This story premise has so many things going for it—a secret society, the Victorian setting, mystery, suspense, romance, even a cheeky young thief. Even without having read the first in the series, I had no trouble acquainting myself with this world and the characters, and while I suspect there may be an overarching story to the series involving one villain in particular, it didn’t prevent this book from being able to be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel. That said, this story was a bit of a mixed bag for me. As much as I enjoyed some aspects, there were others that kept pulling me out of the story world.

First, the things I enjoyed. Hollis and Ana were a sweet couple, and their relationship was a gentle progression from acquaintances to friends to more, with a little twist of “I wonder what s/he’d think of my secret identity” thrown in. Personally, I would have liked to have felt more chemistry between them, as the author tended to rely on telling more than showing to portray their growing attachment, but in many ways this story was more about the mystery than it was about the romance. And I did enjoy the mystery and the action it brought at the end.

As to the things that pulled me out of the story, there were occasional word choices that threw me, such as the word “sparking” (meaning courting), which I’ve only ever heard used in an American (specifically Appalachian) context. I also got a bit of a shock when Hollis referred to Ana as his “light o’ love,” which I’ve only ever heard used in reference to ladies of ill repute! But the more frequent culprit was the author’s tendency to explain or point things out to the reader, often on the assumption that the reader wouldn’t understand the period or the subtext. Unfortunately, there are few thing that pull me out of a story more quickly.

My final confession is that I didn’t really see the point of including the two stories from the penny dreadfuls. They were interesting in their own way, but they didn’t do anything to further the main story and therefore felt more like interruptions to me.

My personal preferences notwithstanding, I can see this series appealing to many readers who enjoy sweet historical romance with a good mystery/suspense plot woven in.