This is a light hearted, engaging historical mystery that I really enjoyed. I haven't read the previous books in the series but I had no problem picking up the story, and I'm planning on reading the previous books. I loved the main characters....Frances, George, Hetty and Detective Delaney are all well developed people that I would enjoy knowing in real life.
A young woman shows up just days before Frances and George are due to wed claiming to be his wife....she also claims to be related to Russian royalty. Only part of her claims are true but before Frances and George can get to the truth of the matter she is murdered and her body is left in Frances's garden. She and George are obvious suspects so they must investigate the crime! This is a "cracking" good mystery that I really loved!!
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Will this murder put a dent in their image and relationship…

I have read none of the previous book, not the best way to enter a series and to grasp the dynamic between the protagonists, but while the past of the main characters is not really displayed along the pages, there are enough innuendoes to catch up with the main couple past, but I hope to read later their previous stories to come up to date with how they meet again.
Like many suspense with a leading sleuth character narrated in the first person, with its off thoughts and witty retorts. Frances is a much determined woman, she follows but not always the rules, more specifically if she is investigating, and George, her fiancé is often her partner in crime. In this story, they are among the suspects as the victim is George supposed wife, a volatile woman he never married, yet her death puts a shadow on his name, and by association Frances’.
It was fun to follow their steps, as the deceased leaves many interrogations, unexpected clues and a wild web of intrigues going up the upper echelons of society.
In all, it is a wild merry chase with an unexpected twist, so I you love Anne Perry and Callie Hutton, it is in the same spirit, full of fun and banters.
4.5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder is the fourth instalment in Dianne Freeman's Countess of Harleigh Mystery series, but my first. I got to meet Frances, The Countess Harleigh for the first time, as well as George Hazleton, her fiancé.

Frances's mum and daughter are departing on a shopping trip to Paris and Frances has just waved them off when Inspector Delaney arrives on her doorstep, accompanied by a young woman. She is Irena Teskey and claims to be Hazleton's first wife. Frances doesn't believe that Irena is telling the truth and must wait for George to sort things out. Unfortunately, Alicia Stoke-Whitney witnesses the exchange between the Inspector, Irena and Frances. George denies it but confirms that some of Irena's other claims such as her parentage are true. Later, Irena is found dead in Frances's garden.

This was a perfectly paced and well-delivered murder mystery and I loved the author's characterisation. There were many suspects as Irena had crossed swords with several people and I was frequently led astray, resulting in me re-evaluating the clues and guessing again. A fun, engaging and compelling cozy tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

4.5 Stars
For Frances Wynn, widow to the late Earl of Harleigh, life has a cosmopolitan flavour of late. No sooner has she sent her mother and daughter off on a shopping trip to Paris than she and her fiancé, George Hazleton, are socializing with visiting members of the Russian royal family. Yet amid this whirlwind, scandal also comes calling when Inspector Delaney turns up outside Frances’s house with a young French woman with a shocking claim: she is Mrs. George Hazelton, she also insists that she is the illegitimate daughter of Russian royalty, that she has been abducted and held for ransom many times, and that someone is sending her threatening letters. When George arrives, he clarifies that he is certainly not married to Irena though he can confirm her royal parentage. But even as he agrees to investigate whether Irena’s life is in danger, her claim proves tragically true. Irena is found strangled in Frances’ garden. To uncover a killer and clear their own names Frances and George must determine which of Irena’s outlandish stories were based in fact.
This is the fourth book in this lovely series, very well written, the pace is very good, the characters are well portrayed & have lovely depth. I devoured this book in two sittings, there are twists & turns & surprises. I loved George & Frances & how they dealt with a difficult situation. A fun, entertaining read, which is my favourite of the series so far
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

1899 London and Frances, Countess of Harleigh (a widow) and the Hon. George Hazelton (her next-door neighbor) are planning their wedding...until. There is always "until" and this one lands on her doorstep, threatening to erase those wedding plans. The woman arrives with quite a tale to spin. She claims to be Russian Royalty, in grave danger and, shock of all shocks, she also claims to be George's wife. Well, as things turn out two out of three were correct. Royalty, check. Danger, check but never married to George. They figure out she was telling the truth about being in danger when she is found dead in the garden. Frances and George are on the case. They can get answers faster than Inspector Delaney can which is of prime importance. If the gossip feeding Society's rumor mill isn't stopped fast, Frances and George will have no reputations left and they can forget about social standing. This is, after all, Victorian high society.
The mystery is, as always, top notch, the characters well fleshed out and the humor is laugh out loud funny. Frances and George make a wonderful sleuthing team. More, please.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Frances is getting ready for her engagement party, but as usual, something has come along and thrown all her carefully laid plans out the window. Frances has a strange sort of luck. After waving goodbye to her mother and daughter as they take a shopping trip in Paris, a woman appears on her doorstep claiming to be George's wife! Within 24 hours though, this woman is murdered and the rest of the book is spent proving their innocence and trying to find out who did it.

Frances and George work much better together in this story than in previous volumes, although it feels like Frances does the majority of the sleuthing while trying to keep Inspector Delaney happy. I was happy to see her line of thinking was correct, but as usual there were points where they forgot a fact they just mentioned. As the story of this mysterious woman unravels and they chase their lead, Frances is grappling with her desire to save her reputation and help out a sort of friend. Overall, another fun mystery that I read very quickly. I do hope she gets a little bit of a break from all the murder and mayhem before her next mystery (hopefully her wedding is a non-event in that way).

I received an ARC of this book to read through Netgalley. All opinions are my own. A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder by Diane Freeman is the fourth book in her Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series. While reading the first three books is not essential to enjoying this one, it is a mystery series with the same cast of characters and on going relationships so you may wish to go back and read the earlier books after reading this one. Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh is shocked to find out that Inspector Delaney has taken a young woman Irena Teskey, into custody for throwing stones at a Grand Duke and among the lady’s various claims are that someone is threateing her, that she is the cousin of the Grand Duke and she is the wife of George Hazelton, who is Frances’s fiancee. Frances takes Irena into her home until her claims can be investigated, but the next day she is found dead in the garden and Frances and George are the likely suspects. The twists and turns of this story with it’s mixture of fictional and historical characters will keep you reading long past your bedtime. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it highly as well as the other books in the series. Steam Level: None
Publishing Date: July 27, 2021. #AFianceesGuideToFirstWivesAndMurder #DianeFreeman #CountessOfHarleighMysterySeries #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalWomensFiction #HistoricalMysterysAndThillers #MysterySeries #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley

Frances Wynn adored being a widow but she is still looking forward to marrying George Hazelton. Well, as long as he's not actually already married. But that is what a hysterical woman is trying to claim. She also says that she's the illegitimate daughter of one of the Russian royal family. It turns out her name is Irena and some of her stories seem to be true. At least true enough that she ends up dead. In Frances's garden no less. Can Frances figure out what is going on before she and George are ostracized from society completely?
Irena was really, really annoying. I often expect it when an old curmudgeon is killed off in a book but this was the first time I was actually relieved that a character was gone. Unfortunately, the rest of the story follows a lot of the zaniness that Irena introduced without the charm of previous books in the series (which I would highly recommend reading).


Three stars
Follows A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder
This book comes out July 27th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder by Diane Freeman is the fourth book in the humorous historical romance, Countess of Harleigh Mystery. The novels focus on Frances Wynn, widow to the late Earl of Harleigh as the main character. She is inquisitive and intelligent as well as being accepted to most events. This gives her access to gossip and the upper echelon to the ton, which helps solve mysteries. Her love interest and fiancee is George Hazleton. George is really who is asked to help solve the mysteries, after all, she is a mere woman. He is also quite connected and with the help of friends and family, they seem to always find their man.

In this particular case, George has a wife show up, or at least a woman claiming to be a wife. On top of that she is related to the Russian royal family. The woman is a bit of a thermigen and for safety purposes they have her stay with Frances. (Not that she is happy about that!) Only to find her killed in her garden. Talk about the inconvenience! The gossip that could happen! The family has an intervention with them including their concern that people will give Frances the cold shoulder.

This series is light hearted. The mysteries do have some twists and turns. It is fun to see how much Frances will try to help find the truth, sometimes without George’s knowledge, which is its own problem. A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder by Diane Freeman is a good read.

I absolutely adore this series. It's, for me, a perfect historical cozy series. I love the relationship between Frances and George, how it feels somewhat accurate for the period without being frustrating to a modern reader. This book involves a scandal that threatens Frances and George's reputation, Russian nobility, and pulls together new and familiar characters. Every time I read one of these books I just have so much fun! The mysteries are well paced and the cast of characters is never boring. If you haven't read these, go back to book one and enjoy the ride!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
A Lady’s Guide to 1st Wives and Murder is the 4th book in the Countess of Harleigh Cozy Mystery Series.
I have been lucky enough to have read all the books in the series and this book continues the witty, clever & entertaining vibe of the 1st 3 books in the series.
It’s a great murder mystery, has some romance, great characters and it takes place in an interesting time period, England 1899.
I hope the author decides to write another book in the series.

It's 1899 and Frances has been through a lot to get to her happy ending with George Hazelton. A widow, she's an American resident in the UK, and the Countess of Harleigh. George is a good guy, or so she thinks until Irena turns up on her doorstep claiming to be his wife (!) AND to be a member of the Romanov family. George quickly denies the former and agrees to look into the latter but then she's murdered and everything is on the table. Irena made a lot of allegations and clearly someone really didn't like her but who? This is a fun cozy series that I've enjoyed because it's light and because Frances is both mature and a bit of a fish out of water. Perfectly fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Delightful .

Scandal comes to Lady Harleigh's door when a woman shows up claiming to be George's wife, the same George that Lady Harleigh is engaged to. George tries to straighten things out but the story soon spreads in society circles. There are several mysteries in this book to be solved and it is a very interesting story with several red herrings. This series is engaging and keeps the reader turning the pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Goodness Gracious Me – I do believe I’ve become addicted to Countess of Harleigh and George Hazelton! Each book in the series seems to get better than the last and I come to appreciate the intrepid duo and their cast of friends more and more. I had hoped we’d have a wedding in this one, but we fell just a tad short in our timing, so, surely the next book will either contain the wedding or it will have already happened and we’ll be off on – perhaps an adventurous honeymoon. Who knows? Either way, I can’t wait.

Things are all abuzz in London with the visit of Duke Michael Mikhailovich and his wife, Sophie, Countess de Torby who are members of the ruling Romanov family of Russia. While it isn’t a state visit – since Mikhailovich is exiled from Russia – Prince Albert still wants to fete them. So, it was with a heavy heart that Frances, Countess Harleigh, canceled her trip to Paris to purchase a gown for her engagement ball. Still, she’ll have a lovely Parisian gown, but it will be chosen by her 8-year-old daughter and her mother who is still making the trip.

Frances has hardly seen her mother and daughter off when Inspector Delaney shows up at her door with a young woman, Irena Teskey, in tow. This young woman insists she is the wife of George Hazelton. OMGoodness! Frances doesn’t believe it for a minute and can’t wait for George to arrive and straighten it all out. Too bad the whole thing is witnessed by Alicia Stoke-Whitney. Will the woman keep it quiet? This could be a huge scandal because gossip spreads like wildfire among the ton – whether it is true or not.

When George denies it, the young woman keeps insisting it is true. She also insists someone has sent her threatening letters and someone has been following her. Oh! And by the way, she is under arrest for throwing a rock at the Russian duke. Yes, Irena is quite a piece of work. She’s spoiled, immature, petulant, whiny, and maybe just a tad barmy as well. Yet, when she turns up dead – In Frances’s garden – perhaps there was something to her story after all.

Now, Frances and George not only have to prove George wasn’t married to Irena – they have to prove he didn’t murder her. Putting all of the pieces together and solving the puzzle of Irena’s background and who murdered her will not be easily done. Even if George can convince everyone he wasn’t married to Irena – he really can’t convince anyone he didn’t murder her.

There are suspects aplenty because it seems everybody who encountered the young woman was soon ready to strangle her. There are many red herrings, false trails, and questionable characters, but through it all, Frances’s belief in George never wavers. She’s willing to face down the ton and any gossip in support of George. She’s steadfast and unwavering. What a great female lead character.

While there is a serious murder mystery to be solved and a heart-fluttering romance, there are also some light moments. One of my favorite lighter moments was Frances’s first ride in a motor car. The descriptions are delightful and her reactions are priceless. Her verdict is, of course, that those things will never replace a horse and buggy.

I can definitely recommend this book because it is a wonderfully well-written, perfectly paced, and well-delivered story. The characters are delightful and you will come to like them more and more each time you meet them. Of course, the villain is unexpected and the motive, while not totally unexpected, is still a surprise. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.

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

A Fiancee's Guide to First Wives and Murder is the fourth book in Countess of Harleigh Mystery series by Dianne Freeman but can be read as a stand alone.

I have been enjoying this series since the first book and it is quite delightful.
It is a historical cozy, with lovely and charming, quite often witty and humorous characters that are a pleasure to read about.
Mystery is well executed, clues are there to be followed and the case solved along with the main character, should you wish to.
There is also a love interest but it doesn't deter from the story.
In this particular installment we had a chance to see just how high society worked at that time, and the rules that had to be followed unless you wanted to be shunned by your peers. It was a short sociological lesson as well as a very delightful cozy read.
A wonderful historical cozy mystery.

I am really enjoying this series even though I read book three first and then had to play catch up. Then this came up on Netgalley so I just had to read it!

In A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder (great title!) Frances, the wonderful Countess of Harleigh and her future husband, the Hon. George Hazelton, have to deal with the advent of George's wife - or is she? This is a social disaster for Frances and George and when a murder occurs things become really sticky.

I really admire the way Frances deals with every issue which comes up, and I love the way George stands up with her. I found the story fun and intriguing and it moved at a great pace towards a very satisfactory ending.

An excellent series altogether and I hope the author continues to write them!

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Feeling a little blue after allowing her daughter Rose to visit Paris with her mother (and not sad to have a break from said mother), Frances is surprised when a young woman named Irena arrives at her fiancé George Hazelton's house claiming to be his wife. George explains he helped save the young woman from a kidnapping several years ago while in France as a favor to the government; she appears to either be a little mad or confused him with some other man. George and France attempt to figure out who the man in question really is, but the young woman is found dead in George's house before they can. With a murky past and a volatile there are no shortage of people with motives who may have done in the young woman, including George. The duo must clear George's name and find the real murderer so that they can begin their lives together without a cloud of scandal hanging over their heads.

I always find the mysteries in this series to be well done and enjoyable and this title is no exception. This series has moved the relationship between Frances and George along at a nice clip avoiding leaving readers frustrated which I appreciate. Irena is a well drawn and complicated murder victim which makes determining who actually killed her difficult as we learn that many of her claims only have a kernel of truth. I appreciate that George doesn't want to change Frances and views her as an equal partner in their investigations. I look forward to future titles in this series and hope that the next book features Frances and George's wedding.

This was the first book i've read so far in this series, and it was pleasantly charming. Although I found the murder relatively simple to solve, I loved the dynamic between Frances and George.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

Victorian fiction and a cozy mystery mix together to make a perfect historical mystery in A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder. This entertaining story is book #4 in the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. The book picks up with Lady Frances Harleigh and her fiancé George Hazelton being drawn into a murder that requires their investigation to clear their names.

I love the authors writing style and the depiction of the time period and flavor of Victorian London. While the murder details are treated with a light hand, there is enough suspense to keep the story enjoyable. There are plenty of leads to follow and suspects to sort through. Frances is a wonderful heroine, endearing, smart, brave, and witty. The light humor and easy relationships through out the story made me smile. The story takes a leisurely pace in solving the mystery, but it felt right for a Victorian cozy mystery.

Hopefully this fun series continues. I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

While I very much enjoyed revisiting this world and I adore the characters of Frances, George, Hetty, and Fiona, the murderer was beyond obvious from the very beginning. So as a historical novel, I enjoyed it very much. As a mystery, not so much. That said, I will definitely be reading the next one in the series as the previous three were all quite good mysteries so I'm chocking this up to a fluke. I would rate this 3.5 stars.