Lynn Messina's "A Lark's Tale" earns a well-deserved four stars for its clever blend of mystery, humor, and the captivating world of Verity Lark, a gossip columnist with a penchant for anonymity. This delightful tale takes readers on a whimsical romp through the streets of London, filled with disguises, intrigue, and the enigmatic Mr. Twaddle-Thum.

Verity Lark, the gossip columnist for the London Daily Gazette, is a character as intriguing as the stories she uncovers. Her ability to navigate the beau monde's secrets is unparalleled, thanks to her unique approach of remaining invisible while witnessing the comings and goings of high society. Messina skillfully weaves a narrative that combines Verity's wit, charm, and astuteness, making her a protagonist worth rooting for.

The plot takes an unexpected turn when Verity discovers that her alter ego, Mr. Twaddle-Thum, supposedly non-existent, is not only real but also in grave danger. The mystery deepens as Verity unravels a plot to murder Mr. Twaddle-Thum, leading to a series of humorous and suspenseful encounters. The author's ability to blend a cozy mystery with comedic elements adds a unique flavor to the story.

Messina's writing is sharp and engaging, filled with witty banter and clever observations. Verity's escapades, from sneaking into houses to assuming disguises, create a sense of whimsy that keeps the reader entertained throughout. The plot's unpredictability, coupled with the mystery of the real target, adds layers of intrigue, making it difficult to put the book down.

The characters in "A Lark's Tale" are well-crafted and contribute to the overall charm of the novel. Verity's journey of self-discovery, intertwined with the unfolding mystery, adds depth to the narrative. The supporting cast, including the elusive Mr. Twaddle-Thum, brings a delightful ensemble to the forefront.

While the resolution may feel a tad rushed, the overall experience of reading "A Lark's Tale" is thoroughly enjoyable. Lynn Messina has crafted a story that stands out in the mystery genre, offering readers a light-hearted and entertaining escape into the world of Verity Lark and her unconventional adventures.

In conclusion, "A Lark's Tale" is a whimsical and charming mystery that combines humor and intrigue seamlessly. Lynn Messina's storytelling prowess shines through, making this book a delightful choice for readers seeking a lighthearted romp through the gossip-filled streets of London.

If you’re looking for:

🌀Regency with a twist
🌀Witty characters
🌀Tangled webs
🌀Confident women
🌀Mystery

Then snag A Lark’s Tale today! There is so much going on and so much to remember, your wheels will be turning until the end. Lynn Messina’s writing is fresh and fun, combining modern wit and regency flourish. It is the first in a spin off mystery series, so if you’ve read the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series, you’ll see some familiar faces (but not required to enjoy this novel!)

Thanks @netgalley for my digital ARC! 🤟🏼

Title: A Lark’s Tale
Author: Lynn Messina
Series: A Verity Lark Mystery
Rate: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/10
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Deseret Bookshelf: No

A Lark’s Tale is the first book in a spin off series based on the Beatrice Hyde-Clare mysteries. In it, we are introduced to Verity Lark, the true identity of the gossip columnist Mr Twaddle Thum, whose writing readers of the original series will be familiar with. Verity is an illegitimate sister to the Duke of Kesgrave, and her story mostly involves following Beatrice and the Duke around to find out what they’re up to, while accidentally getting caught up in a nefarious plot of her own, when she finds out someone is impersonating her.
I love Lynn Messina’s books, especially the Beatrice Hyde Clare mysteries. They’re fun, light-hearted and always have good resolutions for the mystery presented. But this one just didn’t do it for me. The story follows events that happened throughout many of the previous books, so that if you don’t have a perfect recollection of everything that happened in the original series, you might feel a bit lost. There were a lot of characters involved in the intrigue, and sometimes it was hard to keep track of all of them. I enjoyed getting a different perspective on Holcroft’s relationship with Flora, which is developed in A Boldly Daring Scheme, and left with a few loose ends to tie up.
I really liked the character of Verity, and intend to read the next books in the series, as I hope they’ll contain their own stories, and not be bogged down by a recap of the previous books.

I've read the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series by Lynn Messina that I enjoyed and so decided to give this a shot as it's meant to be sort of a spin off. I really enjoyed the mystery and seeing Verity dress up in costume for her gossip column. Overall an enjoyable mystery and will be waiting for the next part!

Thank you for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a historical fiction that I just couldn't get into. The characters were too confusing for me. I might try another by this author but this one wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book - I am leaving this review voluntarily. Having been a long-time fan of the Beatrice Hyde-Clare books and of this writer's work, I could not wait to dive into A Lark's Take and it certainly did not disappoint.

It's handy to have read the other books because this one runs parallel to a couple of Beatrice's stories, however, not absolutely necessary.

I adore Verity already (and her connection to the Duke of Kesgrave will, I hope. lead to collaborations in the future) and Hardwicke is a formidable ally/love interest (?)

The plot is convoluted and keeps you on your toes, so you have to be paying attention - but there's so much humour and wit that yo barely notice how tangled the web gets. Can't wait for the next one!

I have read the entire of Lynn Messina’s previous series and loved it. I anticipated feeling the same about this one but I couldn’t connect with the lead character. I continued on in the hopes that the mystery would engage me but it all felt too frivolous, too extreme. Unfortunately, this one isn’t for me. The first 10% gives you a good idea of the style and flow of the book. The writing is elegant as always.

A Lark's Tale is the first book in a spin-off series based in the world of the original Beatrice Hyde-Clare series . I haven't read anything from the original series and never heard about the books until I came across this book.

A Lark's Tale introduces Verity Lark, a gossip columnist who holds forth a long list of disguises to help her in her work. She is also the half sister of the Duke of Kesgrave who is married to the Beatrice Hyde-Clare of the original series- an accomplished sleuth herself- whom Verity sees as a sort of rival and fodder for her gossip column.

As much as this book was amusing and fun, it was equally confounding and mind bogging.

What I most enjoyed was Verity as a character- she is smart, street savvy, spunky with ingenious disguises- and also liked her two friends Freddie and Delphine and Verity's style of sleuthing.

However, besides Verity's countless disguises that she dons throughout the book, the readers have to also keep track of a huge list of characters introduced (atleast 1-2 new characters in every chapter) and their connection to the main plot which itself has different threads and twists weaving it together. Plus, add to that Verity's endless internal musings which can go on for pages before coming back to the point on hand and it kind of became frustrating to keep track of everything that was happening. The book only has 16 chapters but each chapter stretched long and at one point I had to take a short break before coming back to the book.

Overall, a fun book which could have done with a less complicated plot and fewer characters to keep track of.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Book Whisperer and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

A Lark's Tale is a welcome addition to the Beatrice Hyde-Clare universe. If you enjoy the adventures of Beatrice and her Duke, you are sure to enjoy the adventures of Verity Lark. Her tale runs parallel and in the background to several of Beatrice's adventures, so it would be best to be familiar with those stories before reading this one. My one complaint, is there are a lot of characters and it can get a little difficult to keep track of everyone. It seems someone new enters the picture every chapter. But overall it was an enjoyable read with a decent mystery. I look forward to reading more of Verity's escapades.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

What a treat it was to revisit favorite characters through a new perspective! Though I didn't love her as much Beatrice Hyde-Clare, Verity Lark promises to be an intriguing heroine in this new mystery series. Fans of that series will find much to love in Lynn Messina's latest installment. I look forward to continuing to read her work and uncovering who dunnit!

Thank you net galley for providing me with a free copy of a larks tale in exchange for a honest review.


I really tried to enjoy this, and I do believe it had potential particularly when it came to the humorous parts of it. However the constant addition of more and more characters and lack of enough backstory and details for the reader to be able to remember them was truly insufferable.

Also although this book seems to be a stand alone there were a ton of references from previous books which I personally am not fond of considering that this was not advertised as a spin off.

Verity Lark's alter ego, Mr. Twaddle Thum, the gossip columnist is being impersonated around town and that's a problem. Much of Verity's time is spent in various disguises to find out what's really going on among the ton. But it seems this imposter is in danger and it's her duty to keep that person safe, even if they have stolen her name. And so Verity embarks on a mystery-solving adventure in the same universe as the Beatrice Hyde Clare mysteries. In fact, Beatrice Hyde-Clare is one of Mr. Twaddle Thum's favourite targets, not to mention Verity's connection with the duke that Beatrice is married to.

I started reading this just after finishing the most recent Beatrice Hyde-Clare mystery and the side characters from that series form a more central part of this book. I find they fit in well and there's some overlap but also an interesting point of view when having a different sleuth from the same universe solving the case. For the most part, I really enjoyed this as much as the other series. I am curious to learn more, especially with regard to Verity's connection to the duke. I imagine, though, that a newcomer to this world might find it a bit overwhelming to have references to the other series flooding the story.

One thing I like is that despite Verity's ingenuity in disguise and sneaking about, she is not beyond notice in her activity. Sometimes these books show the detective as going through the motions without failure when the reality is usually very different. In any case, Verity and company are all just as interesting as Beatrice and the Duke of Kesgrave and company. I am curious as to the directions these books will take. Does this mean an end to the other series or will there be co-occurring stories? And will the two sleuths come together at some point in the future? So many questions!

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and The Book Whisperer for providing an advanced reader copy with no obligation. I have written this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this regency era cozy mystery. Verity Lark is such an amusing character. She'll do anything to get her story. Being a woman in regency times though can be a challenge. You're never quite sure what she is going to uncover and discover about the various members of the ton while reporting as Mr. Twaddle-Thum. She literally does anything she can to get her story to include dressing up as various different men throughout the story. I couldn't stop reading as I really couldn't wait to see what she would do next. Verity Lark and her group of who knows the truth about Mr. Twaddle-Thum is so amusing and I can't wait for book 2

Verity Lark is a master of disguise, (most of them male with a few female characters thrown in for safety's sake), she has one that will fit almost any occasion she encounters as she gathers all the juicy gossip about the beau monde's newest scandals. Verity writes the titillating gossip column for the London Daily Gazette, run by her longtime friend Freddie under the pen name Mr. Twaddle-thum exposing some of societies most elite blunders. Mr. Twaddle-thum seems to gather the most intimate details, almost as if he is in the room with the characters he writes about, he truly seems to be everywhere, but as the book's description tells us, Mr. Twaddle-thum is really nowhere, except in Verity Lark's imagination. No one has ever met him, not even Verity's vast network of spies she has built up throughout London, noone has ever seen Twaddle-thum, that is until now! Verity is totally blindsided when she discovers there have been recent sightings of Twaddle, numerous sightings and whoever is posing as Twaddle is making no effort to be secretive about their identity, they behave as though trying to draw attention to Twaddle not conceal his identity. Not only does this make Verity furious, but it seems that the imposter has caught the attention of the wrong people and now someone is out to murder Mr. Twaddle-thum, Verity? Now she must solve the puzzle of who the imposter is, why they are pretending to be Twaddle (Verity) and who wants to kill Twaddle (Verity)?
I enjoyed this regency mystery spin-off from the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series though I can see how some may be a little lost as there are so many characters both old and new throughout the story that it does become confusing trying to keep track of everyone and so many details it is difficult to keep it all sorted.. This was the only problem I had with this book. I enjoyed the characters and their quirky personalities and the overall plot is good, this is a nice, clean regency mystery that entertains till the end.
Thank you to The Book Whisperer and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

The first three pages had me snorting in laughter. Which is perhaps not the best thing to do after having abdominal surgery but I digress. This author has been added to my must read list. I loved the inner thoughts of our heroine and I confess I may or may not think along the same lines as her which might be concerning. Ha!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.

Warning- if you have not read any of Lynn Messina's Beatrice Hyde Clare series, then this book may be a bit confusing for you. There are a lot of references and cross-overs to that series.

I was not expecting how much of this story was interlinked to Beatrice, despite knowing this was about a minor character that has been referenced in the other series - the gossip columnist Mr. Twaddle-Thum.

Verity Lark has a surprising link to the Duke and Duchess of Kesgrave, and as a leading gossip columnist and journalist, is very adept at disguising herself and investigating her subjects. Over the years, she has developed quite the network of informants and spies throughout the underbelly of London. Following the exploits of Beatrice has helped improve her profile as Twaddle Thum a lot and she recently came by more information about a case that Bea seemed to be involved in. But in this investigation, she and her cohorts are drawn into a murder intrigue, and it would appear that she... or at least one of her different aliases, is at the center of this particular intrigue.

I have to admit, I love the Beatrice Hyde Clare series - I find them to be fun, lighthearted cozy mysteries and I like the dynamic of Beatrice and her Duke quite a bit.

But I found that this initial story of Verity and her friends to be very dependent on some knowledge of the Beatrice Hyde Clare stories - there was a lot of background dependent on knowing some of them here. Many times the story seemed quite bogged down by too many details. Perhaps to lay out more background for those who did not read the other series? Maybe some of it is that, but there were a lot of details such as about the background and details of Verity's various disguises. Perhaps Verity is just as pedantic as the Duke about some things.

I also found that I did not connect as much with Verity and friends as much. Perhaps because of their more working class background, they seemed a bit grimmer and less light hearted/humorous than Bea and her group? But then towards the end, when Verity seemed to open up and be more open to accepting help from others, I started to enjoy things a bit more.

Oddly enough, despite all the references to Bea and the Duke, they actually do not make an appearance in this book. But considering the surprising link between Verity and the Kesgraves, I would anticipate the two worlds coming together at some point.

2.75 stars out of 5.

This is the first book in a spin-off of the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries. I had not read any of those books and recommend reading at least a few of them before tackling this one as it is definitely not a standalone book. The plot is complex with many characters, and I kept having to look back in the book and try to figure out what was happening and who the characters were. The prologue in particular was very confusing without some previous background. I thought the book would have benefitted from a short introduction before the prologue to introduce the characters and their relationships and to set the stage for the story.

This book is set sometime after 1815 since Waterloo was mentioned. Beatrice from the previous series has married the Duke of Kesgrave. The main character in this book is Verity Lark, half-sister to the Duke, something that he doesn't know. They have the same mother but had very different upbringings. Verity grew up in an orphanage similar to the one that Jane Eyre grew up in - with little food or heat, no care or affection, and a lot of punishment.

As an adult, Verity works (disguised as a man) as a gossip columnist and publishes under the name of Mr. Twaddle-Thum, a version of the name she created for the awful woman at the orphanage. She discovers that someone has been clumsily impersonating her Twaddle-Thum persona, and has drawn the attention of a dangerous man. She is in danger, and so is the remarkably silly woman who impersonated her. The book opens when Verity has hidden in the woman's bedroom to foil an attack on her. I really liked Verity, who would disguise herself as a man and stroll into a business, take a chair and pretend to work while spying.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher Potatoworks Press through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.

An exciting new mystery series that will pull you in and leave you with wanting more!!

After having read /listened to, the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series, and loved every word, I was glad to learn that Verity was the half sister of Kesgrave... a lot to that you will just have to find out!

This was no simple mystery! Verity is like a chameleon, changing her persona, disguise and career as needed... trying to keep up with her was challenging but well worth the concentration.

Humor, suspense and a plethora of characters will have you only wanting more of this fun series!
PS I hope it is also put on audible!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Potatoworks Press for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “A Lark’s Tale.” All opinions and comments are my own.

This is a strange book. It spends an inordinate amount of time recounting the cases in the author’s other series featuring Beatrice Hyde-Clare, AKA the Duchess of Kesgrave. For this we have the noted columnist, Mr. Twaddle-Thum, who has made it “his” life’s mission. Really, he’s obsessed. Well, Verity Lark is actual Mr. T-T, and she’s a “she,” and that’s our heroine, who uses a vast army of informers and dressing up in men’s clothing to get her information, which is considerable.

Finally, a long way in, we get to the crux of the matter -- someone has been impersonating Mr. T-T (because being out of society is a fate worse than death, doncha know.) Finally, we get more information about that prologue. AND there’s someone else out to kill our “gossipy prattler.” Huzzah, a new plot! But, there’s more -- there’s actually something behind all this, besides what the Duchess is up to. Honestly, there is. A crime that involves the highest level of society and government. Verity uncovers this, with help from a new confidant. And all’s right with the world. By then I didn’t much care.

Oh, “A Lark’s Tale” is interesting enough, with sparking dialog and a lot of flitting around in men’s clothing and thumbing one’s nose at societal conventions. But not enough to want to make me read another in the series, I’m afraid.

Backstory: I stopped reading the Beatrice series because it was nonstop infodumping about how Beatrice was a spinster and homely and how could Kesgrave love her?

I wanted to give this new series a shot, but guess what?

In the first two chapters, we're still focused on, you guessed it, Beatrice and Kesgrave.

I know next to nothing about the new main character other than by virtue of her relationship with Kesgrave, and the entire intro chapter was detailing things that happened between Beatrice and the narrator of that chapter. It's a new series, but new characters weren't given any space to breathe or establish an identity. I don't mind cameos and nods to other books, but this was excessive. It's a no from me. Readers of the previous series will be thrilled.