Never Blow a Kiss

Never Blow a Kiss is the first book in the Secret Society of Governess Spies series.

Emily Leverton has endured a lot in her 24 years and just when she thinks she’ll need to find a new position, Emily finds herself recruited by The Dove to spy on ton families while working as a governess. Zach is a self-made man and military veteran who would rather work as the Detective Constable for the Metropolitan Police than live as a man of leisure. He’s the head of the task force to bring down The Evangelist, the nickname for the person behind a recent series of murders. Emily and Zach have a memorable first meeting when they come across one another one evening when Emily brings a forgotten reticule to her employer’s oldest daughter at a ball. While they’re not working together, they continue to run into one another because of either their investigations or her work as a governess. As attraction builds and Zach falls first and falls hard will it be enough to overcome not only Emily’s past but her Big Secret too? Plus, bringing the culprit to justice.

It was about a fifth of the way in when it’s mentioned that the FMC has a shameful secret beyond just her secret past and I was anxious about what the secret would be. At this point I was well invested in the characters and worried that once the secret was revealed that it would end up not being that big of deal. It’s happened too many times in HR I’ve read and made me wary. I’m so glad that it was not the case for this story and could understand why Emily kept it secret for so long. The author also did a great job of keeping the identity of the villain secret until the end. I loved Zach’s and Emily’s story and with the author justifiably creating a legit Big Secret and enough twists to keep the reader guessing on the villain is why this was a five star read. I liked Zach in that he was from a similar background as Emily and allowed her the space and freedom to take care of things she was capable of. Emily has a lifetime of not being able to trust people and her journey to trusting Zach is a bit slower. The epilogue sets up book two nicely and am excited to read it when it comes out.

There are three and a half encounters that are on the upper side of mid-steam.

This book contains reference to spousal abuse and murder.

Advanced ecopy of the book provided by Net Galley and Forever publishing for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Historical romance has never been my preferred genre, but I was intrigued by the mystery element of Never Blow a Kiss, and I was not disappointed! I must admit that I fell for a couple of red herrings along the way and was certain I knew who the Evangelist was when I was half way through the book, but I was wrong. Lovise's debut novel is filled with beautiful language, intriguing characters, and enough mystery to keep me turning the pages until I reached the very satisfying conclusion. I look forward to the next book in The Secret Society of Governess Spies series!

Never Blow a Kiss has a strong plot which keeps the reader engaged from cover to cover. This book has it all, a sizzling romance, a clever mystery, and an incredibly captivating secret that does not disappoint! This book is well balanced alternating between romance and mystery themes while maintaining historical accuracy. The secret governess society is shrouded in mystery and intrigue and the reader is left wanting to know more about “The Dove”. This immersive society perfectly lays the foundation for the series and I am looking forward to the next book!

Never Blow a Kiss was a fun, original romance that grabbed my attention from the start and held it to the end. Emily and Zach both exist within the ton and outside of it: Emily because of her employment as a governess and the secrets she keeps regarding her origins and Zach because his origins gave him the honest appreciation for hard work and self-determination so often under-valued by those born to their soft lives of privilege. It is Emily's own drive, determination, and quick-wittedness that hold Zach's attention, but it was the kiss she blew him in passing at a party that caught it in the first place. That kiss and others that follow stir a passion that refuses to die, even as a serial killer haunts London and threatens their confidence in each other and their very lives. I thoroughly enjoyed Never Blow a Kiss and look forward to more from Lindsay Lovise. I am grateful to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise is a historical romance and the first book in the Secret Society of Governess Spies series and the author's debut.

A mysterious figure called The Dove uses her network of governess spies to hold citizens of the ton accountable for their crimes. Emily is a governess with a secret past who now works for The Dove. Zach is a former soldier who once came from nothing but became one of the wealthiest folks in London through gambling and good investments. He works for the city police department and is placed in charge of a case involving a serial murderer.

Firstly, I want to say that I was already hooked on the concept of this series so I was very excited going into the book. I really enjoyed the read, inhaling the last 75% in one day. The book is multi-POV, mostly shifting back and forth between Emily and Zach, but we do occasionally get a short POV from a side character.

I love a confident heroine, and I get that in spades with Emily. I felt like I knew and understood her better than I did Zach. He could have been fleshed out a bit more, so it would have been great to get more from his POV, especially regarding the main mystery of the book. It was great seeing two working class people at the forefront of a historical romance.

The handful of open-door steamy scenes were nice! I always appreciate authors who ensure their heroes ask for enthusiastic and explicit consent from their partners. Emily and Zach's chemistry felt real to me and I greatly enjoyed their banter. None of the sexy scenes felt shoehorned into the plot; it all felt natural.

The hook for the next book in the series really got me, so I can't wait for the next book in this series. This is a wonderful debut and I'm excited to read more from this author!

Never Blow a Kiss is the debut novel from Lindsay Lovise and it is a promising start to a new series and a new author to the historical romance genre. Lovise’s writing is interesting and sensual, and her characters are clear and dimensional. I felt like she did a really nice job of balancing the plot and the development of the romance. I think that this novel has a delicious intertwining of steam and the hero and heroine really develop a relationship that is very physical in its exploration, this is not always something that is strongly prevalent in historical romances. My only big critique of this novel is that there where many threads and at many points towards the end of the novel it felt like we were coming to an end but then another secret or mystery would arise so it just felt like too many threads for what I was expecting from this novel. Ultimately a really lovely debut and I will definitely be interested in seeing Lovise grow more into her voice and style! Well worth a read for any historical romance lover or someone interested in supporting a new author!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A secret society of Governess Spies? What a fun concept! Lindsay Lovise takes readers back to the Victorian era to follow the main character Emily as she navigates being a governess with her own hidden past. I enjoyed the instant chemistry between Emily and Zach. I also found the mystery in the hunt for the killer to be intriguing. I cannot wait to continue reading in this series!