A forbidden romance with just a hint of distrust. I was so in the story, I couldn't put it down!

Penny is such a strong character. Knowing her love could never be out in the open because she knows her place in society, brutal. I would have cried so many times. Also, having a mother in prison?! If my mom wasn't beside me for such important moments, I would've again cried.

I can't wait to see all the ladies of this series kick serious ass when the final battle against the Devil Sons finally comes.

I enjoyed the third book in this series. The beginning of the book was tough and i had to force myself through the first couple chapters. However, once through, i enjoyed the story and read in one sitting. I like this series and enjoyed seeing Penny again, but I am still a little confused on how and why she moved from millie to the new job. after done, i reread the second book.

I did enjoy this when Liam and Penny were in the same room together but I feel like the book took itself a little too seriously - on one hand a regency romp but on the other dealing with the sordid world of human trafficking. A bit much for a romance, perhaps.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free ARC. All my views and opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of historical romance genres, and “Confessions of A Lady” was such a treat for me to read. The initial push and pull between Penny and Liam was entertaining to watch, but I am glad the author allowed their chemistry to unfold at a quicker pace.

The book in itself is action-packed, and I found the plot involving the Devils Sons group intriguing, and I do feel the author might benefit from adding a book or two more to this series to give the overarching story a satisfying conclusion.

I did not know that this book was part of an ongoing “The Queen’s Deadly Damsels” series, so I was bit confused at the introduction of more supporting characters. I suggest to read the first 2 books of the series to enjoy “Confessions of a Lady” more.

As much as I loved the last book in this series, I think I adored these characters and their story even more in this one… is that possible??

Penny is completely different from the previous leading ladies in this series, through her actions, station, and attitude. I adored her as main character, especially after meeting her in the previous book.

One thing that I never thought I’d say is that this series has made me kinda love miscommunication?? Okay maybe just miscommunication when it comes to you accidentally fighting your significant other because one of you is working for the queen and the other is working for the prime minister…

This book was packed heavy with plot twists, mystery, romance, and betrayal. I absolutely loved the upstairs/downstairs aspect and thought it was so well done. I loved seeing Liam care for Penny and watching these two fall in love! 🥹🫶🏻

And of course, I loved seeing all of these amazing characters again and their friendships.

My only itty bitty bit of confusion was Liam’s relationship to Drake and Killian… since I thought they were friends with his brother. Either way, I enjoyed their backstory!!

I really enjoyed this story, moves along at a really good pace. I thinks it's the first proper class difference historical romance I've read, not just fallen on hard times etc. Penny is from St Giles, bought up in paupers prison fighting to survive. Liam, Lord Renquist is part of the elite in society. Penny works as a maid for Liam and instant attraction. Liam is trying to infiltrate a sex trafficking gang to bring it down, Penny thinks Liam is part of the gang and wants to find the evidence to convict him. The romance is open door, with Penny being confused by her attraction to someone who could be part of the nefarious gang. Its part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

*The Confessions of a Lady* by McGuire quickly pulled me into its world of Regency England, where espionage and forbidden romance take center stage. The story follows Penny Smith, a housemaid on a secret mission to uncover the truth about Lord William Renquist, a nobleman she believes is tied to the notorious *Devil’s Sons* trafficking ring. From the start, I was invested in Penny’s internal struggle. She’s tasked with exposing a man she believes to be a villain, but when she meets him, he doesn’t match the image she had in mind at all. The tension between duty and doubt is palpable, and I found myself questioning along with her whether she could trust her instincts or the mission she’d been given.

On the other side, there’s Liam, who’s undercover for Queen Victoria with his own agenda—seeking justice for his family’s past. Despite knowing that he and Penny are on opposite sides, I could feel the undeniable chemistry between them. It was a bit of a slow burn, but when their connection deepens, it’s electric. There’s a lot of secrecy between them, and while I enjoyed the slow unraveling of their relationship, I did feel that their romance developed a little too quickly, especially considering the high stakes and all the emotional baggage they both carried.

What I really appreciated about this book was how the tension between their growing feelings and their conflicting missions added layers to the plot. The masked ball scene was the perfect turning point, where their attraction intensified into something real. But I did wish the emotional payoff had been given more time to breathe. Some moments felt rushed, especially when the stakes were so high. Despite this, I was still hooked by the suspense and the way the author balanced romance with intrigue.

Overall, *The Confessions of a Lady* offers a compelling mix of mystery, romance, and the kind of slow-burn chemistry I love. While it’s not without its pacing issues and a few predictable twists, it’s still a fun, engaging read. Fans of historical romance with a touch of espionage will find a lot to enjoy, even if I wish the emotional depth had been explored a bit more fully.

Book 3 was just as exciting and thrilling as book 1 and 2. Liam and Penny are cute and have a great vibe together. As always they are working on the opposite sides to solve the same mystery.

Great add to the series.

Third in the series. It's probably best to read the other two first, because you'll get more of the nuances of the group, but you could read as a stand-alone.

Housemaid Penny Smith is trying to help uncover the people in a human trafficking group called the Devil's Sons - partly because her friends have been involved in trying to uncover them, and partly because the reward money will help her free her mum from prison. Meanwhile, William Renquist, the Marquess of Stoneway, is working for Queen Victoria to infiltrate the group and take it down.

Penny thinks that he's part of the group and is trying to find evidence - but the way he behaves towards his staff is the complete opposite of what she expects. So is he really as bad as she thinks? Or is something else going on?

From Liam's point of view, he shouldn't be hugely attracted to one of his staff. But he can't resist Penny. If he lets himself fall in love with her and become a softer person, will it stop him bringing his late brother's friends to justice?

Lovely strong female character, and nice seeing how love changes Liam throughout the story. Lots of drama, intrigue and danger.

**3.5 Stars Rounded to 4**

First, I want to thank both the author and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read the ARC of this book. I will be giving my honest thoughts and opinions only :)
This book was an enjoyable quick read for me. I thought that the love story and plot were interesting and kept me engaged until the end. I didn’t realize that this was part of a series, but it could totally be a stand alone. I’m slowly realizing that I don’t love regency/period romance books, however, I liked it enough to possibly read the first 2 books. I will definitely keep my eye out for more releases by this author in the future.

**2.5 stars rounded up to 3

A solid addition to the series! While it didn’t break new ground, these Regency reads remain entertaining. The maid/marquess dynamic was a nice twist, though I wish their story had been fleshed out more to explore the challenges they’d face announcing their marriage. The timeline threw me off a bit—it sometimes felt like weeks had passed since Reynard’s death, but then it would say a year had gone by since Killian, Liam, and Drake had spoken. The spice was decent, and it was fun to revisit characters from previous books. I’ll definitely continue with the series and am curious to see what McGuire has in store for the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This is the third book in the series and I have loved every book so far!

This book follows Penny Smith, who is a maid we met in the previous book and Lord William Renquist, Marquess of Stoneway .

Penny is trying to help uncover the ongoing mystery of the Devils Son and has been told by a trusted Constable that the Commissioner will pay good money for any information to help unplot this heinous group. Penny is informed that the Commissioner believe Lord Renquist to be about of the Devils Son. Penny is desperate for this reward money to finally free her mum from prison - where she has been held for the Vagrancy Act which the Marquess signed.

Lord Renquist - Liam is actually reeling from the death of his brother and half brother after learning his brother was apart of the Devils Sons - he is working for the Queen undercover to infiltrate this group and take it down from the inside.

However soon Penny catches the eye of Liam , her beauty but her brazen honesty and verbal sparring awaken something in him he thought long dead. But a maid and Marquess could never been together in the world of the Beau Monde- or could they?

I really enjoyed this book - the whole series has been brilliant. I love a strong female character in a time when women had very little rights and the open-minded men who adore them. I loved Pennys fire and seeing Liam soften for her.

I hope the next book we get to see Ivy more!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this story, this is my objective review. Penny is a maid trying to free her mother from prison: she's planning to collect the reward money for providing information on a nefarious trafficking group called the Devil's Sons. Lord William Renquist (Liam), an ex-soldier whose younger brother was involved with the Devil's Sons, is suspected of involvement with the group as well. Penny (who we meet in the previous book) is placed as a maid in Liam's household to gather information and hopefully earn enough to pay for her mother's freedom.

Penny was a formidable character, and Liam was endearing as he desperately tried to avoid becoming bitter and punitive like his father and corrupt like his brother. There is instant attraction that of course they both fight, which lent a nice amount of additional tension to the story. The characters are engaging, and the plot draws you in. It's not a humorous story but there's an underlying dry wit that's pleasing. This is the third in an enjoyable series, I would recommend that you read the previous two books before this one as it doesn't work as a standalone. I love the series and this was an engaging book and a solid story, but it didn't grab me as much as the second book. That said, there's plenty of drama and intrigue and danger mixed into this sweet-but-fierce upstairs-downstairs open-door romance. Publishes February 9, 2025.

The spy plot and historical research in this story were really interesting. I found it difficult to put the book down during some exciting moments in the plot to take down the Devil’s Sons. I also appreciated the way both main characters felt a sense of purpose and responsibility to help others, and how Penny isn’t always a damsel in distress. In some ways, she is authentic to the time period (e.g., her illiteracy and her initial expressions of “knowing her place” as a servant), but she also knows her power and desires equality. She is a fascinating character.

However, the sexual aspects of the story were so over-the-top it made me cringe. McGuire did well to show Penny’s struggle and guilt over her attraction, and to make it clear that Liam wasn’t just taking advantage of his position as her employer to seduce her. That said, it was unbelievable to me that Penny held Liam responsible for her mother’s imprisonment AND believed he was part of a sex trafficking ring yet was still desperate to have sex with him. (Not to mention she risked losing everything from her reputation, to her job, to her chance at freeing her mother.) Of course I believe women’s sexual desires are just as important and can be just as strong as men’s; they just felt shoe-horned into the story too early on for the sake of spice. It felt out-of-character for Penny and opposed to her motives in the story. In my opinion, the story would have been stronger and Penny’s character more consistent if she had resisted Liam’s advances until she knew the truth about him.

In some places in the book, the writing was quite good. Again, I really enjoyed the spy plot and the way Penny and Liam were both fighting against injustice. The book is filled with a cast of interesting characters, and I appreciated Liam’s redemption arc. I expect others would enjoy the story even more than I did if they like historical romantic suspense with a “forbidden” spicy twist. Maybe those aspects of the story just weren’t my cup of tea, so I’ll round my 3.5 stars up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the free eARC! I post this review with my honest opinions.