A Perfect Equation

January 3, 2022
Everett’s enchanting sequel to A Lady’s Formula for Love finds mathematician Leticia “Letty” Fenley reluctantly agreeing to oversee Athena’s Retreat, a secret haven for Victorian England’s female scientists, but her good intentions are soured by the unwanted help of a troublesome viscount. Letty was ostracized by Lord William Hughes, Viscount Greycliff, as well as the rest of high society when she was caught in a compromising position with his cousin. But now that they’re working closely to safeguard Athena’s Retreat, Greycliff realizes he’s misjudged Letty, coming to see the softness beneath her resilient exterior and falling for her sharp wit and unyielding determination. Letty, in turn, breaks down Greycliff’s walls, discovering gentility, empathy toward others, and curiosity about the work being done by the women of Athena’s Retreat. The pair’s tentative truce leads to some tender and steamy moments—the latter of which, while tantalizing, can feel a bit too abrupt—but their conflicting goals plus Greycliff’s godfather’s objections to their match may mean an end to their happily ever after. The supporting cast of brilliant but bumbling scientists adds some levity, and the characters’ intense chemistry keeps the pages flying. This is a winner. Agent: Ann Leslie Tuttle, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

September 1, 2022

As interim head of Athena's Retreat, a secret society for female scholars, mathematician Letitia Henley has no time for love. Nor does she have any patience for the man appointed to assist her, the haughty Viscount Greycliff. Greycliff is equally averse to aiding Letitia, who was formerly the subject of a ruinous scandal, and whose short stature belies her unending obstinacy. When they are forced to work together and protect the Retreat and its eccentric, but endearing, members, they realize that their perceptions of each other were flawed, and that, where love is concerned, the whole is sometimes more than the sum of its parts. Everett's second installment in the "Secret Scientists of London" series is just as intelligent and entertaining as the first. Though the physical relationship builds somewhat slowly, it is all the more gratifying when it reaches the steamy summit. Narrator Elizabeth Jasicki has a mature voice that is well suited to the cast of learned ladies and gives a unique expression to each character. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking an engaging enemies-to-lovers tale that is as erudite as it is erotic. Recommended for fans of Minerva Spencer and Joanna Lowell.--Lauren Hackert

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