Lynn Messina's "A Malevolent Connection" is a delightful addition to the Regency mystery genre, filled with wit, charm, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

The story follows the former Beatrice Hyde-Clare, who, despite a few initial setbacks, finds herself settling comfortably into her new position. Thanks to Lady Abercrombie's clever manipulations, Beatrice gains admiration from society and earns the respect of her staff. Messina's portrayal of the Regency setting is rich in detail, capturing the essence of the time period with finesse.

What makes this installment stand out is Beatrice's determination to face threats head-on, even when learning of a malevolent plot orchestrated by her husband's uncle. The narrative cleverly weaves together societal expectations, marital dynamics, and Beatrice's foray into self-defense lessons. The author skillfully balances the humor and intrigue, creating a well-rounded and engaging plot.

The characters in "A Malevolent Connection" are a highlight, with Beatrice's strong-willed personality shining through. Her interactions with the Duke of Kesgrave add depth to their relationship, and the dynamics between them are both entertaining and heartwarming. The unexpected twists in the plot, including a murder mystery involving a bludgeoned villainous relation, add a layer of suspense that keeps readers guessing until the very end.

Messina's writing style is a joy to read, with a seamless blend of humor and mystery. The dialogue is sharp and witty, contributing to the overall charm of the narrative. The attention to detail in the historical setting adds authenticity to the story, immersing readers in the world of Regency England.

While the book delivers on the promise of an entertaining mystery, it also explores themes of resilience, determination, and the strength of character. Despite the challenges Beatrice faces, her unwavering resolve to confront adversity adds a satisfying depth to the storyline.

In conclusion, "A Malevolent Connection" is a four-star read for its engaging characters, clever plot twists, and the author's ability to infuse the Regency setting with humor and intrigue. Lynn Messina continues to shine in the historical mystery genre, and fans of the series will not be disappointed with this latest installment.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A great historical fiction mystery thriller novel. Highly recommend

He’s and the Heiress had a very lengthy conversation that at times was entertaining. I was able to follow what they were discussing. I thought the story provided a lot of background information of previous issues in the past. The book is a bit of a page turner. The characters seems witty and entertaining.

This was a light and cozy read! I really like Beatrice and her husband! They were a charming couple. However, I did not really care for the mystery. It was slow and predictable! Still, I recommend this for those interested in cozy mysteries set in the Regency era!

Unfortunately this was a miss for me.

Being Book 9 (which I didn't know before I picked it up), the enjoyment of this story, I think, relies heavily on being in love with the main characters. Having not had previous adventures with them, I didn't understand any undercurrents or the way that they spoke to each other or any of their little back and forth discussions.

The book was extremely slow to start, revisiting some items that had happened in previous books. But I never really connected with any of those adventurous recaps. Trivial details were highly focused on while actionable events were not.

Perhaps if I had read from the beginning....?

Another Bea classic!!! I binged all these books in a week and couldn’t wait for the new one. I love bea and her loyal husband and partner. He’s a dream boat. Please read this series!!

What a great historical cozy mystery! I must now go back and catch up on the series. There is a colorful cast of characters and I loved the adventure.
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In a delightful continuation of the Beatrice Hyde-Clare detective series, Bea, the new Duchess of Kesgrave stumbles across yet another dead body, much to the chagrin of her female relatives and the disappointment of her husband who hoped she’d not have another opportunity to solve another murder so soon after their nuptials.
Soon after he gets her promise to let him solve a family problem without her intervention, Kesgrave reluctantly accepts her involvement in the detection of the murderer, getting her into some very harried circumstances. Reading this work was a continued joy, watching this young and clever couple work together, managing meddling relations and preventing further scorn from the ton. Their banter and bond are always pleasant to behold, and I ca,t wait to read their next adventure

If you’ve enjoyed this series so far, you will find this book interesting. It started off a little slow for me but her relationship with the Duke came full circle. I wasn’t completely inthralled with the mystery itself but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I read some of the earlier Beatrice Hyde-Clare mysteries but have missed a few. I enjoyed catching up with her in A Malevolent Connection. The Duke's uncle is determined that Kesgrave and Beatrice need to be removed so that his son can inherit. Beatrice ignores the Duke's plea to let him handle it and of course, things don't go to plan.

Sometimes Beatrice can be a little too much - her desire to prove herself can put her into somewhat ridiculous situations. But she always manages to figure it out in the end while be entertaining along the way. I shall have to catch up on the books I missed. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy of #AMalevolentConnection.

Regency, cozy murder-mystery romance.

Told in the third person POV of Beatrice Hyde-Clare, now Duchess Kesgraves, this novel is a Regency, cozy murder-mystery cum romance. Set in Berkley Square, A Malevolent Connection, book 9, was my first of the series. It took a third of the book to get to the plot or mystery. The slow start is unusual in the crime genre and made me flip pages to get to somewhere more interesting. Even once the plot started, the excessive descriptions and setting might not entice other mystery readers like me.

The mystery and investigation gathered momentum after the 60% mark. There were satisfying red herrings and conjectures. Bea and her new husband, Damien Kesgraves, made good sparring partners. I wasn't sure who the murderer was, though there was a scant pool of 3 suspects. That was well done in what should have been a novella. More judicious editing called for perhaps..

Bea speaks before her head has caught up. Her heart falls even further back in her lengthy verbal digressions, which made me skim ahead. She can give offence yet the constant references to the Kesgraves' status and aristocracy seem to make her impervious to harm. In today's age, one expects people to receive merit from their actions rather than their status.

I was not expecting so much exposition from a much published author. So much tell not show. Also, much reference to past crimes solved or murder attempts thwarted, that had no bearing to the current plot. The author demonstrates her extensive vocabulary in verbose writing, overusing adverbs and adjectives, so it's hard to see what point she is making. Devoting a chapter plus to the protagonist's dislike of pineapple, which the cook added to all dishes, savory or sweet, made this reader as overcome with ennui as the heroine. Then the female antagonist of a previous book in the series, Mrs Norton, couldn't get to the point. That she was warning Bea of a threat to her life should have been compelling. But wasn't.

Humour is a personal taste. The humour in A Malevolent Connection was too deliberate for my liking.

Thanks to Potatoworks Press, The Book Whisperer and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. #AMalevolentConnection #NetGalley.

This review also appears in Netgalley, Amazon, Goodreads and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/?m=1.

It's never a dull moment in the Matlock household as the former Beatrice Hyde-Clare discovers. Not only does she have to deal with pineapple in her beloved rout cakes, but a apparently her life is in danger from her husband the Duke of Kesgrave's Uncle. The deliverer of this news is none other than her former nemisis, Mrs. Norton nee Broughton... the woman who labeled Beatrice as drab and doomed her to wallflower status. Now Beatrice not only discovers that Kesgrave has more family than just his grandmother, that apparently they're murderous as well. But before Beatrice can even put her plans into motion, she finds her husband standing over his uncle's cooling corpse with a bloody candlestick in his hand... a situation which feels oddly familiar.

---

Stop! This book will spoil the endings of ALL of the previous books in the series. So if you don't like to be spoiled, then you can't pick this book up and go. If you can't, then I recommend going back and at least reading the first, fifth, and seventh books in the series. The events in those books are very relevant to this book and while the author tries to summarize them they come off as infodump-y and very "as you know." You'll thank me for this later. Seriously, this book spoils everything from the previous books. And it's something I don't love because it means that you spend approximately the first 10% of the book summarizing the events of the previous books. It's annoying and it's one of the reasons this book loses a star. When I skim the entire first 10% of a book, there's a problem.

Additionally this book needs the following trigger warnings: parental death, parental neglect, child abuse, attempted child murder/endangerment, childhood trauma, period appropriate sexism, period appropriate classism, colonialism, period appropriate xenophobia, and ableism. Please make sure you're in a good place before reading.

I have been following the series for a while, but hadn't had time to read some of the more recent books. That was a mistake. When I started reading the ARC of this book, I quickly realized that I needed to go read Flora's book and that I probably should read the book immediately preceding this one if I didn't want to be fully spoiled for the conclusions of those books. If you like this series, then I suggest you do the same. This isn't a book you can just pick up and go... Agatha Christie this is not.

It's nice to see Beatrice and Kesgrave interacting. Yes, Kesgrave is emotionally constipated but that's part of his character arc as is Beatrice still learning to find her voice in situations that don't involve corpses. Their relationship is still one of my favorite things about this series and there are lots of closed door/implied sex scenes in this, but nothing is shown on the page.

On to the other characters! I did like one of the suspects of the murder quite a bit, he's a bit of a gentleman rogue and I have a thing for those. LOL I'm not totally fond of Flora... I wasn't a fan of her book and I'm not a fan of her now. She's incredibly self-centered and self-serving to the point of brow-beating others to get her own way. She's remarkably similar to Mrs. Norton who is Beatrice's "Nemesis" and another character utilized in this book. While I liked the depth and intelligence that she displayed in her one scene.. she really was a one-scene wonder in this book. I wanted a better conclusion with her than just the handwave acknowledgement at the end. I also really didn't like the portrayal of one of the suspects of Kesgrave's uncle's murder who had a speech impediment. This is the first person in the series who has a disability and they are an antagonist/suspected killer. This is not a good look. In addition, his stutter was portrayed haphazardly and true to life he was discounted because of his disability in the story. It just rubbed me the wrong way and felt like a misstep. Disabled people of all kinds all too often are cast as either the victims or the perpetrators of crimes... it's much like how villians for a long time (and still to this day) are coded as LGBTQIA. It's a harmful trope.

Additionally, a major plot point... that the murder victim's son not the murder victim himself will inherit the dukedom didn't make any sense. While it didn't change the outcome of the story, it was a huge inaccuracy. The Uncle would have inherited the dukedom if Kesgrave died without issue... it wouldn't skip to the uncle's son. He can't be disinherited like that. It was something that bugged me... a lot.

That said, once the story got going it was fun until the end which left me feeling a bit... "is that it?" about the whole thing.

It's not one of the stronger entries in the series.

So because of the need to have to essentially read all of the books or risk being spoiled and because of the infodump and because of the iffy treatment of a few characters... particularly one with a disability as well as the huge historical inaccuracy. I'm going to give this....

Two and a half stars rounded up to Three Stars

I received an ARC of this book Via NetGalley

‘Overseeing the finest residence in London, Mrs. Wallace would be deeply troubled to learn that all her new mistress needed was a book, a comfortable chair and enough light by which to read.’

I am such a fan of Lynn’s work and have reviewed many of her books (HERE). Having partaken in her Regency Cozy Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries before, I was eager to return to the story of Beatrice and Damien once more.

A Malevolent Connection is the 9th book in this series and these are fun, light and entertaining reads. A little romance, a little mystery and loads of banter to bring a smile to your dial :)

“I trust in the future you will remember that I am never the problem.”

Quick to read and not necessary to have read others in the series (though obviously, it will enhance your experience) I highly recommend you sample some of Lynn’s writing. The characters are great with the banter between Bea and Damien an absolute highlight. I did find this one a tad slow in parts with the inner monologues from Bea a bit too much - I wanted more interaction.

With murders to solve and chaos to reign in, these light and fun regency romps (solely in the sleuth solving department) are sure to please. It is the perfect book to make that cup of tea with and while away the hour with the quick witted Beatrice and Damien Kesgrave.

‘… life was not lived in the grand moments. No, it was lived in the banal little exchanges that occurred day after day, and it was the accumulation of these insignificant interactions that made up a relationship. That was where the truth resided - in the cracks between grandiosities.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

A Malevolent Connection is the ninth installment of Messina’s delightful Beatrice Hyde-Clare regency mystery series. I have read one other Beatrice Hyde-Clare book, the first one, and Messina’s newest book follows in the same spirit as the first. It was not difficult to figure out what had happened in the previous books because Messina inserts information from the other plots. However, there were times where it felt a bit excessive.

In A Malevolent Connection, Beatrice is privy to information concerning the Duke’s uncle, who is plotting to kill her. Of course Beatrice isn’t going to let that happen, so even though she promises the Duke that she will not interfere, she makes plans.

“Curiosity was an academic enterprise, separate and apart from meddling” (Messina, 2021).

Before the Duke or Beatrice can enact their separate plans, the Duke’s uncle in murdered! The Duke and Beatrice work together to solve the uncle’s grisly murder. Messina sprinkles in martial woes domestic issues, and troublesome family members. Overall, this was enjoyable. However, there was too much talk of pineapple in the beginning and I almost put the book down because I was wondering when the action was going to start. I appreciated that Beatrice is a bit unsure in her marriage—figuring out a relationship takes time! Although I appreciated Beatrice’s analysis of her marriage, it became a bit tedious toward the end of the book. I had to remind myself that the book covers a short period, so there is not much time for Beatrice to figure these things out.

Messina’s writing is exceptional and her characters are so much fun. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Great read! Thank you to NetGalley and Potatoworks Press for sending me an ARC!

Thank you to Net Galley and Potato works Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of A Malevolent Connection.
Fans of Beatrice Hyde-Clare who have been following her since the beginning will like this newest instalment in the series. This is my first Lynn Messina novel, and even though it is the ninth in the Beatrice-Hyde Clare Mystery series, I had no trouble reading it as a stand-alone with interesting characters and a wonderful murder mystery that had me amused and intrigued from beginning to end.
I adore Bea and appreciated her interactions with the other characters, particularly her husband, the Duke of Kesgrave. The connection between her and the Duke of Kesgrave appears to come full circle in the first half of the novel, as the focus moves from Beatrice's troubled past to the duke's troubled past.
The idea of Bea's arch nemesis, the woman who destroyed her early ambitions of social success, suddenly appearing groveling with ridiculous gestures to earn forgiveness, is a novel narrative line and possibly the book's most amusing and entertaining aspect.
This was a well-written and enjoyable novel. It was imaginative, with elements of mystery, Regency romance, and wit.
I enjoyed guessing who the culprit in the murder mystery was, and I enjoyed reading about the pursuit. This was a fun book to read.

In this continuing adventure of Beatrice, Duchess of Kesgrave, has her at home in Berkley Square meeting with her enemy, Mrs. Norton, who has come to beg forgiveness for what she had done and has information that Bea's husband's uncle, Lord Myles is seeking an assassin to get rid of Bea to secure the Dukedom for his son.
When Lord Myles is found murdered at his solicitors office, Bea and Kesgrave begin to search for his killer. Could it be his partner, a criminal boss, in several gin establishments, or an assassin hired by Lord Myles or anyone who had dealings with the uncle?
A quick and enjoyable historical mystery romp with a delightful cast of characters.
Thank you The Book Whisperer and NetGallery for this e-galley of "A Malevolent Connection".

I've been a fan of this series since I read the first book and eagerly await the newest installments. This, the latest, is the best to date and I recommend it. It is a relatively quick read but that does not mean it skimps on the mystery or even the romance. But I will caution you that the books all take place over the period of a few months and there are many references to past escapades/murders and events.

Beatrice, newly the Duchess of Kesgrave receives a call from a woman who has done her wrong in the past and as a result has been ostracized. In order to win favor back with the Duke and Duchess, and regain her status she has been investigating the Duke's uncle and cousin and in the process under covered a plot to have Beatrice murdered and implores her to have the Duke visit his uncle's solicitor as his uncle has been spending much time there.

While Beatrice agrees to let her husband handle his uncle, her cousin finagles a visit to the solicitor and Bea rationalizes that this is not interfering. They visit the solicitor, only to find the Duke standing over the body brandishing a bloody candlestick. And the body is not the solicitors, but the Duke's uncle.

And so the search for the murderer begins and there are many twists and turns.

I received an ARC but the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was creative and had elements of mystery, Regency romance and humor. It can be read as a standalone story, though it is book 9 in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries series. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

What a fun cozy mystery read, I love the way this series reads, the author does a great job of bringing the characters to life and I found myself laughing at some of the chaos and situations. They are a quick read and if you are a lover of cozy mysteries you’ll love reading this one and the previous 8 books in the series. It’s a great book to sit by the fire this fall with a nice cup of tea and lose yourself for awhile all the while wondering why does Beatrice hate pineapple so much .

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley and Book Whisperer. All opinions are my own. I would recommend this book or the entire series to friends or my book club.

I just started reading this series, and the books are all fun, quick reads. However, the last two books made me worry that Lynn Messina was running out of steam. This book reassured me that she didn't.

After almost being killed in the last book, Bea has a more solid place as Duchess, where her only problem is how to tell the staff that she's tired of pineapple. Then her old nemesis shows up and reveals that there is a plot to kill Bea. On investigating this claim, Kesgrave's murderous uncle is found dead.

The honeymoon is over for Bea and Kesgrave. But the love and respect for each other make them open to communicating their problems when there are missteps. It adds depth to their cute relationship. I do feel sorry for Kesgrave. Bea loves throwing herself headlong into danger without thinking of the consequences. She sees his point, but we'll see if the point sticks.

The side characters are always a delight to meet up with. It was a hoot to find out what Mrs. Norton did for Bea to forgive her and therefore get back in good standing in society.

I received the advanced reader copy from Netgalley to write my honest review.