A little light Victorian mystery/romance, complete with sumptuous country house setting. This novel had plenty of steamy passion and some thrilling action, neither too explicit. The mystery was beguiling and didn’t make me think too hard, which I was not in the mood to do anyway.

A bit sharper on the dialogue and it would remind me almost of Georgette Heyer’s mysteries, and there’s a definite Phrynne Fisher vibe. I’d be happy to revisit these cute characters in the second book in the series.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and was encouraged to submit a review.

Who doesn't want to read a historical romance with a serial killer? (Ok, maybe someone, but I don't know those people). I had an inkling of the killer's identity, but I did not guess it all. The H & H make a good team and are well developed characters in their own right, so it isn't just a romance or a murder mystery, it is very much both. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you will really like this one.

I thought this was a fun read that I would easily recommend for Evie Dunmore fans. Kate is competent and ambitious in a way I particularly enjoyed. I would call this more of a mystery novel than a romance novel, which I don't have a problem with. However, it does seem that the romance is relegated to the sidelines quite often.

I think this would be a great book for people who are interested in getting into the romance genre, with a good dose of mystery to boot.

This was such a fun and unusual historical romance and mystery. I don't read a lot of historical romance (or historical fiction in general), but I loved the idea of a female journalist working with a detective to solve a murder.

Lady Katherine Bascomb owns and manages a successful newspaper in Victorian England after the death of her husband. She is frustrated with how women are sheltered from matters of importance and decides to co-author a new article series with Lady Caro Hardcastle, a friend a fellow writer, called A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem to give a female perspective on crimes and other issues in the city. Their first article about the investigation of a series of murders plaguing London results in Andrew Eversham, the lead detective, getting kicked off the case and an innocent man imprisoned for the murders. Andrew and Katherine work together to find the real killer as new murders follow Katherine to the countryside village where she's staying.

I think this may be the first historical romance I've read starring a widow, which was such an interesting perspective considering the different level of freedom and control they have compared to the typical debutante. Andrew is also not nobility, so you get some of the class differences and struggles as he interacts with Katherine's world.

I really enjoyed their romance, but I would have enjoyed more development between them since many of their conversations were focused on the investigation. There was a decent balance between the romance and mystery, but there wasn't enough progression of time for me to believe they will have anything but a "happy for now" ending. The mystery was pretty solid, and I enjoyed the Scotland Yard perspective into the investigation.

Overall, I really enjoyed A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem and would definitely recommend it to fans of Evie Dunmore and other modern style historical romance.

A lovely Victorian story with romance and mystery.
A breakaway from Ms Collins normal regency books. She hit it out of the ballpark.
Andrew, the Inspector from Scotland Yard and Lady Katherine had fun and witty banter.
Secondary characters Caro and Val were engaging too. Look forward to their story next year.