When Berkley sends me a new ARC to read, I know I’m about to have a good time. This time was triple the fun because I received book three of the Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton, The Secret Society of Tea and Treason.
Alice Dearlove and Daniel Bixby are both at the top of the ranks over at the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government agency that is much better at espionage than they are at naming itself. When rumors of an assassination plot against the Queen surface, the two are forced to work together, pretending to be a married pirate couple in order to infiltrate a pirate house party and wreck any pirate murder plots against the Queen.
I’m usually not a slow burn girlie, but when the slow burn is accompanied by two main characters who are so effortlessly funny, I. Am. Obsessed. Alice doesn’t pick up on social cues and takes things very literally - to the point where Daniel has to point out (regularly) when something is an idiom. In addition, undertones and innuendos aren’t picked up on which leads to some hilarity when it’s obvious there are two different understandings of the same conversation.
Also, I will happily crown Alice the leader of the book lovers brigade. The way she turns to her books to regulate her emotions. The way she strokes her books for comfort. The way she straight up says that reading is not a hobby, it is a way of life. Need I say anything else?
This book (and the whole series really) is pure chaos in the best possible way. Nothing makes sense, but yet everything makes sense at the same time. When wanting to be friends with someone means that you are constantly trying to murder them, you know it’s going to be a good time and that’s exactly what happens in this book.
The Secret Society of Tea and Treason by India Holton is available now and you can grab a copy of your own here. Don’t forget to grab a copy of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and The League of Gentlewomen Witches while you’re at it so you don’t miss out on all the chaos!
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop affiliate links above, not only will I receive a small commission (which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you), but you will be supporting indie bookstores as well!
