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I should know better than to do dive into a Sherry Thomas book at 10:30pm. I stayed until 3am reading this.

This has got to be the best one??

I'm so glad I've been reading Sherry Thomas. For books that aren't that explicit, I mean comparatively to other authors, I think the sex is middle of the road for like *spice,* these books are so erotic. Like that was my first impression for The Luckiest Lady in London. The stuff outside the bedroom is so charged.

I think my unified theory of Sherry Thomas is the abject. Maybe it comes from her writing so much later, historically, then I normally read. But her books are grimey. All the discussion of sponges, bodily functions, aging bodies. And here especially, Verity aligns herself with the abject: that which is consumed and that is what is disposed.

I've read a little about Thomas moving away from romance, in part because she didn't like the contract aspect of it and the rush to finish the novels. I will say, this and others, do feel a little bit rushed. Particularly in the conclusion, which wrapped up neatly in a way that was kind of a surprise for its neatness. The other aspect that maybe felt rushed was some clarity about Verity's origin or who was supposed to know what, particularly around when she was speaking French. I think sometimes Verity was speaking French, but it was translated into English? Because Stuart and Verity would be speaking in her role as Madame Durant and then there'd be a reference to her French or her broken English later. It wasn't always clear to me how she was communicating/what she revealed about her identity in any given moment.

But I would suggest that the rushed quality of some of her books absolutely do not matter. They're so messy and concerned with mess, I think almost serves the theme/thesis of her work.

And I don't know how you talk about Delicious without talking about Black Silk. These two and The Last Hellion, my current great canon of grief romance novels.

In a less romantic book, Bertie is condemned as a villain. It is so easy and right there and I was ready to take that on, but Thomas insists that it can be complicated and uglier to forgive him and mourn forgiveness that he can't give anymore.

Also a plus for this book: I was significantly more invested in the side romance than in other Thomas books here. Though, I will say I became less interested when it turns out it wasn't two bisexual characters falling in love.

Verity is not really in the canon of "unlikable" heroines as much as uncouth? inelegant heroines? But I can't imagine anyone not liking her.

Anyway, again, I want to reread it immediately because even reading really late into the night, I sped through it. I'm going to so sad when I'm finished with her historicals! I might very well read the Lady Sherlock series just because I'll miss her writing a lot.