Title: The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows Series: Feminine Pursuits #2
Author: Olivia Waite
Published: July 28, 2020
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 416
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:When Agatha Griffin finds a colony of bees in her warehouse, it’s the not-so-perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. Busy trying to keep her printing business afloat amidst rising taxes and the suppression of radical printers like her son, the last thing the widow wants is to be the victim of a thousand bees. But when a beautiful beekeeper arrives to take care of the pests, Agatha may be in danger of being stung by something far more dangerous…
Penelope Flood exists between two worlds in her small seaside town, the society of rich landowners and the tradesfolk. Soon, tensions boil over when the formerly exiled Queen arrives on England’s shores—and when Penelope’s long-absent husband returns to Melliton, she once again finds herself torn, between her burgeoning love for Agatha and her loyalty to the man who once gave her refuge.
As Penelope finally discovers her true place, Agatha must learn to accept the changing world in front of her. But will these longing hearts settle for a safe but stale existence or will they learn to fight for the future they most desire?
Thoughtful, clever, and well-researched, Olivia Waite’s The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is a slow-burn lesbian romance that was (for the most part) very enjoyable.
The protagonists here are Agatha, a widowed printer from London, and Penelope, an eccentric beekeeper from the country. They have fairly opposite personalities, but somehow, they meld together to create a solid team. And a team is just what they need: Queen Caroline is on trial for adultery, and the laws against libel and obscenity are being enforced without mercy.
First, I really do appreciate that Waite includes actual historical events in her novels. So often, historical romance takes the pretty gowns and the petticoats and the mannerisms of the Regency period, but never actually shows a depth of historical knowledge. Not so here. The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is a book that knows what came before and where things are headed. Most of the obstacles barring Agatha and Penelope from longterm happiness are external, and each one is based on the reality of the times. As someone who does enjoy vanilla historical fiction (without the love and smooches), I love this.
That being said, I do perhaps agree with other reviewers who felt that the “other plotlines” go in the way of the romantic arc. As I said above, this book is a slow burn. There’s a lot of mutual pining, and the protagonists don’t kiss until about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through. The vast majority of the book is about Agatha and Penelope developing a friendship and sharing each other’s (historically accurate!) daily struggles. Here, Waite writes a quiet, even-keeled love story that isn’t prone to Big Feelings or Dark Moments. And in some ways, this is fitting: Penelope and Agatha are in the forties and have already lived through the most emotionally intense years of their lives. Now they’re ready to settle down into comfortable middle age with someone who can be a true partner and companion.
Yet interestingly, though this book appears to spend most of its length developing the characters and their relationship, I never felt like Waite gave either Agatha or Penelope much depth of character. Countless times in the first few chapters, the author told her readers that Penelope was the kindest soul in the village, but I don’t know that I ever felt that to be true. And Agatha? She seemed uptight and cautious a lot of the time, but I never truly understood why. More than anything, I fear this was an issue where the author had a fully-realized vision that somehow didn’t translate onto the page. I’m not at all opposed to a slow-burn, but because I didn’t think the delayed gratification in this book was quite worth it, much of the novel wound up feeling a little like fluff and filler.
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is a perfectly nice romance. I was delighted by the attention to historical detail and the fact that the protagonists are both “older” women. At the same time, I wanted a bit more from the characters and from their connection. I finished the book satiated, but not truly satisfied.
