A Lady's Formula for Love (The Secret Scientists of London #1) by Elizabeth Everett

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What is a Victorian lady's formula for love? Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer. Add in a measure of danger and attraction. Heat over the warmth of humor and friendship, and the result is more than simple chemistry—it's elemental.

Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets. First, she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England's most brilliant female scientists. Second, she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown. But the biggest secret of all? Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland.

Solitary and reserved, Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first. But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members, the more his best intentions go up in flames. Literally.

When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet's laboratories, endangering her life and her work, scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart.

Source: ARC generously provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Women in STEM is not a recent development. A Lady's Formula for Love, with its rousing and romantic story, is a marvelous ode to the women scientists who came before to pave the way for future generations.

Lady Violet, who has an enthusiastic passion for science, is a misfit in Victorian London society. She's in her element (pun intended) working in a lab or working out formulas than she is in any social situation that requires her squash her innate curiosity whilst making insufferable small talk. Realizing she wasn't the only lady to feel this way, she created Athena's Retreat, a community and safe haven for women to pursue their intellectual interests away from the prying eyes of judgmental husbands, parents and socialites alike. Because she's been working on a secret formula for the Crown, her stepson hires his friend Arthur, a former spy to be her bodyguard. Yes, folks, this is The Bodyguard Victorian-style and it is fantastic! 

From the onset, Lady Violet and Arthur feel an inexplicably strong attraction which is highly irregular for him because he's in the habit of disassociating himself emotionally from his charges. Lady Violet has become the rare exception. He falls for her extraordinary mind and beauty, and is amused when she's flustered leading her to make unintended inappropriate puns. (Those were so funny!) She also has the biggest heart and most trusting nature, the latter of which tends to make his task of keeping her safe that much harder. Lady Violet has never felt so comfortable with a man, not even with her deceased husband who used to frown upon her intellectual pursuits. Arthur sees her brilliance, and Lady Violet sees beyond his stoic manner to someone who carries a lot of pain and anguish. I guess you can describe their situation as a sort of instalust. There's some mutual recognition there that knows what they need from each other. They're both so well-suited, physically and emotionally.

The charm of reading about Athena's Retreat is down to the eccentric characters who frequent it. They're all committed to the pursuit of learning and carving a space for women to contribute to the world. Each interaction is almost an adventure in itself because of how their minds tend to roam, and I love how their individual personalities shine through. A heavy air of sinisterness hangs over it, though as Arthur attempts to uncover the identity of who's desperate to sabotage Lady Violet's work which is embroiled in controversy and a growing social movement looking to upend the ruling class. The possibility that the saboteur has potentially breached Athena's Retreat and that the next incident could be deadly makes finding the perpetrator a priority. I enjoyed the suspense of it, and of course, Lady Violet and Arthur's impassioned interludes. 

In her author's notes, Everett mentions the names of the pioneering women of science who inspired this story. In giving recognition to these remarkable and brave women, we are reclaiming our part in history, and I am so thankful to Everett for being a resource to learn about their contributions. A Lady's Formula for Love is inspiring because it encourages the beauty of having different interests and not fitting in to the social norms. It's a must-read for anyone who loves reading about women empowering themselves and finding romance in the Victorian age, and also The Bodyguard 😉

~ Bel