Never Gamble Your Heart

Starred review from December 2, 2024
Lovise’s scintillating second Secret Society of Governess Spies Victorian romance (after Never Blow a Kiss) reintroduces Perdita’s Governess Agency, a front for an all-female spy ring set up by a mysterious figure code-named the Dove. After Frankie Turner’s younger sister, Fidelia, goes missing, the Dove offers to help find her if Frankie will take on an assignment. Frankie agrees and is placed as a governess in the household of Jasper Jones, the self-made owner of an infamous London gambling hall. The Dove believes that Jasper is the mastermind behind the Dowry Thieves, a group of men who have recently managed to force wealthy but “outspoken and troublesome” women into marriage. After finding nothing tying Jasper to the scheme, Frankie uses her brilliant mathematical skills to comb through the financials of each member of the Dowry Thieves—all while fighting her intense attraction to Jasper. When he learns of her investigation, he offers to help by gifting her with a dowry large enough to lure the goup’s leader into the open. It’s a dangerous gambit—and it only grows riskier when there’s love on the line. Lovise’s admirable, norm-bucking characters have intense chemistry. Sensual love scenes and simmering suspense combine to make this a true page-turner.

February 15, 2025
A mathematical genius and a casino owner gamble on each other. Jasper Jones isn't quite sure about the spinster in oversized spectacles sent over by Perdita's Governess Agency, but he'll have to make do with her for now. As the owner of Rockford's, London's most infamous gaming hell, he was busy even before becoming the guardian of his teenage niece, Cecelia, and he needs the help. But Miss Francis "Frankie" Turner isn't actually there to be a governess; though Perdita's is a legitimate agency, she's arrived at Jasper's house to fulfill its other mission, which is to spy on wrongdoers of the ton. If it was up to her, she'd devote all her time to solving complicated math problems, but after her sister goes missing, she agrees to look into Jasper, as it seems that whatever happened to her sister is related to a larger conspiracy based at Rockford's. It doesn't take long for Jasper to realize something is unusual, and oddly desirable, about Frankie--his first hint is when it appears that she's taught Cecelia how to count cards while playing Vingt et Un. But rather than banish Frankie when he learns about her mission (and her extraordinary mathematical ability), he decides to support her, and both eagerly agree to work together, not realizing they're gambling their hearts in the process. Lovise's second Secret Society of Governess Spies book expands the world introduced inNever Blow a Kiss (2024), and builds on its strengths. Because Jasper and Frankie begin working together fairly early, their closeness develops quickly, so the suspense comes from other parts of the plot. Though the criminal shenanigans and their resolution require an extraordinary suspension of disbelief, the misogynist viewpoint behind the nefariousness does not, so readers will likely be willing to overlook the contemporary feeling of this historical romance. Thanks to the chemistry between the well-written, neurodiverse bluestocking heroine and her fake rake, fans of the first book will find much to enjoy, and this one stands alone well enough to attract new readers as well. An enjoyable Victorian romance threaded with mystery.

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