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Queen of Lombard Street
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26From 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?
Audible Audio
Expected publication October 20, 2026
About the author
Lisa Kleypas
129 books32.3k 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 390 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
She’s given me a taste of what happiness might be like, and it’s fucking ruining me.
Lisa Kleypas is back!
I’ve been waiting for a new book from my favourite author since the day after I finished Devil in Disguise. And this was worth waiting for. It’s was achingly sweet and deeply topical. Reina was such a well developed heroine and her story resonates for women today as well. The side characters were also perfect threads tying the message of this story together and all of it as a backdrop to a quintessentially Kleypas romance.
John didn’t disappoint: a classic Kleypas hero who was reluctant and suspicious of love until he was in it and then he loved deeply and fiercely. He was a perfect foil for Reina, never overshadowing her as the central character of this story.
Though this book was obviously a Kleypas, and had all the elements of her romances, it had a new direction too. Reina was a self made woman, she made her circumstances through grit, intelligence and hard work and lifted others up in the mix, including the hero. She wasn’t rescued or aided by John, she was already a fully independent adult, thriving in spite of the world she lived in that kept trying to push her down.
John was merely the icing for her.
The found family elements were also deeply moving and adorable. We had the opportunity to live in the heads of her servants/ parolees and watched their growth as well. Maddock and June forever!
Overall I enjoyed this so much and won’t quibble over any imperfections. Now let’s hope Kleypas doesn’t go back into hiding for another five years.
*********
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! 🚨
Lisa Kleypas is back!
I’ve been waiting for a new book from my favourite author since the day after I finished Devil in Disguise. And this was worth waiting for. It’s was achingly sweet and deeply topical. Reina was such a well developed heroine and her story resonates for women today as well. The side characters were also perfect threads tying the message of this story together and all of it as a backdrop to a quintessentially Kleypas romance.
John didn’t disappoint: a classic Kleypas hero who was reluctant and suspicious of love until he was in it and then he loved deeply and fiercely. He was a perfect foil for Reina, never overshadowing her as the central character of this story.
Though this book was obviously a Kleypas, and had all the elements of her romances, it had a new direction too. Reina was a self made woman, she made her circumstances through grit, intelligence and hard work and lifted others up in the mix, including the hero. She wasn’t rescued or aided by John, she was already a fully independent adult, thriving in spite of the world she lived in that kept trying to push her down.
John was merely the icing for her.
The found family elements were also deeply moving and adorable. We had the opportunity to live in the heads of her servants/ parolees and watched their growth as well. Maddock and June forever!
Overall I enjoyed this so much and won’t quibble over any imperfections. Now let’s hope Kleypas doesn’t go back into hiding for another five years.
*********
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! 🚨
May 26, 2026
Reina wants to open a bank for women because this is the late 19th century and we couldn’t do SHIT that wasn’t making babies or wearing restrictive undergarments. Her household staff are all reformed (sort of) criminals and her new butler is both extremely competent and tragically hot. If you enjoy unrepentant shenanigans, you’re in for a great time! If you also enjoy plot twists that made me slap my hand over my mouth THREE SEPARATE TIMES, you’re also in for a great (traumatizing) time! Reina may be the queen of Lombard Street, but Lisa Kleypas is the queen of historical romance, and god damn am I happy to see her back on her throne.
Want to Read
January 12, 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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When Lisa Kleypas announced a new book, every historical romance fan sat up straighter in their seat… and then, they all became conspiracy theorists when the book was listed as “historical fiction” and not romance at all. Every single one of us is a little nervous about what a non-HistRom Kleypas would be like. Well, as it turns out, this is still a historical romance, but with more of a “nouveau HistRom” feel (like if LK read a Courtney Milan and thought, “I’d love to write something a little more history- and politics-forward while still keeping my Kleypas style”). Kleypas’s previous books may have included characters like Garrett Gibson, woman doctor facing misogyny at every turn, or Pandora Ravenel, entrepreneur worried about marrying because her worldly goods would then belong to her husband, but those books almost always focused on the fantasy of living in the moneyed class. Even her “working class” heroes were really all self-made men with untold wealth. I honestly think this may be the first of her books that pairs a wealthy woman with a man who earns less than she does.
Queen of Lombard Street includes a ton of Kleypas’s patented historical tidbits, but this time, the book focuses on found family, including an economic genius/socially borderline FMC; her best friend and cook; a motley crew of ex-con servants; and the undercover cop MMC sent to spy on them all. The plot is meandering but never boring, with a financial scheme, an ex-con inspection, a bank for women, and more all playing a part. While there are a lot of different elements, the romance between Reina and John is at the heart of the book. There are open-door scenes, but the sexual relationship is not as important here as it is in Kleypas’s other romances. (Maybe this is why it’s classified as historical fiction?)
And yes, this all takes place in the extended Kleypas universe, with two previous characters appearing on-page. To my surprise, they were two of my favorites, not Lisa’s (Westcliff’s) or readers’ (Sebastian, the OG St. Vincent).
Anyway, I was really happy with this book and would happily read more “historical fiction” from Kleypas!!
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Queen of Lombard Street includes a ton of Kleypas’s patented historical tidbits, but this time, the book focuses on found family, including an economic genius/socially borderline FMC; her best friend and cook; a motley crew of ex-con servants; and the undercover cop MMC sent to spy on them all. The plot is meandering but never boring, with a financial scheme, an ex-con inspection, a bank for women, and more all playing a part. While there are a lot of different elements, the romance between Reina and John is at the heart of the book. There are open-door scenes, but the sexual relationship is not as important here as it is in Kleypas’s other romances. (Maybe this is why it’s classified as historical fiction?)
And yes, this all takes place in the extended Kleypas universe, with two previous characters appearing on-page. To my surprise, they were two of my favorites, not Lisa’s (Westcliff’s) or readers’ (Sebastian, the OG St. Vincent).
Anyway, I was really happy with this book and would happily read more “historical fiction” from Kleypas!!
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
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!
Currently Reading
October 6, 2026Victorian era. Reina is an economist in London. She has a grand vision: to establish first ever bank for women in whole of Britain, at a time when women aren't permitted to do so and have limited rights. Her mentor and a powerful banker becomes involved in some financial conspiracy. Meanwhile, Reina is somewhat living outside of a respectable society with a very unconventional household staff. Her workers are all paroled prisoners but essentially are her found family. Her butler, is no butler, but an undercover detective investigating Reina and her mentor as he suspects both to be involved in some financial scheme.
This is a historical fiction novel with romance and some open door scenes but less romance focused and more mystery based!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and the author, Lisa Kleypas for an early ARC.
Publication date: October 20, 2026
This is a historical fiction novel with romance and some open door scenes but less romance focused and more mystery based!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and the author, Lisa Kleypas for an early ARC.
Publication date: October 20, 2026
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
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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
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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 🤷♀️
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
OKAY. Lisa Kleypas is back... but not back to romance. Much to the surprise of some—and less so to others, ha—one of historical romance's legends has made her foray into historical fiction. The big questions so many of us had were: Will this work? (I mean, I think a lot of us knew that Lisa would at the very minimum write a good book, but still. Walk with me.) Is it actually historical romance in disguise? Will it be sexy?
First thing's first. I've seen a lot of lovely reviewers say this is really a romance after all, the love story is front and center, it's a historical romance novel in disguise. And (very few) other people have basically said "I GOT TRICKED, IT'S A HISTORICAL ROMANCE" and used that to bash the book.
I am here to tell you... no offense at all intended to the people who said this was a romance (positive)—it's not. Queen of Lombard Street is solidly historical fiction with a significant romance subplot and a smaller secondary love story. I want to make this distinction: the presence of a romance and an HEA does not a romance novel make. I've been rereading some of my favorite parts of my favorite Kleypas historical romances lately, and there is a STARK difference between those books and this one. Not a bad difference! But they are very clearly the same author, but not the same genre. I would go so far as to say that Kleypas's contemporary romances (TRAVIS FAMILY WHAT UP) have more in common with her historical romances than Queen of Lombard Street does. And they should. Because regardless of the setting, those are romance novels. Same genre, different decor.
And while the romance subplots of Queen of Lombard Street certainly matter and are crucial to the character development, I just wouldn't say that they're the core of the story. Which is all good, because Kleypas never marketed this as a romance novel. This is exactly what she said it is, and she accomplished exactly what she set out to accomplish: a good historical fiction novel. Before I got back into romance as an adult, I was actually a big reader of historical fiction, and I'd say this stands up next to any of the relatively lower stakes histfic I liked back in the day. The setting is great—you do get cameos from Kleypas's romance characters, and references to places like Winterborne's, among other things—and the characters are well-developed. While the romances don't get as much time on the page as they would in a Kleypas romance novel, they're charming and worth getting invested in. The prose is lovely, the writing quality draws you in. This is absolutely Lisa Kleypas with all her talents, just in a different genre.
I'd say this is on the lighter end of her fare, which is pretty consistent with what the Ravenels was serving up. There's a hot butler who's not really a butler, which is very hijinks-y. You have Reina's employee/BFF June, who's all "I am kinda like one of the scruffier Downton Abbey maids, and also I'm gonna have a romance with some big guy named Mad Dog [which is lowkey gonna be the best romance in the novel, no offense to Reina and John]". Reina does have Tragic Bastard Angst, but not to a severe degree.
The side effect of this being historical fiction versus historical romance is that I don't think the story is quite as invested in the men as it is the women. Which is fine—again, the book is not a historical romance, and I don't have the expectation that I'll get to know everyone who's falling in love on the same level. The only catch is that while Reina is a likable and endearing protagonist, we don't quite get the full scope of the adversity she's facing as a Business Bitch. We know, because this is the way of the world, that she's been up against challenges. But when the novel begins, she's doing well enough to hire basically the entire downstairs cast of Downton Abbey, so she can't be doing that poorly. She's also very much "everyone is welcome regardless of background", which is lovely. However, a part of me wondered what kind of tension could've been there had she responded to her upbringing with this desire to prove herself as "just as good". Would she reject those characters then, before evolving? But that would've been another book.
You see, though, how Reina has kind of undergone a lot of the internal and external development her situation faces before the book. Which turns this into a cozier novel than I expected, less about the hustle and bustle and drive and push of making it, and more about people who are kind of already good and decent dealign with the ways of their world and essentially building one big family. There is some tragedy and also John doing his secret investigation shit around Reina's scammy (or is he?) mentor. But nothing SUPER bad happens to our leads. And while some would say this degree of coziness is a Kleypas hallmark—well. Reread some of her books prior to the Ravenels. Hell, some of the Ravenels, really, too. That's not a criticism! I do find it interesting that in the pivot away from true romance, a genre often dismissed for being too nice, too neatly tied up (none of this is true), Kleypas has actually made one of her coziest, least rough around the edges books yet.
And you know what? Historical fiction can be that.
This is a solid, well-written historical fiction novel, and I think it will satisfy the majority of Kleypas die-hards who go into it with the right expectations. I would've maybe liked a bit more of the "how she got there" on the page, but I still enjoyed myself. Look, I won't lie: I will always want Lisa Kleypas to write romance. Because her best books are some of the best that have ever been done. But I respect her trying something new, and I really respect her doing it well.
Oh, and about the sexy thing: There is less sex in this one than her normal fare, but it's still there, and it's well-done. I mean, I'm never not gonna be open to more sex on the page, but hey. New beginnings, and all that!
Thanks to Avon for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
First thing's first. I've seen a lot of lovely reviewers say this is really a romance after all, the love story is front and center, it's a historical romance novel in disguise. And (very few) other people have basically said "I GOT TRICKED, IT'S A HISTORICAL ROMANCE" and used that to bash the book.
I am here to tell you... no offense at all intended to the people who said this was a romance (positive)—it's not. Queen of Lombard Street is solidly historical fiction with a significant romance subplot and a smaller secondary love story. I want to make this distinction: the presence of a romance and an HEA does not a romance novel make. I've been rereading some of my favorite parts of my favorite Kleypas historical romances lately, and there is a STARK difference between those books and this one. Not a bad difference! But they are very clearly the same author, but not the same genre. I would go so far as to say that Kleypas's contemporary romances (TRAVIS FAMILY WHAT UP) have more in common with her historical romances than Queen of Lombard Street does. And they should. Because regardless of the setting, those are romance novels. Same genre, different decor.
And while the romance subplots of Queen of Lombard Street certainly matter and are crucial to the character development, I just wouldn't say that they're the core of the story. Which is all good, because Kleypas never marketed this as a romance novel. This is exactly what she said it is, and she accomplished exactly what she set out to accomplish: a good historical fiction novel. Before I got back into romance as an adult, I was actually a big reader of historical fiction, and I'd say this stands up next to any of the relatively lower stakes histfic I liked back in the day. The setting is great—you do get cameos from Kleypas's romance characters, and references to places like Winterborne's, among other things—and the characters are well-developed. While the romances don't get as much time on the page as they would in a Kleypas romance novel, they're charming and worth getting invested in. The prose is lovely, the writing quality draws you in. This is absolutely Lisa Kleypas with all her talents, just in a different genre.
I'd say this is on the lighter end of her fare, which is pretty consistent with what the Ravenels was serving up. There's a hot butler who's not really a butler, which is very hijinks-y. You have Reina's employee/BFF June, who's all "I am kinda like one of the scruffier Downton Abbey maids, and also I'm gonna have a romance with some big guy named Mad Dog [which is lowkey gonna be the best romance in the novel, no offense to Reina and John]". Reina does have Tragic Bastard Angst, but not to a severe degree.
The side effect of this being historical fiction versus historical romance is that I don't think the story is quite as invested in the men as it is the women. Which is fine—again, the book is not a historical romance, and I don't have the expectation that I'll get to know everyone who's falling in love on the same level. The only catch is that while Reina is a likable and endearing protagonist, we don't quite get the full scope of the adversity she's facing as a Business Bitch. We know, because this is the way of the world, that she's been up against challenges. But when the novel begins, she's doing well enough to hire basically the entire downstairs cast of Downton Abbey, so she can't be doing that poorly. She's also very much "everyone is welcome regardless of background", which is lovely. However, a part of me wondered what kind of tension could've been there had she responded to her upbringing with this desire to prove herself as "just as good". Would she reject those characters then, before evolving? But that would've been another book.
You see, though, how Reina has kind of undergone a lot of the internal and external development her situation faces before the book. Which turns this into a cozier novel than I expected, less about the hustle and bustle and drive and push of making it, and more about people who are kind of already good and decent dealign with the ways of their world and essentially building one big family. There is some tragedy and also John doing his secret investigation shit around Reina's scammy (or is he?) mentor. But nothing SUPER bad happens to our leads. And while some would say this degree of coziness is a Kleypas hallmark—well. Reread some of her books prior to the Ravenels. Hell, some of the Ravenels, really, too. That's not a criticism! I do find it interesting that in the pivot away from true romance, a genre often dismissed for being too nice, too neatly tied up (none of this is true), Kleypas has actually made one of her coziest, least rough around the edges books yet.
And you know what? Historical fiction can be that.
This is a solid, well-written historical fiction novel, and I think it will satisfy the majority of Kleypas die-hards who go into it with the right expectations. I would've maybe liked a bit more of the "how she got there" on the page, but I still enjoyed myself. Look, I won't lie: I will always want Lisa Kleypas to write romance. Because her best books are some of the best that have ever been done. But I respect her trying something new, and I really respect her doing it well.
Oh, and about the sexy thing: There is less sex in this one than her normal fare, but it's still there, and it's well-done. I mean, I'm never not gonna be open to more sex on the page, but hey. New beginnings, and all that!
Thanks to Avon for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
After five long years, Lisa Kleypas is back with a historical fiction novel that is in the running to be my favorite read of 2026. Thanks to Avon for the complimentary ARC of Queen of Lombard Street.
Reina Martin is an investment savant, regularly outperforming her male peers because of her unique view of the world, both as a woman and as an illegitimate child who had to make her own way in the world. Born the daughter of a married English banker and a young Spanish dancer, Reina has built a reputation and fortune to rival any self-made man. But in Victorian England, women cannot open their own bank accounts, leaving a woman like Reina with nowhere to put her money until she begins working with William Farlow, her mentor and dear friend. With his support, she has a goal of opening an all-women's bank where no woman will be forced to wait for service or to have a man co-sign her accounts.
Since obtaining her fortune, Reina has purchased a large house, but it's hard to find domestic staff, with the shops and factories of 1880s London providing better pay and hours. In order to properly staff her home, Reina turns to a new organization for recently paroled prisoners and hires a whole crew of domestic help who have just been released from prison. Among them is John Pembroke, a Welshman who was recently paroled after a violent crime but has experience in domestic service and has become her butler. The thing is, Pembroke is not actually a parolee, but rather a detective from Manchester who has been placed in Reina's home by the Metropolitan Police to investigate William Farlow for suspected financial crimes. Now Reina is trapped between her mentor, who may be defrauding the public, and a man who has lied to her about his identity, and she doesn't know how she will get through this with her dreams for the future intact.
Lisa Kleypas is the queen of the modern historical romance for a reason. She's been consistently publishing since the late 1980s, with a few notable breaks to write contemporary romance, and has reinvented the genre multiple times. Without her, we would not have the self-made hero in historical romance, and the reformed rake would be decidedly less rakish. When she announced she was coming back with a historical fiction title rather than historical romance, I was intrigued. Queen of Lombard Street is very clearly not a modern historical romance, but reminds me more of the historical romances of the '70s and '80s than it does of contemporary historical fiction. Historical romance was much broader in the early days of the genre. Books had a wider scope, more narrators, multiple plot lines, and often multiple romances. It was not unusual to find a novel listed as historical romance that spent more time on the history than it did on intimate scenes. Go back and read authors like Roberta Gellis, and you'll see what I mean. Queen of Lombard Street feels like a continuation of that line of the historical romance genre, but in modern publishing, it doesn't fit into the conventions readers expect from genre romance, so it's been classified as historical fiction.
This book is a masterclass in character-driven plot work. There is a massive divide in the romance genre as a whole right now between cozy books that are devoid of any plot and books with primarily external conflict, where there is a heist, competition, or some external threat driving the plot forward. There is another option! In Queen of Lombard Street, we do have quite a bit of external plot. Reina's relationship with her mentor and his potential financial crimes, John's role with the Metropolitan Police, Tuppence Higgett's pregnancy (Reina's paroled housekeeper), and Reina's complicated place in the larger London society are all external forces driving the book forward. But we have a lot of plot that is driven by character decisions, primarily Reina's choice to hire parolees, her best friend and cook June's choice of work, and the multiple romance plot lines that run through the novel. It's clear why this book took a while to draft because not only is it meticulously researched, but it is clear that Lisa Kleypas put a massive amount of effort into seamlessly weaving each aspect of the story together.
Where I think this novel veers into historical fiction more than romance in modern publishing is the unflinching way it looks at the position of women in 19th-century society. I have a personal gripe with historical romance authors who don't think that their novels need to be accurate because they're not historical fiction, but rather romance, and they're trying to tell a modern story. I have news for them: You can do both. It is possible to be both historically accurate and pertinent to a modern reader. History repeats itself. Moments from the past are reflected in today's political and social troubles. Lisa Kleypas has never been scared of looking at parts of society that make us uncomfortable and has never shied away from forcing us to see how the present position of women aligns with the past (see my screed on Then Came You and how it aligns with the way the system failed women in the late '80s, leading to the Year of the Woman in 1992). Much like the late Victorian era, we are living in a time of massive technological advancement, widening income inequality, and conservative social norms. The modern historical romance genre seems to want to show that women of the 19th century could be anything they wanted and find a place in the world where they would be accepted and supported. Now, I am not opposed to this kind of escapism on occasion, but considering the world we currently inhabit, it feels a bit like the genre wants us to view everything with rose-colored glasses. In this book, Lisa Kleypas gives us a heroine who has made her own way in the world, very much the female equivalent of a Simon Hunt or Tom Severin, but is still in the real world where her gender and social class are still barriers to entry. Add in the challenges faced by the working-class women of her household, specifically Tuppence the housekeeper, and you can't help but see the way Lisa is indicting contemporary society for the way women and those deemed "less than" by the establishment are being treated in the modern world.
No Lisa Kleypas book review would be complete without discussing the romance. We have not one, but two beautifully written romance plot lines. Reina's story is the A-plot, but there is a secondary romance that has some of the most touching parts of the whole book. And don't worry, friends, there is on-page intimacy, and it is every bit as detailed and nuanced as you would expect from Lisa Kleypas. Like I said before, had this book been written in the '80s, it probably would have been shelved as historical romance because the romance is that good. And our A-plot hero is Welsh, so you know you're going to get the classic Kleypas endearments. If you loved Rhys Winterborne's Welsh moments, you're going to love John Pembroke.
I have so much more to say about this book, but I will leave it there and tell you to read it yourself. This is a title I am happy to buy in hardcover because I do plan to read it again and again. An easy 5 stars and a place on my Best of the Year list.
Reina Martin is an investment savant, regularly outperforming her male peers because of her unique view of the world, both as a woman and as an illegitimate child who had to make her own way in the world. Born the daughter of a married English banker and a young Spanish dancer, Reina has built a reputation and fortune to rival any self-made man. But in Victorian England, women cannot open their own bank accounts, leaving a woman like Reina with nowhere to put her money until she begins working with William Farlow, her mentor and dear friend. With his support, she has a goal of opening an all-women's bank where no woman will be forced to wait for service or to have a man co-sign her accounts.
Since obtaining her fortune, Reina has purchased a large house, but it's hard to find domestic staff, with the shops and factories of 1880s London providing better pay and hours. In order to properly staff her home, Reina turns to a new organization for recently paroled prisoners and hires a whole crew of domestic help who have just been released from prison. Among them is John Pembroke, a Welshman who was recently paroled after a violent crime but has experience in domestic service and has become her butler. The thing is, Pembroke is not actually a parolee, but rather a detective from Manchester who has been placed in Reina's home by the Metropolitan Police to investigate William Farlow for suspected financial crimes. Now Reina is trapped between her mentor, who may be defrauding the public, and a man who has lied to her about his identity, and she doesn't know how she will get through this with her dreams for the future intact.
Lisa Kleypas is the queen of the modern historical romance for a reason. She's been consistently publishing since the late 1980s, with a few notable breaks to write contemporary romance, and has reinvented the genre multiple times. Without her, we would not have the self-made hero in historical romance, and the reformed rake would be decidedly less rakish. When she announced she was coming back with a historical fiction title rather than historical romance, I was intrigued. Queen of Lombard Street is very clearly not a modern historical romance, but reminds me more of the historical romances of the '70s and '80s than it does of contemporary historical fiction. Historical romance was much broader in the early days of the genre. Books had a wider scope, more narrators, multiple plot lines, and often multiple romances. It was not unusual to find a novel listed as historical romance that spent more time on the history than it did on intimate scenes. Go back and read authors like Roberta Gellis, and you'll see what I mean. Queen of Lombard Street feels like a continuation of that line of the historical romance genre, but in modern publishing, it doesn't fit into the conventions readers expect from genre romance, so it's been classified as historical fiction.
This book is a masterclass in character-driven plot work. There is a massive divide in the romance genre as a whole right now between cozy books that are devoid of any plot and books with primarily external conflict, where there is a heist, competition, or some external threat driving the plot forward. There is another option! In Queen of Lombard Street, we do have quite a bit of external plot. Reina's relationship with her mentor and his potential financial crimes, John's role with the Metropolitan Police, Tuppence Higgett's pregnancy (Reina's paroled housekeeper), and Reina's complicated place in the larger London society are all external forces driving the book forward. But we have a lot of plot that is driven by character decisions, primarily Reina's choice to hire parolees, her best friend and cook June's choice of work, and the multiple romance plot lines that run through the novel. It's clear why this book took a while to draft because not only is it meticulously researched, but it is clear that Lisa Kleypas put a massive amount of effort into seamlessly weaving each aspect of the story together.
Where I think this novel veers into historical fiction more than romance in modern publishing is the unflinching way it looks at the position of women in 19th-century society. I have a personal gripe with historical romance authors who don't think that their novels need to be accurate because they're not historical fiction, but rather romance, and they're trying to tell a modern story. I have news for them: You can do both. It is possible to be both historically accurate and pertinent to a modern reader. History repeats itself. Moments from the past are reflected in today's political and social troubles. Lisa Kleypas has never been scared of looking at parts of society that make us uncomfortable and has never shied away from forcing us to see how the present position of women aligns with the past (see my screed on Then Came You and how it aligns with the way the system failed women in the late '80s, leading to the Year of the Woman in 1992). Much like the late Victorian era, we are living in a time of massive technological advancement, widening income inequality, and conservative social norms. The modern historical romance genre seems to want to show that women of the 19th century could be anything they wanted and find a place in the world where they would be accepted and supported. Now, I am not opposed to this kind of escapism on occasion, but considering the world we currently inhabit, it feels a bit like the genre wants us to view everything with rose-colored glasses. In this book, Lisa Kleypas gives us a heroine who has made her own way in the world, very much the female equivalent of a Simon Hunt or Tom Severin, but is still in the real world where her gender and social class are still barriers to entry. Add in the challenges faced by the working-class women of her household, specifically Tuppence the housekeeper, and you can't help but see the way Lisa is indicting contemporary society for the way women and those deemed "less than" by the establishment are being treated in the modern world.
No Lisa Kleypas book review would be complete without discussing the romance. We have not one, but two beautifully written romance plot lines. Reina's story is the A-plot, but there is a secondary romance that has some of the most touching parts of the whole book. And don't worry, friends, there is on-page intimacy, and it is every bit as detailed and nuanced as you would expect from Lisa Kleypas. Like I said before, had this book been written in the '80s, it probably would have been shelved as historical romance because the romance is that good. And our A-plot hero is Welsh, so you know you're going to get the classic Kleypas endearments. If you loved Rhys Winterborne's Welsh moments, you're going to love John Pembroke.
I have so much more to say about this book, but I will leave it there and tell you to read it yourself. This is a title I am happy to buy in hardcover because I do plan to read it again and again. An easy 5 stars and a place on my Best of the Year list.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Lisa Kleypas took a multi-year hiatus after Devil in Disguise, seemingly abandoning the new series she set up there. Well she's back, this time with a (highly romantic) foray into Lit Fic, which takes place in the Kleypasverse; characters shop at Winterborne's, and familiar faces make an appearance. This book may not technically be a romance, and it's plenty about power and the roles and lives we make for ourselves, and seeing others for who they are, not what they've done. But it is also a double romance, with typical Kleypas magic and chemistry between both the primary and secondary couple.
Reina is the natural daughter of a Spanish dancer and a banker. She rises over expectations (that she, too, will be a courtesan) because she is also a genius and self-made economist and investor. She's made her own fortune (well over two million pounds as it turns out), "A queen, she is, who built her own castle stone by stone." She also bought her neglected dream house, which she promptly makes into a home. She's living with her lifelong best friend June as cook, and they round out the staff by hiring a bunch of paroled prisoners on leave.
One of the themes of this book is being of service to others, both on the micro level, helping one person live a better life, giving one person a chance, and the macro level, where Reina is trying to enact systemic change to improve the lives of women, particularly working class women. She is after all, "Hopeful. Which isn't easy [...] it's a constant act of will." We're in the midst of "the servant problem" so Reina and June hire a bunch of parolees to work the house, including undercover cop John Pembroke as butler, who is watching Reina as part of an investigation of her mentor. He ends up watching her *real* close, as they are instantly drawn together with attraction and easy conversation. This group is knit together into a found family through John's skills at running a household and giving them purpose, and Reina's unwavering support in providing them what they need to be their best. There are a lot of glimpses here into the fellowship of servants, within the household and with other working class people. Even though Reina is fantastically wealthy, we spend most of our time in this other world.
The secondary romance between June and orphan turned terror "Mad Dog" Maddock was a delight. I lived for their scenes, where he is so gone for her, a gentle giant who would do anything for her. "'Why, if you asked me to murder someone for you, I'd do it, no questions asked.' 'I can kill my own people,' she said, her eyes narrowing. 'Not meaning to say you couldn't. Meant it as a courtesy, like.'" June had experience with a man, handsome and considered a catch in her village, and he didn't see her for herself, or respect what she needed. Maddock is the opposite, on the surface terrifying and unpredictable but truly focused on what she needs and making her life easier. He's transformed though this home, the first where he is accepted and given stability, and through her affection. She is as well, able to lay her burdens down at last.
The economics and investigation of it all was interesting and not overwhelming. Kleypas has always been a "I researched this so you are going to read about it" author, but the setting and details, whether it was the particulars of banking practices in the 1830s or the Spanish diaspora in England did not detract from the pace of the story.
Or the romances. The scene where John and Reina first kiss was so well crafted, just perfect Romance. They make eyes wide open decisions about choosing each other and finding balance that feel grounded in the characters and the story, especially given the differences in stations. And the build of trust and affection between June and Maddock no less so. Including, of course, my favorite microtrope made explicit of "He was a fine-looking man - a handsome one. Had he always been? Maybe her feelings were coloring how she saw him?" I won't even spoil how swoony the love declarations are in this book.
I found Kleypas' writing style as assured and skillful as ever, but also changed in this book. I don't know if it is because she is following a new muse here, or the gap between books. This was a deeply enjoyable read. Of course being Kleypas, there is immediately the appearance of a talisman that remains vital throughout. The writing is both laugh out loud funny, especially with any of the below stairs characters, and heartbreaking in a way that Kleypas does so well, with connection and loss. She's much more discrete than usual about her intimate scenes, the reader knows what's happening, but there are a lot of "..." doing the heavy lifting from pinnacle to pinnacle. We are used to Kleypas writing a full open door, and I would say here the door is open but occasionally the gaze is diverted. You may be able to take the author out of romance as she moves to Lit Fic, but you apparently can't take the romance out of the author. This was a very satisfying and enjoyable read, one I'm sure I'll be rereading as I do my other favorite Kleypas books.
Thank you to the publisher for the arc.
Reina is the natural daughter of a Spanish dancer and a banker. She rises over expectations (that she, too, will be a courtesan) because she is also a genius and self-made economist and investor. She's made her own fortune (well over two million pounds as it turns out), "A queen, she is, who built her own castle stone by stone." She also bought her neglected dream house, which she promptly makes into a home. She's living with her lifelong best friend June as cook, and they round out the staff by hiring a bunch of paroled prisoners on leave.
One of the themes of this book is being of service to others, both on the micro level, helping one person live a better life, giving one person a chance, and the macro level, where Reina is trying to enact systemic change to improve the lives of women, particularly working class women. She is after all, "Hopeful. Which isn't easy [...] it's a constant act of will." We're in the midst of "the servant problem" so Reina and June hire a bunch of parolees to work the house, including undercover cop John Pembroke as butler, who is watching Reina as part of an investigation of her mentor. He ends up watching her *real* close, as they are instantly drawn together with attraction and easy conversation. This group is knit together into a found family through John's skills at running a household and giving them purpose, and Reina's unwavering support in providing them what they need to be their best. There are a lot of glimpses here into the fellowship of servants, within the household and with other working class people. Even though Reina is fantastically wealthy, we spend most of our time in this other world.
The secondary romance between June and orphan turned terror "Mad Dog" Maddock was a delight. I lived for their scenes, where he is so gone for her, a gentle giant who would do anything for her. "'Why, if you asked me to murder someone for you, I'd do it, no questions asked.' 'I can kill my own people,' she said, her eyes narrowing. 'Not meaning to say you couldn't. Meant it as a courtesy, like.'" June had experience with a man, handsome and considered a catch in her village, and he didn't see her for herself, or respect what she needed. Maddock is the opposite, on the surface terrifying and unpredictable but truly focused on what she needs and making her life easier. He's transformed though this home, the first where he is accepted and given stability, and through her affection. She is as well, able to lay her burdens down at last.
The economics and investigation of it all was interesting and not overwhelming. Kleypas has always been a "I researched this so you are going to read about it" author, but the setting and details, whether it was the particulars of banking practices in the 1830s or the Spanish diaspora in England did not detract from the pace of the story.
Or the romances. The scene where John and Reina first kiss was so well crafted, just perfect Romance. They make eyes wide open decisions about choosing each other and finding balance that feel grounded in the characters and the story, especially given the differences in stations. And the build of trust and affection between June and Maddock no less so. Including, of course, my favorite microtrope made explicit of "He was a fine-looking man - a handsome one. Had he always been? Maybe her feelings were coloring how she saw him?" I won't even spoil how swoony the love declarations are in this book.
I found Kleypas' writing style as assured and skillful as ever, but also changed in this book. I don't know if it is because she is following a new muse here, or the gap between books. This was a deeply enjoyable read. Of course being Kleypas, there is immediately the appearance of a talisman that remains vital throughout. The writing is both laugh out loud funny, especially with any of the below stairs characters, and heartbreaking in a way that Kleypas does so well, with connection and loss. She's much more discrete than usual about her intimate scenes, the reader knows what's happening, but there are a lot of "..." doing the heavy lifting from pinnacle to pinnacle. We are used to Kleypas writing a full open door, and I would say here the door is open but occasionally the gaze is diverted. You may be able to take the author out of romance as she moves to Lit Fic, but you apparently can't take the romance out of the author. This was a very satisfying and enjoyable read, one I'm sure I'll be rereading as I do my other favorite Kleypas books.
Thank you to the publisher for the arc.
April 3, 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, 2026WHAT IS THIS???? IS SHE BACK????
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
How has Lisa Kleypas, in the year of our Lord year 2026, written my favorite Lisa Kleypas novel? I have read so much of her work, and I am a gigantic fan of this woman's brain, but this book? Queen of Lombard Street? It is an absolute masterpiece. This book is probably going to go down as my favorite historical romance of all time. This genre can be cheeky, silly, witty, and swoony, which are all things I love and admire. But Queen of Lombard Street gives you the beats you love about HistRom, while including the most beautiful commentary on what it means to be an outcast. Whether that's a bastard, someone trying to rebound from bad choices, or just a woman in man's world. I was sobbing uncontrollably at different moments in this book. Some from grief, some from happiness, and some from being seen as a woman striving for improvement like only another woman can.
The found family in this may also be the best I've ever read. Reina is a collector of underdogs, and watching this rag tag group of people come together and form their own chosen family was an absolute delight to read. Mad Dog steals every. Single. Scene. And I loved watching the relationship between June and Mad Dog unfold. Because what is better than one romance in a historical romance? It's absolutely two.
The multi POV felt seamless and it gave depths to this story that I truly haven't seen in this genre. Living in Reina's head is a true delight. The most understanding and accepting - a little bit naive - but also fierce, protective, and beyond smart? I want to be her when I grow up. And John is truly her perfect match. We love a confident man who lets his woman steal the spotlight. UGH. He was down so, so bad. Give me a Welsh man any day of the week.
AND the little threads from The Ravenels made me so, so happy. You must stop whatever you're doing and read this book. Whether you're new to the genre or Lisa Kleypas or a longtime fan, Queen of Lombard Street is going to work for any romance reader.
And behind them, a girl prepares to battle a dragon.
The found family in this may also be the best I've ever read. Reina is a collector of underdogs, and watching this rag tag group of people come together and form their own chosen family was an absolute delight to read. Mad Dog steals every. Single. Scene. And I loved watching the relationship between June and Mad Dog unfold. Because what is better than one romance in a historical romance? It's absolutely two.
The multi POV felt seamless and it gave depths to this story that I truly haven't seen in this genre. Living in Reina's head is a true delight. The most understanding and accepting - a little bit naive - but also fierce, protective, and beyond smart? I want to be her when I grow up. And John is truly her perfect match. We love a confident man who lets his woman steal the spotlight. UGH. He was down so, so bad. Give me a Welsh man any day of the week.
AND the little threads from The Ravenels made me so, so happy. You must stop whatever you're doing and read this book. Whether you're new to the genre or Lisa Kleypas or a longtime fan, Queen of Lombard Street is going to work for any romance reader.
And behind them, a girl prepares to battle a dragon.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Rating: 3.5/5
Heat Level: 2/5
Pub Date: October 13th
My Review:
Lisa Kleypas has returned with a solidly-written historical fiction set in the Victorian era, featuring a romance subplot between a pioneering female economist and the undercover cop sent to investigate her. I am a big Kleypas fan— her prose and her attention to detail has a way of drawing you in, and I can't say I wasn't charmed by Reina, John, and the motley crew of ex-cons hired by Reina as household servants.
I knew going in this would not be a romance novel, and my expectations were met: there is a lovely, fairly light-hearted romantic subplot between the clever but lonely Reina, and John, who is initially stoic but is actually quite charming in a Rhys Winterborne lite (lite) kind of way. We do get an on-page sex scene— you'll recognize a lot of Kleypas hallmarks, but the physical descriptions are not lingered upon, and they're more euphemistic than you might be used to in her romance novels. There is also an adorable secondary romance between Reina's friend-slash-cook and one of the ex-cons she hires.
But here's the thing: the blurb and the marketing for this book had me expecting a main plot consisting of Reina's efforts to open a bank for women in an era where women's financial freedom was heavily restricted, and then Reina and John teaming up to investigate her suspicious mentor.
This is not what we get.
Instead, the story is largely set in the confines of Reina's home, with plenty of Downton Abbey-esque "downstairs" servant drama. Reina hardly ever leaves her home, and the story accordingly ignores her professional struggles and any actual drama associated with her mentor (we don't even get an on-page arrest, just a couple chapters near the very end of the book devoted to the heist mentioned in the blurb, and a weak confrontation). There is a valuable point to be made about the criminal justice system and reentry, but I do not understand why this had to come at the expense of a story ostensibly meant to be about a trailblazing female economist.
To add to the culturally-conservative-coded messaging, while Reina's work in starting a women's bank is barely discussed on-page, the story has a large, dramatic baby plot that concludes in Reina adopting the child of a servant after she dies in childbirth. Again, there is a valuable point to be made about Victorian-era healthcare, the precarious position of pregnant women, especially poor women, and illegitimacy back then (Reina herself is illegitimate and has had to live with that stigma her entire life), but I find it strange that it is the professional, career-minded historical heroine who has motherhood foisted upon her, and that adopting that baby is essentially the climax of the story, because the actual fraud investigation is crammed into the last few chapters as an afterthought.
There is a time and place for everything I've discussed. In fact, authors like Lorraine Heath tackle a lot of the themes mentioned above (prison reform, the struggles of illegitimacy, women's legal rights) excellently, taking on perhaps one of these topics per book, and skillfully melding it with the main romance plot. But for all the research on feminist trailblazers Kleypas has clearly done, the story she and the publisher have chosen to elevate is still a domestic drama. And quite frankly, in 2026, I should not have to read a hero telling a heroine, "The work done in a kitchen is an act of care and love", in any context.
Thank you to Avon Books for the advanced copies.
Heat Level: 2/5
Pub Date: October 13th
My Review:
Lisa Kleypas has returned with a solidly-written historical fiction set in the Victorian era, featuring a romance subplot between a pioneering female economist and the undercover cop sent to investigate her. I am a big Kleypas fan— her prose and her attention to detail has a way of drawing you in, and I can't say I wasn't charmed by Reina, John, and the motley crew of ex-cons hired by Reina as household servants.
I knew going in this would not be a romance novel, and my expectations were met: there is a lovely, fairly light-hearted romantic subplot between the clever but lonely Reina, and John, who is initially stoic but is actually quite charming in a Rhys Winterborne lite (lite) kind of way. We do get an on-page sex scene— you'll recognize a lot of Kleypas hallmarks, but the physical descriptions are not lingered upon, and they're more euphemistic than you might be used to in her romance novels. There is also an adorable secondary romance between Reina's friend-slash-cook and one of the ex-cons she hires.
But here's the thing: the blurb and the marketing for this book had me expecting a main plot consisting of Reina's efforts to open a bank for women in an era where women's financial freedom was heavily restricted, and then Reina and John teaming up to investigate her suspicious mentor.
This is not what we get.
Instead, the story is largely set in the confines of Reina's home, with plenty of Downton Abbey-esque "downstairs" servant drama. Reina hardly ever leaves her home, and the story accordingly ignores her professional struggles and any actual drama associated with her mentor (we don't even get an on-page arrest, just a couple chapters near the very end of the book devoted to the heist mentioned in the blurb, and a weak confrontation). There is a valuable point to be made about the criminal justice system and reentry, but I do not understand why this had to come at the expense of a story ostensibly meant to be about a trailblazing female economist.
To add to the culturally-conservative-coded messaging, while Reina's work in starting a women's bank is barely discussed on-page, the story has a large, dramatic baby plot that concludes in Reina adopting the child of a servant after she dies in childbirth. Again, there is a valuable point to be made about Victorian-era healthcare, the precarious position of pregnant women, especially poor women, and illegitimacy back then (Reina herself is illegitimate and has had to live with that stigma her entire life), but I find it strange that it is the professional, career-minded historical heroine who has motherhood foisted upon her, and that adopting that baby is essentially the climax of the story, because the actual fraud investigation is crammed into the last few chapters as an afterthought.
There is a time and place for everything I've discussed. In fact, authors like Lorraine Heath tackle a lot of the themes mentioned above (prison reform, the struggles of illegitimacy, women's legal rights) excellently, taking on perhaps one of these topics per book, and skillfully melding it with the main romance plot. But for all the research on feminist trailblazers Kleypas has clearly done, the story she and the publisher have chosen to elevate is still a domestic drama. And quite frankly, in 2026, I should not have to read a hero telling a heroine, "The work done in a kitchen is an act of care and love", in any context.
Thank you to Avon Books for the advanced copies.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book consumed me for an afternoon. I couldn't look away. I barely even reached for my phone (a miracle!). I shed tears. I laughed. I was fascinated. It's pretty much the whole package.
What I thought was going to be more of a cloak and dagger investigative, thrilling, kind of coup instead turned into something far more.. domestic. But don't take that to mean boring, this cast of characters is anything but. The whole experience is both heartwarming and a little heart wrenching (see aforementioned tears). And the whole issue with uncovering of the scandal takes a backseat to it all.
I hope this release means there's more Kleypas to come. It's been close to a decade since I first devoured her work (and thus went on a two year bender where I almost only read historical romance.. and maybe possibly OD'd on the genre because I now rarely go back) and I would be more than happy to have regular releases to look forward to in the rotation.
Full review to come.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
What I thought was going to be more of a cloak and dagger investigative, thrilling, kind of coup instead turned into something far more.. domestic. But don't take that to mean boring, this cast of characters is anything but. The whole experience is both heartwarming and a little heart wrenching (see aforementioned tears). And the whole issue with uncovering of the scandal takes a backseat to it all.
I hope this release means there's more Kleypas to come. It's been close to a decade since I first devoured her work (and thus went on a two year bender where I almost only read historical romance.. and maybe possibly OD'd on the genre because I now rarely go back) and I would be more than happy to have regular releases to look forward to in the rotation.
Full review to come.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
March 29, 2026
I have nooooo idea how I secured an early copy, but thank you so much Avon Books!
What I can unequivocally say about Lisa is that she remains the only historical romance author I’ve read that continues to write with originality, sincerity, and flair (I only hold this same fervour for Evie Dunmore). The Bridgerton phase of historical romance has made me haggard. I search high and low for romance novels with originality. But with the exception of a few authors, Queen of Lombard Street reminded me clearly what I love about this genre and specifically why Lisa made love Devil in Winter.
I'm deeply sad that this is a stand-alone but totally respect that Lisa chooses to pop out and give us a drop of her genius. Queen of Lombard Street highlights female financial freedom, reducing recidivism through mentorship and care, and redemption. You'll absolutely love the found family, the slow burning romance, and yes the surprise appearances of characters we love.
The nods and respect of Welsh culture, language, and heritage continues to shine. But Lisa also does spades of justice in highlighting Spanish culture for our heroine. One character that will absolutely stay with me? Tuppence.
I could go on more, but I always like to leave with a quote: "A queen, she is who built her castle stone by stone".
What I can unequivocally say about Lisa is that she remains the only historical romance author I’ve read that continues to write with originality, sincerity, and flair (I only hold this same fervour for Evie Dunmore). The Bridgerton phase of historical romance has made me haggard. I search high and low for romance novels with originality. But with the exception of a few authors, Queen of Lombard Street reminded me clearly what I love about this genre and specifically why Lisa made love Devil in Winter.
I'm deeply sad that this is a stand-alone but totally respect that Lisa chooses to pop out and give us a drop of her genius. Queen of Lombard Street highlights female financial freedom, reducing recidivism through mentorship and care, and redemption. You'll absolutely love the found family, the slow burning romance, and yes the surprise appearances of characters we love.
The nods and respect of Welsh culture, language, and heritage continues to shine. But Lisa also does spades of justice in highlighting Spanish culture for our heroine. One character that will absolutely stay with me? Tuppence.
I could go on more, but I always like to leave with a quote: "A queen, she is who built her castle stone by stone".
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 NetGalley
Been delaying this review because I honestly did not have any inspiring thoughts to write about it. Sadly. The main issue for me is that the marketing for this book and the actual book are two different things. I was promised a trailblazing female economist fighting financial corruption in Victorian London. What I got was a cozy-domestic-found-family romance where the banking plot and the fraud investigation are told not shown and the FMC's big moment is becoming a mother. And there is nothing wrong with the latter. But it's also not anything groundbreaking. Of course I will always love Kleypas and I wanted to love this, but the feminist framing felt surface level (more white feminism) than anything structurally challenging. A 3.5 for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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."
Read
September 10, 2026If this is Kleypas writing “not a romance” I’ll take more! Right from the start it had her trademark writing style (truly a master of the craft) with complex characters that I instantly needed to know more about. The prologue was such a powerful introduction to the way Reina sees herself in this novel and what she’s working against in society. It also sets up her fierce protectiveness over her newly formed found family that felt appropriate. And John…..oh, my man John. A Welsh detective looking to rise up in the ranks he takes the job of investigating Reina and her mysterious household by posing as the butler. His instant protectiveness over Reina, and let’s be honest instant attraction, reminded me of so many Kleypas romance heroes past. So sure … this “isn’t a romance” and I’m fine with that.
The side cast of characters felt really well fleshed out, and I appreciated especially the developing romance between June and Maddog. Everytime we got a moment in June’s POV I was smiling from ear-to-ear (even in the harder moments). To be honest, this whole novel had such a great humor throughout. There were so many instances that I was practically in tears from laughing so hard, the characters are funny, the dialogue is witty, and there’s some really silly situations that were fun to watch play out.
While the romance was definitely romancing, the plot was also plotting. I think this book did a great job balancing the two in conjunction with giving really powerful character driven stories. This really felt like an introspection into human nature and how your experiences shape you. Reina is entirely shaped by her childhood and it continues to effect every decision she makes in this book. Without delving into spoilers, it becomes a primary driver for a life-changing decision that happens at the 60% mark.
I think one of my gripes with this book, and why it isn’t a perfect 5-star for me, is that both MCs felt too perfect. While they both had some internal plight most of the conflict is externally driven. I felt like they were both so steadfast and compassionate- a truly perfect match and great characters, but I missed the flawed messes Lisa writes so well. These two were sort of bland especially in comparison to their side cast. I was intrigued by the investigation John was undergoing regarding Reina’s mentor, but I did wish there was a bit more time spent on this. There were moments I forgot this was even a thing happening, which was probably the point.
Overall, I’m glad Kleypas is back! And I think this will satisfy her romance fans and potentially introduce new ones from the women’s fiction space. Her balance of romance, history, and character-driven plot felt really well done. And while I missed her messy characters, I think John and Reina were perfect for each other in their shared empathy. She also brought a beloved side romance with June and Maddog that was my favorite part of this book. An addictive book, that’s perfect to curl up with for fall!
4.5/5
Thank you to the publishers for an eARC of this novel.
found family, she’s a brilliant financial mind, detective undercover as a butler, hidden identity, Welsh MMC, Spanish-English FMC, aspiring owner of a women’s bank, “cariad”
The side cast of characters felt really well fleshed out, and I appreciated especially the developing romance between June and Maddog. Everytime we got a moment in June’s POV I was smiling from ear-to-ear (even in the harder moments). To be honest, this whole novel had such a great humor throughout. There were so many instances that I was practically in tears from laughing so hard, the characters are funny, the dialogue is witty, and there’s some really silly situations that were fun to watch play out.
While the romance was definitely romancing, the plot was also plotting. I think this book did a great job balancing the two in conjunction with giving really powerful character driven stories. This really felt like an introspection into human nature and how your experiences shape you. Reina is entirely shaped by her childhood and it continues to effect every decision she makes in this book. Without delving into spoilers, it becomes a primary driver for a life-changing decision that happens at the 60% mark.
I think one of my gripes with this book, and why it isn’t a perfect 5-star for me, is that both MCs felt too perfect. While they both had some internal plight most of the conflict is externally driven. I felt like they were both so steadfast and compassionate- a truly perfect match and great characters, but I missed the flawed messes Lisa writes so well. These two were sort of bland especially in comparison to their side cast. I was intrigued by the investigation John was undergoing regarding Reina’s mentor, but I did wish there was a bit more time spent on this. There were moments I forgot this was even a thing happening, which was probably the point.
Overall, I’m glad Kleypas is back! And I think this will satisfy her romance fans and potentially introduce new ones from the women’s fiction space. Her balance of romance, history, and character-driven plot felt really well done. And while I missed her messy characters, I think John and Reina were perfect for each other in their shared empathy. She also brought a beloved side romance with June and Maddog that was my favorite part of this book. An addictive book, that’s perfect to curl up with for fall!
4.5/5
Thank you to the publishers for an eARC of this novel.
found family, she’s a brilliant financial mind, detective undercover as a butler, hidden identity, Welsh MMC, Spanish-English FMC, aspiring owner of a women’s bank, “cariad”
Want to Read
July 17, 2026Lisa, my very dear and close personal friend, please don’t let me down girl 🙏
Did Not Finish
September 30, 2026***Thanks to the publisher for this eARC on Netgalley!***
Okay, I do feel somewhat bad about this one. This is a DNF for me at 11%. Just going off everyone else’s reviews, it does seem like if you’re already a fan of Lisa Kleypas, this seems like something you’ll enjoy and can read in one sitting.
I tried two of her Wallflowers books (Devil in Winter and then backwards to It Happened One Autumn) and was so put off by both, even in the newly edited editions, that I almost gave up on historical romance altogether as a subgenre before I remembered there are histroms I’ve liked.
Anyways, the hype got the better of me here and I have just come to realize she is not the author for me, no matter how many people try to hype her up.
This is such a strange book. Yes, it is historical fiction and not out and out a historical romance (despite Avon being the publisher). You don’t actually meet the MMC at all the first 11% of the book and not until chapter 5. In that time, it’s all from the FMC’s (Reina) POV and it’s a time skip from her at age 10 in the prologue in 1862. Then older in 1877 in what feels more like a second prologue than the first chapter. Then there’s ANOTHER time jump by chapter two to 1880. The very linear format of going from step 1 to step 2 to step 3, etc. to establish Reina’s backstory is so tedious.
And the book tells us she’s so noble because she stands up for herself and other women, and she’s so good because she’s bought a rundown home and employs her best friend who needed a place to stay and a job, and then she goes out of her way to hire convicts to run her household. It’s all just very noble and right and GOOD. And it’s coming off as so dull to me.
The story is FINE. And sure, maybe I’m quitting too early to miss the depths of what Reina might have and I only read two pages of the MMC’s POV (his name is John) to see the full picture. But there’s a lack of punch to the writing that feels like the author is now worried about writing the wrong thing that now we’re being told about how perfect the characters are that it feels super surface level. I’m not opposed to surface level books (I do read shallow dark romance books often) but it’s just boring here that I can’t feel bothered to pick it up again a day after I put it down.
Should note that the book is written in third-person POV past tense if anyone was worried the author has changed to first like a few other histrom authors.
The romance here is also so misplaced it would make me wonder if the author was a romance author at all if I didn’t know her backlist. The older banker, William, who becomes Reina’s friend and advisor in life comes across as the MMC and setting them up as a couple if I didn’t go back and reread the blurb and realize there was a man named John we hadn’t even met yet. Reina and William are written in such a way that maybe later in the book it’s revealed William wanted to marry Reina or something, but vibes are weird.
I should go back to historical mysteries, historical thrillers, and historical fantasy books for that historical vibe because at least in those, you get characters maybe a little more willing to kill. Because all this? It’s aggressively FINE but ultimately for me, super boring.
***Edit: After reading a few other reviews to see what happened later in the book, I feel like I should mention this book sorely needs warnings. I would say the key content notes include mentions of pregnancy from rape and the mother dying from childbirth that’s described horrifically and occurs halfway through the book. The baby survives but the mother does not.
Okay, I do feel somewhat bad about this one. This is a DNF for me at 11%. Just going off everyone else’s reviews, it does seem like if you’re already a fan of Lisa Kleypas, this seems like something you’ll enjoy and can read in one sitting.
I tried two of her Wallflowers books (Devil in Winter and then backwards to It Happened One Autumn) and was so put off by both, even in the newly edited editions, that I almost gave up on historical romance altogether as a subgenre before I remembered there are histroms I’ve liked.
Anyways, the hype got the better of me here and I have just come to realize she is not the author for me, no matter how many people try to hype her up.
This is such a strange book. Yes, it is historical fiction and not out and out a historical romance (despite Avon being the publisher). You don’t actually meet the MMC at all the first 11% of the book and not until chapter 5. In that time, it’s all from the FMC’s (Reina) POV and it’s a time skip from her at age 10 in the prologue in 1862. Then older in 1877 in what feels more like a second prologue than the first chapter. Then there’s ANOTHER time jump by chapter two to 1880. The very linear format of going from step 1 to step 2 to step 3, etc. to establish Reina’s backstory is so tedious.
And the book tells us she’s so noble because she stands up for herself and other women, and she’s so good because she’s bought a rundown home and employs her best friend who needed a place to stay and a job, and then she goes out of her way to hire convicts to run her household. It’s all just very noble and right and GOOD. And it’s coming off as so dull to me.
The story is FINE. And sure, maybe I’m quitting too early to miss the depths of what Reina might have and I only read two pages of the MMC’s POV (his name is John) to see the full picture. But there’s a lack of punch to the writing that feels like the author is now worried about writing the wrong thing that now we’re being told about how perfect the characters are that it feels super surface level. I’m not opposed to surface level books (I do read shallow dark romance books often) but it’s just boring here that I can’t feel bothered to pick it up again a day after I put it down.
Should note that the book is written in third-person POV past tense if anyone was worried the author has changed to first like a few other histrom authors.
The romance here is also so misplaced it would make me wonder if the author was a romance author at all if I didn’t know her backlist. The older banker, William, who becomes Reina’s friend and advisor in life comes across as the MMC and setting them up as a couple if I didn’t go back and reread the blurb and realize there was a man named John we hadn’t even met yet. Reina and William are written in such a way that maybe later in the book it’s revealed William wanted to marry Reina or something, but vibes are weird.
I should go back to historical mysteries, historical thrillers, and historical fantasy books for that historical vibe because at least in those, you get characters maybe a little more willing to kill. Because all this? It’s aggressively FINE but ultimately for me, super boring.
***Edit: After reading a few other reviews to see what happened later in the book, I feel like I should mention this book sorely needs warnings. I would say the key content notes include mentions of pregnancy from rape and the mother dying from childbirth that’s described horrifically and occurs halfway through the book. The baby survives but the mother does not.
July 31, 2026
West Ravenel and The Devil’s Daughter will always be my fave Kleypas MMC and book but omg did this book come swooping in for second place. I’m in love.
A natural born daughter of a banker, on the outskirts of society, makes her way as an economist, sets up a household - which she fills with employees who were all formerly in prison. This ragtag bunch is the best found family I’ve read in ages. My heart grew ten sizes and I cried every other page. Yes, we have the main romance between Reina and John (my one complaint is he’s a policeman and ACAB), but the secondary romance between the household cook and the giant bruiser convict of a stable man had me IN ITS GRIP. I was invesssssted in Mad Dog and his gooey center.
I’m so sad this over. Give me 30 more. No one does it like Kleypas.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advance review copy. The Queen of Lombard Street is out Oct 20, 2026.
A natural born daughter of a banker, on the outskirts of society, makes her way as an economist, sets up a household - which she fills with employees who were all formerly in prison. This ragtag bunch is the best found family I’ve read in ages. My heart grew ten sizes and I cried every other page. Yes, we have the main romance between Reina and John (my one complaint is he’s a policeman and ACAB), but the secondary romance between the household cook and the giant bruiser convict of a stable man had me IN ITS GRIP. I was invesssssted in Mad Dog and his gooey center.
I’m so sad this over. Give me 30 more. No one does it like Kleypas.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advance review copy. The Queen of Lombard Street is out Oct 20, 2026.
Review of advance copy
Its a disservice to say this is a book about women's banking as it is so very much more My review to follow soon.
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