Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito REVIEW

Summary:

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess - she'll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But long, listless days spent within the estate's dreary confines come with an intimate knowledge of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family - Mr. Pounds can't keep his eyes of Winifred's chest, and Mrs. Pounds takes a sickly pleasure in punishing Winifred for her husband's wandering gaze. Compounded with her disdain for the entitled Pounds children, Winifred finds herself struggling at every turn to stifle the violent compulsions of her past. French tutoring and needlework are one way to pass the time, as is admiring the ugly portraits in the gallery . . . and creeping across the moonlit lawns . . . 

Patience. Winifred must have patience, for Christmas is coming, and she has very special gifts planned for the dear souls of Ensor house.

My Thoughts:

This was so much fun. There is a lot of time-jumping in the chapters. Winifred is such a fun yet unreliable narrator, even taunting us later on in the book. This has made me wonder how much of the story was either false or told slightly different than the truth. She was raised by her mother and stepfather, as her father was out of the picture. The stepfather is a Reverend, who drilled into Winifred that she has evil inside of her. While I'm not sure how different she would have turned out if he didn't, it does make me think. She makes a lot of dark jokes that I enjoyed, and we are told that her town had a problem with babies being murdered. As the book goes on, it seems likely that Winifred was behind it, as well as the disappearances of some of her previous charges. She becomes more and more unhinged as the book goes on, which is something I love in stories.

I do wish that Winifred was slightly more fleshed out, and it would have been nice to see others perspectives of the events, especially towards the end of the novel.

My Rating: 4 stars

A Game of Hearts and Heists by Ruby Roe REVIEW

Summary:

Scarlett Grey, disgraced assassin, is determined to get revenge. Quinn Adams, medic turned poisoner for hire, is her deadliest rival. For years, they've stolen each other's clients, sabotaged each other's business, and occasionally . . . slept together.

When the Magician Queen offers an irresistible deal, Scarlett and Quinn are forced to work together. But this is not a simple job. With an impossible heist ahead, they're going to have to trust each other . . . and that's not easy when they both have secrets to hide. Harder still when those secrets will betray the ones they love. Now neither woman is sure if it's a heist they want to win or a heart.

My Thoughts:

This book was so fun to read. The chemistry between Scarlett and Quinn is so much that it practically leaps off the page. They have been enemies since before the book starts, and have slept together before the book as well. Scarlett's parents were executed almost a decade ago, and she and her sister were left with nothing. Their status and inheritance was stripped from them, so they are struggling to make ends meet by taking jobs. Ever since Quinn sold a client poison, many of the clients who would have wanted Scarlett now want Quinn, making Scarlett have a deep sense of hatred toward Quinn. Quinn never wanted to make poisons, but after fulfilling a client's request, her list of customers are growing rapidly. Scarlett is reluctant to take on the mission, but after her sister makes a convincing argument, she agrees. But Quinn's secretly the daughter of the man responsible for their parent's deaths, and Scarlett has a secret of her own that would tear them apart.

The book was well-written and easy to read, and I highly enjoyed the experience. However, this is more focused on the romance than the plot or worldbuilding.

My Rating: 4 stars