On a quest to right a wrong from the past, she did not expect to find her future. Miss Julia Marsh is a bluestocking. She is happiest when surrounded by her dear friends in the Bluestocking Club, but she has kept a shocking secret from them. Haunted by the past, Julia risks her life to prevent others from suffering the same fate as her parents. Unfortunately, it is even harder than she imagined. Hugh Weston, Earl of Bryn, may be a rake and a rogue, but his heart is set on redressing the sins of his father. It is all he can think of until he sees a masked woman in danger on the streets of London. A pity the ungrateful chit wasn’t happy about being rescued. Two souls brought together, not in the ballrooms of the ton, but fighting for their lives in the less salubrious London streets. As they grapple with the twists and turns of fate, and risk the scorn of society, Hugh is convinced of one there is nothing dull or wilting about this particular bluestocking. The Bluestocking Club is a series of stories about women who are capable, intelligent and independent, and who do not need a man to prove their worth. If they find one along the way? Well, that is a bonus, but do not expect them to turn into simpering misses! The Bluestocking’s Quest is a Regency Romance, topped with a generous amount of humour, action and tears. If you like simmering chemistry, compelling but complex characters and fast-paced action, then this is the perfect book for you.
Audrey Harrison was born about two hundred years too late. She wants to belong to a time when men were men and women were dressed in gowns and could float, simper and sigh.
In the real world she has always longed to write, writing a full manuscript when she was fourteen years old. Work, marriage and children got in the way as they do and it was only when an event at work landed her in hospital that she decided to take stock. One Voluntary Redundancy later, she found that the words and characters came to the forefront and the writing began in earnest.
Her ideal would be to write Regency Romances, but more modern characters are insisting on being heard, hence the release of’ ‘A Very Modern Lord’, a contemporary romance.
So, although at home more these days, the housework is still neglected and tea is still late on the table, but she has an understanding family, who usually shake their heads at her and sigh. That is a sign of understanding, isn’t it?
I liked the idea of the bluestocking club. I also enjoyed the two main characters getting to know each other. I just had a hard time believing in a young lady in this time period dressing as a man and walking the streets at night to prevent crime. It seemed a bit far-fetched. I might try another of the bluestocking stories to see how the series continues.
This is not the best Regency romance I've read, but it's also not anywhere close to the usual either. The story moves along well enough with a fairly original plot. I liked the characters. The author was kind enough and good enough not to waste time on lavish description or rehashing the way so many in this genre do. Some of the grammatical mistakes, such as numerous comma splices and run-on sentences, as well as a few anachronisms were somewhat annoying, but the story held my interest, which in itself says a lot!! A nice effort.
On a quest to right a wrong from the past, she did not expect to find her future…
Miss Julia Marsh is a bluestocking. She is happiest when surrounded by her dear friends in the Bluestocking Club, but she has kept a shocking secret from them. Haunted by the past, Julia risks her life to prevent others from suffering the same fate as her parents. Unfortunately, it is even harder than she imagined. Hugh Weston, Earl of Bryn, may be a rake and a rogue, but his heart is set on redressing the sins of his father. It is all he can think of until he sees a masked woman in danger on the streets of London. A pity the ungrateful chit wasn’t happy about being rescued. Two souls brought together, not in the ballrooms of the ton, but fighting for their lives in the less salubrious London streets. As they grapple with the twists and turns of fate, and risk the scorn of society, Hugh is convinced of one thing: there is nothing dull or wilting about this particular bluestocking. The Bluestocking Club is a series of stories about women who are capable, intelligent and independent, and who do not need a man to prove their worth. If they find one along the way? Well, that is a bonus, but do not expect them to turn into simpering misses! The Bluestocking’s Quest is a Regency Romance, topped with a generous amount of humour, action and tears. If you like simmering chemistry, compelling but complex characters and fast-paced action, then this is the perfect book for you.
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will her continued attempts at saving others come with too much a price to pay …
This tale with its masked vigilante renews the genre as it is set during the XIXth century with a female crime fighter. No spy nor treason but a young woman who tries by herself to right the wrong who has been done to her parents in helping, rescuing other from night attackers. She is not set on demanding revenge but in making the streets safer even if she knows it to be an impossible task, yet she believes it is a job well done if she can save one person from sharing the same fate as her parents’. Julia was never able to put to rest how her parents went to their demise, so she shaped herself to act as a reinforcer, a shadow rooming the streets and gutters to save people from the night’s threats. Still, when nearly caught she knows she must revise her strategy. As it puts her in the path and sight of a man she may encounter during society’s events even if she is not much a ton’s bird. Hugh is too trying to right a wrong, he is looking for a lost relative, one he was estranged from by his unforgiving father. But years apart have made his task like looking for a needle in a haystack. So while he roams the slums of the city, he steps upon an avenger who is ore than its mask lets expect. A woman is playing savior on the most dangerous part of the area. So when by a trick of fate he discovers her identity, he is unwilling to let her go.
This is an entertaining read standing between Heyer and more modern authors, with the wits and style of the renowned writer and the fast paced and moving journey of an action movie. 4 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses
I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
Miss Julia March and Hugh the Earl of Bryn are quite a pair! There was very little chemistry until close to the end! Hugh kept getting pop up encounters from an ex-mistress so of course Julia was confused! Julia is head strong and does not listen to anyone she constantly puts herself in danger! I think she doesn’t want to live or deserve to after the deaths of her parents. She is a self made vigilante who protects the innocent!? She makes that decision from the dangerous streets of London! Even when her uncle William begs her to stop it’s only because it will interfere with chaperone duties for Florence his ward that she “pauses!” She has also been injured and so has Hugh saving Florence from the unthinkable! For Florence to be raised on the streets she blurts out crucial information that leads almost to permanent damage to Julia! Umm not she’s supposed to be street smart! Tales of wandering around at night in London’s worst neighborhoods told by Florence? Hmm definitely not buying it! That particular period makes that more fantasy! All in all there is some witty banter between Hugh and Julia so there is that! Will read the new one to see what happens with the next bluestocking!
Another excellent story by Audrey Harrison, and written to her usual high standard. The book cover is also very striking which should draw readers interest and rightly so. The main characters, Hugh and Julia are strong individuals, and their banter is amusing and sharp, with Hugh having developed feelings for Julia from the outset. The secondary characters Julia's Uncle William, Hugh's niece Florence and his friend John are all pleasant, and the story involved them a good deal as well, as we first meet Hugh in his search for Florence. As usual this story is a world apart from Audreys other stories, and the fact that in her secret role of keeping people safe, Julia, is often brutally injured, it is quite hard to believe, in what might be considered a romance. As Julia is not a strong person, she keeps herself safe to an extent by the 'weapons' her uncle invents, and by the fact that she had been taught to defend herself by the pugilist Jackson and fencing master Angelo. All in all it is an interesting and different read and I would thoroughly recommend it. I look forward to the next book in the series.
My 1st Audrey Harrison read and I am a FAN! 5 STARS for Book 1 of her amazing & different storyline in her Series: A Regency Romance (The Bluestocking Club). She provides a good BLURB.
The characters are great, the story is well written, fast paced, & definely action filled with some mystery. Not your usual regency read. I could not put this book down.
Julia & Hugh met by accident in a poor section of London in the middle of the night. She was dressed like a young man, running from several men & he caught her & kept them from catching her, but she wasn't aware he knew she was a female. They were both members of the Ton, but prowl the night for private reasons.
Then one night they colide again & it starts getting personal. Then they have to end up dealing with a sneaky prior mistress.
I enjoyed this historical romance story. All the characters were fun to read about. The main characters were Miss Julia Marsh and Hugh Weston, the Earl of Bryn.
Hugh Weston the Earl of Bryn is looking around London bad parts of town to find his missing neice. While doing this he meets a young lad that is in trouble. He decides to help the lad out. But after helping he finds out that the lad is a young lady instead. Why is a young lady doing in this part of London dress as a lad? He want to know so he decides to find out.
This was a fun story to read. It had action, adventure, suspense and drama. There is a bit of a mystery within that was fun trying to solve. There were giggles and laughs within.
I saw this story within Kindle Unlimited app and decided to try it. This is my honest,unbiased opinion.
I absolutely loved Julia and Hugh’s story. He is on a hunt to find his missing relative and she to protect the innocent. When Hugh comes across a flight in the stews he tries to intervene and realizes it’s a woman who was fighting. He was immediately intrigued but she escapes before he can talk to her. He thinks she might be able to help him. Julia is glad she got away and made it home safely to her Uncle William. No one but her uncle knows what she does and why she’s dong it. When Hugh’s sees his friend John he is a little intrigued by his walking stick that turns into a knife by a click of a switch. When Hugh puts two and two together he realizes who the lady might be. A wonderfully written story with a perfect ending.
This book seems to start strong as the female character is, essentially, batman. And if this book had been about her fighting bad guys, instead of her helping another integrate with society and fall in love, it would have been a better book.
And while, when the male love interest does something dumb and there's a miscommunication, as all of these books use for plot, she DOES act accordingly, his actions seem so plot driven instead of character driven that I almost stopped reading the book.
The ending ties everything up just as you'd expect.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I like the idea of the Bluestocking club. Julia is out at night trying to right a wrong done to her parents when she meets Hugh. They are both on a quest of sorts. Their quests collide and they are drawn together not realising that they are perfect for each other. There are repercussions to both their actions as the story concludes. I also like the secondary characters such as Uncle William. An interesting plot.
Talk about a powerful woman! Julia aka "the Shadow" is one tough cookie to say the least! Right from the start of the book there was action and mystery that caught my full attention and so I just had to dive right in and read till the end. Hugh is the kind of man who can fully appreciate a strong woman without having his masculinity threatened. A clean romance I recommend. Now I want to read the rest of this series to find out about the rest of the ladies in the Bluestocking Club.
The three years later epilogue was unneeded. It all felt a bit wooden. I rolled my eyes at the Batman of it all. And I skipped multiple Kathryn segments because she and Jack were pseudo-villains. Bad guys who had no real motive or agency. They were built to have one moment and then be thwarted. So instead of two bad guys, build a proper villain who is a real threat that ups the stakes every time they are encountered.
This story was slow to begin with, but became increasingly enticing to the point where I could not put it down. I feel like the ending was incomplete, I wanted- for lack of a better word- more. I wanted to know more than what I was told; it came to a point where I just couldn't put this book down. Over all, this novel deserves a high rating because it was deliciously good.
Julia is a very unusual young lady, a lady by day, and a avenger by night. She roams the dark street of London, protecting the most vulnerable. One night she is caught, and right away Hugh knows it is a woman. There's lot's of adventures in this love story to the very end. ... Thank you ❤️
A young lady roams the streets at night trying to protect others from criminal acts. She meets an Earl during one of her more difficult situations and from there they meet again when she ends up helping to protect him. After they overcome obstacles and misunderstandings they find their hea. The storyline was really not a realistic situation but it was a clean read
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I thought I would find it far fetched but it actually very well thought out. I really liked Julia she was strong and feisty if a little too brave to be wise, Hugh is the perfect partner for her, I love that he never tries to curb her (unless it’s life threateningly dangerous).
Julia was an amazing woman. Hugh was smitten at their first meeting. He couldn't stand that she didn't fall at his feet. This was a beautiful and well written love story!
Audrey Harrison has done it again, I have read quite a few of her books and I have never been disappointed this one is no exception i throughly enjoyed it and as usual we get a lovely epilogue she always gives the best ones thank you.
If you’ve ever dreamt of being a female spy, this has it all! Without the violations, and smut, but scintillating with gowns and beauty of all types. The only thing missing is Christ: The reason for morals and justice…
This is definitely an action-packed read with good characters and an interesting plot. I wasn’t entirely convinced about the romance part and the violence might be off-putting for some readers, but still recommended for fans of the genre.
I loved the characters. They were exciting while being very realistic. Blue stockings are a rare breed and I do d stories about them fascinating. The happy ever after for Hugh and Julie tied the story up in a neat bow. I would recommend this book to anyone.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Full of action, drama, suspense and deceit. I truly enjoyed reading this story more than most lately.
I Loved This One! A really sweet and easy to read story with an exciting mystery to solve and some very well formed characters who made this story so entertaining and enjoyable to read.