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Bedridden Bluestocking Barony #1
The Taming of the Screws
Not yet published
Expected 30 May 26300 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Taming of the Screws was like a warm hug after a hard day.
The FMC deals with a chronic illness, which we don't often see represented in fiction, let alone in regency romance!
Della may be in constant pain, and her family may have sent her to the countryside, but that has not stopped her from finding and building her own family and life. She has kept in constant contact with one person from her old life in London - Andrew. After one letter asking for help, we find our MMC visiting Della in her country estate, and a web of secrets her family has kept from her starts to unravel.
This book was a cozy romance with lovable characters.
If you want a nice, easy read that shows a different side of regency romance, try picking this one up!
Thank you to Jade Hendren, Dragonblade Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
The FMC deals with a chronic illness, which we don't often see represented in fiction, let alone in regency romance!
Della may be in constant pain, and her family may have sent her to the countryside, but that has not stopped her from finding and building her own family and life. She has kept in constant contact with one person from her old life in London - Andrew. After one letter asking for help, we find our MMC visiting Della in her country estate, and a web of secrets her family has kept from her starts to unravel.
This book was a cozy romance with lovable characters.
If you want a nice, easy read that shows a different side of regency romance, try picking this one up!
Thank you to Jade Hendren, Dragonblade Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75 stars rounded up to 4. This book was like a Disney Channel movie meets Regency Romance, with some sneaky spice thrown in for good measure. We meet Della, and quickly learn she has "the screws," or rheumatism, which in today's terms would be Rheumatoid Arthritis. The author herself has an autoimmune disease and was inspired to write heroines who struggled with a chronic illness. The issues for women suffering from a chronic illness in the days of yore (I don't think it ever specified what year we were in) weren't something I had ever thought about, but after reading this I may need to do a deep dive on the subject.
Della has been banished to the country for the last eight years because her parents are embarrassed to have a chronically ill child. Parents of the year they are not. In fact, they are the first part of my Disney/Regency mashup comparison in that they are so very villainous that everybody hates them. They don't exist much outside of their dramatic evil scenes, which is both a relief to avoid them, but kind of takes away from any real tension.
Andrew Lockhart, the swooniest of swoons, Della's faithful childhood friend and correspondent, has recently arrived back in London after traveling the world. When Della's maid overhears something her devious parents were hiding from her (villains gonna villain), Della asks Andrew for help, and so our story begins. These two were at turns precious and frustrating. With her illness, Della believes she's a burden and nobody will want her, and Andrew is but a lowly commoner who doesn't think himself worthy of such a lady. In nearly every interaction with each other we hear the way they passionately feel about the other, he is often shattered by her mere presence, and she is mesmerized by his dimples (can't blame her there), which after awhile became a little monotonous. The spice showed up at odd times for me, and while I'm not one to complain about a spicy book, it almost felt like a departure for the characters to act so scandalously. Where the spice occurred though it was very well written, get it Della!
The last bit of the book was a little too schmaltzy for me personally, with lots of miscommunication and lamenting of feelings and misunderstandings etc, but, despite all of that I enjoyed this book. Sometimes we just want a light drama, with some obvious bad guys, faithful sidekicks, swoony fellas and a heroine worth rooting for, with all the fluff and schmaltz that goes with it, and this book delivers all of it very well! I look forward to reading future books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Della has been banished to the country for the last eight years because her parents are embarrassed to have a chronically ill child. Parents of the year they are not. In fact, they are the first part of my Disney/Regency mashup comparison in that they are so very villainous that everybody hates them. They don't exist much outside of their dramatic evil scenes, which is both a relief to avoid them, but kind of takes away from any real tension.
Andrew Lockhart, the swooniest of swoons, Della's faithful childhood friend and correspondent, has recently arrived back in London after traveling the world. When Della's maid overhears something her devious parents were hiding from her (villains gonna villain), Della asks Andrew for help, and so our story begins. These two were at turns precious and frustrating. With her illness, Della believes she's a burden and nobody will want her, and Andrew is but a lowly commoner who doesn't think himself worthy of such a lady. In nearly every interaction with each other we hear the way they passionately feel about the other, he is often shattered by her mere presence, and she is mesmerized by his dimples (can't blame her there), which after awhile became a little monotonous. The spice showed up at odd times for me, and while I'm not one to complain about a spicy book, it almost felt like a departure for the characters to act so scandalously. Where the spice occurred though it was very well written, get it Della!
The last bit of the book was a little too schmaltzy for me personally, with lots of miscommunication and lamenting of feelings and misunderstandings etc, but, despite all of that I enjoyed this book. Sometimes we just want a light drama, with some obvious bad guys, faithful sidekicks, swoony fellas and a heroine worth rooting for, with all the fluff and schmaltz that goes with it, and this book delivers all of it very well! I look forward to reading future books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I don't normally read regency era romance but something about the tongue and cheek title got to me and I picked it up. I'm glad I did. I read this book in 2.5 hours and was absorbed from the start. This book is great for fans of Jenny Holiday's Earl's Trip or Alexandra Vasti's Earl Crush. It has Bridgerton semi-anachronistic vibes- like most things are time relevant but have a modern sensibility/ take. Main character Della is dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and cast away from London to the country. She lives with a merry band of misfits- Clara was my favorite- she dared to wear pants! Della's favorite thing is her correspondence with childhood friend Andrew, whom she hides her romantic feelings from since she has been made to feel damaged and unmarriable. Little does she know Andrew has been pining for her just as long and loves and accepts her for who she is.
I loved the main characters! Andrew was so ardent in his affection. He subconsciously knew how to care for Della and felt that was a privilege to do so rather than the burden she believed. I loved how he relished in becoming devious on her behalf, confronting the family doctor and her parents. It was so frustrating that both he and Della missed all the subtext in each others' communications. This was a slow burn that should've been a hot flame. And gosh did I want to scream at Della when she so misinterpreted everything and left London early! Girl! But it makes sense that her brain was such a doubter of her worth.
The secondary characters were also great, especially Clara, Andrew's mom, and Gwen (who I have to imagine will be the subject of one of the books in this planed trilogy). I loved the feminist themes of the books; many of the women having more power than the men, Della's mom making her husband a cuckold, Andrew's mom owning her own business with a keen eye, and Clara dressing and acting more like a man of the times and not caring- just being authentically her. This book was more light and gauzy than Lady Tremaine's nuanced take on feminism, but it is the perfect retreat of a book. 4 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Dragonblade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the main characters! Andrew was so ardent in his affection. He subconsciously knew how to care for Della and felt that was a privilege to do so rather than the burden she believed. I loved how he relished in becoming devious on her behalf, confronting the family doctor and her parents. It was so frustrating that both he and Della missed all the subtext in each others' communications. This was a slow burn that should've been a hot flame. And gosh did I want to scream at Della when she so misinterpreted everything and left London early! Girl! But it makes sense that her brain was such a doubter of her worth.
The secondary characters were also great, especially Clara, Andrew's mom, and Gwen (who I have to imagine will be the subject of one of the books in this planed trilogy). I loved the feminist themes of the books; many of the women having more power than the men, Della's mom making her husband a cuckold, Andrew's mom owning her own business with a keen eye, and Clara dressing and acting more like a man of the times and not caring- just being authentically her. This book was more light and gauzy than Lady Tremaine's nuanced take on feminism, but it is the perfect retreat of a book. 4 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Dragonblade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this historical romance featuring a heroine living with rheumatism and her childhood friend/first love who is of lower social standing than her. I enjoyed that the story was told from both of their third person POV, as we got to see how strongly they each felt and also their worries that the love was unrequited.
This had a cozy fairytale feeling within the Regency setting. I loved rooting for Della, a strong woman trying to find the life she wants while living with chronic pain and battling her cruel family members.
There are some really great romantic and sexy scenes throughout the story, including some dressing and undressing scenes filled with sexual tension. I also loved how the author showed Della finding what makes her feel good even while living with the pain of her rheumatism.
I also really loved getting to know Della’s loyal staff members who came to feel more like her family, and certainly loved her more than her family did. Between them and Andrew’s mother, there was a lovely sense of found family through the story.
This is partially an epistolary novel, and I loved how the letters were used to introduce the romance but then continued even as they reached their happy ending.
This was a lovely read and I would definitely recommend it for historical romance lovers and people who want to see chronic pain representation in fiction.
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this historical romance featuring a heroine living with rheumatism and her childhood friend/first love who is of lower social standing than her. I enjoyed that the story was told from both of their third person POV, as we got to see how strongly they each felt and also their worries that the love was unrequited.
This had a cozy fairytale feeling within the Regency setting. I loved rooting for Della, a strong woman trying to find the life she wants while living with chronic pain and battling her cruel family members.
There are some really great romantic and sexy scenes throughout the story, including some dressing and undressing scenes filled with sexual tension. I also loved how the author showed Della finding what makes her feel good even while living with the pain of her rheumatism.
I also really loved getting to know Della’s loyal staff members who came to feel more like her family, and certainly loved her more than her family did. Between them and Andrew’s mother, there was a lovely sense of found family through the story.
This is partially an epistolary novel, and I loved how the letters were used to introduce the romance but then continued even as they reached their happy ending.
This was a lovely read and I would definitely recommend it for historical romance lovers and people who want to see chronic pain representation in fiction.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars. I really liked this historical romance, with the unique story line focusing on the FMC's chronic illness. The shift in perspective for the reader to consider how those with chronic illness were treated and coped with physical issues added a satisfying layer of depth. It's a nice departure from your typical hist-rom plot and gives the story some weight, although the tension with Della's family adds plenty of weight to the plot all on its own. I really loved Della and Andrew, with their slow-burn long-distance pining, and their childhood friends-to-lovers romance. It's a common trope, but it just satisfies my soul when it's done well like it is here. There was a nice amount of yearning even after they became re-acquainted as adults. There's such a sweetness to Andrew and Della, these two just squeezed my heart and I was 100% invested in their HEA. Andrew is ridiculously romantic, which was a nice touch. The tenderness between Andrew and Della was so enjoyable, and there was just the right amount of spice in this story for my tastes. I found the book to be engaging and genuine, and it was such an enjoyable read. This is a new-to-me author and this book is the first in a series, I am very much looking forward to the next books! Publishes May 30, 2026. This review is based on a complimentary DRC of the book, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 rounded to 5. Netgally copy from Dragonblade.
Yays 👍
After reading another book recently with the FMC suffering from an ailment this was something that was intriguing. It did not disappoint, well crafted, beautiful story with its fair share of heartbreak that only makes the end sweeter and more beautiful. MMC was such a wonderful character, solid, loving, and there, always there, in any way she wanted him. It's hard to believe it's the author's first book and her love for these characters shows. Loved how the FMC's condition was portrayed without fluff or sugar coating. Suspect we will get a story for Harry and Clara, perhaps Gwen later??
I for one am looking forward to it all.
Nays 👎
Lots of unexplained bits lingered too long, like their history of the "night" from eight years ago, Harry & Clara's back story. It felt like the book was trying to cramp together a full story and setup for future books in it's short length, which felt distracting and rushed. I hope the future books get that bit of pacing right.
Verdict 🪒
Definitely recommend this unique take of regency with wonderful characters and a satisfying HEA.
Yays 👍
After reading another book recently with the FMC suffering from an ailment this was something that was intriguing. It did not disappoint, well crafted, beautiful story with its fair share of heartbreak that only makes the end sweeter and more beautiful. MMC was such a wonderful character, solid, loving, and there, always there, in any way she wanted him. It's hard to believe it's the author's first book and her love for these characters shows. Loved how the FMC's condition was portrayed without fluff or sugar coating. Suspect we will get a story for Harry and Clara, perhaps Gwen later??
I for one am looking forward to it all.
Nays 👎
Lots of unexplained bits lingered too long, like their history of the "night" from eight years ago, Harry & Clara's back story. It felt like the book was trying to cramp together a full story and setup for future books in it's short length, which felt distracting and rushed. I hope the future books get that bit of pacing right.
Verdict 🪒
Definitely recommend this unique take of regency with wonderful characters and a satisfying HEA.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“You can always do whatever you want with me, Della.”
rating: 4.25★
regency hisrom with an FMC with rheumatoid arthritis and her childhood friend turned yearning lover boy 💖💖💖
this was such a sweet read. Andrew’s devotion to Della definitely puts him in top book bfs, esp for readers who love a man down bad for his girl.
Della deals with not only the physical frustrations of her chronic pain, but the societal ramifications. i’d never considered what might happen to women in nobility of this time period who dealt with chronic illness, but i def hadn’t realized the ostracization they faced. v eye opening.
romance-wise, this was a very cozy and endearing read (with just the tiniest bit of angst) for hopeless romantics like me.
He didn’t want to be anything but gentle with her. It wasn’t that he thought she was fragile, as everyone else did. He thought she was precious, and that was something entirely different.
i look forward to upcoming books in this series!
an honest arc review ✎ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ༉‧ ♡*.✧
rating: 4.25★
regency hisrom with an FMC with rheumatoid arthritis and her childhood friend turned yearning lover boy 💖💖💖
this was such a sweet read. Andrew’s devotion to Della definitely puts him in top book bfs, esp for readers who love a man down bad for his girl.
Della deals with not only the physical frustrations of her chronic pain, but the societal ramifications. i’d never considered what might happen to women in nobility of this time period who dealt with chronic illness, but i def hadn’t realized the ostracization they faced. v eye opening.
romance-wise, this was a very cozy and endearing read (with just the tiniest bit of angst) for hopeless romantics like me.
He didn’t want to be anything but gentle with her. It wasn’t that he thought she was fragile, as everyone else did. He thought she was precious, and that was something entirely different.
i look forward to upcoming books in this series!
an honest arc review ✎ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ༉‧ ♡*.✧
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really liked the disability rep in this book. Della suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, and her description is very authentic from this #ownvoice author. She is not a one note character, and definitely has thoughts and dreams and ambitions, which are definitely impacted by her disability, but not ruled by it.
Andrew is so sweet, and a cinnamon roll of a hero. The epistolary continuation of their friendship from childhood throughout those 8 years that Della was exiled to the countryside is both so intensely romantic, and tragic, because neither of them realized that the other one felt the same.
This is a real slow burn story, which finally gains some momentum about halfway through. I have taken off two stars for the slog to get to that point.
A good addition to diverse HR, I’d love to see more disability rep from this author.
I received an advance reader copy of this book at no charge and I am offering my opinion freely.
Andrew is so sweet, and a cinnamon roll of a hero. The epistolary continuation of their friendship from childhood throughout those 8 years that Della was exiled to the countryside is both so intensely romantic, and tragic, because neither of them realized that the other one felt the same.
This is a real slow burn story, which finally gains some momentum about halfway through. I have taken off two stars for the slog to get to that point.
A good addition to diverse HR, I’d love to see more disability rep from this author.
I received an advance reader copy of this book at no charge and I am offering my opinion freely.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Advanced reader's copy review
This book felt like it was written for me and my exact tastes. A main character with arthritis! Dual pov second chance friends to lovers! Soul-bearing letters! Found family! And so much more of my favorite things. For starters, I instantly fell in love with Della and Clara. Della has so much kindness and love and life in her, and Clara is so fun and unique and pushes Della towards happiness. They are friend goals. Then we meet Andrew through his letters to Della, and the yearning is immediate and fantastic. And they are such a wholesome couple! Della is enamored with Andrew’s smile and Andrew is obsessed with Della’s laugh. They both want the other to be happy, and they just had to come to the realization that means being together. Of course, as Della and Andrew figure out their relationship they are also trying to get Della her inheritance. I did feel the pacing of two plots was a bit disconnected, but they had the happiest resolution. So overall I adored this book and I highly recommend it!
Thank you Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This book felt like it was written for me and my exact tastes. A main character with arthritis! Dual pov second chance friends to lovers! Soul-bearing letters! Found family! And so much more of my favorite things. For starters, I instantly fell in love with Della and Clara. Della has so much kindness and love and life in her, and Clara is so fun and unique and pushes Della towards happiness. They are friend goals. Then we meet Andrew through his letters to Della, and the yearning is immediate and fantastic. And they are such a wholesome couple! Della is enamored with Andrew’s smile and Andrew is obsessed with Della’s laugh. They both want the other to be happy, and they just had to come to the realization that means being together. Of course, as Della and Andrew figure out their relationship they are also trying to get Della her inheritance. I did feel the pacing of two plots was a bit disconnected, but they had the happiest resolution. So overall I adored this book and I highly recommend it!
Thank you Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A new romance genre from Jade Hendren. A series of historical romances with a "chronic illness variety." Miss Adelaide Harris suffers from the modern day equivalent of rheumatoid arthritis. The eldest daughter of a Viscount, her illness started as a teenager. Her parents took her away from London to their country estate before her first season. For eight years, Della has lived with only her staff and away from her only friend, Andrew Lockhart. Communicating with letters, the bond is there. An unexpected secret comes to light and Della needs his help. An unusual second chance romance. Looking forward to reading the next one.
Mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from Netgalley.
Mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from Netgalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was such a sweet gem of a romance that was such an easy read. Della and Andrew had such an enduring chemistry and I loved their letters and clear communication with each other. Della was such a fabulous heroine, dealing with her condition (likely rheumatoid arthritis) which had her exiled by her horrible parents. Andrew was just a wonderful sweetheart, he took Della's lead and supported her. I appreciate the way the author layers in ableism in a way that didn't feel like a lecture. The found family Della forms with her maid and the other household staff was also delightful. I can't wait for the next books in the trilogy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley
A typical cozy regency romance with the twist that the FMC is dealing with a chronic illness. This was an easy read and I enjoyed it, but the main pov characters were boring. It was the side characters that made the book interesting and fun. This book would only be a 3 star for me if it hadn't been for the other characters and an excitement to hopefully read their stories in future books.
Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblood Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC!
A typical cozy regency romance with the twist that the FMC is dealing with a chronic illness. This was an easy read and I enjoyed it, but the main pov characters were boring. It was the side characters that made the book interesting and fun. This book would only be a 3 star for me if it hadn't been for the other characters and an excitement to hopefully read their stories in future books.
Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblood Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A lovely story.
A daughter with a debilitating illness is to be hidden away, Della’s parents believe. Della herself has become contented in the countryside with her household around her but her peace is torn apart when she discovers her parents are stealing her inheritance. Her childhood friend comes to the rescue, could he ever be something more?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A daughter with a debilitating illness is to be hidden away, Della’s parents believe. Della herself has become contented in the countryside with her household around her but her peace is torn apart when she discovers her parents are stealing her inheritance. Her childhood friend comes to the rescue, could he ever be something more?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I flew through this book. Absolutely loved the found family and the romantic leads. Even though there were some serious themes handled very well, it was a relatively lighthearted book overall. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series and hope it’ll include the villains getting more of a comeuppance for how they treated Della.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A love story full of green flags, gentleness and yearning. With just a dash of spice, I was pleasantly surprised with this one and found myself wrapped up in this book. If you're wanting to read something soft, that will have you in your feels, please grab this one. It's worth a read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I like this one,it was vulnerable but not ridiculous.
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