Set in Victorian England, A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder is the fifth in the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. It playfully pokes fun at (not always) genteel aristocracy and is a good natured look at class in this era. Servants are fortunately valued. Written with wit and cleverness, this series is refreshingly clean and humorous with murder at its heart, yet there is much more than merely murder, including both budding and old relationships.

Two rival American baron families invited to the same wedding; what could possibly go wrong? Frances and George marry at long last but they can't escape that easily without murder interrupting their honeymoon plans. Frances' brother is caught red handed with the weapon and she is committed to proving his innocence. Their investigative skills are gladly welcomed by Inspector Delaney. But not everyone feels the same way.

Beloved characters return and new ones are introduced. I like the newlywed duo's easy relationship and meeting Frankie. Learning more about photography in the Victorian era was enlightening.

This series is wonderful for Historical Fiction readers who are in the mood for light whimsy and charm.

My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for introducing me to this delectable series!

A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman is the fifth installment in her Countess of Harleigh Mystery series and I have to admit my least favorite.

This is one of my favorite series and I always look forward to the new book.
This volume is about Frances and George's wedding ceremony when the murder happens to one of the wedding guests.

Obviously their honeymoon trip is put off and they set to free Frances's brother from suspicion for murder. The thing that I found boring is the fact that main characters seemed to go back and forth from one house to the other and I found it a bit repetitive and that is my main issues with this book. I hope the next time they will be in a different setting and will face other challenges.

Mystery was as always well presented and clues clearly introduced. We finally got to meet Frances's father and brother and it is so interesting to see the family dynamics between them.

A wonderful and fun entry into this historical cozy series! Frances and George are finally married, however they can't seem to escape solving murders long enough to go on a honeymoon. The mystery was fairly complex for the first two-thirds of the book, but then it became very obvious as there was only one true possibility for the murderer. Unfortunately, neither of our protagonists even considered the actual culprit as a suspect which seemed a little odd to me. There was also one minor continuity error from previous books, but I don't know if most readers will notice or mind.

I love this series. It's a delightful mix of romance, mystery, and history that always hits. This entry was no different. We're far past the "will they won't they" part of Frances and George's relationship, so the two are able to fully be on a team - without tension. I loved how hilariously frustrating Frances's family was. It rung extremely true and allowed Freeman to show readers a side of Frances they hadn't seen before. Of course, there's a murder with many, many suspects that Frances and George have to help solve. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be waiting for the next one!

A good narrative with a lot of dialogues, the twists of the story are enthralling. Everyone is truly potentially the murderer, the reading is full of suspens. A nice enjoyable book for the summer !

Frances and George are finally getting married. Unfortunately, a murder that implicates her brother forces them to miss their honeymoon. This is the fifth book in this fun historical murder mystery series. I love the team Frances and George make.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher; all thoughts expressed are my own. A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder is the 5th title feature Frances, Countess of Harleigh and her almost husband, George Hazelton. The book begins the day before her wedding and all of her family is in town including her father and brother Alonzo, both recently arrived from New York. After the wedding ceremony and accepting well wishes from the guests, Frances finds a spot of blood on her dress that must have come from a guest but dismisses it as unimportant. Unfortunately, before the pair can leave for their honeymoon, they are informed that Alonzo has been arrested for the murder of a wedding guest who had been staying next door to Harleigh house. Alonzo wanted to court the man's daughter, but he was insisting that she marry an impoverished lord. Not the nicest of men, there are several suspects, including his wife, daughter, and archrival in business, another American who had traveled to London to attend the wedding.

I really enjoyed the mystery and thought there were enough twists and turns to keep my attention until the murder was revealed. I also like who George and Frances work together to investigate and complement each other so perfectly. I'm looking forward to additional books in the series as we get to see Frances and George settle into married life and would like to see more of France's brother Alonzo.

At long last, Frances, Countess of Harleigh, is to marry George Hazelton. Thanks to her family, two feuding families have been invited to her wedding, but no one expects one of the men to be found murdered. Worse still, Frances’ brother is caught at the scene, holding the murder weapon. Time is of the essence to solve this case before a murderer goes free.

Frances and George are finally married! And given that their courtship was plagued by murders, it was no wonder that their wedding should face a similar problem. As the case that brought them together, this case is personal. Her brother is immediately arrested and all hopes of a wedding trip are abandoned to solve the murder.

As always, these characters were a delight to visit again. It was interesting to get to know more of Frances’ family, especially her business-minded father. The plot was paced well and had a wonderful supporting cast to help move things along.

Fans of the series will definitely enjoy this one!

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Language: 5


The Countess of Harleigh is getting married again. Her American parents and American siblings are at the wedding in London, England. Her brother Alonzo is besotted with the American daughter of a wealthy criminal. Her wealthy American parents want her to marry an English aristocrat. One of the wedding guests is murdered and Alonzo is arrested for the murder. The Countess and her new husband have to find out who the real killer is so that her brother can go free.

The character development was wonderful. We get to know a bit more about the Countess' American father who finally makes an appearance. The plotting and the red herrings were clever.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the eARC of the book. I also won a printed ARC, which made it easier for me to read. I like to get printed ARC when possible.

4 stars

I love this book series. It's so pleasing, uplifting and heartwarming. And above all it has a good mystery.
Dianne Freeman does an excellent job to keep the reader guessing till the very end.

The dynamic between the characters is nice and genuine. I can hardly wait to read the next instalment.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read this great book!

I love Frances and George and this installment is no different. Once again we get even more fun and quirky side characters. It was like coming back home to a group of friends. It was so good to see Hetty and Gilliam again and to meet Daisy, Frankie, and Alonzo.
One thing I really like about Freeman’s mysteries is that the Inspector isn’t a bumbling idiot and he welcomes help from George and Frances even though at times I’m sure he could do without.
I hope there are many more Frances and George mysteries to come!

Fun murder mystery with historical setting. Not a typical cozy like I've read before, but similar elements.

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy of A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder. Welcome to the wedding of Lady Harleigh and Mr. Hazelton! I have been waiting for this event for awhile. When a murder is committed next door, George and Frances are thrust in the middle of the investigation when her brother, Alonzo is accused and charged with the crime. Delaying their honeymoon, the happy couple put together the pieces with the help of the usual characters and a few new ones that were quite enjoyable.

This is the best book in the series by far.

I love the young couple, Francis, Countess of Harleigh, and George Hazelton, although why he isn't addressed as Lord George, when his sister is Lady Fiona, I missed somewhere. The story is good, although I knew the killer immediately, it was still a nice, clean, Cozy read. However, you can remain clean, and still kiss, it's the one area that I wish were more prevelent.
I recommend if you like clean, Cozy Mysteries.
Thank you #Netgalley #A Bride's Guide To Marriage and Murder
carolintallahassee.com

Another fun outing with Frances and George! This is shaping up to a really nice series. Frances and George finally get married, but they don't get their honeymoon because, you know, murder. Frances's brother is suspected of the crime, so she and George plunge into the investigation. We spend more time with Frances's extremely irritating mother, and finally get to meet her brother and father in this installment of the series. Frankly, I am looking forward to all of them returning to New York and leaving F&G alone. Frances's much more interesting and appealing Aunt can stay,

This book was a delight to read. I love this series and how each new book gives a new mystery while also advancing the stories of our main characters that appear throughout the series.

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this #bookseries so much #acountessofharleighmystery 🥰 Each book pretty much follows the same format - George and Frances, with a little help from their friends and family, solve a murder while navigating their relationship. It’s equal parts #romance and #mystery with a wonderful cast of characters. There’s nothing groundbreaking, but there’s something nice about knowing exactly what you’re getting. I love all the characters so much at this point that I’d read about them doing anything. If you’re a fan of Evie Dunsmore or #victorianera books, check this one out!

Cozy, historical mystery novels are my cup of tea (and are generally best enjoyed with a nice mug of that exact beverage), so this was very much a “me” type of read.

I have to admit to requesting this ARC without realizing it was the fifth book in a series (what can I say, the title really grabbed me!), so I had to do a crash course in the previous four books. Luckily, Dianne Freeman understands there are people (read: idiots) like me, so this book did a great job of getting newbies up to speed and giving the who, the what, the where, the how, and the why.

Freeman’s writing is very straightforward, which helped me fly through this book. The murder mystery is compelling and fun to solve, and the characters are whimsical and entertaining — but I never felt much attachment to either the mystery or the characters. I think the cast of characters isn’t quite as charming as they want to be — Frances’ family comes across more crazy than kooky — and I never quite felt like I knew or understood them. And the big reveal didn’t seem as perfectly worked-out and intricate as I thought it could have been.

Still, this is a fun read, and I think that, if you’ve already read the other books in this series and have developed quite a fondness for them, this might just be your cup of tea, even if, as much as I wanted it to be, it wasn’t quite mine.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Dianne Freeman for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is one in a series of Cozy Mysteries involving The Countless of Harleigh, Frances, and her love, George Hazelton. I have read several of these and thoroughly enjoyed the relationship and banter between them. In this book the pair are about to marry and leave on their wedding trip. Unfortunately for them, all of Francis' family are in town for the wedding, and that proves to be a bad thing. Instead of enjoying their new marriage, the couple are pulled into a convoluted mystery. I, personally, missed their love story being a larger part of the story.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ms. Freeman has written another entertaining and intriguing historical cozy mystery. I've enjoyed each book in this series and this one did not disappoint.

Frances and George are finally married but the honeymoon trip never happens when a murder is committed next door to the wedding luncheon and one of the prime suspects is Frances' brother, Alonzo. I enjoyed the look into the relationship of Frances' mother and father that was provided in this book especially since her mother has been a secondary character for a long time now in this series. A well-crafted plot with numerous suspects, deft twists and turns, red herrings that led me astray frequently and a dramatic reveal that had me gripping my e-reader.