This is the second book I’ve finished this year and unfortunately, it is the second book that was firmly meh. I read other Goodreads reviews after I finished it to see if I was alone in how I felt about this book, buuuutt there were a few other people that agree with me. 

This book was long. Like at least 100 pages too long. It was very back and forth on the “will they/won’t they” romance between Jane and Jasper, and I often wanted to shout at them to get on with it. It is very much a slow burn romance in A Lady Would Know Better, and while I enjoy romances like that to an extent, I did not find this enjoyable until maybe the last 30% of the novel. How in the world am I supposed to stay entertained for 70% of a book that is just a back and forth between the two main characters of “I can’t because I don’t remember who I am!” or “I can’t because she doesn’t know who she is!” or, my personal favorite, “I swore never to love again!” It was so frustrating. And spice? Yeah, for how long we waited there is one scene. One. I’m not a huge spice girly, but I still want the ends to justify the means. The spice was very vanilla. So don’t go into this book expecting that type of novel.

So, now that I’ve ranted about the back and forth romance that is wayyyy too slow burn, I want to talk about some things that I really did like. I loved each of the characters. I loved how developed they were and that the author clearly knew them so deeply. I could definitely imagine her writing these characters with a smile on her face because I felt how deeply she cared for each of them. I always love when I read a book and can tell how much love and care went into building the characters from the ground up. It was evident that the characters were her babies and it was my favorite part of the novel. 

Andddd I just remembered something else that really peeved me. The climax of the story when Jane finally finds out about her family and where she came from? Oh. My. Gosh. It was SO DISAPPOINTING. I’m going to add a quick spoiler alert and tell y’all why it literally was the worst. 

Spoilers ahead.

So when Jane/Hetty finally confronts her cousin and aunt who are trying to steal her inheritance, Jane/Hetty remembers that she was a master swordsman, points a sword at her cousin, and her aunt and her cousin pack up their things and LEAVE. No fuss. No fight. They are broke, being chased by debt collectors, and legitimately leave without a fight. Like WHAT??? I am so upset. I read through this whole book waiting for it to get super exciting for THIS??? Sigh. Someone should have developed a more satisfying ending because the lack of spice and this after all that buildup is probably the most disappointing thing I’ve finished reading in a long time. 

Overall, this book was far too long for the amount of plot that it had (or lack thereof). The characters were obviously developed with love and care and they were 100% my favorite part. The ending, though? Disappointing to say the least. 2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3 for social platforms. A huge thanks to the publisher for offering an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Source: Advanced Reader Copy from Entangled Publishing

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)