I have mixed feelings on this one.  On the one hand, I almost DNF'd it twice by 40%, and then I admit to skimming the last 35% so it almost ended up being a DNF after all.   But this may be one of those reads where it just didn't strike me at the right time, or I'm being overly picky because I'm a hardcore historical romance reader and I've read so many of them it's hard not to compare.

What I liked:
• The premise that there is a school for governesses who double as spies -- so, so fun
• Jasper Jones, our all-green-flag hero, and former wharf rat who built London's biggest gambling hell, and is now richer than Croesus
• Neurodivergent-coded FMC Frankie Turner, who is sort of a Victorian-era Maria Von Trapp, minus the singing and the Nazis

What didn't work for me:
• The massive information dump over the first two chapters
• The Dowry Thieves plus the disappearance of Frankie's sister is a lot of melodrama to swallow, especially because neither of these things have anything to do with the romance itself
• The degree of artistic license needed to make the plot work.  Although Jasper is well-known to operate a gaming "hell" versus a pseudo-respectable gaming "club", and he makes no secret of his disdain for his ton clientele, he is invited to a *Duke's* house party during the Season, along with his 15-year-old orphaned niece (a commoner) who isn't yet out, and her governess?  (The Duke isn't even a gambler.)
• Frankie is the great-granddaughter of a baron, and her father is a member of the gentry, not the aristocracy.  But her mother also gets an invite to the *Duke's* highly exclusive house party, just because Frankie is going?
• Insta-love is always an iffy, but it really doesn't make sense here
• Jasper, highly intelligent and clever, is worried sick over his inability to rein in his orphaned niece's behavior - thus, Frankie - but then he agrees to let her plan a "soiree" with no oversight and is shocked that things go sideways?
• Frankie is an intriguing character, but I couldn't get over how emotionally immature she is.  Yes, she is a neurodivergent young woman who has issues with social cues, and reading and processing emotions of others. But why is she herself operating at an emotional maturity level of sixteen?  And making so many silly mistakes even with her spying?  Especially because she is supposed to be very intelligent.  It is this part of the story that really got in the way of me believing that Jasper, who is written well as a grown up mature adult, would give her the time of day.
• There are a lot of characters that don't have a role in bringing Frankie and Jasper together, or have any impact on Jasper and Frankie's growth as individuals and as a partnership.  In this, the romance arc is short changed.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to read and review this novel.  All opinions are my own.