What do you think?
Rate this book
Mrs. Victoria Buys a Brothel
1865, United States— It took thirty years and a dislocated arm for Victoria to leave her abusive husband. Heartbroken, she has to choose her own life over the hope of ever seeing her son again. She escapes the manor in the dead of night, only bringing with her a white wedding dress.
She ends up in Swainsburg, a minuscule town in Wyoming, where she’s adopted by the local prostitutes. To save them from expulsion, she buys the building and learns that in these parts, entertainment is worth more than gold. It’s almost easy, even fun, to organize piano recitals and cancan shows for the cowboys of the area, but being a Madam comes with responsibilities and dangers she isn’t ready to face. Her husband, after all, has contacts everywhere.
It’s hard to navigate the delicate tensions between respectable ladies and whores, between white society and the ‘others.’ Her new friends are women who carved their place in this merciless life; people who, like her, ended up in Swainsburg when they got tired of running.
Victoria falls in love. She doesn’t notice, she can’t even imagine the possibility. The townfolk say the widow Díaz is strange. Natane is actually incredibly awkward, kind, and very lonely. Victoria has no name for this burning friendship, but the feeling grows and demands to be acknowledged.
This is a story about women who age, gossip, drink, love, and help you hide the body of your dead husband.
She ends up in Swainsburg, a minuscule town in Wyoming, where she’s adopted by the local prostitutes. To save them from expulsion, she buys the building and learns that in these parts, entertainment is worth more than gold. It’s almost easy, even fun, to organize piano recitals and cancan shows for the cowboys of the area, but being a Madam comes with responsibilities and dangers she isn’t ready to face. Her husband, after all, has contacts everywhere.
It’s hard to navigate the delicate tensions between respectable ladies and whores, between white society and the ‘others.’ Her new friends are women who carved their place in this merciless life; people who, like her, ended up in Swainsburg when they got tired of running.
Victoria falls in love. She doesn’t notice, she can’t even imagine the possibility. The townfolk say the widow Díaz is strange. Natane is actually incredibly awkward, kind, and very lonely. Victoria has no name for this burning friendship, but the feeling grows and demands to be acknowledged.
This is a story about women who age, gossip, drink, love, and help you hide the body of your dead husband.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2025
About the author
Talhí Briones
5 books25 followersTalhí Briones is a writer, on top of being an artist, graphic designer, and generally someone who makes creative projects happen. She wrote Hieroglyphs in French, got it professionally published, designed the cover, and promoted it. Then she tackled the English translation and did it all over again.
This is her first novel but not her first book. She illustrated and coauthored the comic Emmanuel Just Wants to Die (Original English version self-published in 2018; French version published by Glénat Québec in 2020); and is the artist behind the children international cookbook Le Monde dans ma Boîte à Lunch (Centre Multi-Ressources de Lachine, 2018).
Her future projects include writing a next installment in the Hieroglyphs universe and drawing a series of books for girls who love adventure.
This is her first novel but not her first book. She illustrated and coauthored the comic Emmanuel Just Wants to Die (Original English version self-published in 2018; French version published by Glénat Québec in 2020); and is the artist behind the children international cookbook Le Monde dans ma Boîte à Lunch (Centre Multi-Ressources de Lachine, 2018).
Her future projects include writing a next installment in the Hieroglyphs universe and drawing a series of books for girls who love adventure.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Read
June 28, 2025that was so boring I thought it would never end. surprisingly lack of chemistry and feelings for a romance
August 25, 2025
(rounded up from 4.5)
This was really sweet and optimistic. Lots of action, cozy momma bear vibes from Mrs. Victoria, who is fleeing an abusive husband and lands in this tiny town full of interesting people and a very small brothel. She and the three girls working at the brothel have some super cute mom-daughter dynamics, and we see Victoria's transition from a woman with PTSD from abuse to a woman who stands up to armed bandits for her found family and summons the courage to chase a new love with the gorgeous local reclusive widow.
This was fast-paced, hopeful, and lovely, and I had a great time reading it. It's not the most historically accurate book, but if you're looking for a cozy found family and sapphic read, this is a fantastic pick.
This was really sweet and optimistic. Lots of action, cozy momma bear vibes from Mrs. Victoria, who is fleeing an abusive husband and lands in this tiny town full of interesting people and a very small brothel. She and the three girls working at the brothel have some super cute mom-daughter dynamics, and we see Victoria's transition from a woman with PTSD from abuse to a woman who stands up to armed bandits for her found family and summons the courage to chase a new love with the gorgeous local reclusive widow.
This was fast-paced, hopeful, and lovely, and I had a great time reading it. It's not the most historically accurate book, but if you're looking for a cozy found family and sapphic read, this is a fantastic pick.
June 1, 2025
This was delightful from beginning to end. From the culture shock of the rich lady from Salt Lake City discovering a run down little village, the hilarious cast of main and side characters who all have their own little things going on just barely out of sight, and the cowboys ! A hilarious, delightful lesbian western that manages to take into account darker historical truths, and to have moments of fear for the characters, while being a genuinely lighthearted read. It's great. I loved it.
March 22, 2026
Stars: 5 Stars
Format: Digital
Series: Stand Alone
Steam Level: Steamy
CW: domestic abuse, violence, death, racism, attempted murder
I read this for the I Heart Sapphic 2026 Reading Challenge for the location Wyoming.
The Kickstarter for this book showed up on my Recommended For You page and it sounded really fun. I am beyond glad I backed the project and got myself a hardback signed.
Quick Thoughts:
- The start of this book just throws the reader right into the serious drama and doesn’t sugar coat a dang thing
- With how heartbreaking the start of the book was (and as you learn more of Victoria’s past) it was wonderful to see people not only be decent but loving towards her when she needed it most
- There was so much growth Victoria goes through and I enjoyed each new development
- The first time Natane saw Victoria in her cancan outfit (and the dollar thing) had me howling with laughter
- I was a little leery of Belle Porter in the beginning but I ended up really liking the character
- Team Paul forever
- Consuelo, Lisette, and Siobhan were such wonderful characters and I positively adored their relationship with Victoria
- Natane’s backstory and trauma hurt my heart so much because I really loved her character and I’ve read a bit about the real history concerning what happened to her
- The dance in dinning room was smoking hot. I loved watching Victoria just own that scene
- No third act break up!
- Victoria just charms EVERYONE and it was a joy to watch
- The ending was perfect. I loved seeing Victoria be the person she was always meant to be and how much she loved Swainsburg. The town really did need her
- Yay diversity! It’s so easy for writers to be lazy and just pull their “research” from movies that get this setting completely wrong
- In the end of the book Talhí Briones talks about the research she did for this story and the choices she made. It was super interesting and I really like that she included a bibliography in the end
- There were some typos and weird punctuation mistakes in my digital copy but it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book at all
Overall I seriously loved this book. I was nervous about this book since I hadn’t read anything by Talhí Briones and the premise sounded so good; I’ve been badly burned by that combination many times before but not this book! Excellent story and just so much fun. I’m crossing my fingers that there will be an audiobook in the future.
Format: Digital
Series: Stand Alone
Steam Level: Steamy
CW: domestic abuse, violence, death, racism, attempted murder
I read this for the I Heart Sapphic 2026 Reading Challenge for the location Wyoming.
The Kickstarter for this book showed up on my Recommended For You page and it sounded really fun. I am beyond glad I backed the project and got myself a hardback signed.
Quick Thoughts:
- The start of this book just throws the reader right into the serious drama and doesn’t sugar coat a dang thing
- With how heartbreaking the start of the book was (and as you learn more of Victoria’s past) it was wonderful to see people not only be decent but loving towards her when she needed it most
- There was so much growth Victoria goes through and I enjoyed each new development
- The first time Natane saw Victoria in her cancan outfit (and the dollar thing) had me howling with laughter
- I was a little leery of Belle Porter in the beginning but I ended up really liking the character
- Team Paul forever
- Consuelo, Lisette, and Siobhan were such wonderful characters and I positively adored their relationship with Victoria
- Natane’s backstory and trauma hurt my heart so much because I really loved her character and I’ve read a bit about the real history concerning what happened to her
- The dance in dinning room was smoking hot. I loved watching Victoria just own that scene
- No third act break up!
- Victoria just charms EVERYONE and it was a joy to watch
- The ending was perfect. I loved seeing Victoria be the person she was always meant to be and how much she loved Swainsburg. The town really did need her
- Yay diversity! It’s so easy for writers to be lazy and just pull their “research” from movies that get this setting completely wrong
- In the end of the book Talhí Briones talks about the research she did for this story and the choices she made. It was super interesting and I really like that she included a bibliography in the end
- There were some typos and weird punctuation mistakes in my digital copy but it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book at all
Overall I seriously loved this book. I was nervous about this book since I hadn’t read anything by Talhí Briones and the premise sounded so good; I’ve been badly burned by that combination many times before but not this book! Excellent story and just so much fun. I’m crossing my fingers that there will be an audiobook in the future.
September 8, 2025
The world needs more sapphic westerns stat! It was also absolutely delightful to read a book that featured middle aged MC’s which is so rare in romance novels, let alone romance with some action novel. I also deeply enjoyed having such a diverse cast of characters which is so rarely depicted in westerns.
I do however feel like this book wasn’t the most historically accurate (which I recognize is a taste of personal preference) and I wish there had been more buildup/development between the characters. Mrs. Victoria slept one night in the brothel and then suddenly wanted to buy it for all the help they gave her? I think I would have liked to see more development between the bonds of the characters instead of an immediate leap to besties. I also found myself wishing to see more chemistry between the two MC’s which I felt was a bit lacking. I’m also a sucker for spice so in a personal vein, I would have appreciated seeing a touch more spice in this read as well. Side note to add: there also was a tiny undercurrent of “sex work is bad and these women want to get out of it”.
All in all it’s not a bad story, it has really good bones, I think for me it would have felt better if the relationships between all the characters had more depth and more relationship building done and perhaps a touch more historical accuracy. It was a solid 3 star read and I do see a lot of promise in this author!
I do however feel like this book wasn’t the most historically accurate (which I recognize is a taste of personal preference) and I wish there had been more buildup/development between the characters. Mrs. Victoria slept one night in the brothel and then suddenly wanted to buy it for all the help they gave her? I think I would have liked to see more development between the bonds of the characters instead of an immediate leap to besties. I also found myself wishing to see more chemistry between the two MC’s which I felt was a bit lacking. I’m also a sucker for spice so in a personal vein, I would have appreciated seeing a touch more spice in this read as well. Side note to add: there also was a tiny undercurrent of “sex work is bad and these women want to get out of it”.
All in all it’s not a bad story, it has really good bones, I think for me it would have felt better if the relationships between all the characters had more depth and more relationship building done and perhaps a touch more historical accuracy. It was a solid 3 star read and I do see a lot of promise in this author!
January 24, 2026
i really enjoyed this. i loved victoria, from escaping her husband to buying a brothel because people were kind to her for the first time in years to basically taking governance of the town. her relationship with natane was very sweet (they were so gone for each other) and the burgeoning realisation about her own sexuality was interesting to read (i liked the constant roaring in victoria's head whenever she had ~feelings~ she couldn't understand for natane. and god. their sex scenes). and then there's consuelo, lisette, and siobhan!! and all the other side characters who felt so real to me.
my only criticism was that they didn't do much with the doctor. this was such a weird people town but when a super weirdo shows up, we're given nothing. not even a little attempt to understand. i don't think there's even a conversation between him and any other character on page. but he's such a minor character this is a mere quibble.
my only criticism was that they didn't do much with the doctor. this was such a weird people town but when a super weirdo shows up, we're given nothing. not even a little attempt to understand. i don't think there's even a conversation between him and any other character on page. but he's such a minor character this is a mere quibble.
June 16, 2025
𝗠𝗥𝗦｡ 𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔 𝗕𝗨𝗬𝗦 𝗔 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗟 is the second book I’ve read by Talhi Briones, and once again, I’m thoroughly enjoying her writing and layered characters. In this queer historical novel, Talhi excels at blending humor and drama in a way that feels natural and compelling. Victoria’s journey from a sheltered, abused wife to a brothel-owning, piano-recital-hosting Madam in the Wild West is both empowering and unexpectedly heartwarming. I found myself rooting for her from the start! The maps at the beginning of the book were a great addition—they helped me picture the setting and added richness to the reading experience. The story balances social tension, emotional growth, and a slow-burn sapphic romance with the mysterious and kind widow Díaz. I’m so glad the author sent me a copy for review, and I’d happily recommend it to fans of queer romance with a fun, unique historical twist.
March 17, 2026
I can say, without the slightest bit of embarrassment, that I’m a big fan of fanfiction. Honestly, I think it’s one of the most incredible things a person can create.
But this book felt like the kind of fanfiction I might have enjoyed if I were already in love with the couple the characters were based on. Because in the end, I finished the book without feeling like I actually knew these people.
And that’s not even getting into the writing itself. There are just too many issues to list. It would be impossible to sum them all up in a single review.
But if there’s one thing I can give the book credit for, it’s the character of Natane. She's an amazing woman, and honestly the only character I truly got to love.
I’m giving it 2.5 stars mainly because I think it’s important that stories about women, written by women and for women, continue to be told.
But this book felt like the kind of fanfiction I might have enjoyed if I were already in love with the couple the characters were based on. Because in the end, I finished the book without feeling like I actually knew these people.
And that’s not even getting into the writing itself. There are just too many issues to list. It would be impossible to sum them all up in a single review.
But if there’s one thing I can give the book credit for, it’s the character of Natane. She's an amazing woman, and honestly the only character I truly got to love.
I’m giving it 2.5 stars mainly because I think it’s important that stories about women, written by women and for women, continue to be told.
March 19, 2026
Victoria has fled her abusive husband with her dowry, and has ended up in Swainsburg, a small town. There she ends up renting a room at the local brothel to give her broken arm time to heal. The women treat her so kindly that Victoria decides to use her dowry money to buy back the building from the bank, both to be her home and to protect the girls.
(The three working girls are actually really funny too)
She meets Natane Diaz, a local widower, who seems bemused by her. Similarly Victoria is taken by her beauty, but tries not to dwell on it.
The town quickly embraces Victoria, especially after she repaires the old piano and plays classical music. Plus she unwillingly becomes the Madam which, oddly, she enjoys.
However, all is not sunshine and roses. There are local outlaws, and her husband eventually turns up.
(The three working girls are actually really funny too)
She meets Natane Diaz, a local widower, who seems bemused by her. Similarly Victoria is taken by her beauty, but tries not to dwell on it.
The town quickly embraces Victoria, especially after she repaires the old piano and plays classical music. Plus she unwillingly becomes the Madam which, oddly, she enjoys.
However, all is not sunshine and roses. There are local outlaws, and her husband eventually turns up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 3, 2025Mrs. Victoria Buys a Brothel is a delightfully original novel with a premise that immediately grabs your attention and refuses to let go. The story is filled with colorful, endearing characters who leap off the page and make you care deeply about their quirky, heartfelt journeys. It's the kind of book that’s nearly impossible to put down once you’ve started — charming, witty, and full of unexpected warmth. A truly refreshing read!
June 27, 2025
Mrs. Victoria buys a Brothel is a captivating read. I read this book over a weekend and it was funny, moving, and delightful. The author creates really interesting, fleshed out characters and I wanted to learn about their stories. I thought the pacing was really good and I was rooting for Victoria and Natane throughout the book.
July 17, 2025
Cozy, romantic, and delightful. I’ve been following this title’s progress on Tumblr and Kickstarter and am so excited to finally have gotten my hands on the physical copy. The Western lesbian antics did not disappoint. All the characters are interesting and well-developed, and the slow burn romance is beautifully done.
August 5, 2025
I absolutely adored everything about this. (Except needing to put it down. Not a big fan of waiting to read the next chapter.) I laughed, flinched, cried, and read so fast that my eyes were a blur.
Beautiful work.
Beautiful work.
May 27, 2025
Delightful, dramatic, and sincere
May 27, 2025
An engaging historical-romance! Equal parts funny and dramatic. You will be routing for Victoria to succeed from the start!
June 1, 2025
4.5- the character writing in general and the chemistry building between Victoria and Natane was great!
June 7, 2025
This is a really fun coming of age story featuring a middle-aged protagonist.
June 12, 2025
Sometimes I wanted to beat Victoria and myself
June 23, 2025
This book stated out lightly but soon delved much deeper. A look at spousal abuse, and redemption. A look at forbidden love and it’s consequences.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2025
lovely story
Worth the read, and the slow burn. So very good!
I couldn’t put it down, honestly. Will be on the lookout for more from the author.
Worth the read, and the slow burn. So very good!
I couldn’t put it down, honestly. Will be on the lookout for more from the author.
July 3, 2025
Found family tropes that make me sob.
July 18, 2025
3.5/5
August 9, 2025
This is the first book I've finished in 1 day in YEARS (and I would kill for book 2)
August 31, 2025
Old West sapphic romance.
December 2, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
January 22, 2026
3,5/5 actually but that was soooo cute
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews