For Bridgerton fans trying to hold themselves over, No Life for a Lady may make the wait a tiny bit easier. While regency-era romances and adventures are all the rage, this story deserves its place among the fandom. Readers are collectively living in the perfect moment for a story like this. The stakes are high enough to be thrilling but low enough to be incredibly relaxing and delightful.
Violet, as a character, is incredibly sympathetic because she is so well-constructed. Hannah Dolby brilliantly toes the line between making her protagonist a girl-boss and grounding her in the real-life era in which she exists. She’s equally charming and driven and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. For all of her imperfections, she is perfectly lovable and relatable as she focuses on finding her missing mother.
By contrast, the men are fairly bland. This isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, by making the men so forgettable, the story can remain firmly on Violet. It’s quite funny how the story humbles these men and makes Violet look that much better. Watching these men be terrible in their own way just validates Violet’s position that it’s best for her to remain single in perpetuity.
The romance itself isn’t even really at the heart of this story. Instead, No Life for a Lady is a touching tribute to the power of love between mothers and daughters. By de-centring the romance as well, Violet has more freedom to grow and develop as a character. By keeping everything pretty vague, there’s more time to get to know Violet as a character and appreciate her for who she is without a man.
Relatedly, so much of this story reads as an authentic portrayal of people from this time period. The rampant sexism and outright dismissiveness of every character with a male time feel like realistic obstacles for the story’s heroine. The stonewalling that Violet faces feels timeless for any woman who has tried to enlist help from men. It’s enraging and heartbreaking to watch men intentionally place roadblocks in front of Violet.
No Life for a Lady is actually quite an effective detective story. The fact that it’s grounded in a daughter’s love for her mother gives everything a much more grounded feel. Violet takes what feels like realistic steps to uncover the truth about her mother’s fate. The mystery itself feels captivating enough to hold readers’ attention all the way through. However, there’s no visceral threat of danger that proves to be a distraction. This is why it’s easy to stick with the twists and turns from beginning to end.
No Life for a Lady knows exactly what it is and never forgets. It is a charming tale with a relatable protagonist that is nearly perfectly paced. For fans of stories set in this time period, this book is absolutely worthy of consideration. The time period, a lovable protagonist, and the mystery itself all combine to make an enjoyable read that will hopefully just make you smile in the end.
No Life for a Lady is available now.