The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows: Feminine Pursuits

by Olivia Waite

Overview

When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it’s the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amidst rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be the victim of a thousand bees. But when a beautiful beekeeper arrives to take care of the pests, Agatha may be in danger of being stung by something far more dangerous…

Penelope Flood exists between two worlds in her small seaside town, the society of rich landowners and the tradesfolk.  Soon, tensions boil over when the formerly exiled Queen arrives on England’s shores—and when Penelope’s long-absent husband returns to Melliton, she once again finds herself torn, between her burgeoning love for Agatha and her loyalty to the man who once gave her refuge.

As Penelope finally discovers her true place, Agatha must learn to accept the changing world in front of her. But will these longing hearts settle for a safe but stale existence or will they learn to fight for the future they most desire?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062931825
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/28/2020
Series:	Feminine Pursuits Series , #2
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	201,746
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Olivia Waite writes historical romance, fantasy, and science fiction. She is currently the romance fiction columnist for the New York Times Book Review. To learn more and sign up for her newsletter, please visit www.oliviawaite.com.

Editorial Reviews

“Waite delivers a luscious gem with The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics…a bittersweet read that will make your heart ache, bursting with genuinely funny, remarkable surprises.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Utterly charming and subtly subversive.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This superbly written debut by Waite, the first in her new Feminine Pursuits series, is simply stellar in every way…everything in this resplendent romance is done to perfection.”
— Booklist (starred review)

“Waite delivers a sweet lesbian romance with a hint of spice, fitting into the decorum of the era.” — Library Journal

From the Publisher

This superbly written debut by Waite, the first in her new Feminine Pursuits series, is simply stellar in every way…everything in this resplendent romance is done to perfection.”

Booklist (starred review)

Waite delivers a luscious gem with The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics…a bittersweet read that will make your heart ache, bursting with genuinely funny, remarkable surprises.

Entertainment Weekly

07/24/2020

Widowed Agatha Griffin has her hands full running the printing business she and her late husband established, training her apprentice Eliza, and worrying that her son Sydney's political ideals will get him arrested. She certainly doesn't have time to cope with the swarm of bees that have made a home in her Melliton warehouse. Luckily, her mother-in-law has just the professional to recommend: local apiarist Penelope Flood. Penelope is used to the solitary life of a married woman whose husband is away at sea for years at a time, content to live in her childhood home and tend the village hives—yet after rehousing Agatha's bees, Penelope strikes up a correspondence with the London printer. As England buzzes with the scandal of King George IV's attempt to divorce popular Queen Charlotte, the two women's mutual desire blossoms and they dare to dream of a shared future against the backdrop of parental and business responsibilities, as well as Penelope's unorthodox matrimonial commitments. VERDICT Once again, Waite (The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics) offers up a tale of women falling in love within a richly realized world of relationships and responsibilities, including ties to a constellation of queer people living and loving in the fissures of social convention.—Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Massachusetts Historical Soc., Boston

Library Journal

★ 2020-07-01
Another sweet—and steamy—historical romance from the author of The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (2019).

When artist Agatha Griffin discovers that a swarm of bees has made itself at home in her workshop, she follows her mother-in-law’s advice and seeks the help of Penelope Flood. The beekeeper convinces the printmaker to let her move the colony to a skep behind the shop, and a correspondence that begins with a brief discussion of the colony’s honey production soon turns more intimate. Penelope is warm and outgoing. Agatha is more inclined to be reserved, but Penelope’s kindness helps her realize that she is—three years after her husband’s death—terribly lonely. Given the genre, it is inevitable that these two will fall in love, but Waite doesn’t rush her protagonists. At first, Agatha knows only that Penelope is married to a sailor who is seldom ashore. Penelope only knows that Agatha loved her husband. It takes time and trust for them to reveal their true feelings and desires to each other. It’s a real pleasure watching this friendship between two women in middle age blossom and evolve into a passionate attachment. Waite wove politics into the first installment of her Feminine Pursuits series, and she is even more explicit here. Agatha and Penelope meet just as the House of Lords is about to put Queen Caroline on trial for adultery, an event that exposed several fault lines in British society and marked a turning point for the press. Agatha faces some difficult choices as she decides how radical she wants to be in choosing what to print, and Penelope is compelled to examine loyalties and relationships that cut across classes. This is a richly layered novel, with much to recommend it to readers who don’t typically read historical romance.

Entertaining, intelligent, and emotionally rewarding.

Kirkus Reviews