historical-novel, historical-research, serial-murder, investigation, friendship, romance, England

It's a pretty good mystery within a romance from a delightful writer of romances. There's the widow who's running her deceased husband's newspaper, the spritely older lady who is a complete feminist, the charming police detective, and serial murders. What could go wrong? It's a really cute story but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy it the way I have her other books.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley.

Since her husband’s death Lady Katherine Bascomb has turned his newspaper into a success and become quite infamous as a columnist. She’s tired of ladies being kept in the dark and decides to begin a new segment informing London’s female population about a killer preying on the city’s inhabitants and harming women. But when her writing leads to the arrest of a man Katherine is being wrongfully accused, she escapes to a friend’s country house party to avoid the media circus and determine how to right the wrong she inadvertently caused. Far from relaxing, she stumbles upon a murder scene on her first day in the country. When the lead detective arrives from London and denounces Katherine’s ill-fated attempt at an informative column, she determines to aid him in his investigation and undo the damage.

Thanks to Katherine’s column Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham’s stellar career is threatened. He refuses to go along with his superior’s railroading of an innocent man and so finds himself demoted and relegated to the country to investigate what his superintendent believes to be a copycat of the serial killer plaguing London. Eversham doesn’t believe in coincidences and is suspicious when Katherine winds up being a key witness in the new murder. He tries his best to keep her from ruining yet another case but is surprised to find her outlook to be a bit helpful. Katherine is equally surprised by Andrew’s skill and the anger between them rapidly becomes a completely different sort of heat. But before they can determine where a relationship between them might lead, they must stop a killer before he strikes again.

I’ve got some mixed feelings about this one just because it frustrated me so much. The heroine was the cause of much of this pique because most of her behavior and dialogues seemed more like they belonged to a recalcitrant child than to a strong, independent lady. Her constant harping about how women should be allowed to do more wasn’t wrong of course, but her actions repeatedly worsened the problem, making herself, and by extension women, look bad. Kate put herself and others in danger with her over-estimation of her own abilities. She knew nothing about police work, showed very little care for Eversham and the damage she’d already done him, and even after admitting her mistakes, she still repeated them, always thinking she knew better than anyone else. This just smacked of abject arrogance to me. I did appreciate her awareness and ability to admit to being wrong, but when she then repeated this behavior anyway, those admissions were cheapened for me. Besides that, I did enjoy the storyline and the mystery aspect here, although it definitely took precedent over the romance. There was only really one gratuitous scene between Andrew and Kate and despite their working together, a lot of which was mostly Kate trying to undermine him and do her own thing, I didn’t really see them as a couple. They had the enemies to lovers spark, but it never felt like it progressed much beyond that to me and their relationship seemed a bit cobbled together. Overall, I adored the mystery here and found the whodunit aspect to be well done, I just didn’t click with this heroine and I wanted more romance. I also think the ending felt rather abrupt and an epilogue would’ve made it seem less slapdash, but things may be more wrapped up in the next installment of the series. Valentine was an interesting enough side character for me to want to continue in hopes his story is next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins
Thank You to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review

Lady Katherine is a young widow forging a feminist path as owner of a newspaper and an author. Her new friend Caro is excited to help launch a new column “ A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem”. Their first topic- how women’s constitutions are strong enough to handle the ugliness of human experience -leads them to intrude on a murder investigation, and right into Detective Andrew Eversham’s lap.

I loved Lady Katherine’s curiosity and persistence of the truth in this book. She came across as a no nonsense, straight shooter who tells it like it is- certainly not someone looking for a relationship ( a refreshing trope in a romance read).

What follows is a typical murder mystery, whodunnit read
with a surprise twist at the end mixed and a smattering of romantic pursuits. I adored the fact that Katherine has a flourishing sex life- with no strings attached (discreetly of course) yet another refreshing twist from the author that immediately grabbed my appreciation and held my attention.

The author takes the opportunity to lay the groundwork for another instalment focusing on the relationship between Caro and Alex and I am totally here for it!

A fabulous feminist and fun read

Following a string of gruesome murders in London, Lady Katherine Bascomb and new friend Miss Caroline Hardcastle start their own column, The Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem, in an attempt to provide a female perspective on the crimes. Despite their best intentions, casting doubt on the police causes detective Andrew Eversham to lose his spot on the case. The two continue to cross paths as Eversham tries to solve the case and Lady Katherine attempts to help, the two begin to develop feelings for each other. But when the murders continue, getting closer and closer to home, will they be able to stop the culprit before one of them gets caught up in the middle?

This was a really cute story. I liked that the background to the romance was a murder investigation. I thought it was an interesting twist on the traditional historical romance.

I liked that Eversham and Lady Katherine started off as enemies, after Katherine almost gets Eversham fired. There was a lot of great tension between them.

I did find that the conclusion seemed to come very quickly and very close to the end. I would have liked a bit more closure to the story beyond just a few pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the characters and am looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley*

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is the first title in a new series from Manda Collins; 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.. Lady Katherine (Kate) Bascomb is a young widow and the publisher of a London newspaper she inherited from her late husband; the the several years since her husband's death, she has made the newspaper more profitable and successful than it ever was under her husband. When she meets Miss Caroline Hardcastle, the author of cookbooks, the two women decide to publish a column focused on their thoughts on thing ladies find of interest but are discouraged from talking about after being told that that they shouldn't be discussing a killer known as the Commandment Killer.

The pair decide their first column will feature a female perspective on the Commandment Killer; both hope their story may help spur the investigation. They decide to do some investigation before the next column and talk to people at the various crime scenes; both are shocked when they stumble upon a witness that the police missed. As a result of the next column, the lead investigator, Andrew Eversham is not only removed from the case, but he is demoted from investigative duties. His replacement quickly apprehends a suspect and justice appears to have been served. Andrew is convinced that Scotland Yard is determined to railroad the suspect to be able to close the case despite some holes in their story.

Andrew and Kate meet and sparks fly, especially when he realizes she was one of the writers of the column that lead to his demotion. The two meet up again at a house party her friend Lord Valentine is holding when she stumbles upon a body killed in a similar manner to the Commandment Killer's victims in London and he is sent to investigate. Is the real killer still on the lose or is it a copy cat killer with an agenda of his/her own?

I enjoyed this book as I have all of Ms. Collins's previous titles; she always writes an interesting mystery that keeps me interested throughout. Fans looking for strictly romance may not enjoy this title; while there is a romance between Kate and Andrew, the mystery is very much front and center. I liked the way that Kate had blossomed during her widowhood after a less than happy arranged marriage; it was easy to understand her hesitation to even consider remarriage. I enjoyed watching Andrew learn that Kate is more than up to the challenge of not only solving this mystery, but also being his life partner. The secondary characters are interesting; I'm especially intrigued by Lord Valentine and Caroline who clearly have a history that will be explored in the next book.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
Book 1 in the A Lady's Guide series
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

This story reads more as a mystery with a dash of romance. I enjoyed it and would of given it 5 stars if the romance would of been more developed. I felt that it was a little rushed and that it came out nowhere. Andrew and Katherine felt an instant chemistry since they first meet. They felt taken aback of their attraction since they were enemies from the beginning. She kind of ruined his reputation as an investigator. She feels a little guilty and decides to help him out in investigating a new set of murders that occur during her time in the country.
They worked well together, even when there were times that he tried to evade her help. She always surprised him with her deduction skills.
In regards to the love that grew between them she was afraid of taking it further, since her first experience as a wife left her hesitant to got through that again...but an event towards the end of the book made her think twice of what she really wanted in her life.
I look forwards to the next book.

Thanks to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem.
This was a fun, Victorian era mystery romance by Manda Collins.

In 1865, England newspaper columnist Lady Katherine Bascomb is a little unique where she owns a newspaper. She enjoys the freedoms that being a widow and owning a business that aren't available to many women in her time. When she writes a newspaper column about a series of murders she gets herself in hot water with Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham. When the murders follow Lady Katherine to the country, the two begrudgingly start to work together.

The part mystery, part rom-com of this book was enjoyable. I liked trying to solve the murders with a little love story beginning. While the beginning of this was a little slow for me once it started picking up about halfway through I didn't want to put it down. The writing was fun, slightly snarky in place, a little bit of Victorian feminism thrown in and great characters.

This was my first Manda Collins, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel with Caro and Lord Valentine!

I am usually not the biggest mystery fan, but throw romance into anything and I guess I'm reading it! 

A Ladie's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem follows Lady Katherine, a widowed newspaper owner and reporter, who got herself a little too involved in a murder case and not on the good side of Detective Andrew Eversham. The two coincidentally end up at Lady's Kate's friend's country estate where another murder occurs, forcing Kate and Andrew to work together to solve the case and naturally fall in love. 

Guys, this book was so damn cute and a perfect end to spooky season. Again, I'm not the biggest thrill seeker when it comes to books, but this book had just enough to keep usual murder mystery fans happy but not too over the top for peoples like me. And adding a love story doesn't hurt! It had everything you want in a classic historical romance, different classes, enemies to lovers and just the right amount of steam. 

However, what I loved most about this book was not only how fiercely independent Lady Kate was but also the similar parallels to feeling towards law enforcement that we're dealing with today. Corruption within law enforcement is a huge theme throughout the book, and even though this book takes place way back when, it's unsurprising that we're still dealing with rampant corruption within law enforcement. If only Andrew Eversham could run it all!

I like mysteries and I like romances but they are hard to combine. A serial killer is on the loose in London. Women are considered too delicate to hear the details. Kate who owns a newspaper and her friend Caro write a column called "A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem" bringing attention to the case. In their investigation they find a potential witness the police missed. Andrew Evesham the main detective is removed from the major case and a fall person is quickly charged. When Kate goes to a country house party and stumbles on a dead body Evesham arrives to see if it is the work of the commandments killer.

I like Kate and it is interesting to have the heroine be a widow. She has more freedom of movement (not needing chaperones) and there is mention of discrete past affairs. The murders are the driving force to the plot. Kate respects Evesham as they work to solve the case but don't feel like I know the main characters. Kate's friend says her marriage wasn't happy but we get no details. I know less about Evesham, other than his father was a vicar and he's a cut off grandson of a baronet. The romance relationship seems weak and changes from lust to love too quickly. The mystery is straight forward.

Overall an okay read. I will probably read the sequel as I like Caro and think it will be her adventure. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a charming, funny romance-mystery hybrid! Collins has a very straightforward storytelling style that took me a minute to get used to, but I ended up really enjoying how the plot unfolded and each of the quirky, endearing characters. Katherine and Andrew's dynamic reminded me of a Regency version of Phryne and Jack in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. I look forward to seeing what's next in this series!

1865 Events lead to a newspaper column being written by Lady Katherine Bascomb (owner of the The London Gazette) which results in an arrest in the case of the 'Commandments Killer'. Much to the annoyance of Inspector Andrew Eversham.
On realising that she needs help Lady Katherine, accepts an invitation to a house party at Thornfield Hall, Lewiston, Lake District, home of old friend Lord Valentine Thorn where she discovers a body, murdered. The inspector is sent to investigate.
Unfortunately I didn't take to Lady Katherine, but the story was entertaining enough, a well-written historical romance and mystery. Though I prefer little or no romance in my mysteries. A good start to the series, though interest in future books will depend how much Eversham will continue to be part of the series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayehm is a charming Victorian romance meets comedy meets mystery romp! Frustrated by Victorian men’s nonsensical and misogynistic notions about women, Lady Katherine Bascomb and Caro Hardcastle team up write to secretly write a newspaper column. However, things go awry when their column on a serial killer inadvertently leads to the arrest of an innocent man.

This places Katherine at odds with Detective Andrew Eversham who is extremely upset that he lost his position as lead detective on the serial case due to Katherine’s column. Needless to say sparks fly when Katherine and Andrew are thrown together when Katherine becomes a key witness in the serial killer’s latest murder. Can they solve the case, and sort out how they feel for each other?

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is a very soothing and engaging escape from 2020. I loved the humor, friendship, feminism, and critique of classism. While I’m typically all about a good enemies-to-lovers romance, I didn’t get a ton of swoon from Katherine and Andrew’s romance mostly because Andrew is SO serious, but I was still happy for them. If you like Evie Dunmore’s novels, I think this book would be a great fit for you!

I was so excited to get my hands on this advanced copy! A Lady’s Guide is an entertaining and delightful novel. It is a perfectly crafted mystery and an exciting love story wrapped together. Set in 1865 England, Kate is a head strong and determined reporter who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Dreamy Detective Eversham is at first incredibly frustrated with her constantly causing trouble and messing with his career. They both end up at the same lake house where they both get even more twisted into the investigation.

I really liked how quickly the plot gets interesting, it dives straight into the mystery within the first couple pages. However, because it goes so fast, I did find I was missing some descriptions of the characters. I found them hard to picture and we don’t know a whole lot about them until further into the book. I do think this would make a fantastic movie, I would love to see these characters come to life!

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for my copy!

“I know it’s probably inappropriate to get pleasure from such a dark subject.” Caro smiled ruefully. “But that was fun.”

Sherlock & Holmes. Poirot & Hastings. Frank & Joe Hardy. Let’s let the women do the work. Meet Caro & Kate.


A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is a column Kate & Caro run in The London Gazette at their own sleuthing.

I felt like the story was choppy. We jumped around from place to place and it was hard to follow along. The mystery part of the plot was so fun! A Ten Commandments Killer was unique and a great way to introduce a killer. Was the killer predicable? Yes. Did it deter me from finishing it? No.

I love enemies to lovers and I love when characters have an organic relationship. This book has both 👏🏼 I do feel like I was invested more in their relationship than they were though. I wanted fireworks and airplanes across the sky 😂, they are more realistic than I am.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a whimsical fun whodunit with a hefty slab of romance to check all my favorite boxes. Thank you Forever & NetGalley for the gifted copy! This one is out 11.10.2020!

I am not always one for murder mysteries and crime solving in my romance reading but this one was a cozy (murdery?) delight. I think the historical setting gave it an Agatha Christie feel that hit the right fleecey-blanket-with-a-cup-of-tea spot.

Kate Bascomb is a newspaper columnist following a serial killer and she accidentally writes a story that gets Inspector Andrew Evesham demoted. Oops. I mean, really, it was his own fault but whatever…These two start off on the wrong foot but soon discover that their personal and professional chemistry is too big to deny.

This book is a perfect fall day, female empowering romance. Thanks Forever and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts an opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but I think I need to tell you that the focus of the book is the mystery rather than the romance. Yes, there is a romance and a bit of a HEA, but the mystery is the central point. For me personally, that is just the way I like it – I love a good historical mystery, but I do need a bit of romance to be included. That is exactly what I got in this book. Like other reviewers have said, I didn’t exactly buy the instant chemistry between the main characters. However, I think that is more because the focus wasn’t on the romance and so it wasn’t developed as much as it would have been in a strictly romance book – or a book where the mystery was secondary and the romance was primary. I loved the secondary characters, Val and Caro, who will be featured in the next book – and it sounds like there might be more of a romance there because these two already have a history.

Victorian London, 1865, finds itself with a serial murderer and they have dubbed him/her as the Commandments Killer. So far, four victims have been murdered – all viciously stabbed and one of the Ten Commandments left nearby. There are no clues and the victims are not related in any way. Inspector Eversham of Scotland Yard has been the one in charge of the case and has made no progress. Not from lack of trying – he’s worked exceedingly hard on the case – there just haven’t been any clues to turn up. The public, the Home Office, The Chief Inspector, and the politicians are all demanding an arrest. Actually, they just want an arrest and don’t really seem to care if there is proof or not. Since Eversham doesn’t work that way, he’s removed from the case in disgrace when The London Gazette published an interview with a witness who had a description of the killer.

The new glory-hound of an inspector who is assigned to the case immediately makes an arrest – even though the man arrested doesn’t actually fit the description as published. The inspector doesn’t care, the Home Office doesn’t care, Eversham’s boss doesn’t care – the only one who does care is Eversham, and he can’t do anything about it. He’s really bitter at the journalist who published that interview without even bringing the information to Scotland Yard. They cost him his career and will likely be the cause of an innocent man being hung. He definitely is NOT kindly disposed toward Lady Katherine Bascomb!

“It was hard to believe that before this incident, he’d been celebrated for his ability to solve cases that left other investigators scratching their heads in confusion.”

Lady Katherine and her friend Caro were so proud of themselves and were so happy to hear that the incompetent Inspector Eversham had been removed from the case. Because of them and their article, the killer had been caught. However, after a tense, bitter, and uncomfortable confrontation with Inspector Eversham, Kate begins to wonder if they’d really done the right thing. Eversham tells her – among many other things – “The man Dolph Wargrove has locked up barely matched Lizzie’s description. Not to mention that there’s no evidence tying him to the other three murders. But he’s close enough to make the Home Secretary happy. And I suppose that’s all that matters.”

When another death occurs, in the same manner as the first four, Eversham is sent to investigate because it happened well outside London. It turns out that Kate and Eversham are thrown into proximity again and have to work together to solve the murder(s). As they work together, the attraction between them grows.

I thought the book was well-written, well-plotted, well-paced, and I liked the characters very well. Who and where the villain is will keep you wondering until the very end. So, if you want an interesting whodunit, this is an excellent choice.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Lady's Guide takes place in England in 1865. Newpaper owner and columnist Lady Katherine Bascomb decides to start a column about the serial killings happening in London. Her interview with a witness leads to some problems for the investigator on the case and the innocent man arrested for the crimes. She heads to the country and comes face to face with another victim. Soon the inspector she had removed from the case comes to follow the clues and Katherine and Eversham find themselves working together to prove the serial killer is still at large and stop the killings.
Andrew Eversham and Katherine Bascomb are locked in a battle of wills. A murder investigation isn't the place for a lady, but Katherine isn't interested in staying in the corner for the rest of her life and has no intention of following orders. Andrew both loves and hates this about her and as they spend time together they realize its more than an argument brewing between them.
I only half guessed the killer so that's a pretty good average for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and investigation not to mention all the fun moments between Katherine and Andrew. It is a swoon-worthy romance for all fans of historical fiction and murder mysteries!

Lady Katherine Bascomb owns and writes for a popular London newspaper. When she works with Lady Caro Hardcastle, a friend and writer, about a series of murders plaguing the city, she doesn’t expect to gain the attention of head investigator Andrew Eversham, but that’s exactly what she does.

Andrew is furious. Not only had the Commandments Killer evaded him for a year, but Kate’s article resulted in removing him from the case. However, after a new murder appears, Andrew is back on the case and more determined than ever to solve it. Andrew begrudgingly accepts help from the persistent reporter, but with the killer on the loose and danger lurking around every corner, can Andrew and Kate solve the case?

This is an interesting mix of romance and mystery, and I like how the author blended the two genres. Kate is ambitious, intelligent, and confident. I loved her assertiveness and determination to help all citizens become well-informed. She dislikes that women are often sheltered from the realities of society, and her articles reinforce her goals to inform. I love that she is an asset to Andrew, which causes him to reevaluate his opinions on Kate and women as a whole.

The mystery is suspenseful, and the plot progresses well, but the strength of the story is definitely in character development. Kate, Andrew, Caro, and others are complex and dynamic, and the author did a great job of creating interesting and deep connections and personalities.

A Victorian romance with a strong female protagonist and a confounding mystery, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem will appeal to readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers novels. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lady Katherine Bascomb knows what it is like to be vulnerable in the world. As a widow, she has more freedom than some, and so when a series of murders start to occur in Victorian London, she, and best friend Miss Caroline Hardcastle, use Kate's paper to create a new column, entitled 'A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem'. Writing about the murders soon find the two aggravating the Metropolitan Police, and resulting in the removal of Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham from the Commandment Killer case. Andrew is not happy to say the least, and wants Kate to stay out of the case, but when she visits friends in the Cumbrian countryside, and stumbles across a body that is seemingly linked, Andrew needs to work with Kate to discover the truth about the murders, and why they seemed to be tied so much to the estate of the late poet, Sebastian Philbrick.

As soon as I saw this book spoken about online, I knew it was one I needed to read, so when I received the email saying I was approved, I was ecstatic. A Victorian murder mystery, full of intrigue and romance, A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem was fantastic. Kate, as the main character, was a joy to read. Being the daughter of an impoverished Earl, she was forced to marry a man 20 years her senior, who was cruel, and now widowed, and in charge of her own newspaper, she is recovering. She knows that the world is a cruel place, but as a woman, she is often excluded from the nitty gritty, which does more harm than good. With Caro at her side, they work on a column that is to help all of the country, but especially the women, to understand the truth about crime and the dangers out there. When they interview a witness in the Commandment Killer case, which embarrasses the Met, they only think of helping, but for Andrew, they've cost him his position on the case, to someone who is less thorough. There's an animosity between Kate and Andrew from the get go, because of this, but there's an attraction which allows for an easy sort of partnership, that soon develops into more.

The mystery surrounding the Commandment Killer was enjoyable, though there were some times I guessed at what was happening next, and the identity of the killer. However, it was interesting to see the development, and the murders which occur later on were surprising, as were the links which tied the whole case together. I found myself devouring the second half of the book in mere hours, and was hooked from the moment we arrived at Thornfield Hall, and the action really ramped up.

What was the best part of the story, though, were the friendships and relationship which develop in the book. We see Kate and Caro meet for the first time, and grow into such a budding friendship it's as if they've known each other from childhood. They have a witty banter, and an easiness which was refreshing. Kate also has a best friend in Lord Valentine Thorn, the younger son of a nobleman, who's estate is where the majority of the action occurs. Andrew is jealous of their relationship, but they're more like brother and sister in how close they are. The funny thing, though, is that Caro and Val seem to despise each other, and there's a backstory to them that we're not too sure of, but the sequel is supposedly all about them, and I can't wait! Andrew and Kate are perfect for each other, and their intelligence and partnership makes it so much more than just lust and sexual tension. I do hope we see more of them in book 2, and can't wait to get my hands on it!

British period-piece murder mystery reminiscent of Masterpiece Mystery with a romance shoe-horned in.

Lady Katherine Bascomb and Inspector Andrew Eversham are set up to be enemies-to-lovers (she owns a newspaper and co-writes a crime column; he's a cop), and he's initially investigating the Commandments Killer case. But even as the story takes these two from London, out to a house party in the country, I never really bought the supposed chemistry between them, despite both characters commenting on the attraction.

It has strong feminist themes and a solid mystery that unfolds like a game of Clue. A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem will likely be a better fit for mystery/cozy mystery readers than romance.