Book two in the Lady Fan Mystery series. Enjoyable, historical mystery with a touch of romance set in 1790's England and an engaging amateur sleuth in Lady Fan (Ottilia). Following on well from 'The Gilded Shroud' and an entertaining read.

I loved the first novel in this series and was expecting an excellent follow-up. However, this sequel was a let-down. The plot did not take off till the middle of the novel. It was also
hard to follow along. Still, I recommend this for fans of Tasha Alexander.

The Deathly Portent is the second Lady Fan Mystery by Elizabeth Bailey. Released 23rd Aug 2018 by Sapere books, it's 381 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

I really like historical fiction. I love period based mysteries. I enjoyed the first book in this series and fully expected to enjoy this one as well. There is a fair bit to enjoy. The author has done a lot of research and it shows. Her writing is competent and the plot flows mostly without lagging too terribly much.

I found myself struggling to connect with the main characters. They're by turns rude, overbearing, condescending and not terribly bright. (I can stick all of the above, but blundering and clueless are deadly). I finished the book last weekend, and I'm still annoyed over 'whodunnit'. It might well be true to period, but I read fiction for escape and excusing blatant racism and sexism because 'it's period' should remain firmly in the past. I get enough depressing headlines from my newspaper feed.

I struggled to finish this book because of the language. It's not an easy exercise, making archaic and obsolescent speech patterns palatable for modern readers. The author gave it a good try, but in my case at least, I winced a lot. Every single b'aint was a speed bump. Every use of 'creature' referring to women (43! I counted) was a break in my suspension of disbelief and every 'head toss' and 'fluttering' body part made me want to bang my head on my desk.

This is a murder mystery written, for all intents and purposes, like a period romance. There is romance and implied physical relations (off scene, nothing graphic). There is implied cursing but nothing graphic or specific. There isn't any direct content to offend or shock modern audiences, unless one counts the sexism and anti 'everyone who isn't white and male' sentiment.

There are now 3 books in the series with a 4th expected 3rd Jan, 2019.

Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the others in the series) are included in the KU subscription.

Three stars for me. The writing is competent and the plot framework was within bounds. I will say that there are a lot of diehard fans of this author and the series as a whole, so I seem to be in the minority. Probably worth a try for period romance fans.

The second book in the Lady Fan series. It does not disappoint. Tillie and Fan’s carriage breaks down and they take refuge in a village where a young seer is being persecuted by the townspeople. The arrival of a young vicar, the murder of a villain and the relationships of the characters draw Tillie in and she puts her extraordinary mystery -solving talents to work. There’s still romance and plenty of twists. A great read.

This is a second engaging story following in the footsteps of Lady Fan. Broken down near the village of Witherley Lord and Lady Fan are soon involved in the murder of the local blacksmith. You are involved in the twists and turns of the investigation and with so many suspects your perspective changes as often as Ottilia, Lady Fan. There is also Cassie Dale the lady with the sight who has become no 1 suspect in the village can Ottilia unmask the real killer in time before more predictions come true. You will enjoy this mystery set in a more enlightened time but find when murder is involved people still hark to the frightening past of witchcraft.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great historical mystery! I enjoyed the unusual setting of the 1790s. A lot of fun. Can't wait to go back and read the first book in the series.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I thought this book was a little cheesy and predictable. I felt like it was set up to the point where the coincidences were somewhat unbelievable. Ottilia is likeable but the way the characters almost worship her was a little annoying. I wish she would have proved herself more during the book instead.

I LOVE this series and hope there are many more to come (this is the second one, with third out in Nov.).

The continuing adventures of Lady Fan, who began in book 1 as a curious and highly intelligent young widow/ladies companion but has now married into the aristocracy. Small village setting here for murders, wonderful cast of eccentric characters, and some great humor. Very nicely done! Loved this one even more than the first.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Sapere for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

"The Deathly Portent" is a mystery set in 1790 in England. This novel is the 2nd in the series, but you don't need to read the previous novel to understand this one. This story didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous books but it did frequently refer back to events in that story.

The mystery is a clue-based, puzzle mystery. There were plenty of people with motives. Lady Fan used her keen observational skills and ability to get people to confide in her quickly to gather clues. I was able to guess whodunit at about the halfway point, but Lady Fan misread which way certain clues pointed. Further clues only confirmed my suspicions and soon made Lady Fan realize who the murderer was. Only, how to prove it? She set a clever but dangerous trap. There was some suspense because certain villagers were determined to burn the "witch" for murder and they're willing to harm those who protect her.

The characters were interesting and enjoyable. The author used some local dialect and historical details to create the feeling of a specific time and place. There were only a few uses of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.

Deathly Portent is the second in the Lady Fan series, and I actually abandoned the first one within a chapter or two, but this was kind of fun.

Description: THE DEATHLY PORTENT is the second book in the Lady Fan Mystery series: historical romance murder mysteries with a courageous women sleuth embarking on a traditional British, private investigation in eighteenth-century London.

Deathly Portent takes place in a small village. Lady Fan and her husband have carriage trouble and when Lady Fan hears that a young woman is being accused of being a witch and murdering the local blacksmith, she is unable to restrain her curiosity and need to investigate. Although there are murders, the book makes the most of the eccentric village characters, some humor, and a little romance.

NetGalley/Sapere Books

Historical Mystery. August 23, 2018. Print length: 381 pages.

I really loved the main characters and the brilliant plot. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for a review copy of The Deathly Portent, the second historical novel to feature Ottilia "Lady Fan" Fanshawe and her husband, Lord Francis.

When the axletree on their carriage breaks Tillie and Francis take refuge in the nearby village of Witherley which she has yen to visit after hearing of the death of the blacksmith who has recently died in exactly the same way as Cassie Dale forecast in a vision. Nothing is as it seems and Tillie is determined to get to the bottom of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Deathly Portent which is a light read with an engrossing plot. I must admit that I had a good inkling of the perpetrator from early on but no idea of motive or means and it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the journey to the denouement. I really like the setting of the novel which may be a bit clichéd with the sophisticated, smarter upper class characters in direct contrast to the uneducated yokels. The mass hysteria of the village about the "witch" Cassie Dale is very well done, being both understandable realistic within the context.

The novel is told in the third person from Tillie's point of view and as she is a smart, clever woman with a host of unexpected skills it is very readable and there is a hint of humour in the dialogue which, despite the subject matter, gives it a lighthearted tone. The plot revolves around Tillie's interactions with the other characters and her gradual uncovering of facts and snippets of information which eventually lead to a conclusion. There are also some unexpected action scenes to raise the excitement and leaven the chitchat. It's well executed.

The Deadly Portent is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.