A Perfect Equation

A Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett is her second book in The Secret Scientists of London series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. This regency-era, somewhat steamy romance, has a brainy heroine, and baby hedgehogs! Miss Letitia Fenley (Letty) is a brilliant mathematician that works in her best friend's women’s club for women scientists named Athena’s Retreat. Violet, the owner, and manager of Athena’s Retreat must leave to go to Scotland for a few months and leaves the management of Athena’s Retreat in Letitia’s capable hands. At the same time, Violet’s husband, Arthur Kneland, has also asked his friend, Lord Greycliff (Grey) to watch over the brilliant women of Athena’s Retreat. Letty and Grey have a history, six years ago, Letty made a huge mistake, and Grey has never forgiven her. But, when they are both tasked to take care of Athena’s Retreat, their coolness towards each other warms as they both discover things about each other that they didn’t know before. They have very different views for the future of Athena’s retreat, and they are in almost constant conflict with each other. I love a book with a brainy heroine, and this book did not disappoint. I’m often reluctant to read regency-era books because I’m always dismayed at the injustices of that time period. Injustice for women, people of color, between the classes, and the unfairness of life during that time period. However, The Perfect Equation gives me characters that fight back against these injustices, and I was loving it. We saw women scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and just super-intelligent women, supporting each other in the pursuit of science. And that’s another aspect of this book that I loved, these women were all working together and supporting each other, even though they are from different classes, and different cultures, they all helped each other to grow and become better. I just loved the slow-burn romance between Letty and Grey. They both have a history and some personal issues that make them reject personal relationships. Letty because she believes she’s a fallen woman, and Grey had a history of seizures that he controls by cutting himself off from people. As they work together to keep the women of Athena’s Retreat safe, they learn about each other and begin to admire each other and let go of their pre-conceived notions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a historical romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.