The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin

The Ill-Mannered Ladies, Book 2

De: Alison Goodman

Narrado por: Kristin Atherton

In Regency England, the eccentric Colebrook sisters are amateur detectives who use their wits and invisibility as “old maids” to fight injustice in this delightful and fiercely feminist novel of mystery and adventure from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.

To most of Regency high society, forty-two-year-old Lady Augusta Colebrook, or Gus, and her twin sister, Julia, are just unmarried ladies of a certain age. But the Colebrook twins are far from useless old maids. They are secretly protecting women and children ignored by society and the law.

When Lord Evan—a charming escaped convict who has won Gus’s heart—needs to hide his sister, Hester, from their vindictive brother, Gus and Julia take Hester and her lover into their home. But Lord Evan’s complicated past puts them all in danger. Gus knows they must clear his name of murder if he is to survive the thieftakers who hunt him. No easy task—the fatal duel was twenty years ago and a key witness is nowhere to be found.

In a deadly cat-and-mouse game, Gus, Julia, and Lord Evan must dodge their pursuers and investigate Lord Evan’s past. They will be thrust into the ugly underworld of Georgian gentlemen’s clubs, spies, and ruthless bounty hunters, not to mention the everyday threat of narrow-minded brothers. Will the truth be found in time, or will dangerous secrets from the past destroy family bonds and rip new love and lives apart?

©2025 Alison Goodman (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Goodman skillfully blends mystery, adventure and a dash of romance.”—The Washington Post

"Ms. Goodman’s ill-mannered ladies are delightful company."—The Wall Street Journal

“Cannily sets full-blooded fantasies of female empowerment blooming in a thicket of stifling masculine rules.”—Kirkus

Riding Anger into Action

Just pure gold. Love how all the "manly men" are so emotional and the real men will do anything to support the women. Can't wait for the next adventure of Julia, Guss, and co.

Give me more of ILL- MANNERED LADIES

Loved best: these two women manage to live a real life in a world that constrains and limits them through unjust (plain stupid) laws and social requirements. This is fiction of course so wonderful romantic partners are available to the twins as well as a father that secures their independence via smart inheritance and no obligation to fall under the rule of the “family head”.
Loved least: absolutely nothing !
Can’t wait for the final book in this trilogy

A faithful continuation of a great story!

I love that I feel in good hands— that my investment in the characters and story will pay off across multiple books.

I love that Lord Evan’s sister is not miraculously restored to perfect health in Chapter 1 of Book 2, after all that happened in the first book. We truly pick up where we left off.

I love that there’s an element of murder mystery in the unraveling tale of what actually happened in the duel of 20 years ago.

Our narrator has found her voices and settled in well. I admit that I was worried about it in the first book— but she’s hit her stride and now I hope she reads (performs) the whole rest of the series!

I love the setup for the third book.

I do not love that I have to wait for it to be written! I have a feeling I will listen to both books multiple times before Book 3 drops.

Wonderful!

The further adventures of Gussie & Julia do not disappoint- except for the long wait for the next installment!

It became tedious

I enjoyed the first book and really wanted to like this one. I did but toward the last ten chapters I had enough of it. I understand stories have to high stakes but it’s just the same thing over and over with this one and I honestly got tired of hearing it over again and again. I get it. Every turn is going to turn into the arrests of Lord Evan and his sister. I get it. Did the author have a word count to meet? Augh. I did something I normally don’t do and that’s increase the reading speed over 1.5x 😂