The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics (The Feminine Pursuits Novels, #1)

by Olivia Waite

As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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YES!
+F/F Historical Romance!
+Lucy and Catherine are scientists and artists! But not like society would acknowledge them as such anyway. Lucy's astronomy work was behind her father's name, while Catherine's scientific curiosity and artistry were stifled by her husband. Both men are now dead, so what are these women to do?
+Smash the patriarchy! Catherine pulls her funding from the Polite Science Society when they refuse to let Lucy work on a translation project simply because she's a woman and women can't do science despite Lucy basically doing all of the work for her father. She puts all of her money behind Lucy, naturally.
+Lucy is about a decade younger than Catherine, but she's the more experienced one! She's also the one to encourage Catherine to think of herself as an artist, even when society is dismissive of women's work.
+The inevitable fight was actually believable. Lucy is worried that she was just a whim for Catherine, and that she might move on to a new adventure sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Catherine thinks Lucy is going to be moving on with her life as an astronomer and won't need her anymore; maybe even going back to her ex. Neither wants to hold the other back, so they...let go. For just a moment, then happily ever after!

NO!
-Long chapters.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 June, 2020: Finished reading
  • 2 June, 2020: Reviewed