The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock

Dark, deep, twisting (and twisted). Totally engrossing and well worth a read

Loved it! Gowar does a fantastic job making this feel like the 18th century (I am very very picky about accuracy in vocabulary and material culture), and there are too few books that take the perspective of historical sex workers of any stripe. The fantasy elements were skillfully woven in, but minor enough that I'd still consider this historical more than historical-fantasy.

Did have some misgivings at the end about a seeming moral w.r.t. sex work, hence four stars, but overall a very good read.

As many here have already said it's a bit overwritten. I ended up dreaming in Victorian English. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could, I enjoyed the read.