Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure

It was fine? It's possible I'm just not a big fan of novellas (novellae?) if the characters don't already have a prior connection to draw on (like in [b:Once Ghosted, Twice Shy 42128976 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (Reluctant Royals, #2.5) Alyssa Cole https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541510712l/42128976.SY75.jpg 65725346], which I did like). Mrs. Martin was a very fun character and all the various schemes she employed to get rid of the Terrible Nephew were hilarious. I just didn't quite buy the insta-love, though I'm still glad I read this. Hooray for older characters and queer historicals!(2019 summer romance bingo: “both leads over 50”; could also count for “title includes character's name” or a very loose interpretation of “sassy grandparent.”)

3.5 stars

I was drawn to this as something more lighthearted by the fun premise, and it was great to see two queer protagonists who are definitely old (the two leading ladies are 69 and 73). It is set in the 1860s but it just kind of acknowledges that homophobia played a part in the title character’s life but won’t be featured in this story (valid). There are a few heavier themes than I was initially expecting but they largely came with the age of the protagonists. Were all the hijinks entirely realistic? No. But I came here for petty revenge against the Terrible Nephew and it was a fun little novella.