I absolutely LOVE this series and I’m so excited it’s continuing! I’ve always enjoyed historical mysteries but this series just has that extra sparkle to it and some absolutely laugh out loud funny writing for character interactions.

It’s getting closer to the wedding day for Frances and George when a young woman, Irena, shows up practically on Frances’s doorstep claiming to be George’s wife. I genuinely was laughing during the entire initial exchange between Irena, Frances, and George.

When Irena ends up dead, there’s characters involved who Frances has previously interacted with and a few twists and turns when she’s trying to figure out who the killer is. The inclusion of some of Romanov dynasty was interesting. I didn’t guess who the killer was until right before Frances did in the book, so that’s always a sign of a well written mystery to me.

I’m so looking forward to the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to review this book

First, I always state in my reviews if the book being reviewed is part of a series that I follow or an author I like... To both of these the answer is yes.... My review may be a little biased.

I loved this first. I love this series.... Its a fun read and I love seeing how the author, Dianne Freeman develops the characters as the series progresses.

We are getting closer to France's (Countess of Harleigh) wedding to George Hazelton and nearer to the time of the engagement party, the last thing anyone needs, especially George and Frances is a young woman claiming to be George's wife, and to have said "wife" murdered in France's garden. So begins the intrigue. Who is the woman? Is she really married to George? Is she part of the Romanov family? An actress? A theatre owner? A spoiled child? Is she really receiving threatening letters? Who was her mother? and Who murdered her? As Frances and George work to avoid a scandal that can ostracize Frances and George from polite society, we go finding the answers - and solving the murder.

This series never fails to entertain. It's such a nice and fairly quick read. It wasn't hard to figure out who the murderer was - but that does not spoil the book.

I recommend reading this cozy - especially when you want something light. I hope you enjoy it.

Five points to summarize my thoughts about this book:

1. THE PLOT is so great. The timing and movement of the book is very well done, and I read this book SO fast because of it.
2. The characters are also done really well, I liked the depth that the author gave to the main characters.
3. GEORGE AND FRANCES ! I love them. The relationship is so cute and I love the funny/witty banter
4. the plot twists/misdirections make this book really really REALLY great.
5. I wish I would have reread this whole series before this one, because there were a couple details I didn't remember that caught me off guard.

OVERALL, this series keeps getting better and I think everyone should be talking about this series!!! Hoping it will be a Netflix show because I NEED THAT

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC, and the review is all mine, no bias. Ohhh, this was a fun romp from start to finish. I love how Freeman brings in characters from past novels to intermingle with new ones. After getting her sister married and safely off on her honeymoon, Frances can perhaps finally focus on her engagement and impending nuptials. I like how Freeman cleverly made room in the narrative by seeing her mother and daughter off to Paris on an shopping trip, while also giving the story some room to flourish with her mother's lengthy telegrams. All of London is a-twitter as the Romanovs (not the Czar and Czarina, but the...brother in law, I think?) descend on the town to spend time with the Prince and his pals. Freeman makes good use of Frances and George's relationships with the royals to help move the story along. Rarely do I snort out loud while reading, but the first couple of chapters had me laughing out loud. Freeman paints a preposterous scenario with the arrival of Irena, an illegitimate Romanov relative. Frances had me cheering as she took everything in stride-I don't know that I'd be quite as calm if someone showed up claiming to be my fiancé's wife, but I'd probably start hysterically laughing if she then realized she was trying to sidle up to the wrong man. Again, Freeman's usage of previous characters plays well throughout this entire novel, without getting overly complicated. As the story unfolded, I kept wondering if there was going to be a big "GASP!" at some point, and there was. The twist at the end was enough to leave me rushing through the pages to figure out how the story ended! I'll admit, I had some idea of who did the crime, but I was happily incorrect. Everything came together in a nice, neat package. I'm glad that Frances made a swift decision regarding her wedding and how that impacts the longevity of her mother's character, as I tend to dislike the mother in the novels. Overall, a fun read-I can't recall another book in recent memory I've finished in less than 24 hours.

We pick up one month after the events of book three. Frances, Lady Harleigh, has a bit of respite from her daughter and mother, who have gone to Paris to shop for fabrics for dresses for the party celebrating Frances’s engagement to George Hazelton. No sooner has the peace settled, than Inspector Delaney appears with a woman who claims to be Mrs. George Hazelton. Even while George tries to deny this claim, Irena crashes into Frances’s life with absurd sounding tales of relations to the Czar and the Queen, threats against her life, and a flair for the dramatic. Some of her claims turn out to be true - most especially the claim of threats against her life - and she is found dead in Frances’s garden. (Luckily her staff now have experience with dead people in her garden...) Of course now everybody is a suspect, rumors of George’s philandering are spreading, and Frances finds herself a part of scandal. Despite the fact that as suspects Frances and George are forbidden by Delaney to work the case, they work to clear their names and find the true murderer.
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My favorite in the series so far! All murder mysteries are better with a little political intrigue and social scandal. This novel is packed with just enough misdirection to keep you on the edge of your seat. At one point or another, I doubted the innocence of nearly every character! Freeman’s prose is witty and her attention to detail believably transports the reader to 1899 London. The arc of our main characters continues to grow with each novel in the series: as Frances has grown in her investigative confidence, she has stepped out of the shadow cast over her from her first marriage and has found a true partner in George. This series continues to provide everything I’d want out of a cozy Victorian murder mystery, and I cannot wait to discover what murder they’ll face next!

Frances Wynn is in the midst of planning her wedding to George Hazelton when a woman claiming to be George's wife shows up at her door. Irena also claims to be the daughter of a Russian noble and his English lover. She also claims that she is being stalked and that her life is in danger. Refusing to believe that George is married to this woman, Frances comes to the conclusion that Irena is either crazy or lying about her identity for attention. George is able to set the record straight—he is not married to Irena but she is the illegitimate daughter of a Romanov—but not before rumors spread through the English aristocracy and threaten to ruin France's and George's relationship. The gossip only get worse when Irena is founded murdered in France's garden. Frances and George must work together to prove that neither of them killed Irena and find the real killer before their reputations are ruined.

I am a big fan of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series, and A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder is a great addition to the series. France's confidence and independence as a widow is late 1890s England has grown and matured from the first novel. Her relationship with her neighbor and occasional investigative partner, George Hazelton, has also developed nicely. The two are engaged and their wedding is eminent. Secondary characters from the other three novels also play a role in A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder. Aunt Hetty is one of my favorite characters, and it is nice to see the development of her character as well as some of the other characters.

Overall, I enjoyed A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder. It was a fast-paced novel with a fascinating victim and several red herrings and misdirection. Irena had made a number of enemies as an actress and consummate liar, and her father also has a fair share of enemies who would go after his daughter in an attempt to hurt him. I strongly recommend the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series to anyone looking for a historical cozy series.

What a book! I enjoyed it so much and slowed down to read it and make the book last longer. Frances and George make such a great team. But my favorite was Irena, she was such a hoot and a bit messy but so likeable. We all know someone like Irena. Loved this book !

I really enjoy this series by Dianne Freeman. This latest entry is no exception. I had been looking forward to the further adventures of Frances and George and I was not disappointed. I enjoy seeing Frances and George’s relationship progress along with a satisfying mystery to solve. I long forward to the next entry in their adventures.

This series is so delightful! I love the main character's wit, and the mystery was well crafter. The storyline about the whims of Society dragged for me, but I still enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next in the series.

This is the fourth installment of the Countess of Harleigh Mysteries, a cozy mystery series that follows Frances (the titular countess) while she navigates polite English society and hunts down criminals. Dianne Freeman's style of writing is fast-paced and light, making this a quick read. While I did enjoy this installment, it didn't quite suck me in the way the first three did. It could be the unlikeable victim, or that the plot was heavy on procedure and light on action. But the author doesn't disappoint with the same dynamic cast of characters and twist ending. I do wish there had been a recap on who Bradmore was when he showed up the first time. It's mentioned later, but I didn't remember him at all from the third book, and he was pretty important in this one. I do hope Alicia returns in the future, because she seems to get more interesting whenever she shows up.

cozy-mystery, turn-of-20th-century, London, amateur-sleuth, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, scandal, situational humor*****

The murder victim was a real prize. She had a gift for hyperbole, lying, and using people. The publisher's blurb gives a nice overview and hints that it might be best to read at least one earlier book in the series. The relationships among the characters is as complex as the sleuthing itself.
Great characters well drawn and plenty of misdirections and red herrings to keep me reading straight through to the end. Loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

That was one of the most fast-paced cosy mysteries in Regency Era I've ever read,
I haven't read any of the previous books in the series and I believe that was some kind of a disandvantage. Even though I could follow the story and the characters, I felt that sometimes I couldn't grasp the relationships and interactions among the them. I'm pretty sure all the characters, and especially Frances, have evolved throughout the books. I think I missed that.
However, it was an enjoyable read, full of action and suspence.. I should go back to the beginning and read the first book now.

A Fiancé’s Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman is an excellent historical cozy mystery that is the fourth book in the equally awesome: Countess of Harleigh Mystery series.

I have to admit I have read all of the previous books and I have really enjoyed every one of them. I really feel this series is maturing quite well and really coming into its own perfect niche.

I always love the murder/mystery plots, the complex and well-developed character cast, and the wonderful interactions and relationships that have blossomed throughout the novels. I really love George and Frances. Their relationship is so genuine, sweet, realistic, and they belong together. They really seem to bring out the best in one another. But the sweet factor is balanced out nicely with the sass, banter, wit, dry humor, and interplay that exists not only between the two, but amongst the families as well. Frances and her mother are a hoot.

I loved the addition of the Russian elite/officials within this story. I love anything involving Russian history and the Tsarist/Romanov dynasty. It added a wonderful layer to an already stellar premise and narrative.

Keep up the great work with this series. I am a huge fan!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/27/21.

A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder

After seeing her sister successfully married and her mother and daughter off to Paris, Frances thinks she might get a little one-on-one time with her fiancee George. No such luck for amateur sleuth the Countess of Harleigh. A woman claiming to be George’s wife shows up at her doorstep. She also claims to be an actress, a member of the Romanov royal family and someone who has been receiving threatening letters. When she is murdered in the garden of Frances’s home, Frances and especially George become the prime suspects. While trying to prove their innocence, they will uncover Russian royal family secrets and English aristocratic skeletons in the closet.

Another great installment from Dianne Freeman and the always entertaining Countess of Harleigh Mystery series.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enjoyable addition to the Countess of Harleigh series. Frances and her fiance (and neighbor!) George receive a surprise visitor when the police bring by a young woman claiming to be George's first wife. As Frances and George navigate the scandal brought about by the young woman, they must also try to find out who committed the crime when she is found murdered in the back garden.

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for sending me this ARC!
I didn't know it's the fourth installment of a series, although I have some suspicions after the first chapter. Wait so this friend of her is her ex-husband's lover? And her ex-husband died on her bed? And her footman was killed?? And now she's getting married again?? Yes, I missed THAT much starting with the fourth book of the series. Having no prior knowledge of the characters, everyone was sus to me xD. And yes, it's pretty obvious it's the fourth book of the series, because the main characters intervene with the crime very casually (while being the suspects). It's an okayish read with an interesting plot and a morally gray victim. The pacing was a bit too slow to my taste and I don't feel attached to any of the characters. I would recommend this book to lovers of cozy mystery and historical fiction.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the latest book in a series, it is easily read as a standalone. Widowed Lady Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, is delighted to be engaged to a wonderful man, George Hazleton. As she waves her young daughter and mother off on a trip to Paris, then the London furor surrounding a visit by an exiled Russian Grand Duke and his wife impacts her life directly. Detective Inspector Delaney brings a young woman, Irena, to her home as the woman claims to be George’s wife, even as she was arrested for throwing a rock at the Grand Duke! Working through Irena’s stories as Frances tries to separate fact from complete fiction, Frances is disconcerted to find that George does know Irena but not as his spouse. When Irena is strangled in Frances’ garden, they are both suspects along with several others. Who wanted to stop Irena from pursuing her connection to both Russian and English aristocracy and why? As Frances and George investigate, they also encounter that tarring brush of rumor disguised as truth in upper crust Victorian England.
A well written cozy that takes real people like the Grand Duke and his morganatic wife and develops a mystery to combine fact and fiction in an engaging storyline. The reasons for the various suspects are deftly crafted and the impact of rumors on reputation is spot on.

Frances, the Countess of Harleigh, is engaged to her neighbour and occasional investigative partner George Hazleton. Mere weeks before their engagement party, the police bring to Frances’ house a young French woman who claims to be a relative of the visiting Romanovs, the Russian royal family, and Hazleton’s wife. When he young woman, who is the illegitimate daughter of a Romanov and an unidentified married Englishwoman, is murdered in Frances’ back garden, she and her fiancé must prove who she was actually married to, as well as who murdered her in order to save their reputations and ensure their future.

This novel is very entertaining. The murder victim, Irena, tells so many outlandish tales, some based in truth and embellished, others that may be entirely false, that the investigators have a lot of difficulty separating truth from fiction in order to find a motive, and therefore a suspect, for her murder. The setting is London just before the beginning of the 20th century, from a new theatre to the reception rooms of the Prince of Wales’ house. This limits the investigation in many ways because of the strict rules of conduct that apply when speaking to a member of a royal family, not to mention the ever-present gossip which must be contradicted and curbed in order to avoid ruin. The world is well-defined and the characters and their relationships are well-established, perhaps in part because this is the fourth instalment in the series.

I remember reading the first novel years ago, in which Frances becomes a widow when her husband dies in the bed of his mistress during a house party. The mistress, Alicia, is convinced she and Frances are friends, whereas Frances sees her more often than not as an annoyance. Hetty, Frances’ aunt who resides with her, is very matter-of-fact and refreshingly direct in the middle of the very English upper-class cast of characters. The bond between Frances and George is believable, even though I missed most of their romance by not having read all the previous books. He considers Frances as an equal despite what the world he lives in would want him to believe, and those two make a great detecting duo. It is a pleasure to spend time with these characters, which is always a plus in a book about murder, otherwise it can get very unpleasant very fast.

The resolution to the mystery can be guessed just a bit ahead of the main characters, but it is enjoyable to watch them put the pieces together and race to the final confrontation. This has made me want to go back and read the books I missed, so I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to amateurs of cosy-ish mysteries.

Another great addition to the historical mystery genre! I have read every book in this delightful series and this latest installment did not disappoint. It seems each book gets better and better due to the author’s ability to craft a exceptional story. The two lead characters are extremely witty and fun. The mystery itself is entertaining with lots of twists and turns and guesswork leaving the reader wanting to read more from this author. Highly recommend, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I loved this book. Everything from the cover to the storyline to the characters.

It all came together for a fun read. Finished it in one sitting. I want more!!

Highly recommend A Fiancé’s Guide to First Wives and Murder.