A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is a well written Victorian Romance wrapped up with a murder mystery.

This book was well balanced between the mystery that brought the main characters together and the romance that develops over the solving of that mystery to save her sister from hanging.

In this enjoyable book Ms. Collins gives us - fake betrothal, dislike to love, a headstrong FMC, vulnerable yet caring MMC, and romance you see build through their getting to know one another.

I have yet to read the other books in this series but this book can be read as a standalone, I didn't feel like I was missing any information to thoroughly enjoy figuring out who-dun-it along with the characters.

The romance was fun it all just worked really well for me.

Thank-you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.


#ASpinstersGuidetoDangerandDukes #NetGalley

I love a good enemies to lovers with slow burn and engagement of convenience! Manda Collins writing is very easy to read and such a great story. We meet our MFC,Poppy, in a train station running to save her sister when she runs into the Duke of Labgham who swoops in to rescue our damsel. But our damsel doesn’t need saving so a relationship of convenience is born. Will this relationship be more than they bargained for?

I love this series! I adore the independent women who are the stars of the show, and the men that let them shine.

This book is no different. I love the stubbornness of both Poppy and The Duke. It makes their banter and humor so much fun. I also loved underlying mystery. This book is particularly fun because where else are you going to get a cult, a fake church dedicated to Lucifer, and some nice spice all within the span of about 10 minutes?

I also loved the cameos at the end with our dear friends from the first two books. It made me want to reread their stories, too.

I hope this series continues, because I am a big fan!

This is my first Manda Collins book and though it's part of a series, it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone. I don't read a ton of historical romance but this one was fun and I didn't feel bogged down by any of the historical language or aspects. I liked the mystery part of the story a lot and it just felt like I was being taken on adventure with Poppy and Joshua. The chemistry was great, the story was well-plotted, and it kept me always turning the page and not wanting to put the book down so I could know what happened. Tempted to go back and read the series in order!

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is a charming historical romance with a mystery subplot. Manda Collins does a masterful job of blending the genres together into a throughly good story.

4.5/5 stars

Poppy Delamere escaped home and a forced marriage, and has been supporting herself working as a secretary in London. But when she learns that her younger sister Violet is accused of murder, she races back to the countryside to help clear her name. At the train station, she runs into the Duke of Langham. They are heading to the same village, as Langham has been summoned for his grandmother’s birthday celebration. As they ride the train together, they devise a plan. Langham will help clear Violet’s name while Poppy pretends to be his fiancé to ward off the prospective brides waiting for him. But as the two pursue their goals, what happens when they develop an attraction to each other? And discover they actually like one another too?

Poppy is a fantastic FMC. She’s smart and driven, and doesn’t apologize for these traits. And Langham loves it. He’s so used to everyone fawning all over him because he’s a Duke that he appreciates when Poppy is unintimidated by him. For her part, Poppy is always slightly surprised when Langham takes her seriously, since most people write her off. I adored the way these two worked together to solve the murder mystery while bantering their way around the countryside.

This is my first romance by Manda Collins. I’ve been meaning to check out this series for a while, and was happy to discover the books don’t need to be read in order. But now that I’ve met Poppy and Langham’s friends, I plan on going back and reading the rest.

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes blends historical romance with a touch of mystery and humor. If you like a slow burn love story with lots of forced proximity, read this book. Manda Collins creates engaging characters whose intelligence shows through while solving a murder and even while pretending to be engaged.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As always, Manda writes an excellent mystery with a dash of romance. Buckle your seats, this story is one wild ride. Several red herrings, so I did figure out the villain but I was made to wonder at times who it really was lurking around stirring up mayhem. Langham and Poppy’s quest to find the villain and help Violet is the storyline I absolutely love. It was smart, clever, well written, funny at times, and really fun to read. And of course, the romance, love and HEA is the icing on the cake. If you love suspense as much as I do, pick up this book, or this series. You won’t be disappointed.

But is this the end, Manda? How about Adrian and Jane? Could they have a story lurking in the dark recesses of murders, mystery and mayhem.

Bridgerton with a murder mystery. Yes, please. I devoured this book. It hooked me from the first page. This is the third book in the series and my first. I was able to read this as a standalone. I really liked the fake engagement of Poppy and Joshua. Sorting the clues and finding the culprit. A smashing job.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is my favorite in the series, Ladies Most Scandalous. This regency romance mystery brings together Poppy and Joshua, the Duke of Langham. These enemies (read previous books to understand their history) form a pack to dupe his family with him helping her to clear her sisters name.

Their charade is one no one in his family saw coming as ladies are literally waiting to become his betrothed. Poppy and Josh have obvious chemistry as they investigate the mysterious death of her sisters husband. Their romance was sweet, especially the dashing duke manners.

This series keeps getting better, please tell me there will be more books.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the complimentary copy.

I swear this series just keeps getting better and better 😍

We finally get Flora's story, well actually her name is Poppy, as she teams up with Duke of Langham to help her sister, Violet, who has been accused of murdering her husband. The Duke of Langham promises to help her find the truth – but only if she poses as his fiancée for the weekend. I absolutely love the fake fiance trope and it was done so well here!! Any time Poppy and Joshua shared a scene - it was delicious and I couldn't get enough. The mystery itself was intriguing and held me captivated throughout the entire book. I was genuinely surprised by the culprit (and some of the twists that the case took) and I felt that justice was served.

Even though this is book 3 in the series, it could definitely be read as a stand-alone! Although I highly recommend reading the first two books as well!!

Some things to look forward to:
-fake engagements but really real feelings
-knowing how each other smell
-Poppy being a badass
-satanic cults!?
-sexy times in caves!!
-wholesome friend group content

I can't wait for the next book! I've seen the little hits you've dropped Manda Collins!

I liked this one. I enjoyed the mix of the murder mystery and the romance between Poppy and Langham. It did end up feeling a bit long, like things were just moving too slowly for me, and I lost a bit of momentum while reading. It didn't feel as urgent to pick it up and find out how it all got sorted out.

But, overall I did enjoy the read and I like Collins's writing as a whole. Now I need to go back and read book 2 as I accidentally missed it.

Manda Collins does it again! The Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes left me breathless. I love Flora, aka, Poppy! I was a bit unsure about Joshua, but in the end, I adored him.

Manda's books always give me such a burst of pride because of the strong women in this series, and Poppy is one of the best! I also had no idea who the true culprit was until the very end. Manda has a way of doing that to me. I never know who the bad guys are until the end, which makes me very happy.

I'm happy to award 5 stars to this glorious book.

My experience with this book was a tad hindered by the fact that I didn't know it was the third book in a series. I saw some reviews say it can be read as a standalone––and it's true––but for me, I couldn't get connected to the characters or the plot and I attribute it to reading the third book first. The writing was good (though I do wish it had been told in first-person POV), the mystery plotline was interesting, and fake engagements are always fun, but it wasn't as up my alley as I had hoped.

If you like historical fiction that blends mystery and some romance (with an open-door spicy scene), this book/series should be for you!

Thank you to Forever/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC!

I devoured an ARC of A Spinster's Guide to Danger & Dukes by Manda Collins. This is peak historical romance.
An independent woman reluctantly accepts help from a seemingly snobby duke to save her sister. Featuring: Fake engagement! Secret society! Witty repartee! Steamy folly scene! Proposing..."for propriety". This book has my heart!

Poppy and the Duke of Langham embark in a fake engagement to uncover who really killed Poppy’s brother-in-law.
It’s a cute read with a dash of murder mystery.
I liked spunky Poppy and was drooling over the dreamy duke.
I liked the formalities but also the ease Poppy and Langham interacted with each other.
It was also fun to read about good old fashioned sleuthing without modern amenities.

I read the first two books in this series and really enjoyed them, though I must say, I enjoyed the first book leaps and bounds over the second one. This third installment falls somewhere between the two.

To avoid an unwanted marriage, Poppy Delamare skips town, changes her name, and starts working for two of the most scandalous ladies in town—as one does to avoid a man. However, when word reaches her that her sister’s husband has been murdered and her sister is being accused of said murdering, Poppy jumps into action, running into the dashing Duke of Langham in the process. Said duke has been having relationship problems of his own, in that his grandma desperately wants him to settle down and marry. Now, settling down is a fate worse than death for our duke, so he recruits Poppy to act as his fake fiancee while helping her investigate the murder of her brother-in-law and clear her sister’s name.

But what happens when their fake relationship turns into something real?

Review

Okay, so like its predecessors, this one started out slower than molasses in January. But when it began to pick up, it was quite enjoyable. Poppy and Josh (the Duke) have obvious chemistry and he was quite sweet with her despite his former lothario ways. Of course, it was a little predictable, and you know the two are eventually going to fall in love and all that jazz, but it wasn’t too rushed and their connection felt genuine. The ending was also, in my opinion, a little anti-climactic, and there were occult aspects that made me raise my eyebrow more than they intrigued me. Yet, it was a good read, and I have a feeling we aren’t done with these scandalous ladies just yet.

I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, and book 3 is no exception! "Flora" shows up in book 2 but there is definitely some mystery around her, that comes to light in book 3 as we discover that "Flora" is really Poppy Delamare. She fled her family to escape a forced betrothal and has been hiding out in London, until she reads that the man she was supposed to marry is dead, and her sister is the prime suspect in the murder!

As she is on her way to see her sister, she runs into the Duke of Langham, and ends up sharing with him the truth of her identity and the situation her sister is in. The Duke is returning home for his grandmother's birthday, and knows she is set on finding him a bride, no doubt filling her home with eligible women he is not interested in. So Langham makes a proposal of sorts - Poppy pretends to be his fiancé to keep him from the women his grandmother would want him to marry, and he will use his power and title to help her sister be exonerated from the murder of her husband.

I am such a sucker for fake engagements that, at some point, they want to become real, and this book delivered! Poppy and Langham decide early on to trust each other with the truths of their pasts, and the friendship and bond they form is so sweet! Poppy is fierce and intense, but that never scares Langham off. He wants to protect her, but never trap her. Langham also absolutely falls first and I adored seeing him realize his feelings and attempt to win her.

I will admit the last 50 or so pages went a little off the rails in the mystery section, but I still loved it! This whole series has such a good balance with mystery and romance, which I enjoy so much! This series is so fun! I would definitely recommend this entire series, and reading the books in order!

[Actual Rating 4.25] A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is the third novel in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. The novels in the series could be read as standalones, but I believe they read best in order. The previous stories give some nice foundation for the world, but this could easily be understood on its own. This story follows Poppy Delamre who is also known as Flora Deaver, secretary to Lady Katherine Eversham. She is called back home when her sister, Violet, is accused of murder and Poppy is determined to prove Violet’s innocence. While trying to get to Little Kidding, she runs into the Duke of Langham, Joshua Fielding. The rest of the novel explores Poppy’s complex family dynamic, the mystery of the murder, and her getting to know Joshua.

The setting in the countryside was the first element that stood out to me as stories like this typically take place in a more city-like setting. To spend time together and to keep up appearances in society, Poppy and Joshua have a fake engagement. I love these scenarios to bring the characters together as they are a great way for the characters to naturally get to know each other in their own way through a forced proximity scenario. Even though the two spend time together through the ruse, they open-up to each other in their own ways. I loved that Langham had a genuine desire to help Poppy, which helped the situation not seem very forced. They had great banter and chemistry, but there were parts of their relationship that were rushed. As the story also includes the mystery aspect, there was not a smooth integration of both together.

As for the mystery, this part tended to outshine the romance a little, for me. I still loved the romance, but I found the mystery done slightly better. It was cozy and “fun” where it was easy enough to put together clues, yet you still wanted to read to find out more. I loved the complex family dynamics and the general drama for both Joshua and Poppy as they were unique, yet they were nicely explored in a natural manner. The entire story went nicely with the other two in the series with some cameos from the other characters yet remained great as a standalone. I love this type of set-up as readers on both sides can enjoy the story equally. Overall, this was a fun addition to the series and a unique standout compared to the other two novels yet still went together nicely as part of a series. I look forward to reading whatever Manda Collins comes up with next!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Forever, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Cozy and a bit steamy, this historical romance and mystery was quite the page turner! If you’ve read Manda Collins’ other books in the series, you’ll know you can count on strong and intelligent female leads, swoony love interests that recognize the brilliance of their counterpart, and a mystery with twists and turns. A Spinster’s Guide delivers on all fronts and was such a fun read!

Poppy reads in the paper that her sister is accused of murdering her husband, which causes Poppy to upend her life to save her sister. Langham is on his way to his grandmother’s birthday party back home- in the same town- when they concoct a fake dating scheme that will help both parties. The banter between the two of them is hilarious, witty, and at times, very sweet. Their chemistry from the start is just excellent.

I also loved the context of how the power dynamic between men and women- especially husbands and wives- played such a prominent role in the story. It illustrated very well how the ‘safety’ of marriage for women would only go so far as well as how the mechanisms of investigation in this time period relied a lot on he-said/she-said. And yet, this all seamlessly flows into the romance at hand as well.

Please say there is a fourth book in the works!!

Thank you to Netgalley and ForeverPub for the advanced copy. I was thrilled to provide a review for this gorgeous book!

Manda Collins’ series combines mystery, romance, and strong female leads into an always delightful end product, and this third installment is no different. Poppy’s carefully constructed life in London falls apart when she must return to the home she fled and prove her sister didn’t commit murder, and honestly, that would be an interesting enough story on its own. Add in a handsome duke who isn’t as conceited as he seems, fantastic banter, and a fake engagement, and you basically have a recipe for a book I’d love.

And I really did love this book. Whether they’re still considering themselves acquaintances or they’ve move on to being friends or maybe more, Langham never lets anyone treat Poppy with anything less than the respect she deserves. He acknowledges she’s brilliant and beautiful, but that’s not why she deserves to be treated well, and I loved that about him. He’s just a fundamentally decent guy.

The romance and chemistry are great, and overall, I really enjoyed the mystery aspects as well, especially the super creepy secret society aspects. If I’m being nitpicky, I would have liked to see Poppy’s sister Violet on page a bit earlier, because I felt like the stakes were raised then. The sense of urgency ballooned, and that felt appropriate, considering she was on the verge of being hanged for murder.

But seriously, this book is a really fun ride. Poppy is an undeniably likable, bold lead, and Langham will completely charm readers. I can’t recommend their story enough.

Well, this book is a ton of tropey fun!

A little bit Enola Holmes, a little bit Bridgerton, Manda Collins’s story follows Flora – the assistant to two ladies who write a crime column for a London newspaper – who ends up traveling to her hometown with the Duke of Langham, a man she can’t stand after she’s robbed at the train station. And on that train ride, Flora reveals that she’s really Poppy Delamere and that her sister, Violet, has been accused of murdering her husband, and the Duke of Langham promises to help her find the truth – but only if she poses as his fiancée for the weekend.

Nothing about the plot will necessarily shock you here – well, *maybe* the Satanic cult – but even so, this book is such a delight.

It is the third in an interconnected series, and I’ll be honest: I haven’t read the others. (Not for lack of trying! I’ve had them on hold at the library for months!) Though there are points where it’s clear you’re missing certain insider-y connections, it doesn’t take away from the story or leave you feeling as if you’re missing something major.

Fast-paced, funny, more than a little swoony, and with a punchy bit of spice, A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is the perfect accompaniment for an enjoyable afternoon — preferably one spent on a train ride to the English countryside.

4.25🌟
1.25🌶️