The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

Feb 5, 2025 3:43 AM

Author:India Holton

THE RIOTOUSLY FUNNY AND JOYOUSLY ROMANTIC NEW NOVEL IN THE DANGEROUS DAMSELS SERIES THAT TIKTOK CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF!

Two rival spies. One fake marriage. What could possibly go wrong . . .

__________

When rumours of an assassination plot against the Queen begin to circulate, Alice is immediately assigned to the case.

However, she won't be working alone.

Enter Daniel Bixby. Unflappable master spy and Alice's greatest rival.

Together they must assume the identity of husband and wife in order to gain access to the traitor party.

Alice is determined to remain professional. This is work after all.

But when an attraction starts to grow there may be more at stake than just the throne . . .

__________

'A funny, captivating and magical story! I loved the chemistry between the characters' @boekhopper

Readers are OBSESSED with the Dangerous Damsels . . .

'Incredible! Sensational! Fantastic! So charming your inner Lizzie Bennet will swoon' 5***** Reader Review

'OBSESSED. If you love playful dialogue and language, fun characters, and interesting worlds, I recommend' 5**** Reader Review!

'Witty and entertaining. A literary delight! Think Jane Austen meets Jack Sparrow' 5***** Reader Review

'Wondrous, whimsical, wiccan follow-up to its flying house pirate predecessor, building upon this magical, Victorian-soaked world deftly and capably' 5***** Reader Review

'SPECTACULAR. Just the sort of absolute madness which one needs in a book!' 5***** Reader Review

'Victorian lady assassins fighting the patriarchy, flying houses, AND . . . an ONLY ONE BED trope?! Fun fun fun' 5***** Reader Review

'Witty, entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny and adventurous . . . Everything I need in a historical romance' 5***** Reader Review

'The best romantic humorous adventure fantasy of manners you will ever read!' 5***** Reader Review

PRAISE FOR THE DANGEROUS DAMSELS

'As much fun as the English language will permit' New York Times Book Review

'Melds the Victorian wit of Sherlock Holmes with the brash adventuring of Indiana Jones . . . A sprightly feminist tale that offers everything from an atmospheric Gothic abbey to secret societies' Entertainment Weekly

'A joyride of a debut . . . As if The Parasol Protectorate series met The Princess Bride and a corseted Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' Kirkus Reviews

'With secret identities, secret doors, and secret histories to spare, this high-octane layer-cake of escapism hits the spot' Publishers Weekly

Reviews

As much fun as the English language will permit.

—— New York Times Book Review

There's no literary experience quite like reading an India Holton book. The League of Gentlewoman Witches is a wild, rollicking, delicious carnival ride of a story, filled with rakish pirates, chaotic witches, flying houses (and bicycles, and pumpkins), delightful banter, and some serious steam. You've never read Victorian romance like this before... and it'll ruin you for everything else.

—— Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback's a Witch

"Clever word play, delightful double entendres, and adventurous high jinks will delight fans of smart, witchy romances, including the first in Holton's Dangerous Damsels series, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels"

—— Booklist

The whimsical worldbuilding forms a perfect backdrop to the angsty couple, and Holton's winking narration, which puts her in cahoots with the reader, makes her exaggerated characters work. Overflowing with heart, humor, and hyperbole, this clever romance enchants.

—— Publishers Weekly

Melds the Victorian wit of Sherlock Holmes with the brash adventuring of Indiana Jones . . . A sprightly feminist tale that offers everything from an atmospheric Gothic abbey to secret societies

—— Entertainment Weekly

A joyride of a debut . . . As if The Parasol Protectorate series met The Princess Bride and a corseted Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

—— Kirkus Reviews

With secret identities, secret doors, and secret histories to spare, this high-octane layer-cake of escapism hits the spot.

—— Publishers Weekly

If books are truly a portable magic, then The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a satchel full of powerful spells and glittering fairy dust

—— Lynn Painter, author of Mr Wrong Number

The most delightfully bonkers historical fantasy romance of 2021! I enjoyed every absorbing moment

—— Jen DeLuca, author of Well Played

The most charming, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny book I've read all year . . . India Holton's utterly delightful debut is pure joy from start to finish.

—— Martha Waters, author of To Have and to Hoax

India's debut is charming, clever, action-packed, with masterful bantering-while-dueling choreography: it reminds me of The Princess Bride, except swoonier and more fantastical. It's an instant beloved favorite.

—— Sarah Hogle, author of You Deserve Each Other

The perfect diversion for a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea. What fun!

—— Manda Collins, author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem

Magnificent in every sense. India Holton's writing is gorgeous and lyrical, her dialogue clever and witty, and her characters loveable and unforgettable

—— Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, author of Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything

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