I received an e-arc from the Publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This was a fun read and I love how Lady Katherine Bascomb (Kate to her friends) is a newspaper columnist who owns a newspaper with a couple of her other lady friends to report about what's going on in London and the surrounding areas.

When Kate finds herself caught up in a mystery about several murders that seem connected, she is caught in the crosshairs of Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham's notice who is currently in some hot water for not solving the case of a murder as quickly as his superiors would like. He is suspicion of Kate at first but soon learns that she is in fact not a suspect and just wants to help get to the bottom of the case though Andrew is uneasy about involving her as it may complicate the case but he also knows that he could use her ways of finding out things.

Soon this partnership turns into the makings of a potential romance and they will have to decide if they truly want to pursue this budding connection while also trying to get to the bottom of who is the killer behind the murders and hopefully also not be victims of this killer.

I really enjoyed getting to know Kate as well as Andrew and I loved watching them fall in love! Really looking forward to hopefully getting glimpses of them in other books.

Trigger warnings: death, murder, abusive spouse

This easy to read and entertaining novel is a great start to another series by Collins. It merges her entertaining writing with likable characters that you end up invested in. The combination of a lady journalist and a Scotland Yard Detective makes for some interesting conflicts against the background of a serial killer on the loose. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be picking up its sequel.

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

Thanks,
Laura

I found this to not be a very engaging storyline. While in theory the storyline is very interesting, the execution of the writing left me unexcited.

As a mystery fan and a romance fan, I am so glad that this book lived up to the hype. The characters were well-rounded and the plot delivered both a surprising twist for the mystery and an authentic ending for the romance.

Plot summary:
<spoiler/>A the start, the heroine is independent and somewhat headstrong, and we slowly learn that she was married to an abusive man who cut her off from her community and did a number on her self-assurance. The hero is a detective who is skeptical of the aristocracy and truly interested in finding justice. At first, the two are at odds because the heroine’s actions have put the hero’s job at risk. But they quickly figure out that they have the same goals and actually find the other quite charming.<\spoiler>

While the book was enjoyable overall, the book could have used more narration from the hero. A lot of his character is revealed through the heroine’s eyes, which makes it hard to get a sense of his feelings for her. As a result, his passion during their first night together is a complete surprise, and we learn the facts of his family life but don’t really get his emotions on those facts.

The twist ending to the mystery was also a bit odd. The identity of the commandments killer was certainly a surprise, but the killer’s motive didn’t really stand to reason. That said, the plot set up an excellent story for the next book, which I immediately wanted to read!

This book was unexpected and exciting. I enjoyed the character dynamics and following a mystery set in a historical romance. Would read future books set up in this way.

DNF at 40%. I wasn't invested in the story or the characters. Also, the connection to My Favorite Murder really did not vibe with me.

This novel was a charming romance novel with a dash of mystery thrown in! I found the characters to be very likable! The mystery was very well-done. However, it was a bit slow at times! Still, I recommend this for fans of Amanda Quick!

I really liked this one! I listened to it on audio and I think that made the experience that much better. I loved the narrator and will definitely be seeking out other books she does.

The dynamic between Katherine and Andrew was great and made for such a fun read. The mystery whodunit aspect added fantastic tension, and it took me by surprise at a few moments! I had to pause and rewind the audio at one point because I was shocked at what had been revealed. Loved how it all unfolded.

The side characters were just as strong, and I can't wait to read the next in the series to find out more about Caro and Val.

Really looking forward to reading more by this author!

This one felt super slow. I ended up reading the second one and liked that one much kore so get though this one and enjoy the next lol

I really enjoyed the murder mystery/romance troupe this book followed. I’m not sure I have read one like that before. This was an extremely quick read. It was fun to watch the romance and watch the mystery be solved.

Tried reading this one and it just was not meant for me. This does not mean that it is not a good book, I just was not in the right place to be reading it and have decided to not try picking it up anytime in the near future.

This book is a short read with a mix between Sherlock Holmes and Bridgeton... but fell flat for me. The "chemistry" between characters felt forced and didn't have much depth. The relationships with other characters had random details that didn't match. By the end I was okay it was done, I was bored most of the book. 2.5 stars

I really wanted to love this book. But I just didn't... I can't even put my finger on exactly why. It has a great premise, the characters were alright, etc. I was just kinda bored through most of the book, honestly.

I love so much when a book can force me to read outside of my typical genres. I read very few mysteries but my arsenal is full of romances and historicals. The marriage between the three made this a fun read for me.
Kate and her best friend, Caro, are disenchanted with the efforts the police have made in a recent crime spree in London. With the best of intentions, they use their journalistic abilities to move the investigation along. Unfortunately, things seem to get messier than anticipated and one Detective Eversham is now at his wits' end with the investigation and Kate.
I took longer than usual to finish this book as I didn't have it in an audiobook format. It kept staring at me on my bedside table. With book two due to come out this month, I finally buckled down to finish and it was definitely worthwhile. It had some fun predictability to it and I'm eager to jump into An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire as it's one of my favorite tropes and I'm rooting for the MC's already.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the e-arc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

3.75 stars

I really enjoyed the setting and most of all the heroine of this story. Lady Katherine is a fun and enjoyable MC to follow along with through the story and I liked how independent she was despite the era of the novel.

The story is a bit slow and there are a LOT of characters to keep track of. I still think there's a few I really had no idea where/who they were at the end of the novel. I am sure that this being a series has something to do with that but it was a bit confusing at times - especially since they often switch between first and last names being what they are called by depending on who is talking.

The mystery was worthy and interesting to follow along with as well as the romance. I'd pick up the next in this series to see where this continues to go from here.

Overall it was an enjoyable visit to this place in the past!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

And here I thought I was just reading another Bridgerton-like story, but A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is so much more! I love how Manda Collins gave us a mystery with a side of romance in 1860s England. I loved it! Lady Katherine the newspaper columnist and Inspector Andrew are these great characters that fit so well in this flirty plot. I would highly recommend this book to any historical romance or mystery readers!

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. I loved how the murder mystery took the forefront of the story, but unfortunately that left the romance underdeveloped, and when Kate and Andrew got together I just didn't buy it. I liked them both as individual characters, but there was just too much telling and not enough showing for me.

Such a fun read!! I absolutely loved the characters and may or may not have a new book boyfriend!! It's part murder mystery and part romcom! This one had such great characters with hints of feminism that made it a delightful read!!!

Let us travel back to 1865 and meet Lady Katherine Bascomb. She has inherited her late husband’s newspaper and has had an active role as a columnist ever since. When she sees that the local police are not doing what she deems a good job, she gets involved and teams up with Caro Hardcastle to investigate and starts an article in her newspaper to inform women of the situation at hand. All seems to be working in her favour, until the wrong man is arrested, and she has angered the investigating officer, Andrew Eversham. When Lady Katherine is asked to take a step back, she does just the opposite, she dives headfirst into what soon becomes a life threatening situation. Has she hindered more than she has helped, or will Andrew see that she can be very useful in solving the case? What will happen when they start having feelings for one another? Can they put personal feeling aside to solve the crime?

This first book in the new “A Lady’s Guide” series by Manda Collins was a definite page turner. I loved Lady Katherine’s strong, witty and independent character. She is someone who knows what she wants and is not afraid to show it. It was especially insightful given the timeline of the 1800’s. I adored the banter between her and Andrew and was found giggling out loud more than once. The mystery had me guessing throughout the story and I applaud Ms. Collins brilliant writing style. My thanks to Forever Publishing for my advanced readers copy that I voluntarily read and reviewed.