Deadly Curious is a simple, easy to read example of historical romance with a side of mystery. Sophia Thompson, recently removed from the marriage mart due to a family scandal, has decided to become a detective. A fortuitous decision, it would appear, as her cousin was murdered a year earlier, and the villain has not be caught. New villainies bring Sophia to investigate, but she’s not the only one on the case. Newly minted Bow Street investigator Jeremy Fraser has been sent to settle the matter, and his immediate appreciation for Sophia leads him to accept a partnership in their pursuit of the murderer.

As they explore the surrounding town and question the locals, Sophia and Jeremy are faced with deception, distrust, and eventually, more murders. As they try to solve the case before Jeremy is recalled by the Runners, Sophia has to return to London, and even more violence occurs, their attempts may just end in their own demise.

My thoughts on the characters in this book are varied. Sophia and Jeremy were very likable and well developed. The accompanying characters though... not so much. Daphne - Sophia’s cousin - in particular was all over the place, as was Mr. Waverley, her father. Their characterization changed almost every other page, and it took away from the story. Daphne was presented as flighty, flirty, terrified, uncaring, rude, emotional, and distant, all within a few chapters. It would be great to see some solid characteristics applied and explored with her. As it is, she doesn’t have depth, but is more a confusing add-on. Additionally, the grammatical and wording errors took away from my reading enjoyment. The book needs a thorough editing.

The actual story was enjoyable to read. The romance between Sophia and Jeremy was believable, and their interactions were enjoyable to read. Their partnership and the occasional acceptance of Sophia’s detecting was not so plausible, as the idea of a lady working in such a career seems very irregular for this time period (this is pointed out in the book itself, but Sophia is humored a lot more than would have been possible). The mystery was engaging enough to keep me interested, and I did have several guesses as to who the murdered was. The ultimate unveil made sense, even if it could have been more thoroughly explained.

Overall, this was a solid read that could do with some minor editing. The story itself is enjoyable, as is the main pairing. It’s an easy read, sure to provide enjoyment to historical romance and mystery enthusiasts.

This was a very light read, and I do love a Regency/Victorian mystery, especially with a girl detective, but it wasn't necessarily super well done. The writing, and especially the dialog, was often awkward and stilted, and many of the idioms didn't feel appropriate based on when it was supposed to take place. While there was the veneer of early Victorian accuracy, it didn't seem to have the research behind it of something like Allison Goodman's Dark Days Club series, didn't have the dark, twisty mystery of something like Jackaby or Caleb Carr's Alienist books, nor the engaging characters of the Veronica Speedwell books. It's entertaining enough, but not really overly deep. Perhaps recommend to beginners in the genre, or those who aren't quite ready for Jennieke Cohen's Dangerous Alliance or the Charlotte Holmes books.

2/5 stars.

The best thing about this book might be, sadly, the cover. Deadly Curious follows Sophia Thompson - determined to become the first female detective as a Bow Street Runner. A year after the murder of her cousin, Sophia arrives at the same time as Jeremy Fraser who just happens to be, you guessed it, a Bow Street Runner. Together they team up to solve the mystery of her cousin's death and the events that continue to haunt the family.

I think this book may be better suited for very young adults, perhaps even middle grades. The characters were not very complex, felt flat, and were borderline annoying at times. The plot was almost too easy to put together and was hard to hold my interest.

This was a fun, charming mystery with a spunky female lead. It's quick-paced and frothy, ripe with uptight relatives, overly-controlling mothers, and a handsome counterpart.

A good blend of murder mystery and period piece! Great chemistry between Sophia and Jeremy! Murder and romance, always a good combination!

I usually never read mystery novels but I was looking to try some new genres and expand my reading. I think this was the perfect mystery / thriller for someone who is maybe new to the genre. I do not like anything to intense or scary. This book was perfect for me. It had an MC that I enjoyed and was a girl fighting for rights in a time when women did not have many. Many twists and turns to find out who was the killer and some swoon to boot.

Thank you Swoon reads for providing me with a copy for review. This is an auto buy author for me and I am looking forward to picking up her other novels. If you are reluctant to read mystery then I highly recommend starting with this Author's books.

Tl;dr – Feminine figurehead Sophia presents determination and drive but lacks in complexity of character. Jeremy feels like a cardboard cutout of the “ideal boy next door” with no true personality. The romance is fluff, the plot is watered-down, and the mystery can be quickly solved by the reader. 2/5 stars.

I was disappointed after finishing this book—and even then, I had a hard time finishing. I initially picked up on this ARC based on the cover alone (I have to say, I’m a sucker for pretty books). Once I read the description, I was really looking forward to a murder-mystery, potentially Sherlock-type piece, but with a strong female character to lead the way. I was desperately wrong. Instead, I was treated to a watered-down Nancy Drew and a plot that didn’t really go anywhere.

Summary: Sophia is contacted by her rather dramatic cousin Daphne after Daphne’s brother was murdered. Sophia, deadest on being a detective, rushes to her aid in order to prove herself. She is joined by a Bow Street Runner named Jeremy who is on the cusp of being ousted, and romance blossoms. The three need to solve a murder before anyone else is harmed.

To start, Sophia is a weird juxtaposition. She has the drive and determination to get what she wants, which presents the strong female figurehead you want to see in novels like this. She gives off that Nancy Drew aura, but unfortunately, isn’t as amazing as the renowned female detective. Instead, Sophia is convinced she can be Bow Street Runner after reading a single book on being a detective. That logic alone is so flawed and juvenile, that it soured a great deal of the book for me. Overall, she’s naïve and I wouldn’t flag her as the next great female detective. It doesn’t help that I was able to flag the killer before she did.

If we move on to look at Jeremy… it doesn’t really get much better. He’s handsome (and we are reminded regularly). From the very beginning, when Sophia’s thoughts lingered on his eyes, I immediately knew the relationship would be shallow. I wasn’t disappointed by my predetermination. Their relationship felt simple and vapid.

In summation, the characters are flat and lack any kind of legitimate complexity. I typically teach lessons in young adult or middle-grade works that focus on character development. If anything, I would use this story as an example of how NOT to develop your characters. Sophia provides a very basic view of a strong female who won’t be pushed around, but there are better female protags out there to read about. The plot was also lackluster and dissatisfying, with a neatly laid out mystery that was obvious for the reader but somehow impossible for our detectives to solve. This novel would be great for younger readers who are working their way through literacy levels in the middle-grade area. I’d recommend this to younger female students over male students and would promote it for leisure reading rather than something of substance.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I so enjoy Cindy Antsey’s novels and was thrilled to preview her latest, Deadly Curious. Her Victorian era romance/mysteries never fail to entertain and Deadly Curious is no different. I was slightly distracted while reading due to a worldwide pandemic, COVID-19, as well as needing to work remotely from home and continue with my own higher education online too. I did fully enjoy Deadly Curious, and greatly appreciated it for the escape it offered, but I get it maybe lacked the ratio of romantic magnetism and playful humor which I have come to expect and love about Antsey’s tales. These aspects were included but much more subdued or slower to develop than in previous novels by Antsey. I still very much enjoyed the story. I read in the author notes at the end of the book that this book was written while enduring significant personal health issue which caused some delays, and I can only wonder if this contributed to the slight change in the potency of Antsey’s usual spark that I detected. I continue to highly recommend all of Cindy Antsey’s novels, Deadly Curious included. I eagerly anticipate and await her next tale.

I am so thankful for having received a galley of Deadly Curious from the publisher thanks to Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love all of Cindy Anstey books! This was no exception! Murder, mystery and a young woman who wants to be a detective! It is perfect for any reader but especially for the classroom library!

I was drawn to this book based on the cover and description because it reminded me of William Ritter's Jackaby series. It was a hard book to get into and get excited about the characters. I was intrigued by the fact she was strong-willed when challenged by males but somewhat meek around female characters (i.e. her mother, aunts, ladies in the town, etc). I was able to figure out the plot fairly quickly and continued to read the book and was disappointed how unrealistic the ending wrapped up the book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

So, I honestly asked to read this book because I thought two things:
1) The cover looks pretty!
2) The description makes this sound really cool.

Lies. So many lies. Well. Not about the cover. It is pretty.

Sophia, our fetching protagonist, has read one (1) book on being a detective and has now decided, since she is a spinster at 18 (20? I can't remember and I don't give any fucks.) that she's going to be a detective. And that she knows everything about detecting and will be the best detector who ever detected. No, I am not kidding you, that's the entire premise of the book. Sophia's cousin, Daphne, who is a walking flat character if I've ever read one, writes to Sophia, begging her to come visit and solve her brother's murder. Which Sophia does, while falling in love with the young Bow Street Runner, Jeremy who was sent to solve the case (oh, and just to add some drama, if he fails at solving the case, then he's fired from the Runners).

To be honest with you, dear readers, I wouldn't have been nearly as frustrated by this plot if the characters had any depth. They were all as flat as a board and could have been replaced by paper dolls. I've read these tropes before (hell, I love these tropes), and they do work. But I love the tropes when the author sells it; this author doesn't. This arc was riddled with typos and ridiculously worded sentences. Honestly, I don't think Anstey was that into this book either. The whole thing just felt half-assed to me.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This is about my third book by this author and each one has been an amazing read. This is a historical fiction/mystery novel that draws together Sophia and Jeremy as investigator of a murder. The novel is well paced and I couldn't put it down. The mystery is not so hard to solve but makes for good interaction between the two main characters. I hope there is a follow up novel about Sophia's detective agency that is mentioned at the end as I would love to read that as well as a follow on story of Daphne's season. I would have like a bit more romantic interaction between the two main characters in this story. Great clean read!!!! Love this author.

I have read all of Cindy Anstey’s book, and they are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I love a plucky heroine and a precious good-natured, blue-eyed boy for her to fall in love with. If you enjoyed her other books, this one will not disappoint. This outing is similar to her other reads, which is both a good and bad thing.

This book has more murder and danger than the others for sure, but other than that, its right on brand. I personally can’t tell the difference between any of her heroines or heroes— or the villains. The heroes all a bit too good and rather blank when it comes to personality. The villains are instantly dislikable and nefarious. But that never stops me from being fascinated by her story and rooting for the two main characters to fall in love. They always do. It’s always adorable. At the end of the day, if you are looking for a sweet but rather innocent mystery/love story, this will be right up your alley. I personally enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to Anstey’s next book! However, if dark, twisty mysteries full of nuanced characters are your thing, this is most likely not for you.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion, which is my own.

Historical crime novel. Overall, a fun, twisty and quirky read. About a young lady who hopes to become a Bow Street Runner (detective) in the time when ladies do no such thing.

So I made the mistake of not clocking the publisher's name (Swoon) and realizing that this was less a mystery and more of a romance. It ticks along speedily, but that's about all you can credit the work. The mystery is half baked and obvious, the romance is bland, and the characters seem like silly, overblown caricatures of the period. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't engaging either. As another review put it: big meh.

Sophia Thompson is just a girl with a dream of being a detective, to bad it's 1834 and she’s a girl. When her cousin Daphne writes to her and begs her to help solve her brothers year old murder Sophia sets off on her first investigation. Sophia arrives at her cousins family estate at the same time as detective Jeremy Fraser a young Bow Street Runner sent by London to solve the murder. The two team up to try and solve the case. Overall, this was an alright book but I had pretty much figured out the bad guy early in the book and the romance could have been a bit more.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review, thank you for the opportunity. All opinions are my own.

Deadly Curious sounded like a perfect book for me but unfortunately, the execution of this plot left much to be desired. There were so many clues to this that were blatantly ignored and most of the time was spent wandering around and lamenting life. The culprit was hard to believe and the reason for all of the murders was far fetched. The romance was not at all believable and felt very forced. I've enjoyed a few of her other novels but this one was just a really big let down. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Swoon Reads through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I read this as an eARC in return for a fair review.

It's been one year since Sophia's cousin was found murdered in the woods near his family's estate, but there gas yet to be an arrest of the culprit. When she is asked to visit and look into solving the mystery, Sophia finds herself teamed up with an unlikely partner, a young new member of the Bow Street Runners. After several different accidents and another murder, Sophia and her new partner Jeremy are racing against time to solve the case.

I liked this one a little better than the last book by this author I read. I'm sure fans will really enjoy it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Full review on Goodreads. The main female protagonist is a positive one working towards a career, which was unheard of in her time, and I liked that. The romance needed fleshed out better as did some of the other characters.

Anstey can be relied on for pleasant Regency (or early Victorian) romances with a hint of mystery. In her most recent books, the mysteries begin to take more of a center stage. She is still developing in this area; the romance element is still her strength. Many of the historical details are accurate although sometimes the writing feels anachronistic. I was intrigued enough by the inclusion of the Bow Street Runners that I ended up reading more about them. Not great literature, but recommended for those middle grade and older readers who want a bit of escapism.
Review based on an ARC received through NetGalley.