Olivia Waite’s The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows is the second book in her Feminine Pursuits historical romance series, and although they are connected loosely, one can easily start here. Waspish Widows centers on beekeeper Penelope and printer Agatha, two women in their 40s who form a deep friendship through caring for a colony of bees that happened to take up residence in Agatha’s warehouse. Amid large- and small-scale political unrest in England, the two fall into a love that is gentle, passionate, and, as Agatha thinks of one of Penelope’s letters to her, specific.
I must admit, I was skeptical when I saw this book was a little over 400 pages, as I often find romances of this length end up adding too many conflicts and plot elements for my taste. Here, however, there was no such problem—in fact, I genuinely can’t think of a single thing I didn’t love about this book. While there are quite a few subplots, they all felt in service to the story, rather than simply a means of drawing out the romance a little longer. Subplots like a romance between Agatha’s son and apprentice or the growing popularity of a series of bawdy ballads make the characters’ world feel richer, but they also highlight important aspects of their journey, such as Agatha’s learning to move beyond the typical “done thing.”
Something I found particularly refreshing is that, as I said, Agatha and Penelope are both in their forties, and they feel like it. They have both been married (widowed Agatha for love, while Penelope remains in a lavender marriage), and they even both have experience with women. There is no need for a lot of drama or misunderstanding, because these are two people who know themselves and know what they are doing, at least to some extent, and because of that, they are allowed to simply grow into each other and then decide for themselves how they can fit their lives together.
This book also has a really excellent emphasis on community and standing up to tyrants even in little ways that add up. This isn’t a grand revolution book, but it is certainly a book full of upheaval and unrest, which felt very timely reading it in this particular moment. (And of course, it was published in 2020, so it is no surprise the book feels the way it does.) Since I started reading historical romance, I have realized what I really love about the genre is the reminder that throughout history, throughout everything that has ever happened, people have always lived and loved and been happy, even despite the rest of the world. This book is exactly what I mean when I say that.
And if I can add one more detail to entice you further: there is no third-act breakup!
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