Short description:

In Regency England, a girl disguises herself as a young man to attend
Oxford - and becomes embroiled in both a murder investigation
and thrilling romance... A compulsive, entertaining and playful
YA dark academia novel, like If We Were Villains meets Lex Croucher.

Long description:

A compulsively entertaining historical YA novel that
playfully blends dark academia with scandal, murder mystery and queer
romance - like If We Were Villains meets Lex Croucher.

In Regency England, Cascabel Gray dreams of freedom - and disguises
herself as a boy to secure a place at Oxford University. After
all, she's as comfortable in breeches as she is in ballgowns.

Her plans are upended, however, when she receives a blackmail
letter from Charles Lafleur, a member of infamous secret society
the Rogues Club, threatening to expose her.

But when Lafleur is found dead, the plot thickens... and Cascabel
becomes a prime suspect in his murder. She joins the Rogues Club
to conduct an investigation of her own, and her life soon begins
to spiral out of control.

To survive, she must switch between her male and female personas,
attracting both fellow student William Grenville and a chambermaid
known as Mouse - and even attending a ball with an Austrian
prince. Can she find a way to balance her double life and clear
her name, before she loses everything?

• This book combines the genius ingredients of cosy crime, queer
  romance and dark academia, all wrapped up in a fast-paced, entertaining
  plot - perfect for fans of Agency for Scandal, Laura
  Steven and Lex Croucher.


• A fierce, determined and irresistible protagonist who slips fluidly
  between two identities and genders as Cascabel and Pom.



• All the period-drama appeal of a historical Regency setting,
  with a vibrant, modern sensibility and a sensitive handling of prejudice.



• Joe's first novel, The Rules of Seeing, won the Romantic
  Novelist Association's Debut Novel Award.