The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows: Feminine Pursuits

When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it’s the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amidst rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be the victim of a thousand bees. But when a beautiful beekeeper arrives to take care of the pests, Agatha may be in danger of being stung by something far more dangerous…

Penelope Flood exists between two worlds in her small seaside town, the society of rich landowners and the tradesfolk.  Soon, tensions boil over when the formerly exiled Queen arrives on England’s shores—and when Penelope’s long-absent husband returns to Melliton, she once again finds herself torn, between her burgeoning love for Agatha and her loyalty to the man who once gave her refuge.

As Penelope finally discovers her true place, Agatha must learn to accept the changing world in front of her. But will these longing hearts settle for a safe but stale existence or will they learn to fight for the future they most desire?

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355 pages

Average rating: 7.4

5 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

blewballoon
Nov 21, 2024
10/10 stars
This was just as good as The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics, the first entry in this series. I know the cover is absolutely awful, but the book is really so good. The writing is clear and transporting. I loved having the protagonists both be a bit older. The friends to lovers romance is perfectly drawn out and satisfying, but there are also a lot of other topics discussed in the story that are handled with nuance and maturity such as the importance of easy access to divorce, the risks and rewards of standing up to authority and abuses of power, balancing personal principles with being practical and cautious, recognizing and responding to microaggressions and homophobia, and more. I also learned a lot about bees. I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was excellent.

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