I adore this series, and A Conspiracy in Belgravia is another fun one to add to the collection. But that adoration does come with some caveats.

First, the good stuff. I love strong female characters, and this series has it in spades. Charlotte Holmes is as clever and intrepid as ever, readily going about her day sussing out secrets left and right without ever missing a beat. It's so refreshing to follow a heroine who, when faced with adversity, is so confident in her abilities that she just uses her wits to get through any and all situations.

The repartee in here is delightful—Victorian, witty, a touch prudish—and I would often find myself lingering, rereading parts just to savor it some more. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the sizzle between Charlotte and Lord Ingram. Their unrequited love was so sharp and visceral without ever being directly referenced that I had no choice but to swoon.

But I have to be honest. For a mystery series, the mysteries themselves are perhaps its one weakness. There are a few too many characters and subplots, a bit too much complexity in the way of the twists and turns, for this to really be easy to follow along with. And the denouement, in which everything is revealed, doesn't feel so much shocking as vaguely confusing, leaving me wondering where it all came from. Certainly I did not see the twists coming, but I'm not clear how Charlotte was able to either.

Another quibble I have is that not all the points of view were equally riveting. Charlotte, with the force of her personality, steals the show, so whenever we turn away from her to let Inspector Treadles or Livia have a turn, my attention waned. Thankfully, those sections were short, but they did slow the pace a bit for me overall.

But those really are small quibbles, and they don't unduly impact my enjoyment. The characters, their relationships with each other, the nonstop banter in the dialogue, all make this such a charming and interesting read. I hope the too-complex mysteries will get ironed out as the series matures or as we get more familiar with the characters and events at play.

Oh, one more thing to note if you're considering this. The question always comes up if one should read a series in order, and the answer here is a resounding yes! Even though each book has a self-contained mystery, there is so much backstory and character development and relationships throughout the series that to read it out of order would just be a big pile of confusion. And I do speak from personal experience, having done just that on my first go-around and lived to regret it until I finally completed my reread in the correct order.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

A delightful start to what I hope will be a very long series, A Study in Scarlet Women has everything I could want in a female Sherlock Holmes.

Lady Charlotte Holmes has chafed all her life against the restrictions placed around a woman in the Victorian era. She can't imagine a life spent doing what's expected of her, wallowing in the bland domesticity of being a wife and mother. If only there was some way she could put to use her singular talent of discomfiting strangers and acquaintances alike, perceiving and blurting out things about them they do not want anyone else to know.

Alas, it wasn't until Charlotte was forced onto the streets that she started to realize perhaps there is a use for her unusual talent after all. But she knows the only way she will be taken seriously is under the guise of a man, so Sherlock Holmes is born.

Ah, please allow me a moment to gush here. You guys know how much I love a clever female protagonist, so my adoration of this book was pretty much a foregone conclusion from the very beginning. Charlotte leaps off the pages with her strength and independence, willingly casting aside her easy societal life for the chance to make her own way in the world. Readers, I swooned.

But before I went in, I was actually a bit wary. Truth be told, I find the original Sherlock Holmes character to be somewhat abrasive and egotistical, and hence unlikable. But Sherry Thomas totally nailed it here with her spin, and Charlotte Holmes reads like a breath of fresh air. I was charmed not just by Charlotte's brain, but also by her personality and even her love for scrumptious food.

In fact, I was charmed by almost everything in this story. The supporting characters were just as memorable and delightful as our main, rounding out a cast of those I hope to see again and again in future stories. The writing was sharp and fun, incorporating plenty of the Victorian witty banter I've come to associate with tales from that era. And there's even a hint of romance, so well executed that the sizzle and tension were palpable from just the few mere sentences and glances exchanged.

If I had one quibble, it's that the mystery is perhaps a shade too complex. Since this is the first book of a series, we are introduced to quite a few overarching characters that presumably will continue throughout the series, as well as characters that are only relevant to this mystery. As a result, it's a lot people to keep straight, plus their unusual ties to each other, along with all the twists and turns as the mystery unfolded. Thankfully, the confusion doesn't take away from my enjoyment, but it did make me wish I'd taken some notes along the way. But that's really a small quibble in light of how much I enjoyed everything else.

Before I close out on my gushing thoughts, let me take a moment to highlight who I think is the best audience for this book. This is a historical fiction + mystery + romance. The mystery is at the forefront, make no mistake, but it is written in the style of a fun historical romance, with all of its slow burn and banter and even a bit of flirtation. If you are a purist who enjoys your mysteries on the serious/gritty side, this probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're a historical romance aficionado who's been wondering when the heck someone was going to throw a good ol' mystery into the mix, well I've got just the one here for you.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars