A Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett is the second book by the author and the second book in The Secret 
Scientists of London series. Both books are beautifully written with perfect pacing and the characters are so charming. I am loving this series and all the characters. I laughed as the women’s experiments went haywire and the humorous debates between each other and the men but I also I felt sad for the struggles and risks the women faced to do what they loved. The author does a great job of being true to the time zone and demonstrating the discrimination and injustice women who were interested in the sciences faced.
Athena’s Retreat was a secret women’s club that was hidden behind Beacon House and only a select few knew about it. It contained laboratories where women of science could collaborate and experiment in their interested fields.
Letty Fenley was the daughter of a wealthy shopkeeper who had trusted a man several years before only to have her heartbroken and her reputation ruined. She was one of the founding women of Athena’s Retreat and had devoted herself to her mathematics. She was preparing to present her mathematic theory at the Rosewood Prize this year, so she reluctantly agreed to take over as president of Athena’s Retreat when Violet her best friend asked her to. Unfortunately, that left her working with her nemesis Viscount Greycliff who had participated in ruining her reputation.
“You are not the woman I accused you of being six years ago, Letty. I know that…I know you.”
At a young age Lord William Hughes, Viscount Greycliff “Grey,” had learned to control his emotions and everything around him. He thought his promise to guard Athena’s Retreat would be easy until he discovers how dangerous the women’s experiments were. He finds himself in a precarious position when he must choose between keeping Athena’s Retreat open and closing it to obtain the position he has dreamed of for years. He has worked hard to become the next director of the Department, a powerful secret agency. Yet the leader of a group called the Guardians, which blames women for the troubles of society, has become a contender for the position. Grey faces an impossible situation, but can he find a middle ground?
This was a charming and easy-to-read historical romance. I loved Grey’s joking about Letty’s height and her comebacks. They are the perfect couple and I enjoyed watching them overcome their misconceptions of each other. Letty and Grey were both strong and confident so seeing them drop their walls and open up was wonderful. I loved how sweet Grey was and how he was willing to listen to the women with open minds and change when needed. This series has been heartwarming and full of humor, and I cannot wait for the next book.
Book Info:
Publication: February 15, 2022 | Berkley Books | The Secret Scientists of London #2
How do you solve the Perfect Equation? Add one sharp-tongued mathematician to an aloof, handsome nobleman. Divide by conflicting loyalties and multiply by a daring group of women hell-bent on conducting their scientific experiments. The solution is a romance that will break every rule.
Six years ago, Miss Letitia Fenley made a mistake, and she’s lived with the consequences ever since. Readying herself to compete for the prestigious Rosewood Prize for Mathematics, she is suddenly asked to take on another responsibility—managing Athena’s Retreat, a secret haven for England’s women scientists. Having spent the last six years on her own, Letty doesn’t want the offers of friendship from other club members and certainly doesn’t need any help from the insufferably attractive Lord Greycliff.
Lord William Hughes, the Viscount Greycliff cannot afford to make any mistakes. His lifelong dream of becoming the director of a powerful clandestine agency is within his grasp. Tasked with helping Letty safeguard Athena’s Retreat, Grey is positive that he can control the antics of the various scientists as well as manage the tiny mathematician—despite their historic animosity and simmering tension.
As Grey and Letty are forced to work together, their mutual dislike turns to admiration and eventually to something… magnetic. When faced with the possibility that Athena’s Retreat will close forever, they must make a choice. Will Grey turn down a chance to change history, or can Letty get to the root of the problem and prove that love is the ultimate answer?
