QUEEN OF LOMBARD STREET is a
historical novel that is more fiction than history, with a
heavy dose of mystery and romance, and not the kind of
historical romance novel a fan would expect from LisaΒ Kleypas, which is probably fun for an
author to write, but may leave the reader scratching their
head a bit. Β Β Reina Martin is one of those
brilliant people with lots of elevated knowledge but not a
lick of common sense.Β An economist in Victorian
London, she intends to build Britain's first bank for women.
But her mentor, head of the bank, is suspected of massive
financial crimes, and thus her newly hired butler turns out
to be an undercover detective.Β Oh, so conveniently,
the dishy detective does have personal experience working as
a household servant.
This is one of those times when I wish the author's notes
had been at the beginning.Β This felt like a wallpaper
historical to me, and I found myself rolling my eyes
constantly as I read, thinking, βThis is so not a
historical event!β or, βThis would never
happen.βΒ The author, in her endnotes, provides a
number of real-life Kick-Ass Women of Historyβ’ that
the heroine is based on, and had I had those examples in
front of me before reading, I would have been a little more
forgiving of the story.Β So I want to put that out
there so readers of this review know what theyβre
getting themselves into.Β
Or, if youβre a reader with a well-oiled, willing
suspension of disbelief, you may be able to waltz blithely
through this book without getting tripped up by the very
modern feel of the heroine and many of her sentiments.Β
I mean, thereβs no way that the prime minister of the
time would have been courting Reina Martinβs support
based on how influential she was.Β But it is lovely to
dream about misogyny being thwarted, isnβt it?!
Twee chapter titles lean into the tongue-in-cheek
wallpaper historical feel of the book.Β Gems such as
"Desperately Seeking Servants" (h/t to Madonna, but that
movie is not a romance) or "The Fault in Our Stars" (the
John Green book is at least a romantic drama) left me
feeling a bit put off.
There is a strong theme of found family here, which I
typically enjoy, although, again, a heavy willingness to
suspend disbelief may be necessary to roll with the concept
of hiring all of oneβs house staff from a prison-
release program and having them turn fairly quickly into a
well-oiled and supportive group.Β
Your mileage may vary here. I personally could not get
over the many issues that pulled me out of the story. Those
who enjoy frothy historicals may enjoy this romp through
Victorian London with mystery, romance, and lots of zany
characters who entertain in Kleypasβ
latest, QUEEN OF LOMBARD STREET.
From New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas—a sweeping, richly layered Victorian novel about a trailblazing female economist who’s determined to build Britain’s first women’s bank, but she must fight both financial corruption and a system intent on destroying the newly found family she’s created.
In Victorian England, no woman—not even a brilliant economist like Reina Martin—is allowed to open her own bank account. Men will take care of everything, women are told. But Reina knows better. As the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish immigrant mother, she’s haunted by the memory of living with unpaid grocer’s bills and no coal for the hearth.
So together with her mentor, the powerful banker William Farlow, Reina will build the first all-women’s bank, where women can manage their own financial security.
At home, Reina’s domestic staff of recently paroled prisoners are building new lives and becoming a found family. But soon Reina is shocked to discover that her enigmatic butler, John Pembroke, is an undercover police detective. He’s been assigned to investigate Farlow, who’s suspected of financial crime on a scale so massive, it could destabilize the British economy. Pembroke needs Reina’s expertise for a high-stakes nighttime heist to obtain incriminating evidence.
Now Reina faces the agonizing choice of betraying her mentor or turning her back on thousands of working-class families who stand to lose everything. Either way, her dream of the women’s bank may be over.
But courage and sacrifice aren’t limited to the battlefield—they also occur at the kitchen table, where women who believe in compassion and community are working to remake the future. And when the stakes are highest, Reina knows to trust her heart as well as her intellect.
Based on real-life trailblazers such as Mary Paley Marshall, Britain’s first female economist, and financial titan Hetty Green, Queen of Lombard Street brings to light the hidden history of extraordinary women whose achievements should be celebrated. How can we know who we are, if we don’t know who we were?
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