A Literary Liaison

The Daring Damsels #2

by Mihwa Lee

A scandalous correspondence. Public literary feud. A love that could damn them both.

Edgar Marshal Albury, Duke of Lancaster, lives a double life—notorious rake by day, secret romance novelist by night. When the vicious critic E. Lovelace shreds his latest work, he strikes back as "Aengus Steele," launching a literary war that captivates London. But then he meets Elisha Linde, a fierce reformer whose sharp mind and hidden fire make him forget other women exist. He's falling hard for two women—never dreaming they're the same person. When he discovers Elisha's treasonous activities could get her hanged, this pampered duke will risk his title, his fortune, and his neck to save the woman who's made him love again.

Elisha Linde clawed her way from the workhouse to respectability, hiding behind the pen name E. Lovelace to savage London's literary pretensions. Her public feud with pompous author Aengus Steele is delicious revenge against the privileged—until the sinfully handsome Duke of Lancaster unveils the passion she didn’t know she possessed. She should resist his notorious charm, but their verbal sparring ignites something dangerous in her blood. Now her secret life writing seditious pamphlets threatens to destroy everything, and she must choose between her fight for reform or her own happiness.

When words cut deeper than swords, love is the deadliest weapon of all.

Tropes you'll Epistolary Enemies to LoversLiterary Salon SocietyFamous Author Cameos Literary RivalsBlackmail PlotSecret IdentityPolitical IntrigueOpen door, steamy scenes
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The Daring Damsels
Book 1 - Touched by a Traitor
Book 2 - A Literary Liaison
Book 3 - A Most Peculiar Courtship

Genres: Historical Romance

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2025

About the author

Mihwa Lee is NOT a New York Times, USA, or Amazon Best Selling Author. She is a former expert witness. But what she is not, she makes up for with her sense of humour, unusual life experiences, and imagination. The combination of these qualities can yield entertaining stories as well as parties. As a result, she is a sought-after guest at all parties and karaoke except those who have banned her.

Reviews

[BONNIE SMITH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good slow burn, and baby A LITERARY LIASON had it.

Besides the fact that I adore this author and all her zany antics- seriously, follow her, she won't disappoint, her books throw some major spice and laughter into my world.

What I loved about this? Most of the romance is between the sheets..... of paper that is.
Yes our two main characters share most of their witty banter and longing moments through the fine art of letter writing (men, bring that back please) and I LOVED their exchange of literary opinions. This felt sexy and intimate to me, and while I probably was born in the wrong time for it- feels like what a true love affair should be.

I digress, this was fun, spunky and well written for lovers of Jane Austen vibes and slow burns. Thank you to Ms. Mihwa Lee for giving the chance to read prior to release on November 9th!

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this author does the grovel extremely well. I’m like duh she is gonna accept his apology!

But I had a harder time with this book than the first. It did seem long and slow in spots to me but not repetitive so that does help. My biggest issue this time was the second, essentially, male lead. I love other men drama but I didn’t like it here cause it felt more like a love triangle. And also, I felt we were told multiple times about how scary and the fear he triggered in her then sold this version of him that was potentially better than the MMC. It felt gas light esque in a story that was not a physiological thriller.

Currently I feel torn on this author. I liked the first book in this series more.

[Alexandra G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delicious slow burn enemies-to-lovers with a twist!
Two romances – one epistolary, the other impossible – intricately entwined. The stakes are high; it’s not only love, but also a literary challenge, hidden identity, rivalry, political intrigue, blackmail, and a treacherously thin line between heartbreak and happily ever after.

Elisha – a workhouse orphan and self-educated survivor turned journalist, literary critic and staunch reformist – and Edgar – an aimless rakehell duke nursing his eternally broken heart, and secret novelist. Both go by pen names and their epistolary swords first cross after she eviscerates his novel in her gazette. Before long, the ton is hooked and the gauntlet is laid down: who can write love best?

Scouting his competition, he finds a sharp-witted miss unimpressed by titles, who challenges his mind, inspires him to do better, kickstarts his heart and... is engaged in a clandestine hobby even more dangerous than his own.
Suddenly the object of three very different men’s attention, she finds her walls crumbling. One inspires her pen, the other confusion and the third her heart. But is any of it real, or do they all have an agenda?

Through quick wit, sarcasm and sizzling chemistry, this duo wormed its way into my heart. The story is intriguing, complex and multi-layered, and so are all its players. There’s no great mystery, but the writing is clever and the plot kept me spellbound till the end.
I loved how she, a pragmatic workaholic, slowly allows emotion into the equation, how she jumps to conclusions yet remains open to reason, how she trusts her gut and wisely plays her cards. And for him it was growth, loyalty even in the shadows, the hurt hidden behind a suave facade, how helplessly in love he is, how torn he is over deceiving her, and how expertly he grovels once the jig is up.

In short: a tasty devourable treat I highly recommend!

[Stacie Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am having a difficult time rating this book. I typically really enjoy this author’s work, and while I did like the overall storyline and characters, there were elements that I didn’t like.

This tale was a romantic tale of a Duke who fell in love with a lady outside his class. Edgar went down this same road 5 years ago with another outside his class, and that ended in tragedy. Now, he’s faced with falling for yet another “lower class” lady, Elisha, who grew up orphaned in a work house. I loved this plot line. And I loved their characters. The friendship they created via literary criticisms was beautiful and heartfelt. It was easy to follow that line. The banter they created and shared in so many places was epic. You could feel the longing and love blossom between them, and that was truly beautiful.

Unfortunately, I found the book too slow and too long for me. The characters were not together or in close proximity for much of the book, and I personally, do not like that. While the ending was beautiful and soft, I was disappointed in it. I felt it ended abruptly for all the time and effort I put in to read the whole tale. Edgar’s time away at the end was odd and didn’t fully feel like it fit. I thought he was going to “fix” things, but his time away explanation didn’t seem to fill in so many questions and expectations I had. I felt the ending with Mr. Thornton was confusing and strange considering the confession he made when he was a bit intoxicated and all the build up to the climax. It was like his character couldn't decide if it was a true villain or just a misguided, lovestruck fool. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked his character. I hope we see him get his own story as he seems a complex and interesting fellow. Part of me was rooting for him over the Duke at points (please don’t tell Edgar!) I think that maybe the story had too many moving and complex parts. They were all interesting and engaging, but they just didn’t all flow well and have their loose ends tied up like I expected.

It was definitely a book with lots of feeling and heart. There was certainly romance, but mostly from afar.

[KelseyreadsHR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a journey that spanned the course of a year. Hidden identities and dual pseudonyms for the MC emerge through a literary dual by letters and later a wager.

Yet they weren’t aware of this connection as they meet and fall in love in real life. Constrained by their upbringing, expectations, and stations in life they both struggle in balancing practicality with what the heart wants.

There is a lot of back and forth of their feelings that felt hot and cold. This didn’t bother me so much though because while it’s dual POV, it favored Elisha perspective more. So I understood her wariness and vulnerability (she definitely had more to lose) because you weren’t in Edgar’s mind a lot to know what his plan was.

I always think you can have more grovel, but the emotional descriptions in the end convinced me. However, this story felt really long. It took a while to get going but the second half picked up and ended strong.

A Literary Liaison is the second book in The Daring damsels series.

There are five open door encounters. They’re on the shorter side and two include hero self pleasure.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Kellie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Jane Austen vibes with spicy love scenes thrown in.

The narrative focuses on Duke Edgar Lancaster, writing romances under the pseudonym Aengus Steele, & reporter Elisha Linde, secretly book critic E. Lovelace. Lovelace’s scathing review of Steele’s latest book pushes Edgar to respond and seek out her true identity.

Like Austen’s formula for her novels, the book features a strong, determined female lead and quick witted banter between the couple, both in letter form and in person. A few of Lovelace’s responses to Steele had me chuckling.

I enjoyed the political storyline; it gave a lot more dimension to Elisha’s character and also introduced a bit of danger to the plot.

I think I would have enjoyed more interaction between the lovers, they were fun together. I also felt like there was a bit of a pacing issue near the end. It felt slow and I didn’t feel like Edgar responded in a way befitting his character. But then again, maybe I was just anxious for the climax.

This was my first Mihwa Lee book, but it’s definitely not the last. The writing is very good. If you’re like me and a sucker for historical romance novels mark your calendars. This one is out November 9!

Thank you to Net Galley and Dragonblade publishing for the ARC.

[Debbie Steed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I have read every book Ms Lee has published and this one was almost as fantastic as the others. She always has such interesting characters in her books and writes humorously and beautifully. Her books are always high in the steam department with open door situations but they fit well in with the storyline.

This slow burn story between Edgar Albury, the Duke of Lancaster and Miss Elisha Linde has an interesting two plot twist. Both characters are writing under pseudonyms. Edgar writes romance novels and Elisha is a reviewer of books, under the pseudonym of E Lovelace for the Metropolitan Review. She’s also a writer at the newspaper, working alongside her best friend Amelia Thornton, who is the editor. Both come from very humble beginnings. Writing as Aengus Steele, Edgar is finding the scathing reviews of E Lovelace about his books hurtful and insulting. They communicate with each other through letters to the Review. The letters are amusing to read and have biting words and phrases that made me giggle as I knew the secret of who they were. As they progress, they agree to a competition that grows into a culmination at the end that will make both Elisha and Edgar very nervous.

At the same time the characters are arguing in the paper as their alter egos, Edgar had seen Elisha at a bookstore and is intrigued by her. Even though she is well below his social status (having grown up in an orphanage and workhouse) Elisha has no idea who he is and stands up to him with quick wit and slightly biting words. He falls into infatuation with her, finding her intelligent and honest. When they meet again through their enjoyment and need to attend literally events and she finds out who he is, nothing changes in her attitude or how she acts and talks to him and he finds it so refreshing. She doesn’t simper to him or giggle endlessly, something young society ladies often do when around him.

They both know there can be no future between them but they both are so drawn to each other and enjoy spending time together. There’s a male secondary character that is more socially suitable for Elisha but she’s not interested in him. Edgar isn’t interested in any women in his social circle, only Elisha holds his attention and respect. He had a previous attraction to a similar young woman who was below his social status as a young man and it ended in tragedy and his father instilling the need to preserve the family honour and respectability by making an appropriate match in marriage, which is probably why Edgar hadn’t married. They are both also separately involved in secret publications that could be troublesome for both if it was discovered.

The couple have to decide what they want and there are miscommunication’s numerous times between them. Elisha knows she will not be accepted in Edgar’s circle and Edgar knows if he wants to be with Elisha, his family’s name and reputation will be affected and he has responsibilities that he needs to consider. Now that his father has passed, his family want to see him happy so come up with rather ingenious ways of making Elisha fit into the world they live in. A great threat to their relationship and personal integrity of both of them becomes evident to Edgar and he has to go away to try to fix it. Elisha is left with no explanation from Edgar. When he finally returns she has to decide whether to forgive him and follow her heart, or find someone who is more suitable socially and try to find happiness with them.

I really did enjoy this book as I do all Ms Lee’s work although I did feel this one was maybe a little bit too long. The writing has great detail and I enjoyed the famous literary characters appearing in this book. Her characters are always interesting and entertaining and I enjoy engaging with them.
I received a copy from NetGalley. I’m voluntarily leaving this review.

[Winnifred D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: enemies to lovers; class difference; epistolary love
Steam level: 3
Second in a series. Works fine on its own.

3.75 stars rounded up. This book really feels like a big love letter to 19th century British writers as much as a romance between two fictional characters, and as a lit nerd, I'm here for it. Everyone from Wordsworth to Bronte make appearances. And I enjoyed the MC's. Elisha is a woman who has pulled herself up from poverty to become a well-respected literary critic, and Edgar is a duke with a heart that was broken in the past and is more of a fake rake than a real one. I loved the sparks at the beginning, the way Edgar falls not just for Elisha physically but intellectually and emotionally, valuing the strong woman she is. I appreciated how Elisha approaches a relationship with him cautiously, as she is more than aware of their class difference. Throw in a surprisingly thought-provoking love triangle (I hate to admit I was rooting for Thornton at times, even near the end), and there's a lot to like.

But the length!

The writing style is frequently clever, but at times long-winded and purple-prosey, causing occasional awkward phrasing and plot drag. At times this reads like a legit homage to Austen, at other times it's too much. At over 400 pages, some strategic editing would not have been amiss, especially in the first half. There were a couple of redundancies in the plot, as well.

Overall, this is fun and smart, with nice character nuance, genuine emotion, and a cute ending. It's definitely for book nerds, but it's a tad overlong

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest, voluntary review. Thanks to the author, Dragonblade, and Net Galley for this opportunity.

[Bridget Love to read Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have Elisha Linde aka Miss Elisha Von Linde a passionate reformer and literary genius! She has clawed her way to from work house, to cleaning to realize her literary aspirations! She is fiercely, competitive, beautiful and not afraid of the truth! She challenges Edgar Marshal Albury, Duke of Lancaster, lives a double life—notorious rake by day to utilize his life of privilege for literary among the very poorest of society! Edgar is immediately attracted to Elisha but she won’t be one on a long line of conquests! He also has formed a habit of falling for women far beyond his station! The last one ended badly is he destined to repeat failure in love? Elisha has two powerful men vying for her affection! One she loves and one whose “love” is desperate manipulative and controlling! There are so many twists and turns in the story! It is a page turner full of parries and thrusts better than any sword battles! It is full of raw and honest emotions as Edgar and Elisha battle not only societal expectations, his family but the secrets that have festered! This secrets threaten all they hold dear! Is there any possibility between a Duke and an orphan from a work house? Bravo get a hanky ready or a box of tissue! This one will wring all the emotions from you and reassemble them!

[Bradinvancouver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how to rate this book because as someone who enjoys both characters on every page, I would rate this as 4, but if I look at this book as literature, I'd give it a 5. The reason being there are so many fun stuff happening in this book. There's the in-person romance, letter romance, funny side characters, the reform movement, the rebels, hero rescuing heroine, the villain trying to steal the heroine, AND literary salons which are packed with real life authors from the period such as Dickens and Wordsworth. They also play a major role in the story's conclusion. THIS IS A BIG BOOK. I mean, it's not a simple romance, it's one written by a pro, a lover of classical literature and history. The writing is beautiful, the story is great but the romance happens both remotely and in-person which is different from the author's other books. Excellent read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author, and all opinions are my own.

[Kelli Matthews | SighingOurPleasure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mihwa Lee delivers another ambitious story in The Daring Damsels series, full of heart, humor and high stakes. Edgar, a rakish duke who moonlights as a secret romance novelist, and Elisha, the fierce critic who unknowingly drags him in print, make for a sharp and fascinating pair. Their letter exchanges are smart, funny and surprisingly tender.

Lee’s plots always feel ambitious and a little wild in the best way, though this one does juggle a few too many threads. I loved the focus on social reform and the way both characters grow through their convictions, even if some historical details stretch believability.

The slow burn pays off beautifully once things turn steamy, and Edgar’s big-family energy adds warmth and charm throughout.

This book is out now. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy to read.
A rich, romantic tangle of words and ideals—occasionally messy, but never dull.

[Regina B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say. This story is a brilliantly written slow burn relationship between a noble and a commoner. The relationship between Edgar the Duke of Lancaster and Elisha a writer develops through hidden identities on both sides through personal interactions and intense letters. The balance between the suspense of the MCs messing everything up with keeping secrets and the intimate connections leading to final HEA is perfect as well as the fact that two peoples lives can be destroyed if they are together but from different stations in life is mind blowing. I never wanted to put the book down or throw it down in frustration IYKYK. I had to know how it would all work out for them. Thank you Mihwa Lee for giving us readers this beautiful story experience.

[Alyssa Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4/5 ✨️, with a 2.5/5 🌶

I loved the story and particularly the pseudonyms trope, but I felt like the FMC wavered between naivety and intelligence which didn't make sense for her character. The banter was incredible but I would have loved more in person moments and tension in that regard prior to any romantic moments. And third-act break-ups are my least favorite thing ever -- no exceptions here.

I felt like the third act in general moved too slowly compared to the first two thirds of the book, but generally speaking the detail was incredible and the environment building just short of theatrical. Well written and worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publ8shing, Inc. for the Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much more involved story than some of this author's other works. It has a lot of depth, but also, at times, felt repetitive. It is a slow burn story and there is a lot of physical longing throughout. It felt like the main characters repressed their desire or succumbed to it, and I never knew which it would be. There were a ton of secrets and underground intrigue that allowed the story to get stuck. I admit I began to skim rather than truly read. I wish the book had been reduced by one third to help it move and flow in a more enjoyable reader experience.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of this author because her stories are edgy, often fun and a bit risky. I had a hard time with this one because it just didn't seem like I could connect at all. I rated it a bit higher than I would normally because there was alot of potential and I'm a big fan, however I have to say it's not one I'd pick up again. It had too many slow spots and in some ways came close to being very repetitive. I did like the plot and expect to continue reading her books.

[Ly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both intellectually and emotionally romantic!

I enjoyed the main characters, Elisha and Edgar, and their verbal and literary sparring matches. I loved the back-and-forth between them. This romance features a beautiful enemies-to-lovers trope.

Unfortunately, at some point, I found the story dragged on and lost interest for a short while. But the story grabbed me again with some new twists.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the letters back and forth, loved the insertion of historical people from the literary world and loved the premise. I had trouble with it being too long and slow. I can read 500 page books, no problem, this just went on and on without moving the story along enough to keep my interest. I won’t say much more so as to not discourage anyone from reading it.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this!

A duke who secretly writes romantic novels vs a working class literary critic, with you’ve got mail vibes. I also loved the literary cameos and the sub plot about the reform of workers rights.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Edgar and Elisha's story of a Duke who's a rake by day and novelist at night, he us in a literay war with Elisha well his alter ego Mr Steele is, soon a wager ensues who will win this wager and how will Elisha take to discovering that the man she is falling for is a Duke. Will she forgive him and finally accept his heart.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read. The premise of literary competition that becomes a love letter throughout the book was unique. The slow Byrne, Romance of their falling in love was very nice. At times it did feel over long but in the end it worked out.

[Emma Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different hidden identity premise! I loved the letters between the two characters and the subtle chances with the content. Also gotta love a he falls first and hard story.

[Lindsay pinkcowlandreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a book with a secret identity, and this book has two! Two nome de plume authors, a romance author and the literary critique engaged in a heated public literary debate.

The Duke of Lancaster is balancing his dual life of society rake and secret romance author, while participating in a heated feud with a popular literary critic and falling in love with Miss Elisha Linde, an employee at the critic’s paper…

An employee, who happens to be the secret critic, E. Lovelace at the paper!

As the two get closer and let their passions overtake them, their secrets become heavier and threaten to erase this romance they’ve just written together!

I really enjoyed seeing these two opposite characters come together and fight past their class differences only to have their secrets. Be the real thing that could be their undoing. Elishia and the Duke are a perfect pairing and only make each other’s writing better… but they have so much to overcome to get to their happily ever after!

There is so much going on in this book that it was kept on my toes while turning the pages!