The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics; Olivia Waite

I’ll just come out and say it: I need more sapphic regency romance like this one! You have Lucy, a burgeoning astronomer trying to take up the mantel of her deceased father all while recovering from crushing heartbreak. And then the Countess of Moth, Catherine, who thought she was done with scientists after her husband’s death, until Lucy shows up on her door demanding to be allowed to undertake the challenge of translating the latest French astronomer’s text into English. Smart, artistic women forging a way for themselves in “proper society” on their own terms where they are given their due AND can remain independent without having to marry themselves off? 10000% yes please! There was only one thing about this book that made it drag at times…

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I really cannot say enough about how much I loved the dynamic between Lucy and Catherine. Both women are incredibly smart and talented and while the men in their lives may struggle to accept their genius, they never have to prove their worth to each other, even from the onset of their meeting. I also really enjoyed that Lucy, while younger, was the more *ahem* experienced one in the relationship. It was really refreshing and went a long way to balancing the power dynamic between a “country girl” and a Countess. In fact, I loved how supportive all the women were in this book toward one another, whether it was encouraging their scientific endeavors or their artistry, they were nothing but supportive and I loved seeing that. For a regency era novel, the progressive stances the story takes along with the general air of “down with the patriarchy” was splendid.

As for the romance itself, it was very sweet. There were multiple intimate scenes as Catherine gets increasingly bolder in the bedroom and rediscovers not just pleasure, but HER pleasure for the first time in years. My only problem with the romance was that it does seem to rely on the miscommunication trope a bit too heavily in parts. It felt off because of how good these women otherwise were at checking in and communicating with each other. It was that miscommunication trope that made the book drag a bit for me in parts, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read despite that. Maybe my expectations were a bit low, but I was surprised by how much I liked this story, which is why I am giving it 5 stars and will definitely be checking out more books in this series!