Reading this had me wanting to go back and re-read the series this was spun off from. This series is a prequel so certain events in this series and especially in "Waistcoats & Weaponry" are setting up certain events and circumstances in "Parasol Protectorate" It was interesting to see how things came together and to see the beginnings. 
 The writing wasn't quite as tight in this story, there would be periods of action followed by stretches of monologue but overall the story was entertaining. The class on flirting was pretty funny and Sophronia puts it to good use later in the story. I greatly enjoy the friendship between Sophronia, Dimity, Agatha, and Sidheag as well as Sophronia's relationship with Soap, who is wrong for her in some respects and perfect for her in others. It was interesting to see Sophroia's realizations about her feelings for Soap; she's really growing up. 
 Fluffy, humorous, with the occasional critique on class and race, "Waistcoats & Weaponry" was entertaining and the events at the end, while not quite a cliffhanger, do leave me wanting to read the next story.