The title is pretty misleading - doesn't suit the stories.Fantastic! I read it all in one afternoon :)1. At Will by Leanna Renee Hieber: 4 starsReally enthralling; kept me turning pages! Somehow, I just had to keep reading :D2. The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis: 3 starsInteresting magic, and I liked the plot. It did feel a bit rushed/ unconvincing in parts, but it is a short story so it's not overly important. (view spoiler)[Agatha falling in love with Isobel was rea...

The reason I like short fiction is that you get a variety of things for little time investment. Some of these stories were either so long and boring, or just plain boring, they kind of dragged down the little gems of stories that I actually enjoyed. On the upside, I did encounter some new-to-me young adult authors whose stories I enjoyed.

I guess I just felt like this was kind of blah overall. So many stories felt cliche and super on the nose.Some specific thoughts on each story below."At Will" by Leanna Renee Hieber - 4 stars - OH. I wasn't sure about this one at first--it seemed perhaps a bit too on the nose--but it ended up being a really great, fairly complete short story that left me wanting more, but wanting that "more" left to my imagination."The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain" by Stephanie Burgis - 2 stars - Yeah,...

(2.5) I really only liked the Stephanie Burgis story in this, which reminded me of Stevermer and Wrede in the early days when they were being more gleeful. The actual Stevermer story was so forgettable I literally can't remember which one it was (that's right, it was the story featuring a dancing master that wasn't as good as Genevieve Valentine's).

Didn't actually finish it, because I didn't like any of the stories that I read

Eh, it was okay. I didn't find myself absolutely LOVING any of these stories, although I did enjoy the majority of them at least a bit. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good Victorian setting. I also liked that there was some diversity, although not quite as much as I hoped for.

I'm never any good at giving ratings to anthologies, and found this one harder than normal, as it didn't live up to expectations overall. There were a few good stories, a few I thought much less than good, but my favourite was Stephanie Burgis' story, "The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain". Not just because I expected to, given how much I've enjoyed everything else she's written. It was short and sweet, and it took a while for me to figure out what I thought was great about it. Part of it

As with any anthology, some stories were better than others.

I give this book/ story collection a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I'm gonna list all the stories in order that i read and the rating i give each one with a few comments.At Will by Leanna Hieber: 2/5 stars. Not very interesting or well written. Ending was decent though.The Unladylike education of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis: 4/5 stars. Well written, loved the main character, and the ending was great.Nussbaum's Golden Fortune by M.K. Hobson: 3.5/5 stars. Interesting but not great. Would LOVE a full

Enjoyed some of the stories

This anthology was definitely a mixed bag, containing straightforward, conventional romances that have a very faint hue of "impropriety", as well as more unusual stories which go beyond Victorian boundaries and explore the truly "scandalous" (at least for that era), with LGBT themes or issues of race. Guess which ones are worth reading. No story is too "scandalous" to merit an adult rating.I loved, loved, loved “At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber (the first story), a gender-bending homage to Shakes...

Don't let the title fool you--it and the subtitle were clearly marketing ploys by the publisher. However, the stories were absolutely wonderful--not erotic in genre, but convention and envelope stretching, without a doubt, most with romantic elements. A really delightful read. Don't rate on the misleading marketing, but on the merit of the stories themselves--you may find yourself surprised!

Anthologies are hard. I always feel bad for rating them 3 stars (because do I ever give an anthology anything other than 3 stars??), but it's kind of required. Some stories really hit the nail on the head. Others a giant misses. The only other way to rate anthologies is to rate each individual story and guys. No. That's just too much work. Kudos to those of you who manage it, but I'm just a slug in a girl suit too many days for that option to be viable. Also, I started this anthology back in Oct...

I loved this book and found it to be delightfully compiled (except for the last two stories whose writing style I didn’t care for). The plots are interesting and fun with brilliant mixes of details from the period, comments on social mores and a touch of magic!

Thirteen tales set from the Regency to the Victorian Era.1. 'At Will.' A young actress with the ability to play both men and women convincingly is brought to London to stymie society as they desperately try to figure out what she really is. I found this story disturbing, and not in a good way. The author seemed to want to show that freedom from gender expectations is freedom itself, but that isn't the message I got here. The young woman here is cisgender and heterosexual, and desperately wants a...

Simply put, this is an anthology of 13 historical stories that include everything from society, scandal, and romance such as the following. “At Will” by Leanna Renee Hieber – This story is about a young lady, Portia, that has been raised in theater. Because of her skill acting in both male and female roles she has become a prized character that is brought into society as a companion of one of societies more known males, Mr. Rothschild. It’s where she fits into the role that is the issue.“The Unl...

A collection of short stories set in Victorian England, a few fantastical, most not. I didn't care for half of them. I liked:"At Will" by Leanna Renee Hieber. Portia Nightingale takes London's theater world by storm playing both male and female parts, and never revealing her own gender or sex. I wish there'd been a bit more of Mr. Smith, because even at the end I didn't have a firm grasp on his personality or looks, and (view spoiler)[if he's going to be Nightingale's romance then I want to know...

More of a 3.6-3.7 average stars:Some stories travel the historical route, while others sway to off into the land of faery as if making their way to those Elfin Hills. Some were pure fluff for me, while others had a nice twist to them. I enjoyed quite a few of the stories, and wonder if some will continue on with these characters again (looking at "The Language of Flowers"and "The Dancing Master"). Also my favorites here "Mrs. Beeton's Book of Magickal Management" could follow onward with Irene p...

"At Will" by Leanna Renee Hieber - 3/5 stars. I really enjoyed the premise, but I wish it had been developed more."The Unladylike Education of Agatha Tremain" by Stephanie Burgess- 2.5/5 stars. Again, liked the premise, but it felt really under-developed and insta-love-y."Nussbaum's Golden Fortune" by M.K. Hobson- 4/5 stars. Really liked the voice with this one, tho I wish it was a tiny bit longer and had a bit more fleshed out."The Colonel's Daughter" by Barbara Roden- 3.5/5 stars. Mary's backg...

These thirteen tales take place in the changing society of the Victorian era. The world was still reeling from Darwin's shocking confessions and the Queen in mourning for her beloved Albert, social rules still mattered and one misstep was costly. The teenagers in this story openly defy convention and turn the rules upside down. Some of the teens fall in love with the wrong person for reasons of class or even gender. Some of the teens are awkward and some openly rebel against traditional gender n...