First of all - love the cover so much! SO cute.

I think this book did a great job of balancing Caroline and Valentine's relationship with the mystery that brings them back into each other's lives. Often, historical romances with mysteries fail to build on the mystery enough, leaving too many loose threads. This doesn't happen in this book - everything feels nicely wrapped up and the mystery is well-developed.

Though I feel like Caroline and Valentine could have had more chemistry together, I liked their relationship as a whole. I particularly enjoyed Valentine's character journey - he had to overcome his own past mistakes that caused him and Caroline's breakup, the battle between his heart and his duty, and the loss of his brother.

Overall, this was a fun read! Will be interested in what the next book in the series looks like.

A lovely read, with Collins' signature voice and wit. I've been a long time fan, and this one didn't disappoint.

Quite unfortunately, this book was a bust for me. Neither character was particularly likeable, and I had truly been looking forward to this installment of the series.

3/5

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. This was entertaining. This is a mystery with some romance with it, and I enjoyed the fake dating/engagement trope that was used. However the romance just wasn't my favorite and the writing just didn't pull me in, so I didn't feel invested with the story. Overall it was entertaining and an easy read.

This is a quirky mystery/romance but I DNFed it. There are so many characters you really have no development of any of them/can't follow it. I got bored/found myself not caring.

I really enjoyed the mystery in this book, featuring strong female characters at the heart of solving the crime in question. A great entry into the woman detective genre!

This book's emphasis was on mystery with a romantic element, when what I was looking for was a romance with a mystery interwoven, so my expectation didn't match the book. It was witty and lighthearted, however!

Another great historical read from Manda Collins! It was witty, romantic, and with a fantastic mystery subplot. Can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Caroline Hardcastle and Lady Katherine Eversham are summoned to their friend Effie Warrington’s home. Effie has been kidnapped and her fiancé Francis Thorn was left unconscious and bleeding at her doorstep. Caro discovers that her former fiancé Valentine Thorn has arrived at Effie’s home ahead of them. Loved the heated and entertaining conversations between Caro and Val as they work together to find Effie and then Francis Thorn.
Manda Collins creates an emotional, entertaining second chance romance for Caro and Val. Both characters have grown since they ended their engagement. Caro is very independent and politically savvy. She a newspaper columnist with a huge following, a cookbook author and she hosts salons. Val is the new Viscount Wrackham and is feeling pressured by his father to marry. Caro is the only woman Val has ever loved and he deeply regrets not standing up to his father and brother when they insulted Caro’s family. He has never forgiven himself and this endeared him to me.
Manda Collins chooses to have Caro and Val’s story play out slowly during the first part of the novel. This choice worked for me as the couple had so much to work through—old hurts, new feelings and family concerns plus the kidnapping. I liked that neither character was perfect. Val owned his mistake and knew he needed to speak up to his father before telling Caro his true feelings. And Caro needed to forgive Val before they could move forward.
Manda Collins kept me intrigued with many characters, twists and turns in the storyline. The differences between the social classes is threaded throughout the novel during this time of moral and political reforms. The combination of the romance and kidnapping mystery worked for me.
An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Danger is well plotted whodunit, the romance between Caro and Val tugs at your heartstrings and I screamed when the identity of the kidnapper was revealed! Thank you Manda Collins for another fabulous read!

A cross between Murder, she wrote, and Hart to Hart is what this second chance romance and regency mystery novel reminded me of. When former betrothed couple, Miss Caro Hardcastle and Val, Viscount Wrackham, team up to find missing friends, they re-ignite their former romance.

What I loved - how quickly the couple got back together. There wasn't a whole lot of hemming and hawing over their compatibility. Even though they were initially forced into it, they both fell back into lust/love almost instantly. While I didn't really care about the central mystery, it moved pretty fast and was easy to follow! I also really loved the main characters and their surrounding circle.

I will definitely be checking out the previous book in this series and any followups.

Who doesn't love a regency romance?

I love that Caroline goes after what she finds important and tries not to worry what others thing of her. I love that she'd rather see social justice than romance for herself. However, it only has made her desirable. And then there is Valentine... He's a Valentine I'd love to have by my side. Can he heal Caroline's broken heart? I know he's certainly healed mine!

This book is fun, fresh, and the perfect romantic comedy for anyone looking to indulge in their Bridgerton fancy before the new season comes out!

An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire is the second book in the A Lady's Guide series by Manda Collins. I had previously read A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem which is the first book in the series. Inside of that book, the reader was able to get a little bit of a preview into the tense relationship between Miss Caroline Hardcastle and Lord Valentine Thorn. In the second book of the series, it is revealed that the two were betrothed once upon a time until Caro broke it off when she found Val discussing her lack of finesse with his brother. Although the two have tried to avoid each other, they both are part of the same crowds and have periodically ran into each other. And now, they are finding themselves having to work together to solve the disappearance of Caro's close friend Effie.

Caro is far from what would be perceived as "normal" for a woman during the Victorian era. She is not afraid to speak her mind, dive head first into various scenarios, and she is also part of a duo writing a column in the newspaper regarding the crimes in the community. Most men find Caro's level of brashness unsuitable but, Lord Val is honestly intrigued by it. He enjoys his bantering with her and finds very desirable. Although there is a mystery afoot, there is much more romance involved than mystery.

I really enjoyed watching Caro and Van banter and reconnect with each other on a more personal level. It becomes noticeable very early on that neither character has really gotten over their broken engagement. They try to deny it but it is obvious to everyone around them. This is a historical romance that uses a steamy carriage ride make out session, an awkward situation turned into a fake engagement, and tense family moments to move the story forward. The fake engagement was probably my favorite part because there really wasn't anything fake about it. It was all real and it was fun to watch these strong-headed characters from different sides of the social stratosphere realize the depth of their love.

The mystery also kept my attention. This time around it was a disappearance versus a murder so I enjoyed seeing a different type of storyline. As Caro, Val, and their friends searched for clues, they had me trying to figure out where the missing woman was as well. I think that there was just the right amount of build up for the mystery to make it both believable and enjoyable. I also liked how the characters from the previous novel were involved and new characters were introduced.

A Lady's Guide to Deception and Desire was a pretty fast read for me. It was kept light with the romance but gripping with the mystery. There was not anything overly gruesome involve and there was some steamy chemistry between Caro and Val. I look forward to continuing with this series when the next installment is released. I don't think you necessarily have to read them in order but, A Lady's Guide To Mischief and Mayhem does give you a good introduction to these characters of Caro and Val. Both stories would be good for readers who enjoy strong female characters, steamy romances, and a touch of mystery in a historical setting.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

While I found the first book in this series somewhat underwhelming, I thought there was definite potential, and I’m glad I gave the second installment a try.

One of my main issues with the previous book was the fact that there was far greater chemistry between the secondary characters than there was between the hero and heroine; now, Val and Caro take center stage, making for a much better book! The characters’ backgrounds and personalities are also better developed here, and the mystery was more engaging and believable.

My primary quibble with this book is what I felt to be uneven pacing. A whole chapter or more might be spent simply talking with a suspect, and then a series of small but ultimately important events will take place “off stage,” (so to speak) and be mentioned only in passing. I was also a bit surprised at how early in the book the hero and heroine reconciled, considering the complexity of the issues that ended their earlier relationship. I would’ve liked a bit more detail about their original courtship and brief engagement.

All in all, I found this book to be an enjoyable mix of historical mystery and historical romance, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the series develops in the future.

Thanks to Forever for the publicity review copy of AN HEIRESS'S GUIDE TO DECEPTION AND DESIRE.

This is exactly the follow up to a Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem that I was hoping for - a regency romances with smart women, witty banter, and characters I want to read more of.

While this story was billed as historical fiction, it’s also a romance and a mystery! Viscount Valentine Wrackham and Caroline Hartcastle were once secretly betrothed, and now can’t stand each other. #partner #foreverbooks

But when Caro’s friend is kidnapped and Val’s cousin is implicated in the crime, they must work together to find the real culprit and try not to catch feelings.

It was a well-done mystery, the social commentary on women’s rights was excellent, but the romance was duller than dishwater.🤷🏼‍♀️

If you go in with the mindset of mystery with a side of romance, I think you'll be happier than I was (I thought romance with a side of mystery.)

This book is such a cute and easy going read! The plot follows Caro and Val, two people with a rough past, reuniting by necessity leading to them having to work together for a common cause. Will their past overwhelm them, or will their personal growth over time shine through? Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this book for an honest review.

England, 1867. After her breakup with Lord Valentine Thorn, Caroline Hardcastle has thrown herself into her literary activities, which include co-writing a column about the dangers facing women in Victorian society. But when a good friend goes missing, she is drawn into a reluctant partnership with her former fiancé, whose cousin was attacked while trying to defend the abducted actress, then he himself later goes missing. With the help of their friends, they find not only the missing pair, but resurgent love and, after some misunderstandings have been resolved, a happy marriage.

The mystery and love plots are linked by the motif of aristocratic arrogance, particularly in the attitude towards women. The villains believe their social standing entitles them to abuse with impunity those they deem socially inferior. By contrast, Val learns that he must not only treat Caro with respect himself, but speak out against those who sneer at her because she is from the middle class and engages in what they consider unladylike activities. That these activities comprise taking the initiative themselves rather than waiting for men to do so, do, however, endear Caro and her friends to readers as well as their husbands. Recommended.

HNR Issue 98 (November 2021)
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/an-heiresss-guide-to-deception-and-desire/

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: kidnapping, brief mention of sexual assault (off page side character), death of a loved one (past)

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f historical romance
-second chance romance
-elements of marriage of convenience
-lovers to estranged to lovers
-a kidnapping mystery

I love this series so much. As a reader who doesn't read a lot romantic suspense these books have just enough intrigue with the romance elements. This was just as enjoyable as the first book and I was waiting for these characters because I had loved their back and forth and banter.

Both Caro and Val have to deal with society's and their families expectations of them but they ultimately understand and love each other. I also enjoyed that they both recognized they needed to grow to true be together. Cannot wait for the third book.

Steam: 3

After having owned a copy of A Lady's Guide for nearly a year, I finally picked it up and read it in preparation for book two. In both, there's a genre mash-up of mystery and historical romance set in Victorian England. I'm glad I read them in order as the character crossover was a little more fluid and I think my enjoyment was higher in this case.
This second chance romance between Val and Caro is (slightly) offset by a whodunnit. It's fun to have a strong and feminist heroine, rocking the proverbial boat. as Caro teams up somewhat unwillingly with Val to find her missing-in-action friend.
I enjoyed mixed media through this read but have to say that the audio was my preferred format. Mary Jane Wells was extremely easy to listen to. I appreciated her tone and inflections throughout the listen and found that her performance made the book more enjoyable.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Hachette Audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I am not a huge historical reader, but Collins captured me with the first book and kept me with the second. Her balance between mystery, romance, and societal norms is flawless. I can’t recommend this series enough.
4.5 stars