India Holton does it again in The League of Gentlewomen Witches, the follow-up to The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. Not only are we given some new characters to laugh over, a female main character similar to the beloved Cecelia in both wit and predicament, but we also are welcoming the faces from the Wisteria Society along for what is a bumpy, hysterical ride.

I’ve said it before but let me say it again – I love India’s writing style. I absolutely adore it. There’s so much life in the dialogue and narrative style that I cannot stop smiling as I read her books (and I am not a known smiler when it comes to my reading, let me tell you that) and the interactions and setting of characters in a scene make for some incredibly hilarious encounters. The witches and the pirates are so comical, both on their own and together, that almost every interaction had me laughing.

I appreciate the chance to get some Alex O’Riley pirate deviance and to have a relationship that goes straight to stage three. Cecelia and Ned had a whole age of sexual tension built up with their interactions and dialogue so to have Charlotte and Alex go at it from almost the beginning of their acquaintance is a refreshing change, especially given this is a satirical historical romance where that kind of behaviour would be condemned at the time. I also appreciate the background with Alex in terms of being anti-witch yet falling in love with Charlotte. It makes for an interesting tension point.

This whole world that’s been created with the casual piracy and secret witchyness amid Victorian era high society and procedure makes for a joyous read. You never know what will happen because the possibilities are endless and the characters are willing to do almost anything except break social protocol and society rules (most of the time). The fact that the men in this world are also often following their wives and doing as they’re told and letting mayhem ensue often leaves me chuckling into the pages. It’s such a quirky and rich idea and I cannot wait to read more.

I will say that, for my tastes, the first book felt a little more engaging to read with the right pacing and tension build up in place. The League of Gentlewomen Witches had the tension snap early on and never really built up into something greater due to the constant dalliance between Alex and Charlotte. Sexual tension is often a big component to tension building, especially within a romance story, and I felt that there wasn’t any other tension building to compensate for the regular and frequent rendezvouses of our main couple. Nevertheless, it was by far one of the most entertaining reads of 2023 for me and I throughly recommend this series to all.