Victorian London, 1895….Henrietta Jones is about to snap! Wild and unmanageable, “Harry” runs away to buy a horseless carriage and a pair of red buttoned up boots. She instantly dislikes an arrogant American, and when she can’t intimidate him, she falls in love with his automobile, needles him, taunts him, flaunts her ice maiden look until he is driven mad, and then plots to straighten his nose. … nose.
The first Henrietta Jones was blessed with a daughter who has grown up to be more extreme and full of the devil than anyone else in Victorian England. After being ridiculously trained to cheat at life and kill men with two fingers she rebels. She’s had enough.
But somebody wants Joshua dead. She discovers a murderous scheme to destroy England, and upsets the beautiful but brutal red-lipped cigarette-smoking Magda von Uxhuell-GIllenband, who tries to seduce Joshua and then tries to kill him.
She postpones plans to turn wild, to unravel automobile murders, a deadly secret treaty, and save a stupid boy. She seems to be England’s top spy but nobody has told her. She becomes a brilliant detective but steals the evidence. She enters the first London to Brighton Automobile Race, and fights a femme fatale in the last duel in Hyde Park.
Only Harry can save the country from chaos, but can Joshua stand the pace?
And how will she fix that infuriating broken nose!
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It’s the year 1895, and two young women are throwing caution to the wind and thinking for themselves. They are extremely intelligent, capable, strong-willed, but mostly just downright infuriating… to a weaker man! These ladies are Henrietta Jones and her friend, Fonzie Jowels-Fink, and they are seeking an adventure of a lifetime… but first, we need them to save England!
Henrietta, affectionately known as Harry, has been training her whole life for this one case… she just doesn’t know it. Someone is murdering inventors and the reasoning is unknown. Lady Jones, Harry’s mother, has asked Harry and Fonzie to go to London, set up shop, and solve the case. All Harry wants to do is buy an automobile and red laced up boots! In the process of setting up shop, Harry meets the most infuriating man she has ever laid eyes on, Mr. Joshua Quinn, the American with a slightly crooked nose. Someone is killing off members of the elite Automobile Club, and Quinn is next on the list! Can Harry, along with her friends save Quinn and stop the destruction that would bring England to its knees?
I must admit, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one. The cover is stunning (yes, I do judge a book by its cover) and the synopsis was appealing. I just wasn’t sure what to make of it. After a few pages, I was hooked! Harry is such a strong, intelligent woman. She is an inventor, and one hell of a detective… when the need arises. Her banter with Quinn was quite entertaining. They kept each other on their toes, and it was fun to watch. Fonzie is also brilliant, but not well-bred according to society’s standards; which puts a chip on her shoulder. While it’s understandable, at times she was off-putting… especially in her interactions with Louis, who is madly in love with her. She sees him as this big oaf who needs protection, when in reality… he’s quite brilliant himself and is one of England’s top spies. What was even more interesting is the brilliant villain! It was like watching Sherlock go toe-to-toe with Moriarty. This was extremely well written and will hold your attention. There were a few minor issues, but I assume it’s down to the copy of the book I received. Overall, I thought this was quite witty, and thoroughly enjoyed Henrietta Jones and all of her antics!
To be honest, this story was not for me. I did not really like Harry. I gave the story a chance anyway because my husband enjoyed the parts that I read out loud so this story does reach out to some people. I thought that Joshua was a good fit for Harry as he saw through her antics. The story was a bit confusing with the different points of view, too many at times. Others may enjoy the mystery and romance aspects of this story so give it a go.
I received a copy of this story through AXP elite reads, and this is my unsolicited review.