The Ladies Grand Tour of Treachery and Treason
Forty-two-year-old Lady Augusta (Gus) Colebrook and her twin sister, Lady Julia, are far from the “useless old maids” Regency high society has deemed them to be. Under the guise of their own social invisibility, they set out to protect women and children ignored by society and the law. But their adventures alongside the disgraced Lord Evan Belford have become increasingly dangerous.
When the twins’ activities attract the interest of Mr. Whitmore, the head of the government’s new intelligence organization, he offers them a deal. Their mission: to retrieve a noblewoman from Napoleon’s France. The reward: a full royal pardon for Lord Evan, and with it, the possibility of a life together for him and Gus.
With trepidation, Gus, Julia, Lord Evan, and government agent Mr. Kent head to Paris, the enemy’s heartland, and step into the treacherous world of spies, assassins, and bitter police rivalries. As secrets abound and catastrophic tensions rise within the group, so too does the peril from the new Paris police unit, the Sûreté, and the deadly threat from an old enemy. Will they retrieve the noblewoman in time, or will prejudice and distrust tear the group apart and leave them all in the path of destruction?
Alison Goodman
In the quiet hours of a Melbourne morning, Alison Goodman might be found lost in a world not entirely her own—one where dragons whisper secrets, Regency-era heroines fight demons in ballgowns, and twin sisters solve crimes society wishes they’d ignore. That’s the spell Goodman casts: not just stories, but immersive, finely tuned tapestries where genre is a suggestion, not a limit.
Known for her gift of blending historical detail with the fantastical, Goodman has long walked the line between reality and imagination. Her breakout duology, Eon and Eona, took readers deep into a world inspired by ancient China, threading together gender identity, power struggles, and the high-stakes politics of dragon magic. It wasn’t just the vivid setting that caught fire—it was the voice of a girl forced to disguise herself as a boy to claim power in a world that refused her space. The novels became international favorites, celebrated not only for their rich fantasy world-building but also for their timely, thoughtful exploration of identity and agency.
The Ill-Mannered Ladies
In an age when a lady’s worth is measured by her silence and obedience, two middle‑aged sisters choose to make noise instead. Set against the polished drawing rooms and shadowed backstreets of Regency England, this series follows Lady Augusta “Gus” Colebrook and her twin sister Julia as they transform their invisibility as unmarried women into their greatest weapon. Outwardly, they are genteel spinsters. Privately, they are relentless rescuers, unearthing scandals, freeing the oppressed, and confronting a society that prefers its women powerless.
The Ill-Mannered Ladies consists of two books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of two more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
