A Lady's Formula for Love DNF Review

 A Lady’s Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett

2021

Historical romance

Believe it or not, it’s taken me this long to hit a DNF read this year! I made it 57% into A Lady’s Formula for Love before I decided I couldn’t take it anymore.

A Lady’s Formula for Love is about a group of women in Victorian Britain who work in secret as scientists, specifically the widowed Lady Violet Hughes. After her underground lab is targeted by mysterious attacks, Violet is given a bodyguard by the name of Arthur. As the attacks continue, pushing Violet further into her work, feelings between the two grow.

What I expected from positive reviews of the book was a fast paced, quick-witted historical romance, but instead each chapter felt like it was dragging me along. There was little character or plot development in A Lady’s Formula for Love, and I felt no attachment to any of the characters.

One thing that really bugged me about the book is its marketing as a feminist novel. Though there are lines in the text that are directly inspired from primary documents of the period, Violet often expresses hatred for other women, especially those who aren’t as educated as her. Her character is 30, and still has a “I’m not like other girls” mentality.

Lastly, some of the scenes were not properly set. This is one of the few novels I’ve read where I was confused about how the characters were interacting with their environment, and I had trouble visualizing the setting.

Rating DNF: Overall, this is not a historical romance I would recommend.