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Queen of Lombard Street
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Expected 20 Oct 26Win a free print copy of this book!
17 days and 14:13:27
25 copies available
U.S. only
From New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas—a sweeping, richly layered Victorian novel about a trailblazing female economist who’s determined to build Britain’s first women’s bank, but she must fight both financial corruption and a system intent on destroying the newly found family she’s created.
In Victorian England, no woman—not even a brilliant economist like Reina Martin—is allowed to open her own bank account. Men will take care of everything, women are told. But Reina knows better. As the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish immigrant mother, she’s haunted by the memory of living with unpaid grocer’s bills and no coal for the hearth.
So together with her mentor, the powerful banker William Farlow, Reina will build the first all-women’s bank, where women can manage their own financial security.
At home, Reina’s domestic staff of recently paroled prisoners are building new lives and becoming a found family. But soon Reina is shocked to discover that her enigmatic butler, John Pembroke, is an undercover police detective. He’s been assigned to investigate Farlow, who’s suspected of financial crime on a scale so massive, it could destabilize the British economy. Pembroke needs Reina’s expertise for a high-stakes nighttime heist to obtain incriminating evidence.
Now Reina faces the agonizing choice of betraying her mentor or turning her back on thousands of working-class families who stand to lose everything. Either way, her dream of the women’s bank may be over.
But courage and sacrifice aren’t limited to the battlefield—they also occur at the kitchen table, where women who believe in compassion and community are working to remake the future. And when the stakes are highest, Reina knows to trust her heart as well as her intellect.
Based on real-life trailblazers such as Mary Paley Marshall, Britain’s first female economist, and financial titan Hetty Green, Queen of Lombard Street brings to light the hidden history of extraordinary women whose achievements should be celebrated. How can we know who we are, if we don’t know who we were?
In Victorian England, no woman—not even a brilliant economist like Reina Martin—is allowed to open her own bank account. Men will take care of everything, women are told. But Reina knows better. As the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish immigrant mother, she’s haunted by the memory of living with unpaid grocer’s bills and no coal for the hearth.
So together with her mentor, the powerful banker William Farlow, Reina will build the first all-women’s bank, where women can manage their own financial security.
At home, Reina’s domestic staff of recently paroled prisoners are building new lives and becoming a found family. But soon Reina is shocked to discover that her enigmatic butler, John Pembroke, is an undercover police detective. He’s been assigned to investigate Farlow, who’s suspected of financial crime on a scale so massive, it could destabilize the British economy. Pembroke needs Reina’s expertise for a high-stakes nighttime heist to obtain incriminating evidence.
Now Reina faces the agonizing choice of betraying her mentor or turning her back on thousands of working-class families who stand to lose everything. Either way, her dream of the women’s bank may be over.
But courage and sacrifice aren’t limited to the battlefield—they also occur at the kitchen table, where women who believe in compassion and community are working to remake the future. And when the stakes are highest, Reina knows to trust her heart as well as her intellect.
Based on real-life trailblazers such as Mary Paley Marshall, Britain’s first female economist, and financial titan Hetty Green, Queen of Lombard Street brings to light the hidden history of extraordinary women whose achievements should be celebrated. How can we know who we are, if we don’t know who we were?
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 20, 2026
About the author
Lisa Kleypas
129 books32k followersLISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.
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coming-soon
May 15, 2026🚨 THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
I GOT APPROVED FOR THE ARC! 🚨
***************************
OH MY GOD, GUYS! SHE’S BAAAAAAACK! 🚨
I GOT APPROVED FOR THE ARC! 🚨
***************************
OH MY GOD, GUYS! SHE’S BAAAAAAACK! 🚨
May 26, 2026
full review TK 😭😭😭
Want to Read
January 13, 2026Is the queen herself coming back to writing? WHAT IS HAPPENING? 😭👀 I'm not a Historical Fiction girlie and I'm sad this isn't HR but at this point I guess I'll read a damn phone book written by Lisa Kleypas.
June 4, 2026
5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Far away from the glittering ballrooms and scandalous evening escapades, Queen of Lombard Street follows an unconventional woman of great ambitions and the house of misfits she founded.
Inspired by the extraordinary unsung finance women throughout history, this story celebrates those whose brilliance shone even when time has dimmed their existence and achievements—Kleypas took it upon herself to craft a heroine drawn from their shining legacy and thus came Reina Martin.
Reina Martin is unlike any Kleypas heroine that came before her. A self-sufficient woman with a lethal sense of wit and humor. A financial prodigy and a shrewd businesswoman. She scorns society by her unconventionality and unapologetically carves her own path.
For society's demeaning expectations at the time suffocates women and places them within very narrow molds, but for a bastard-born woman from an immigrant mother and with no family to rely on in the late 19th century? She is condemned to a life of misfortunes.
Rather than sit idly by and accept such a life, Reina will use her sharp intellect and wits and take part in the most challenging, male-dominated industry.
And not only make a name of herself in that industry, as a trailblazing female economist she aims to create the first all-women's bank in Britain. Run by women, for women.
However, as admirable as it is to follow Reina's greatest ambition and dream, but the heart of this story were the family she founded with the band of outcasts *cough*recently paroled prisoners*cough* who serve as her domestic staff, who also turned out to be the most delightful lot.
Their dynamic as a whole was utterly charming, comedic, and delightfully chaotic. I giggled at their bickering, became devastated at their misfortunes, and felt genuine happiness as I witnessed them rebuild a good life from scratch. Even with a questionable history, their loyalty and love to Reina was unwavering.
You might be wondering if this is all there is to it? It's a Lisa Kleypas book, surely there must be romance in it...?
First, I must convey my appreciation for Kleypas and her brilliant return to the book community. It's a privilege to have been gifted a new book by her after many years has passed and knew I was in for a rewarding story after a long wait. I admire that she forged a new path in her storytelling and paid a lovely homage to the historical figures she admired.
And the answer to the romance question is: Yes.
It's more of a subplot but it is quite present.
To set your expectations, the romance is indeed a little diluted in comparison to Kleypas's previous books, but it's woven into the story beautifully and it's a slowburn that is so tender and ignites once the longing and desire collide.
What's even more exciting is Reina and her eventual love interest end up living under the same roof, so the close proximity and the tension between them is quite delicious.
Oh, and you will be delighted to know that you may find some familiar beloved faces. It's not a Kleypas book without exciting cameos.
I cannot wait for you to feast on this book and share your love for it with me. A friend said that this book is perfectly made for a live adaptation even as a mini series (such as BBC's North & South) and now I completely agree and root for it to happen.
I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of the Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas. Thank you Harper Collins and Avon Books for sending me an ARC it was the highlight of my year!
Far away from the glittering ballrooms and scandalous evening escapades, Queen of Lombard Street follows an unconventional woman of great ambitions and the house of misfits she founded.
Inspired by the extraordinary unsung finance women throughout history, this story celebrates those whose brilliance shone even when time has dimmed their existence and achievements—Kleypas took it upon herself to craft a heroine drawn from their shining legacy and thus came Reina Martin.
Reina Martin is unlike any Kleypas heroine that came before her. A self-sufficient woman with a lethal sense of wit and humor. A financial prodigy and a shrewd businesswoman. She scorns society by her unconventionality and unapologetically carves her own path.
For society's demeaning expectations at the time suffocates women and places them within very narrow molds, but for a bastard-born woman from an immigrant mother and with no family to rely on in the late 19th century? She is condemned to a life of misfortunes.
Rather than sit idly by and accept such a life, Reina will use her sharp intellect and wits and take part in the most challenging, male-dominated industry.
And not only make a name of herself in that industry, as a trailblazing female economist she aims to create the first all-women's bank in Britain. Run by women, for women.
However, as admirable as it is to follow Reina's greatest ambition and dream, but the heart of this story were the family she founded with the band of outcasts *cough*recently paroled prisoners*cough* who serve as her domestic staff, who also turned out to be the most delightful lot.
Their dynamic as a whole was utterly charming, comedic, and delightfully chaotic. I giggled at their bickering, became devastated at their misfortunes, and felt genuine happiness as I witnessed them rebuild a good life from scratch. Even with a questionable history, their loyalty and love to Reina was unwavering.
You might be wondering if this is all there is to it? It's a Lisa Kleypas book, surely there must be romance in it...?
First, I must convey my appreciation for Kleypas and her brilliant return to the book community. It's a privilege to have been gifted a new book by her after many years has passed and knew I was in for a rewarding story after a long wait. I admire that she forged a new path in her storytelling and paid a lovely homage to the historical figures she admired.
And the answer to the romance question is: Yes.
It's more of a subplot but it is quite present.
To set your expectations, the romance is indeed a little diluted in comparison to Kleypas's previous books, but it's woven into the story beautifully and it's a slowburn that is so tender and ignites once the longing and desire collide.
What's even more exciting is Reina and her eventual love interest end up living under the same roof, so the close proximity and the tension between them is quite delicious.
Oh, and you will be delighted to know that you may find some familiar beloved faces. It's not a Kleypas book without exciting cameos.
I cannot wait for you to feast on this book and share your love for it with me. A friend said that this book is perfectly made for a live adaptation even as a mini series (such as BBC's North & South) and now I completely agree and root for it to happen.
I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of the Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas. Thank you Harper Collins and Avon Books for sending me an ARC it was the highlight of my year!
Want to Read
February 5, 2026Look who’s back! Can’t wait 💗💗💗
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.25/5
Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for this e-arc!
Lisa Kleypas, Queen of Historical Romance, has returned to publishing after a five year hiatus with a stellar novel that will delight her fans and hopefully gain her some new ones! As one of my favourite authors, and my favourite ever in writing style, reading a new Lisa book early gave me ALL the feelings. Her writing is immaculate as always, filled with rich descriptions of Victorian England and all its inhabitants. She balances two romantic arcs with a decently sized plot, and the highlight of this book is, for me, the found family aspect. Lisa's humour shines here as always and I was laughing out loud.
I do think that this is basically a historical romance with more domestic focus than one with a huge external plot, it's what I imagine Alice Coldbreath's novels to be (I still need to read her haha). I don't think lovers of Lisa's stories should worry about this being too different from her previous works! The large cast of characters is something Lisa always balances well, this novel being no exception. I fell in love with all of them. And the cameos from Ravenels series?!! Even when they mentioned Winterborne's I was like heheh.
Reina is a really lovely FMC. She's strong willed and emotionally vulnerable. John is a great match for her, similar in so many ways, and their relationship was so CUTE. I just didn't completely fall in love with them. I think there is less focus on romance in this novel than most of Lisa's previous works due to the focus more on domestic life. I think I did prefer the secondary romance between June and Maddock (!!!). June is probably my favourite character in this novel. She's bold and funny and so full of life. Both romances are low angst and very sweet, which isn't entirely my taste I'll admit.
The side characters all have my HEART. Norman! Belinda! Tuppence! Maddock! Such a well developed cast, with so much banter and funny situations arising. This novel also has some very sad scenes and they were written beautifully. It's more explicit than any of Lisa's to date in the sense that it's full of swearing (a delight!) and does not shy away from the brutality that women face in the world. It does have much less spice than most of her novels though I'd say. I thought that overall, this was a really great step forward in the type of stories Lisa wants to tell.
The plot of this novel is excellent. There are so many fun threads that all connect together really well. The social commentary is on point and interesting, and this novel is quite educational about so many aspects of Victorian life. The examination of power imbalances is done with care and the inclusions of the Spanish community was something I loved. I almost wished the scope was larger, though, since the novel is pretty limited to Reina's house lol. The slice of life moments will likely appeal more to other readers. The pacing can also be a bit slow, but that also might just be the slice of life moments not having as much momentum.
Lisa Kleypas delivers with this novel, but it certainly has less angst and drama in the romantic arcs than I prefer personally. It's a lovely addition to her catalogue, and will certainly be a hit for historical fiction and romance fans. Now having read this early I have to wait for whatever she does next (please join me for manifesting a 2nd generation Hathaways series every day at noon as I have done since I first read that series in 2021).
Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for this e-arc!
Lisa Kleypas, Queen of Historical Romance, has returned to publishing after a five year hiatus with a stellar novel that will delight her fans and hopefully gain her some new ones! As one of my favourite authors, and my favourite ever in writing style, reading a new Lisa book early gave me ALL the feelings. Her writing is immaculate as always, filled with rich descriptions of Victorian England and all its inhabitants. She balances two romantic arcs with a decently sized plot, and the highlight of this book is, for me, the found family aspect. Lisa's humour shines here as always and I was laughing out loud.
I do think that this is basically a historical romance with more domestic focus than one with a huge external plot, it's what I imagine Alice Coldbreath's novels to be (I still need to read her haha). I don't think lovers of Lisa's stories should worry about this being too different from her previous works! The large cast of characters is something Lisa always balances well, this novel being no exception. I fell in love with all of them. And the cameos from Ravenels series?!! Even when they mentioned Winterborne's I was like heheh.
Reina is a really lovely FMC. She's strong willed and emotionally vulnerable. John is a great match for her, similar in so many ways, and their relationship was so CUTE. I just didn't completely fall in love with them. I think there is less focus on romance in this novel than most of Lisa's previous works due to the focus more on domestic life. I think I did prefer the secondary romance between June and Maddock (!!!). June is probably my favourite character in this novel. She's bold and funny and so full of life. Both romances are low angst and very sweet, which isn't entirely my taste I'll admit.
The side characters all have my HEART. Norman! Belinda! Tuppence! Maddock! Such a well developed cast, with so much banter and funny situations arising. This novel also has some very sad scenes and they were written beautifully. It's more explicit than any of Lisa's to date in the sense that it's full of swearing (a delight!) and does not shy away from the brutality that women face in the world. It does have much less spice than most of her novels though I'd say. I thought that overall, this was a really great step forward in the type of stories Lisa wants to tell.
The plot of this novel is excellent. There are so many fun threads that all connect together really well. The social commentary is on point and interesting, and this novel is quite educational about so many aspects of Victorian life. The examination of power imbalances is done with care and the inclusions of the Spanish community was something I loved. I almost wished the scope was larger, though, since the novel is pretty limited to Reina's house lol. The slice of life moments will likely appeal more to other readers. The pacing can also be a bit slow, but that also might just be the slice of life moments not having as much momentum.
Lisa Kleypas delivers with this novel, but it certainly has less angst and drama in the romantic arcs than I prefer personally. It's a lovely addition to her catalogue, and will certainly be a hit for historical fiction and romance fans. Now having read this early I have to wait for whatever she does next (please join me for manifesting a 2nd generation Hathaways series every day at noon as I have done since I first read that series in 2021).
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve been reading Lisa Kleypas for more than 20 years—she has long been the queen of historical romance, and for good reason. So when I got the chance to read her latest release, I was honestly elated. My expectations were high (and yes, I was a little afraid it might disappoint me), but fortunately, that wasn’t the case at all.
I read this book in one day. That alone says a lot—I had a fantastic time with it.
What stood out most for me was how emotionally invested I became in the entire household. The found family dynamic really made this book something special for me.
Reina is a standout heroine—driven, intelligent, and very competent. I also really loved how modern she felt without it ever being preachy or forced. It just worked.
The writing is strong, the humour was another highlight, and I honestly don’t remember laughing this much in a historical romance before. It has warmth, intelligence, and emotional depth, and it just felt really satisfying to read.
I can only recommend it to every Lisa Kleypas fan out there—you’ll enjoy this. We’ve waited a long time, but it was worth it.
4.5 stars
___________________________________
Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.
I read this book in one day. That alone says a lot—I had a fantastic time with it.
What stood out most for me was how emotionally invested I became in the entire household. The found family dynamic really made this book something special for me.
Reina is a standout heroine—driven, intelligent, and very competent. I also really loved how modern she felt without it ever being preachy or forced. It just worked.
The writing is strong, the humour was another highlight, and I honestly don’t remember laughing this much in a historical romance before. It has warmth, intelligence, and emotional depth, and it just felt really satisfying to read.
I can only recommend it to every Lisa Kleypas fan out there—you’ll enjoy this. We’ve waited a long time, but it was worth it.
4.5 stars
___________________________________
Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.
April 18, 2026
The Queen is back and she has truly outdone herself 5 massive stars to Lisa Kleypas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m starting this off by saying that this is a romance (there’s two in fact) and it’s fleshed out extremely well, so for the fellow Capital R Romance girlies fear not Lisa would never leave us hanging for a HEA!
There’s truly not much I can say without spoiling this book because it’s a RIDE. It’s funny (I literally was laughing out loud at parts) it’s heartbreaking, but it gets the balance down so so well. There’s also a found family aspect and my god is this done brilliantly. Every single character was so well thought out and given distinct personalities and characteristics.
The romance(s). Winterborne girlies RISE!!!! One thing Lisa Kleypas can write is a hard working man and John Pembroke is for us!! Reina and John have solidified themselves into one of my top 3 favourite LK couples (yes the other two are Helen and Rhys and Cassandra and Tom), their romance is super slowburn which I absolutely LOVE!! John is so protective of Reina from the minute he meets her and it’s so precious. These two are pretty steadfast when it comes to their relationship, a lot of the conflict in the book comes from other subplots which I felt suited the story best and made sense for these two.
Okay June and Maddoch. I loved these two and I was so glad they had a little romance going of their own it was so beautiful to see these two slowly open up and for June to trust someone other than Reina. Just such a delight.
There is some historical fiction mixed in but not too much that it felt completely out of the romance realm. I really think every word and every page here counted. There’s some emotional moments that had me gasping and I’d be lying if I said my eyes weren’t basically swollen in my head from writing this review.
you can tell Lisa worked hard on this and that she was writing something she really loved and believed we would love too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me the arc. All opinions are my own.
Potential spoilers? Idk I’m just being safe here
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If you haven’t read The Ravenels series I highly recommend reading them, not only because it’s a great series but because there’s some Easter eggs in this and big cameos so 🤷♀️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m starting this off by saying that this is a romance (there’s two in fact) and it’s fleshed out extremely well, so for the fellow Capital R Romance girlies fear not Lisa would never leave us hanging for a HEA!
There’s truly not much I can say without spoiling this book because it’s a RIDE. It’s funny (I literally was laughing out loud at parts) it’s heartbreaking, but it gets the balance down so so well. There’s also a found family aspect and my god is this done brilliantly. Every single character was so well thought out and given distinct personalities and characteristics.
The romance(s). Winterborne girlies RISE!!!! One thing Lisa Kleypas can write is a hard working man and John Pembroke is for us!! Reina and John have solidified themselves into one of my top 3 favourite LK couples (yes the other two are Helen and Rhys and Cassandra and Tom), their romance is super slowburn which I absolutely LOVE!! John is so protective of Reina from the minute he meets her and it’s so precious. These two are pretty steadfast when it comes to their relationship, a lot of the conflict in the book comes from other subplots which I felt suited the story best and made sense for these two.
Okay June and Maddoch. I loved these two and I was so glad they had a little romance going of their own it was so beautiful to see these two slowly open up and for June to trust someone other than Reina. Just such a delight.
There is some historical fiction mixed in but not too much that it felt completely out of the romance realm. I really think every word and every page here counted. There’s some emotional moments that had me gasping and I’d be lying if I said my eyes weren’t basically swollen in my head from writing this review.
you can tell Lisa worked hard on this and that she was writing something she really loved and believed we would love too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me the arc. All opinions are my own.
Potential spoilers? Idk I’m just being safe here
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-
-
-
-
-
-
If you haven’t read The Ravenels series I highly recommend reading them, not only because it’s a great series but because there’s some Easter eggs in this and big cameos so 🤷♀️
April 4, 2026
I have no words. This book exceeded my expectations in the very best ways.
Longer review to come once I can formulate my thoughts.
——————————————————————————-
📖: Queen of Lombard Street
✍🏼: Lisa Kleypas
⭐️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lisa Kleypas is back and better than ever! I am unwell. What a read. Crying because it’s over!!!
This book has it all.
Powerhouse FMC ✔️
Undercover Hero ✔️
High stakes tension ✔️
Emotional damage ✔️
Slow burn romance ✔️
Two different love stories ✔️
I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how excited and I was when Lisa Kleypas announced her new book. And then I got the ARC??? I almost passed away.
Upon finishing the book, I had no words. I cried so hard during parts of it, I was giggling and kicking my feet at other parts, I cheered all the characters on throughout the book.
Reina Martin, what an amazing FMC. I loved her from page one. She’s smart, witty, kind. She’s now my favorite FMC of the Kleypas characters.
While there is two romances in this book, it reads more as historical fiction then historical romance. However, Kleypas knocks this out of the park. I could not put the book down.
I preordered this as soon as I was finished, and I cannot wait to have the physical copy on my shelf.
Thank you so much to Lisa Kleypas, Avon Books, and NetGalley for this fabulous book.
Longer review to come once I can formulate my thoughts.
——————————————————————————-
📖: Queen of Lombard Street
✍🏼: Lisa Kleypas
⭐️: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lisa Kleypas is back and better than ever! I am unwell. What a read. Crying because it’s over!!!
This book has it all.
Powerhouse FMC ✔️
Undercover Hero ✔️
High stakes tension ✔️
Emotional damage ✔️
Slow burn romance ✔️
Two different love stories ✔️
I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how excited and I was when Lisa Kleypas announced her new book. And then I got the ARC??? I almost passed away.
Upon finishing the book, I had no words. I cried so hard during parts of it, I was giggling and kicking my feet at other parts, I cheered all the characters on throughout the book.
Reina Martin, what an amazing FMC. I loved her from page one. She’s smart, witty, kind. She’s now my favorite FMC of the Kleypas characters.
While there is two romances in this book, it reads more as historical fiction then historical romance. However, Kleypas knocks this out of the park. I could not put the book down.
I preordered this as soon as I was finished, and I cannot wait to have the physical copy on my shelf.
Thank you so much to Lisa Kleypas, Avon Books, and NetGalley for this fabulous book.
Want to Read
January 12, 2026RETURN OF THE QUEEN.
You found me at a very Historical Romance time in my life.
You found me at a very Historical Romance time in my life.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Lisa Kleypas is baaaack! And no, this is NOT a romance. But also it's not not a romance? There are two love stories here and even cameos by certain characters from the Ravenels series so don't fret, she is feeding us! The romance isn't the focus, but it's a very big part of the plot. But I've never read straight up Historical Fiction (which is what this is marketed as) so I don't know if they're usually this romantic? I also don't know if what felt like a lack of focus is due to the conventions of this particular genre.
The Queen of Lombard Street is Reina Martin is the illegitimate daughter of an English gentleman and a Spanish dancer. So she was basically radioactive in ye olde Victorian times, but her mom safeguards her future by making sure Reina is educated. This education leads her to become a lawyer and later a lauded economist when the old farts refuse to let her practice law in her own right. Eventually, she meets a wealthy and connected banker who takes her under his wing and becomes her mentor. Reina's dream is to open the first bank for women and said banker is supposed to help her pull this off but Mr Moneybags is actually under suspicion for nefarious dealings. So that's how we get a delicious Welshman who says such aural delights like Cariad while playing a butler in Reina's house to ostensibly find info on Moneybags. If you've read Kleypas before I don't have to tell you that this hero is a dreeeeeamboat who would surely medal gold in the competency Olympics and that he immediately falls for Reina and her big beautiful brain.
Reading this was like cuddling under a warm cozy blanket in front of a roaring fire. I love Lisa's voice, the prose and the dialogue just felt so familiar and it healed something in me. I also adored being back in the Ravenel universe (even though they're only briefly mentioned).
There are multiple side stories, as Reina decides to staff her newly purchased home with paroled jailbirds and they all have a story, and while I really loved some of these characters, especially her cook and bestie June, I struggled with the lack of focus. The blurb and marketing made me think this was a story about the FMC being the first woman to break all these barriers and while it mentions her journey, it's only in passing.
The book begins in Reina's childhood and her discovery of being illegitimate. But then the book jumps to a fully grown Reina who has already obtained a degree and is a respected economist making serious paper money. So the reader never gets to see how she got there, like why was she the Queen of Lombard Street? Idk. She only ventured to Lombard Street once and the story was mostly about her found family made up of all these disparate characters working in her house. The nefarious Mr Moneybags gets what was coming to him but again a lot of it was told and not shown. This could all be super familiar to readers of Historical Fic, and maybe this is the way those books read? But to me it felt disjointed and a little hinkey.
That being said I adored John the sexy fake Butler, June the foul mouthed cook and Mad Dog the gentle tattooed giant who falls in love with her. Reina had her moments but I really never felt like she was as fully fleshed out as June for example. And the dialogue!!! Kleypas is a legend of romance for a reason:
"Whatever went into the making of you, the result is splendid. That's all that matters."
And:
"If I locked away a thousand poets for a thousand days, they couldn't write the smallest part of what I feel for you."
She's also freaking hilarious and June had some of the funniest dialogue:
"Don't even think of poisoning my tarts, Norman, or I'll use my rolling pin to flatten you into a shit biscuit."
On the whole, this was a solid read full of heart and characters you can't help but fall in love with even if the execution fell a little short. There was enough romance to keep me happy not to mention not one but two classically swoony Kleypas heroes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Kisses/Open door but short and not detailed.
Tropes:
Close Proximity
Fake Identity
Found Family
CW: mentions of SA and traumatic birth scene.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
The Queen of Lombard Street is Reina Martin is the illegitimate daughter of an English gentleman and a Spanish dancer. So she was basically radioactive in ye olde Victorian times, but her mom safeguards her future by making sure Reina is educated. This education leads her to become a lawyer and later a lauded economist when the old farts refuse to let her practice law in her own right. Eventually, she meets a wealthy and connected banker who takes her under his wing and becomes her mentor. Reina's dream is to open the first bank for women and said banker is supposed to help her pull this off but Mr Moneybags is actually under suspicion for nefarious dealings. So that's how we get a delicious Welshman who says such aural delights like Cariad while playing a butler in Reina's house to ostensibly find info on Moneybags. If you've read Kleypas before I don't have to tell you that this hero is a dreeeeeamboat who would surely medal gold in the competency Olympics and that he immediately falls for Reina and her big beautiful brain.
Reading this was like cuddling under a warm cozy blanket in front of a roaring fire. I love Lisa's voice, the prose and the dialogue just felt so familiar and it healed something in me. I also adored being back in the Ravenel universe (even though they're only briefly mentioned).
There are multiple side stories, as Reina decides to staff her newly purchased home with paroled jailbirds and they all have a story, and while I really loved some of these characters, especially her cook and bestie June, I struggled with the lack of focus. The blurb and marketing made me think this was a story about the FMC being the first woman to break all these barriers and while it mentions her journey, it's only in passing.
The book begins in Reina's childhood and her discovery of being illegitimate. But then the book jumps to a fully grown Reina who has already obtained a degree and is a respected economist making serious paper money. So the reader never gets to see how she got there, like why was she the Queen of Lombard Street? Idk. She only ventured to Lombard Street once and the story was mostly about her found family made up of all these disparate characters working in her house. The nefarious Mr Moneybags gets what was coming to him but again a lot of it was told and not shown. This could all be super familiar to readers of Historical Fic, and maybe this is the way those books read? But to me it felt disjointed and a little hinkey.
That being said I adored John the sexy fake Butler, June the foul mouthed cook and Mad Dog the gentle tattooed giant who falls in love with her. Reina had her moments but I really never felt like she was as fully fleshed out as June for example. And the dialogue!!! Kleypas is a legend of romance for a reason:
"Whatever went into the making of you, the result is splendid. That's all that matters."
And:
"If I locked away a thousand poets for a thousand days, they couldn't write the smallest part of what I feel for you."
She's also freaking hilarious and June had some of the funniest dialogue:
"Don't even think of poisoning my tarts, Norman, or I'll use my rolling pin to flatten you into a shit biscuit."
On the whole, this was a solid read full of heart and characters you can't help but fall in love with even if the execution fell a little short. There was enough romance to keep me happy not to mention not one but two classically swoony Kleypas heroes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Kisses/Open door but short and not detailed.
Tropes:
Close Proximity
Fake Identity
Found Family
CW: mentions of SA and traumatic birth scene.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
February 6, 2026WHAT IS THIS???? IS SHE BACK????
May 4, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Después de 5 años, Lisa Kleypas vuelve reinventándose.
Queen of Lombard Street no es el libro que esperábamos, pero sí el libro que necesitábamos. Prepárense, porque probablemente es el libro más feminista de la autora.
La historia se sitúa a finales de la época victoriana y sigue a Reina Martín, una protagonista rodeada de adversidad: una mujer economista en un mundo dominado por hombres, e hija ilegítima de una inmigrante.
Desde el inicio, queda claro que esta no es solo una historia de romance. Es la historia de una mujer que lucha por abrirse camino en un sistema que constantemente intenta cerrarle las puertas. Y eso es precisamente lo que hace que este libro se sienta distinto. La lucha constante de Reina no es tan diferente a las cosas por las que pasamos las mujeres en la actualidad.
Aunque el romance está presente (y es hermoso), por momentos pasa a segundo plano para darle espacio al crecimiento de Reina. Incluso puede sentirse como un coming of age, y eso es una de las decisiones más acertadas de la novela. Su evolución, su fuerza y su determinación son el verdadero corazón de la historia.
Al mismo tiempo, el libro aborda temas como la clase social, los derechos de las mujeres, la identidad y la inmigración de una forma que se siente sorprendentemente actual.
Aún así, no se preocupen: el romance sigue siendo hermoso y cálido. John Pembroke es todo lo que se puede pedir en un protagonista romántico: noble, constante y profundamente enamorado. Su dinámica con Reina está llena de tensión, ternura y respeto.
Pero algo que realmente eleva la historia es lo viva que se siente. Los personajes que rodean a Reina no son solo secundarios: cada uno tiene su propia historia, sus propias luchas, y juntos construyen algo que se siente como una familia real, imperfecta pero profundamente unida. Los elementos de found family hacen que el libro se sienta cálido y reconfortante.
Como alguien que lleva muchos años leyendo a Lisa Kleypas, quiero decir que las conexiones con otras historias se sienten como una recompensa. Volvemos a ver a personajes de otras series y se siente como reencontrarse con viejos amigos a los que extrañabas.
Ya quiero que puedan leer este libro y ansío ver cómo sigue evolucionando Lisa Kleypas como escritora.
(Gracias a Harper Collins y Avon books por un early copy de este libro)
ENG
After 5 years, Lisa Kleypas returns, reinventing herself.
Queen of Lombard Street is not the book we expected, but it is the book we needed. Get ready, because this is probably her most feminist work yet.
The story is set in the late Victorian era and follows Reina Martín, a protagonist surrounded by adversity: a female economist in a male-dominated world, and the illegitimate daughter of an immigrant.
From the very beginning, it becomes clear that this is not just a romance. It is the story of a woman fighting to make her place in a system that constantly tries to shut her out. And that is exactly what makes this book feel different. Reina’s constant struggle is not so different from what women still experience today.
Although the romance is present (and beautiful), at times it takes a step back to give space to Reina’s growth. It can even feel like a coming-of-age story, and that is one of the novel’s strongest choices. Her evolution, her strength, and her determination are the true heart of the story.
At the same time, the book explores themes such as class, women’s rights, identity, and immigration in a way that feels surprisingly current.
Even so, don’t worry—the romance remains warm and satisfying. John Pembroke is everything you could want in a romantic hero: kind, steady, and deeply in love. His dynamic with Reina is full of tension, tenderness, and respect.
What truly elevates the story, however, is how alive it feels. The characters surrounding Reina are not just secondary—they each have their own stories, their own struggles, and together they form something that feels like a real family: imperfect, but deeply caring. The found family elements make the book feel warm and comforting.
As someone who has been reading Lisa Kleypas for years, I can say that the connections to her previous works feel like a reward. Seeing characters from other series again feels like reuniting with old friends you’ve truly missed.
I can’t wait for everyone to read this book, and I’m so excited to see how Lisa Kleypas continues to evolve as a writer.
Después de 5 años, Lisa Kleypas vuelve reinventándose.
Queen of Lombard Street no es el libro que esperábamos, pero sí el libro que necesitábamos. Prepárense, porque probablemente es el libro más feminista de la autora.
La historia se sitúa a finales de la época victoriana y sigue a Reina Martín, una protagonista rodeada de adversidad: una mujer economista en un mundo dominado por hombres, e hija ilegítima de una inmigrante.
Desde el inicio, queda claro que esta no es solo una historia de romance. Es la historia de una mujer que lucha por abrirse camino en un sistema que constantemente intenta cerrarle las puertas. Y eso es precisamente lo que hace que este libro se sienta distinto. La lucha constante de Reina no es tan diferente a las cosas por las que pasamos las mujeres en la actualidad.
Aunque el romance está presente (y es hermoso), por momentos pasa a segundo plano para darle espacio al crecimiento de Reina. Incluso puede sentirse como un coming of age, y eso es una de las decisiones más acertadas de la novela. Su evolución, su fuerza y su determinación son el verdadero corazón de la historia.
Al mismo tiempo, el libro aborda temas como la clase social, los derechos de las mujeres, la identidad y la inmigración de una forma que se siente sorprendentemente actual.
Aún así, no se preocupen: el romance sigue siendo hermoso y cálido. John Pembroke es todo lo que se puede pedir en un protagonista romántico: noble, constante y profundamente enamorado. Su dinámica con Reina está llena de tensión, ternura y respeto.
Pero algo que realmente eleva la historia es lo viva que se siente. Los personajes que rodean a Reina no son solo secundarios: cada uno tiene su propia historia, sus propias luchas, y juntos construyen algo que se siente como una familia real, imperfecta pero profundamente unida. Los elementos de found family hacen que el libro se sienta cálido y reconfortante.
Como alguien que lleva muchos años leyendo a Lisa Kleypas, quiero decir que las conexiones con otras historias se sienten como una recompensa. Volvemos a ver a personajes de otras series y se siente como reencontrarse con viejos amigos a los que extrañabas.
Ya quiero que puedan leer este libro y ansío ver cómo sigue evolucionando Lisa Kleypas como escritora.
(Gracias a Harper Collins y Avon books por un early copy de este libro)
ENG
After 5 years, Lisa Kleypas returns, reinventing herself.
Queen of Lombard Street is not the book we expected, but it is the book we needed. Get ready, because this is probably her most feminist work yet.
The story is set in the late Victorian era and follows Reina Martín, a protagonist surrounded by adversity: a female economist in a male-dominated world, and the illegitimate daughter of an immigrant.
From the very beginning, it becomes clear that this is not just a romance. It is the story of a woman fighting to make her place in a system that constantly tries to shut her out. And that is exactly what makes this book feel different. Reina’s constant struggle is not so different from what women still experience today.
Although the romance is present (and beautiful), at times it takes a step back to give space to Reina’s growth. It can even feel like a coming-of-age story, and that is one of the novel’s strongest choices. Her evolution, her strength, and her determination are the true heart of the story.
At the same time, the book explores themes such as class, women’s rights, identity, and immigration in a way that feels surprisingly current.
Even so, don’t worry—the romance remains warm and satisfying. John Pembroke is everything you could want in a romantic hero: kind, steady, and deeply in love. His dynamic with Reina is full of tension, tenderness, and respect.
What truly elevates the story, however, is how alive it feels. The characters surrounding Reina are not just secondary—they each have their own stories, their own struggles, and together they form something that feels like a real family: imperfect, but deeply caring. The found family elements make the book feel warm and comforting.
As someone who has been reading Lisa Kleypas for years, I can say that the connections to her previous works feel like a reward. Seeing characters from other series again feels like reuniting with old friends you’ve truly missed.
I can’t wait for everyone to read this book, and I’m so excited to see how Lisa Kleypas continues to evolve as a writer.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This fabulous book was worth the wait. My excitement when I saw this prepub ebook.
I don't read a lot of historical romance. Many times the lack of historic framework, too many handsome dukes, upstairs never downstairs, whiteness, and too modern FMCs grate on me. Never Lisa Kleypas. Her research is always impeccable.
I am here for competence porn, capers, found family, snark, and pathos.
I had to slow down and reread this:
"As adults, however we can't escape the uncomfortable truth that everyone we admire has done something awful, and everyone we despise has done something kind."
I don't read a lot of historical romance. Many times the lack of historic framework, too many handsome dukes, upstairs never downstairs, whiteness, and too modern FMCs grate on me. Never Lisa Kleypas. Her research is always impeccable.
I am here for competence porn, capers, found family, snark, and pathos.
I had to slow down and reread this:
"As adults, however we can't escape the uncomfortable truth that everyone we admire has done something awful, and everyone we despise has done something kind."
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lisa Kleypas is back and I wanted to like this more than I did. Lisa Kleypas is not my ultimate favourite, but I have an emotional soft spot for he and I consider to be one of the heavy hitters of HR and I do like her. I own/read a big chunk of her backlist and have genuinely enjoyed a lot of her books such as Love in the Afternoon, some of the Wallflowers, a couple of the Ravenels, Lady Sophia’s Lover. I also read a lot of historical fiction, not just historical romance, so I went into this trying to account for the genre shift and read it on its own terms.
But this was rough for me. I was bored. I skimmed parts. I was tempted to DNF.
The frustrating thing is that I don’t dislike the premise or the sentiment. A brilliant illegitimate woman trying to build a women’s bank in Victorian London? Great. Financial corruption, women’s legal/economic exclusion, found family, ex convicts trying to rebuild their lives, a heroine who understands what it means to be underestimated? All interesting bones. I can see what Kleypas was trying to do.
I just don’t think the execution worked for me.
My biggest issue was that the social commentary felt spoonfed. The book kept telling me what it meant instead of letting the plot and characters make me feel it. Reina’s early monologue to William Farlow about women needing access to banking and being treated unfairly is a good example. I agree with the point, but it felt less like organic dialogue and more like a thesis statement being delivered directly to the reader.
That happened a lot. Sometimes the book felt like a novel. Other times it felt like notes for a TED Talk or an undergraduate essay for a Feminism 101 class trying to hit the word count with extra metaphors thrown in for variety vibes.
And the thing is, to me historical fiction does not mean “more commentary.” Good historical fiction (like any well written novel) should dramatize its ideas through setting, conflict, consequence, and character choices. This often felt like Kleypas interpreted historical fiction as needing heavier thematic paragraphs and more explicit explanation of the social issues. The result was clunky and it felt like the book did not trust me to understand the point unless it underlined it three times.
The heroine, Reina was also difficult for me. In theory, I love the idea of her a self-taught, brilliant, illegitimate, financially independent, determined to build something for women. But in practice, she became too perfect and too preachy for me. She taught herself economics and law, built wealth, out-thought everyone, had the Correct Moral Position on basically everything, and often sounded less like a Victorian woman shaped by her time and more like a 21st century feminist commentator dropped into Victorian society.
The lack of sex knowledge thing also felt unbelievable to me. Reina is the daughter of a courtesan/mistress, she reads constantly, she is extremely intelligent, and her best friend has had sex, but somehow she has no real understanding of sex? It was unbelievable because of who Reina is supposed to be.
I also struggled with some of the trauma/consent/medical material. John being anti-rape is obviously good. We want men who are anti-rape. But the way it was put on the page sometimes felt oddly blunt and inserted, like the book needed to announce his moral credentials. Same with Tuppence. What happened to her is horrifying, and I understand why she would be anti-male doctor, but Reina giving a long moralising speech about respecting her choice not to have a male doctor while Tuppence is literally dying in labour annoyed me. There is a real ethical tension there, but the book handled it in a way that felt more like making a point than dealing with the awful practical reality of the scene.
The side characters were interesting at first, especially the ex-convict household, but even they started to feel a bit too curated. June annoyed me. Mad had potential. The household had potential. But the found-family material sometimes felt overly designed to prove the theme that society discards people unfairly. Again, I agree with the sentiment. I just wanted it dramatized with more subtlety.
Where the book worked best for me was the romantic tension. That was the part that felt most classically Kleypas. When she let characters notice each other, get flustered, circle around desire, and build intimacy through small moments, I recognized her. The June/Mad literacy scene, for example, was ridiculous but also very LK in the best way big dangerous man, unexpectedly gentle centre, charged domestic intimacy, body awareness, humour, softness, restraint, it was one of the most successful parts of the book for me.
So that is what makes this extra frustrating. The Kleypas romance DNA is still there. The emotional wounds are there. The found-family warmth is there. The sensual tension is there. But the book kept weighing itself down with commentary.
Genre wise, I don’t think this is purely historical fiction, and I don’t think it is purely historical romance either. To me it feels like historical romance with historical fiction ambitions, but those ambitions are where it stumbles. I actually think it might have been a stronger book if it had just committed to being historical romance and let the economic/social themes emerge through the romance, the banking plot, and Reina’s lived constraints instead of being so heavily explained.
So final feeling: interesting premise, some good Kleypas moments, flashes of strong romantic tension, but overall too clunky, too preachy, and too thesis forward for me. I didn’t hate the story or the message. I just don’t think the execution was handelled well.
Thank you Netgalley for ARC of Queen of Lombard Street.
But this was rough for me. I was bored. I skimmed parts. I was tempted to DNF.
The frustrating thing is that I don’t dislike the premise or the sentiment. A brilliant illegitimate woman trying to build a women’s bank in Victorian London? Great. Financial corruption, women’s legal/economic exclusion, found family, ex convicts trying to rebuild their lives, a heroine who understands what it means to be underestimated? All interesting bones. I can see what Kleypas was trying to do.
I just don’t think the execution worked for me.
My biggest issue was that the social commentary felt spoonfed. The book kept telling me what it meant instead of letting the plot and characters make me feel it. Reina’s early monologue to William Farlow about women needing access to banking and being treated unfairly is a good example. I agree with the point, but it felt less like organic dialogue and more like a thesis statement being delivered directly to the reader.
That happened a lot. Sometimes the book felt like a novel. Other times it felt like notes for a TED Talk or an undergraduate essay for a Feminism 101 class trying to hit the word count with extra metaphors thrown in for variety vibes.
And the thing is, to me historical fiction does not mean “more commentary.” Good historical fiction (like any well written novel) should dramatize its ideas through setting, conflict, consequence, and character choices. This often felt like Kleypas interpreted historical fiction as needing heavier thematic paragraphs and more explicit explanation of the social issues. The result was clunky and it felt like the book did not trust me to understand the point unless it underlined it three times.
The heroine, Reina was also difficult for me. In theory, I love the idea of her a self-taught, brilliant, illegitimate, financially independent, determined to build something for women. But in practice, she became too perfect and too preachy for me. She taught herself economics and law, built wealth, out-thought everyone, had the Correct Moral Position on basically everything, and often sounded less like a Victorian woman shaped by her time and more like a 21st century feminist commentator dropped into Victorian society.
The lack of sex knowledge thing also felt unbelievable to me. Reina is the daughter of a courtesan/mistress, she reads constantly, she is extremely intelligent, and her best friend has had sex, but somehow she has no real understanding of sex? It was unbelievable because of who Reina is supposed to be.
I also struggled with some of the trauma/consent/medical material. John being anti-rape is obviously good. We want men who are anti-rape. But the way it was put on the page sometimes felt oddly blunt and inserted, like the book needed to announce his moral credentials. Same with Tuppence. What happened to her is horrifying, and I understand why she would be anti-male doctor, but Reina giving a long moralising speech about respecting her choice not to have a male doctor while Tuppence is literally dying in labour annoyed me. There is a real ethical tension there, but the book handled it in a way that felt more like making a point than dealing with the awful practical reality of the scene.
The side characters were interesting at first, especially the ex-convict household, but even they started to feel a bit too curated. June annoyed me. Mad had potential. The household had potential. But the found-family material sometimes felt overly designed to prove the theme that society discards people unfairly. Again, I agree with the sentiment. I just wanted it dramatized with more subtlety.
Where the book worked best for me was the romantic tension. That was the part that felt most classically Kleypas. When she let characters notice each other, get flustered, circle around desire, and build intimacy through small moments, I recognized her. The June/Mad literacy scene, for example, was ridiculous but also very LK in the best way big dangerous man, unexpectedly gentle centre, charged domestic intimacy, body awareness, humour, softness, restraint, it was one of the most successful parts of the book for me.
So that is what makes this extra frustrating. The Kleypas romance DNA is still there. The emotional wounds are there. The found-family warmth is there. The sensual tension is there. But the book kept weighing itself down with commentary.
Genre wise, I don’t think this is purely historical fiction, and I don’t think it is purely historical romance either. To me it feels like historical romance with historical fiction ambitions, but those ambitions are where it stumbles. I actually think it might have been a stronger book if it had just committed to being historical romance and let the economic/social themes emerge through the romance, the banking plot, and Reina’s lived constraints instead of being so heavily explained.
So final feeling: interesting premise, some good Kleypas moments, flashes of strong romantic tension, but overall too clunky, too preachy, and too thesis forward for me. I didn’t hate the story or the message. I just don’t think the execution was handelled well.
Thank you Netgalley for ARC of Queen of Lombard Street.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Queen of Lombard Street: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Lisa Kleypas
“I’ve never met the like of you, Reina Martin. There’s not a woman on this earth with half your ways.”
When the first women's bank is coming under scrutiny by the police, a police officer goes undercover in the proprietor's home only to discover that she is not the criminal he thought she was (even if she may surround herself with them).
Tropes:
– Historical romance
– Forced proximity
– Boss/employee
– Romantic suspense
It took me so long to finish this book because I wanted to savor every second of it, and it was worth savoring. This exceeded every single one of my expectations by a mile as my nearly 400 highlights will tell you.
Nobody writes a strong, intelligent woman like Lisa Kleypas. Pair that with her classic style of respectful, and protective man… It’s a recipe for perfection.
Queen of Lombard Street is an absolute delight and one of my new favorites by Lisa Kleypas.
I loved everything about this. I loved how Reina was equally kind and intelligent, and nothing got in the way of that. I loved how much she saw the good in people and she always wanted to help. I loved how she was unapologetic in her intelligence and always always always believed in herself and her abilities and wanted to do everything she could to help other people also become just as smart as her. She was generous and selfless and consistently impressed me with what a phenomenal character she was. She might be one of my favorite characters ever.
John was such a lovely man as well. He was so respectful and supportive and understanding and honestly just amazing all around. I loved how much he respected her authority and everything that he did was only to help her. He never undermined her and always made sure that she got the respect that she deserved. He was also so attracted to her intelligence, and that made him even more attractive. When he first starts talking about her, it’s almost like her beauty comes second to her brain, and I found that to be his most impressive quality. I know it sounds like the bar is in hell but let’s be real—it is.
June and Mad Dog’s story was absolutely one of my favorites. “My day never starts ’til I go into the kitchen and see you. You’re sunrise to me.” Like, are you kidding? How sweet and tender this huge man was when it came to June and how much she softened around him to teach him how to write. The K scene was literally everything to me. I savored each moment with them and wanted more.
I'm also so glad that we got the time to spend with all of the other stories in the house. They were all such wonderful characters and I’m so glad that the story gave them all a moment to shine. I was so happy to see Ransom and Dr. Gibson (Hello Stranger) as well and they were so delightful in this book!
Queen of Lombard Street is truly Lisa Kleypas at her finest and one of her best works. It was really worth the wait. All the stars in the world for this phenomenal story.
Lisa Kleypas
“I’ve never met the like of you, Reina Martin. There’s not a woman on this earth with half your ways.”
When the first women's bank is coming under scrutiny by the police, a police officer goes undercover in the proprietor's home only to discover that she is not the criminal he thought she was (even if she may surround herself with them).
Tropes:
– Historical romance
– Forced proximity
– Boss/employee
– Romantic suspense
It took me so long to finish this book because I wanted to savor every second of it, and it was worth savoring. This exceeded every single one of my expectations by a mile as my nearly 400 highlights will tell you.
Nobody writes a strong, intelligent woman like Lisa Kleypas. Pair that with her classic style of respectful, and protective man… It’s a recipe for perfection.
Queen of Lombard Street is an absolute delight and one of my new favorites by Lisa Kleypas.
I loved everything about this. I loved how Reina was equally kind and intelligent, and nothing got in the way of that. I loved how much she saw the good in people and she always wanted to help. I loved how she was unapologetic in her intelligence and always always always believed in herself and her abilities and wanted to do everything she could to help other people also become just as smart as her. She was generous and selfless and consistently impressed me with what a phenomenal character she was. She might be one of my favorite characters ever.
John was such a lovely man as well. He was so respectful and supportive and understanding and honestly just amazing all around. I loved how much he respected her authority and everything that he did was only to help her. He never undermined her and always made sure that she got the respect that she deserved. He was also so attracted to her intelligence, and that made him even more attractive. When he first starts talking about her, it’s almost like her beauty comes second to her brain, and I found that to be his most impressive quality. I know it sounds like the bar is in hell but let’s be real—it is.
June and Mad Dog’s story was absolutely one of my favorites. “My day never starts ’til I go into the kitchen and see you. You’re sunrise to me.” Like, are you kidding? How sweet and tender this huge man was when it came to June and how much she softened around him to teach him how to write. The K scene was literally everything to me. I savored each moment with them and wanted more.
I'm also so glad that we got the time to spend with all of the other stories in the house. They were all such wonderful characters and I’m so glad that the story gave them all a moment to shine. I was so happy to see Ransom and Dr. Gibson (Hello Stranger) as well and they were so delightful in this book!
Queen of Lombard Street is truly Lisa Kleypas at her finest and one of her best works. It was really worth the wait. All the stars in the world for this phenomenal story.
Want to Read
January 11, 2026lisa kleypas is back?!
March 30, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas
Thank you Avon for the EARC
This book really said “what if we gave you a genius heroine, financial corruption, undercover identity chaos, AND emotional devastation” and then just watched me spiral.
Reina Martin:
I would like to personally apologize to her because I was NOT prepared. This woman is out here building a women’s bank in a society that won’t even let her open an account?? The audacity. The brilliance. The sheer power. I was obsessed from page one. 
And then we have John Pembroke… SIR???
A butler. But not really a butler. An undercover detective pretending to be a butler while catching feelings. Absolutely illegal behavior. The tension!!! The restraint!!!The way this man is fighting for his LIFE trying to stay professional while clearly gone for her!!!
I was unwell. 
THEIR DYNAMIC!!
Elite. Superior. I will not be taking questions.
This is not soft, easy romance.
This is:
• trust issues
• moral dilemmas
• “do I betray you or save the world” energy
• and longing that could power the entire London banking system
Throw in William Farlow stirring chaos in the background and suddenly everything is high stakes, emotionally loaded, and just straight up stressful in the BEST way. 
But what really wrecked me? The found family.
Reina building a home out of people society threw away! The loyalty! The heart!! I did not sign up to cry over this many side characters but HERE WE ARE.
And the romance!!
Slow burn. Painfully slow. Eye contact that lasts too long. Feelings creeping in at the worst possible time. When it finally HITS, I had to pause and stare into the void.
Only reason it’s not a full 5 stars is because I needed MORE at the end. Give me extra scenes. Give me domestic softness. Give me literally anything because I was NOT ready to leave them.
Anyway if you want:
powerhouse heroine ✔️
undercover hero ✔️
high-stakes tension ✔️
emotional damage ✔️
Read this immediately.
Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas
Thank you Avon for the EARC
This book really said “what if we gave you a genius heroine, financial corruption, undercover identity chaos, AND emotional devastation” and then just watched me spiral.
Reina Martin:
I would like to personally apologize to her because I was NOT prepared. This woman is out here building a women’s bank in a society that won’t even let her open an account?? The audacity. The brilliance. The sheer power. I was obsessed from page one. 
And then we have John Pembroke… SIR???
A butler. But not really a butler. An undercover detective pretending to be a butler while catching feelings. Absolutely illegal behavior. The tension!!! The restraint!!!The way this man is fighting for his LIFE trying to stay professional while clearly gone for her!!!
I was unwell. 
THEIR DYNAMIC!!
Elite. Superior. I will not be taking questions.
This is not soft, easy romance.
This is:
• trust issues
• moral dilemmas
• “do I betray you or save the world” energy
• and longing that could power the entire London banking system
Throw in William Farlow stirring chaos in the background and suddenly everything is high stakes, emotionally loaded, and just straight up stressful in the BEST way. 
But what really wrecked me? The found family.
Reina building a home out of people society threw away! The loyalty! The heart!! I did not sign up to cry over this many side characters but HERE WE ARE.
And the romance!!
Slow burn. Painfully slow. Eye contact that lasts too long. Feelings creeping in at the worst possible time. When it finally HITS, I had to pause and stare into the void.
Only reason it’s not a full 5 stars is because I needed MORE at the end. Give me extra scenes. Give me domestic softness. Give me literally anything because I was NOT ready to leave them.
Anyway if you want:
powerhouse heroine ✔️
undercover hero ✔️
high-stakes tension ✔️
emotional damage ✔️
Read this immediately.
Want to Read
March 29, 2026I have nooooo idea how I secured an early copy, but thank you so much Avon Books!
Want to Read
May 15, 2026Got the ARC for this so definitely will be reading very soon
Want to Read
March 23, 2026My queen is back!!
July 4, 2026
Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC! The magic of Lisa Kleypas books is unmatched, so my excitement for receiving this opportunity was profound!
What a stunning and beautiful story! Lisa wrote characters who made me laugh and giggle until my face hurt! Reina was a force to be reckoned with and I love how she went against the standards set by society. Everything she stood for made me feel empowered as a woman. Her love story with John was full of angst and yearning, I couldn’t get enough of it!
I also loved having a second romance happen with June and Mad. They were adorable and everything they said just had me in a fit of giggles!
Every character was written so clearly. I felt their personalities, their struggles, their trauma. It was believable and I felt as if I was in the book with them. The writing was so well done, and this book will be ordered and added to my shelf so that I can read it again and again!
What a stunning and beautiful story! Lisa wrote characters who made me laugh and giggle until my face hurt! Reina was a force to be reckoned with and I love how she went against the standards set by society. Everything she stood for made me feel empowered as a woman. Her love story with John was full of angst and yearning, I couldn’t get enough of it!
I also loved having a second romance happen with June and Mad. They were adorable and everything they said just had me in a fit of giggles!
Every character was written so clearly. I felt their personalities, their struggles, their trauma. It was believable and I felt as if I was in the book with them. The writing was so well done, and this book will be ordered and added to my shelf so that I can read it again and again!
May 28, 2026
While the Queen of Lombard Street might mark a bit of a departure from the (literal) Queen of Romance’s usual genre fiction, it carries within it the hallmarks that Kleypas’ long time readers adore, and have come to expect, from a master writing at the peak of her powers. While Reina Martin is at the center of our story, this sweeping Victorian novel is really about the many ways that love presents itself in hard times. Read this if you love strong female characters, thoroughly researched historical fiction, found family, and still want to enjoy the kind of swoony romance that only Kleypas can deliver. As a dedicated fan, I was delighted to find nods to her past novels, in both characters and talismans. I loved every single second I spent with the Queen. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my gifted ARC.
June 6, 2026
**Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC!!**
Wow wow wow - Lisa Kleypas has done it again. I both savored and devoured this book. The characters are exceptional, the plot builds to a perfect crescendo, and the historical details are impeccable. I laughed, cried, and swooned in equal measure. The appearances by beloved members of the LK extended universe were especially fun and poignant. I can’t wait to own this one so I can read it again whenever I want!!
Wow wow wow - Lisa Kleypas has done it again. I both savored and devoured this book. The characters are exceptional, the plot builds to a perfect crescendo, and the historical details are impeccable. I laughed, cried, and swooned in equal measure. The appearances by beloved members of the LK extended universe were especially fun and poignant. I can’t wait to own this one so I can read it again whenever I want!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
feminist history and found family! Lisa Kleypas is back with a new book - more historical fiction than historical romance in branding but not spirit. There’s plenty of romance! It also has a bit of a Mimi Matthews sensibility to it
Want to Read
March 25, 2026new lisa kleypas we are so backkkkkk
June 27, 2026
This book felt like Lisa Kleypas’s masterpiece! It had everything: an inspiring female character, two swoony romances, and a beautiful found family.
Want to Read
January 12, 2026Whoa… that’s such a long blurb👀.
I’m with everybody though, I’ll read anything Lisa Kleypas writes. Can’t wait
I’m with everybody though, I’ll read anything Lisa Kleypas writes. Can’t wait
not-yet-released
January 12, 2026*gasp* Are we truly getting a new Lisa Kleypas??
Want to Read
January 14, 2026One of the OG Queens of Historicals. Although I don't usually read too many commoner british historicals. I'm all in for her.
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