons for not being together were outright childish and stupid and immature. I didn't care for it. "I will never be with a beautiful woman again" was so corny and a weird conflict for your character to have.
Thorne was fine. Apparently he was ugly, but Lucy didn't care about looks. There's not a lot we learn about Thorne besides his cycle of issues---his baby mama who died, his past of prize fighting which never really gets a good story, and his daughter. His and Sadie's relationship was really sweet. I loved how much he loved her and enjoyed those parts. I liked how Sadie grew on Lucy, too, even though she claimed to hate kids.
Lucy was also fine. She was a hardworking woman who cared passionately for her work; it was her livelihood. The little twist with Juliet was fine, I guess. Everything was just fine. I didn't care much for what was going on. Half the time I didn't know where I was.
So I'm pretty disappointed because the premise was promising but the execution was flat to say the least. Blown tire flat, skidding across the asphalt.
March 29, 2025
1. Steminist, class mismatch romance with mature characters
2. Best 3rd act breakup
3. High stakes
4. Realistic discourse on sex, birth control, and abortion in the middle and lower classes in the East end of London.
5. Super smart heroine with the weight of a business on her shoulders
6. Top tier social commentary
7. Some moments of beautiful writing with lyrical metaphors.
2. Best 3rd act breakup
3. High stakes
4. Realistic discourse on sex, birth control, and abortion in the middle and lower classes in the East end of London.
5. Super smart heroine with the weight of a business on her shoulders
6. Top tier social commentary
7. Some moments of beautiful writing with lyrical metaphors.
April 5, 2024
**2.5 Stars
Not on the same level as the previous trilogy, in spite of some small overlap of characters.
This one is darker, harder, lacking the humorous touch to help ease the emotional turmoil. And the chemistry isn’t there. It’s not bad but it doesn’t live up to the cover, lol…
I enjoyed Sadie, and Mr Gentry.
Not on the same level as the previous trilogy, in spite of some small overlap of characters.
This one is darker, harder, lacking the humorous touch to help ease the emotional turmoil. And the chemistry isn’t there. It’s not bad but it doesn’t live up to the cover, lol…
I enjoyed Sadie, and Mr Gentry.
March 18, 2024
I love how the author captures London in the Victorian Era with such authenticity, including a female apothecary who teams up with a private investigator to protect her business. I was draw in from the start, and was captivated by this gorgeous feminist histficrom novel. Highly recommended!
April 16, 2025
Review - https://booksteacupreviews.com/2025/0...
The Love Remedy is a heartwarming, delightful start to The Damsels of Discovery, a spin-off of The Secret Scientists of London. This one follows Lucy Peterson and Thorne—names that rang a bell from their fleeting mention in A Lady’s Formula for Love. Now they take center stage, and oh boy, do they earn it.
Lucy is running family apothecary after her parents death providing for her sister and brother who are hardly there to help her. heir family never turned away patients even though they cannot pay and Lucy is following that ethics set by her father which doesn’t leave any savings.
She had high hopes with her formula for lozenges and baby’s coup but she became victim of a man’s attention. Duncan Rider sang praises and promised a marriage for lozenges formula but he stole her work patented it and didn’t return his promise. And now her baby coup formula has gone missing. Exhausted, desperate, and furious, Lucy turns to Thorne agent at Tierney & Co., a discreet firm that handles matters outside the bounds of the law.
Thorne has his past that made him sworn off alcohol, love, anything excess and especially beautiful women to have better life for his daughter but when he meets Lucy, it’s a struggle for him to stay within his boundaries. It was interesting to see how staying in same building with Lucy and doing her bookkeeping work is going to help with that, how they are going to resist the attraction.
I loved Lucy from the beginning. She’s sweet, steady, and relentlessly hardworking. Even when her siblings contribute next to nothing (especially her brother and his string of failing business ventures), she powers on, all grace and grit.
I enjoyed reading about her life with her parents how her father supported her and her sister’s education and made them apprentices in his shop even though society disapprove of it. Leaving apothecary to Lucy than her brother itself shows how much he trusted her with the business. Reading how Duncan took advantage of her made me want to kill him too and for almost half of the book I had a feeling he had something to do with missing formula.
Given her past experience, I could understand why she would be reluctant to expect more from Thorne especially after she finds out who he really is. But she handles it all with cool-headed strength and grace. When the truth about the baby formula theft finally drops, I cheered for how she handled it.
Now, Thorne. Possibly the first romance hero I’ve read who’s described—honestly described—as ugly. His face is scarred, his scowl permanent, and his presence intimidating. But inside? Marshmallow. His devotion to his daughter is adorable, and he’s clearly a man trying to better himself. His backstory is heavy—abandonment, guilt, shame—but watching Lucy and her chaotic household chip away at his rigid, rule-following exterior was incredibly satisfying.
The side characters shine, too. The Peterson siblings may have driven me nuts with their communication issues, but their love runs deep. Mr. Gentry adds delightful comic relief with a surprisingly short but touching backstory. Sadie, Thorne’s daughter, is smart, sassy, and wildly perceptive—her interactions with both her dad and Lucy were some of my favorite moments. And Thorne’s father? Criminally underused. I’d have loved more a proper father-son heart-to-heart.
The romance is the ultimate slow burn, sizzling with chemistry and fueled by a delicious grumpy/sunshine dynamic. I loved how Lucy and Thorne balanced each other—she lightens him, he grounds her. Their relationship feels earned, not rushed. And while Thorne’s emotional breakthrough took its sweet time, his proposal at the end? Chef’s kiss. (Though let’s be honest—he really should’ve punched Duncan.)
What elevated this for me were the themes. Like Everett’s previous books, this story tackles class divides, societal expectations, and the suffocating limits placed on women in the Victorian era. From women’s access to education and medical knowledge, to the quiet rebellion of birth control in a time when even whispering the word “womb” was scandalous—this book doesn’t just romance you, it makes you think. And admire the hell out of these fictional women who fought for their place.
The fight between Lucy and Thorne in climax was sad—but necessary. It cracked Thorne wide open and forced the growth he needed. The mystery of the missing formula was a nice touch, with a twist I half saw coming, which made the reveal even more satisfying.
Overall, The Love Remedy is a warm, witty, emotionally intelligent historical romance. Perfect for fans of slow-burns, grumpy/sunshine pairings, and fierce heroines with big hearts and even bigger brains.
The Love Remedy is a heartwarming, delightful start to The Damsels of Discovery, a spin-off of The Secret Scientists of London. This one follows Lucy Peterson and Thorne—names that rang a bell from their fleeting mention in A Lady’s Formula for Love. Now they take center stage, and oh boy, do they earn it.
Lucy is running family apothecary after her parents death providing for her sister and brother who are hardly there to help her. heir family never turned away patients even though they cannot pay and Lucy is following that ethics set by her father which doesn’t leave any savings.
She had high hopes with her formula for lozenges and baby’s coup but she became victim of a man’s attention. Duncan Rider sang praises and promised a marriage for lozenges formula but he stole her work patented it and didn’t return his promise. And now her baby coup formula has gone missing. Exhausted, desperate, and furious, Lucy turns to Thorne agent at Tierney & Co., a discreet firm that handles matters outside the bounds of the law.
Thorne has his past that made him sworn off alcohol, love, anything excess and especially beautiful women to have better life for his daughter but when he meets Lucy, it’s a struggle for him to stay within his boundaries. It was interesting to see how staying in same building with Lucy and doing her bookkeeping work is going to help with that, how they are going to resist the attraction.
I loved Lucy from the beginning. She’s sweet, steady, and relentlessly hardworking. Even when her siblings contribute next to nothing (especially her brother and his string of failing business ventures), she powers on, all grace and grit.
I enjoyed reading about her life with her parents how her father supported her and her sister’s education and made them apprentices in his shop even though society disapprove of it. Leaving apothecary to Lucy than her brother itself shows how much he trusted her with the business. Reading how Duncan took advantage of her made me want to kill him too and for almost half of the book I had a feeling he had something to do with missing formula.
Given her past experience, I could understand why she would be reluctant to expect more from Thorne especially after she finds out who he really is. But she handles it all with cool-headed strength and grace. When the truth about the baby formula theft finally drops, I cheered for how she handled it.
Now, Thorne. Possibly the first romance hero I’ve read who’s described—honestly described—as ugly. His face is scarred, his scowl permanent, and his presence intimidating. But inside? Marshmallow. His devotion to his daughter is adorable, and he’s clearly a man trying to better himself. His backstory is heavy—abandonment, guilt, shame—but watching Lucy and her chaotic household chip away at his rigid, rule-following exterior was incredibly satisfying.
The side characters shine, too. The Peterson siblings may have driven me nuts with their communication issues, but their love runs deep. Mr. Gentry adds delightful comic relief with a surprisingly short but touching backstory. Sadie, Thorne’s daughter, is smart, sassy, and wildly perceptive—her interactions with both her dad and Lucy were some of my favorite moments. And Thorne’s father? Criminally underused. I’d have loved more a proper father-son heart-to-heart.
The romance is the ultimate slow burn, sizzling with chemistry and fueled by a delicious grumpy/sunshine dynamic. I loved how Lucy and Thorne balanced each other—she lightens him, he grounds her. Their relationship feels earned, not rushed. And while Thorne’s emotional breakthrough took its sweet time, his proposal at the end? Chef’s kiss. (Though let’s be honest—he really should’ve punched Duncan.)
What elevated this for me were the themes. Like Everett’s previous books, this story tackles class divides, societal expectations, and the suffocating limits placed on women in the Victorian era. From women’s access to education and medical knowledge, to the quiet rebellion of birth control in a time when even whispering the word “womb” was scandalous—this book doesn’t just romance you, it makes you think. And admire the hell out of these fictional women who fought for their place.
The fight between Lucy and Thorne in climax was sad—but necessary. It cracked Thorne wide open and forced the growth he needed. The mystery of the missing formula was a nice touch, with a twist I half saw coming, which made the reveal even more satisfying.
Overall, The Love Remedy is a warm, witty, emotionally intelligent historical romance. Perfect for fans of slow-burns, grumpy/sunshine pairings, and fierce heroines with big hearts and even bigger brains.
March 2, 2024
Wow, The Love Remedy was SO FREAKING IMPRESSIVE. While the romance was beautiful and I loved the historical notes, SO MUCH of this story is relevant to issues going on today that I was highlighting all over the place. An incredible commentary on a wide variety of topics from contraception, SA, and intellectual property theft, I was just floored. Definitely my favorite book I've read by Elizabeth Everett, I cannot wait for people to read this one!
The Love Remedy is set in Victorian London. The Peterson siblings are attempting to run their family's apothecary shop after their parent's unexpected deaths, but most of the responsibility falls on Lucy, the oldest. At the beginning of the story, Lucy is desperately seeking help from Tierney & Co., a "bookkeeping" agency that also functions as a kind of private investigation firm. A rival apothecary has stolen her formulas for some revolutionary treatments after Lucy misguidedly trusted him with her heart. Jonathan Thorne, a former boxer who is trying to turn his life around, ends up assigned to her case, and the two work together to try to unravel the mystery of a second theft. However, as they spend more time together, they find themselves drawn to each other more and more. Is a relationship worth it to two people who have sworn off love?
Oh my goodness, I LOVED Lucy. She's intelligent and forward-thinking, but still understandably overwhelmed by her situation - I would be too. I love that she knows her mind and what she wants, even if it's contrary to thinking at the time. And Jonathan is just amazing. Though he holds some problematic views about women, recognizes when he's wrong and he's willing to listen to Lucy, anticipating what she might need even when she cannot articulate it herself.
The historical asides about Victorian apothecaries and their training was SO FREAKING INTERESTING. Definitely something I had limited knowledge about. I'm also really hoping there is the possibility of a follow-up novel about Lucy's sister Juliet and her work at a local medical clinic, because I'd love to have more details about that too. The discussions about the role of women in society hit a little close to home, but gosh, it's insane that we are STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS TODAY. This book is SO worth a read, I highly recommend!
The Love Remedy is set in Victorian London. The Peterson siblings are attempting to run their family's apothecary shop after their parent's unexpected deaths, but most of the responsibility falls on Lucy, the oldest. At the beginning of the story, Lucy is desperately seeking help from Tierney & Co., a "bookkeeping" agency that also functions as a kind of private investigation firm. A rival apothecary has stolen her formulas for some revolutionary treatments after Lucy misguidedly trusted him with her heart. Jonathan Thorne, a former boxer who is trying to turn his life around, ends up assigned to her case, and the two work together to try to unravel the mystery of a second theft. However, as they spend more time together, they find themselves drawn to each other more and more. Is a relationship worth it to two people who have sworn off love?
Oh my goodness, I LOVED Lucy. She's intelligent and forward-thinking, but still understandably overwhelmed by her situation - I would be too. I love that she knows her mind and what she wants, even if it's contrary to thinking at the time. And Jonathan is just amazing. Though he holds some problematic views about women, recognizes when he's wrong and he's willing to listen to Lucy, anticipating what she might need even when she cannot articulate it herself.
The historical asides about Victorian apothecaries and their training was SO FREAKING INTERESTING. Definitely something I had limited knowledge about. I'm also really hoping there is the possibility of a follow-up novel about Lucy's sister Juliet and her work at a local medical clinic, because I'd love to have more details about that too. The discussions about the role of women in society hit a little close to home, but gosh, it's insane that we are STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS TODAY. This book is SO worth a read, I highly recommend!
March 19, 2024
Two people both burned by love and attraction in the past join forces on a common goal and find that the remedy they’ve been looking for has been right under their noses the whole time!
The Love Remed by Elizabeth Everett is the first book in our new series, The Damsels of Discovery, featuring more STEM heroines and the hunky men who fall for them!
Apothecary, Lucinda is holding her family business and herself as best she can. When her latest proprietary formula goes missing, she enlists the help of a private investigator to find out who has stolen her work. Johnathan moves into the building with his young daughter and becomes more immersed in this investigation and in Lucinda as they unravel the mystery…
I absolutely loved the story, both Lucinda and Jonathan were characters. They came to life on the page and were so easy to root for. Lucinda is the hard-working sister trying to keep her family business together and Jonathan is the hard-working single dad trying to do right by his daughter. And of course, both of these characters with checkered romantic past that Poisoned them to the possibility of love and happily ever afters for themselves.
As well, Elizabeth Everett creates a real sense of realism in her gritty, London portrayal and her realistic Victorian working class characters. I absolutely loved reading, historical romance and not stepping into a ballroom once! So refreshing!
This book was excellent, and is definitely going to be one of my top reads for 2024!
Thank you, Elizabeth, Everett, and Berkeley publishing for my e-book review copy. Opinions are my own.
The Love Remed by Elizabeth Everett is the first book in our new series, The Damsels of Discovery, featuring more STEM heroines and the hunky men who fall for them!
Apothecary, Lucinda is holding her family business and herself as best she can. When her latest proprietary formula goes missing, she enlists the help of a private investigator to find out who has stolen her work. Johnathan moves into the building with his young daughter and becomes more immersed in this investigation and in Lucinda as they unravel the mystery…
I absolutely loved the story, both Lucinda and Jonathan were characters. They came to life on the page and were so easy to root for. Lucinda is the hard-working sister trying to keep her family business together and Jonathan is the hard-working single dad trying to do right by his daughter. And of course, both of these characters with checkered romantic past that Poisoned them to the possibility of love and happily ever afters for themselves.
As well, Elizabeth Everett creates a real sense of realism in her gritty, London portrayal and her realistic Victorian working class characters. I absolutely loved reading, historical romance and not stepping into a ballroom once! So refreshing!
This book was excellent, and is definitely going to be one of my top reads for 2024!
Thank you, Elizabeth, Everett, and Berkeley publishing for my e-book review copy. Opinions are my own.
March 13, 2024
The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett 💚
The Damsels of Discovery, Book 1
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
352 pages
🗓️ March 19th
💚 historical romance
🧪 single dad
💚 grumpy x sunshine
🧪 “I shall never fall in love again”
💚 suspenseful romance
🧪 women of science
📍 “How come good things have to be hard? Why can’t being happy be easy?”
If there’s a book to be read now, it’s this one.
If there’s a book of old that is so clearly relevant right now, it’s this one.
And if you want to be terribly entertaining with all kinds of banter and angst and all the good literary things in a romance, this is it too.
Something called me to request this book. A feeling. A sixth sense. Women’s intuition. Whatever it was, I thank the stars for that. This was exactly what I needed, when I needed it.
Lucy, our apothecary owner and woman of science, has been wronged. The outraged! By a young man with sweet lovely lies and apparently no qualms in stealing formulas from his own lover 🤨 The traitor! But she won’t let him get away with it. Oh no! She shall hired the services of Mr. Thorne to prove her former would-be-fiancé is indeed a thief 😠
Only things get complicated. Most isn’t as it seems and maybe… just a little bit… kinda… sort… the need to kiss Mr. Thorne surfaces every time Lucy sees him. But don’t worry, she will never ever give her heart again. And he will never ever fall in love with a beautiful woman again. See, not *that* complicated.
Oh and there are frogs in this one too. 🐸
The Damsels of Discovery, Book 1
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
352 pages
🗓️ March 19th
💚 historical romance
🧪 single dad
💚 grumpy x sunshine
🧪 “I shall never fall in love again”
💚 suspenseful romance
🧪 women of science
📍 “How come good things have to be hard? Why can’t being happy be easy?”
If there’s a book to be read now, it’s this one.
If there’s a book of old that is so clearly relevant right now, it’s this one.
And if you want to be terribly entertaining with all kinds of banter and angst and all the good literary things in a romance, this is it too.
Something called me to request this book. A feeling. A sixth sense. Women’s intuition. Whatever it was, I thank the stars for that. This was exactly what I needed, when I needed it.
Lucy, our apothecary owner and woman of science, has been wronged. The outraged! By a young man with sweet lovely lies and apparently no qualms in stealing formulas from his own lover 🤨 The traitor! But she won’t let him get away with it. Oh no! She shall hired the services of Mr. Thorne to prove her former would-be-fiancé is indeed a thief 😠
Only things get complicated. Most isn’t as it seems and maybe… just a little bit… kinda… sort… the need to kiss Mr. Thorne surfaces every time Lucy sees him. But don’t worry, she will never ever give her heart again. And he will never ever fall in love with a beautiful woman again. See, not *that* complicated.
Oh and there are frogs in this one too. 🐸
March 13, 2024
A great historical fiction romance between a single female apothecary and the single father detective who helps her track down and prove her ex stole the formula to what is sure to be a lucrative tonic. This was well researched, full of strong female characters and perfect for fans of authors like Evie Dunmore. I also really enjoyed the audiobook version narrated by Elizabeth Jasicki. Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
CW: discussion of abortion rights and women's rights over their bodies
CW: discussion of abortion rights and women's rights over their bodies
March 19, 2024
This was a grumpy meets sunshine romance that began slowly, but eventually pulled me in. I admit to not reading the synopsis beyond “a Victorian apothecary hires a stoic private investigator to protect her business, they learn there’s only one way to treat true love—with a happily ever after.”
While the romance was central to the story, I quickly became wrapped up in the stolen croup formula, the shop and the family that lies within. Lucinda Peterson has the weight of her family on her mind. Since she runs the apothecary and their future. She worries for her patients and is angry at herself for being duped by a lover who stole her formula for throat lozenge. When she discovers her croup formula missing, she suspects he stole from her again. Angered, she hires private investigator Jonathan Thorne. She offers him and his daughter an apartment on the third floor of the shop, and he agrees to solve the mystery and check her accounts.
The tale that unfolded was filled with discussions and discourse over women in science and family issues. Her sister wants her married and her brother is always off chasing some new scheme. I loved the interactions, the shop and remedy talks. There is also a lot of tension caused by men believing woman have no business in medicine.
I enjoyed the different aspects of the story, but loved the romantic moments between Lucinda and Jonathan. Jonathan has secrets and has put his daughter above all else. I loved the growth in both characters and the sizzling chemistry. Slowly but surely, Lucinda gets under the armor of our grumpy hero.
The Love Remedy was a solid start to the series, and I look forward to the next installment. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
While the romance was central to the story, I quickly became wrapped up in the stolen croup formula, the shop and the family that lies within. Lucinda Peterson has the weight of her family on her mind. Since she runs the apothecary and their future. She worries for her patients and is angry at herself for being duped by a lover who stole her formula for throat lozenge. When she discovers her croup formula missing, she suspects he stole from her again. Angered, she hires private investigator Jonathan Thorne. She offers him and his daughter an apartment on the third floor of the shop, and he agrees to solve the mystery and check her accounts.
The tale that unfolded was filled with discussions and discourse over women in science and family issues. Her sister wants her married and her brother is always off chasing some new scheme. I loved the interactions, the shop and remedy talks. There is also a lot of tension caused by men believing woman have no business in medicine.
I enjoyed the different aspects of the story, but loved the romantic moments between Lucinda and Jonathan. Jonathan has secrets and has put his daughter above all else. I loved the growth in both characters and the sizzling chemistry. Slowly but surely, Lucinda gets under the armor of our grumpy hero.
The Love Remedy was a solid start to the series, and I look forward to the next installment. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
April 6, 2024
A more melancholy start to a new series from Everett, but filled with characters to root for and a romance that felt so stark and refreshing amid so many others in the historical genre. I was overall less invested in the mystery/investigation component and more compelled to return to Lucy and Thorne’s building dynamic, which ultimately tipped this one into a four-star read for me over, say, a 3.5. And that ENDING was such a sweet balm after the angst and loneliness.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 18, 2024
I liked the feminist vibes of the book, but didn’t really think the MMC and FMC had a lot of chemistry.
Review to come.
Review to come.
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November 6, 2023Dear Reader,
Like all my books, The Love Remedy is a historical romance with a hefty dose of humor. However, like all my books, it centers the experiences of women in a historical context with an eye toward current socio-political events.
The book includes elements that might not be suitable for some readers. There is an off-page sexual assault of a secondary character and an off-page induction of menstruation following the assault. Readers who may be sensitive to these topics please take note.
With all my love,
Elizabeth Everett
Like all my books, The Love Remedy is a historical romance with a hefty dose of humor. However, like all my books, it centers the experiences of women in a historical context with an eye toward current socio-political events.
The book includes elements that might not be suitable for some readers. There is an off-page sexual assault of a secondary character and an off-page induction of menstruation following the assault. Readers who may be sensitive to these topics please take note.
With all my love,
Elizabeth Everett
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