Reviewed by Angela
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Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school and a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, under a pseudonym, she writes very different kinds of stories—the Penny Dreadfuls, which are all the rage among the working-class men.
Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking all of his readers—and his profits. For the first time, Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent.
I loved the layers of story in this book! You get two Penny Dreadfuls and the story of the authors, Elizabeth and Fletcher, in one novel. As a “proper romance” the love story is light and the banter quick-witted. There is also an element of mystery around the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the rights of the less fortunate.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Read-a-likes:
- A Curious Beginningby Deanna Raybourn
- A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins