This was a delightful palate-cleanser of a book. It slots in somewhere between historical fantasy and historical romance, and is riotously funny if you’re the sort of person who likes the movie scenes where two prim society matrons sit in the foreground taking tea and discussing matters of propriety while a sword fight and explosions rage in the background. (And sometimes the matrons offer polite tips to their would-be assassins on their fencing stances.) Oh, and also the prim society matrons have flying houses bedecked with pirate flags, and they sometimes drop into town for a spot of burglary before luncheon. I enjoyed the tension and banter between our two protagonists, Cecilia and Ned, and I enjoyed the ridiculous hijinks combined with a comedy of manners.

Spoiler

(NB for those who care about such things: There’s one sex scene in this book, and while there’s nothing explicit in the writing, I wouldn’t want to be reading it to children or young teens.)

This is a book that knows exactly its intended audience, that never takes itself too seriously, and is masterful in its lampshading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.