The Poetics of Passion (Muses of Scandal series)
Musa Bartham has been a scandal since birth. When her father disappeared during a trip that was supposed to regain his reputation, her mother fell into a depression, leaving Musa to hold the family together. Given her limited opportunities to earn money, she turned to her pen and became Felicity Vita, a sensual and slightly scandalous poet. That is, until her publishing career is threatened by the new owner of the publishing house. Once again, she is determined to control the situation, this time by writing a children’s book under her own name.
Sebastian Atkinson is exhausted from working all day in the print shop and all night on a painting that will hopefully launch his art career. Struggling to keep his spirits up after his parents’ deaths he writes a letter to his favourite poet, Felicity Vita. To his surprise, she writes him back, and they begin a correspondence that has him desperate to meet her. She refuses him, of course, and he decides to try and find her by showing his illustrations to her publisher. Only instead of getting to work on Felicity’s books, he gets roped into working on a children’s book with the prickly Musa Bartham.
The Poetics of Passion is a beguiling Victorian romance filled with secret identities, hidden passion, and family loyalty. The story draws on many of the same tropes that made me love the movie You’ve Got Mail. I did find the pacing a bit uneven at times and thought the characters held onto secrets for a bit too long without a good reason. That said, it is a fun read for fans of Evie Dunmore, Mimi Matthews, and Emily Sullivan.
