The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows

Starred review from June 1, 2020
When in doubt, consult an expert. So, naturally, when respectable widow Agatha Griffin discovers that a swarm of bees has taken up residence in a corner of her print-shop warehouse in Melliton, England, it is only logical that she would seek help from Penelope Flood, who knows everything there is to know about bees. With the sure hand of an experienced apiarist, Penelope soon has Agatha's bee dilemma firmly under control. However, after spending time with delightfully eccentric Penelope, Agatha discovers she has a new dilemma: the feelings she is experiencing for her new friend are far from platonic. Waite set the literary bar high for herself with the exceptional start to her Feminine Pursuits series, The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (2019), but she easily matches it with this brilliantly conceived, breathtakingly romantic Regency historical. Waite's poetically polished prose is infused with just the right measure of sly wit and perfectly complemented by a marvelously inventive plot involving not only the art and science of beekeeping but also a village queen bee's attempt to use censorship to wield control over her fellow citizens, and the political turmoil surrounding George IV and his wife, Caroline.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

July 15, 2020
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.

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July 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

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