The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows

Time tumbled you forward, no matter how hard you fought to stay put.

Well, this has been… a lot of bees! :D Definitely not complaining: I love bees, and it’s been interesting to learn more about them and to compare what I know about modern beekeeping to the realities of the 18th century. And the bees do contribute a whole damn lot to the plot and the characterization. Some of the scenes where Penelope interacts with the hives are my favorite—it’s like she establishes a special relationship with every bee she meets, and it adds to her loveliness as a person. Not to mention all the other beekeepers showing up on the pages, each a great character. And there were just so many scenes, big and small, set around hives and swarms and leading to all sorts of interactions, humorous or emotional or poignant, depending on the point of the plot. Still, there were also sections of the book that kind of felt like a lecture on beekeeping rather than a fiction book, and that kind of took me out of the story a little.

The historical backdrop left me with a similar impression: extremely interesting, extremely well-researched, but sometimes overshadowing the plot. I really, really loved how grounded the book is in the time it’s set in, and how it focuses on the impact the big politics have on the lives of the most common of folks. There’s also a lot of thoughtful discussion on the specific realities of the time for women, queer people, people of the lower class, and more. I tend to love this kind of thing a lot in historical romances, and this approach was part of what absolutely charmed me about the first installment of this series. Here, for the most part, it also adds greatly to the reading experience, but there were a few spots where the fiction felt like it threatened to morph into a history book. The balance was just a tad off here and there, just like with beekeeping.

Outside of those instances where the balance was lacking, I really, really loved this. The romance is such a slow burn, and so well done, with both characters being somewhat older women with histories that have shaped them. I loved that Agatha’s past wasn’t discarded in any way—she loved her husband, she grieved him, and now in the book she gets a new chance at happiness with Penelope. Who is, once again, an absolute charmer and an absolute favorite of mine, the kind of character who feels like a friend. I very much enjoyed the overall slice-of-lifeness of it, with the close-knit small town community, the ballads at the tavern, the main characters’ respective jobs, the long conversations. Despite the complicated subjects, the story felt so sweet and comforting—I’m glad I finally got around to reading it.