This series is a ton of fun. It blends romance and mystery quite well, with the added bonus of a historical context. This one takes two characters who’ve been very much on the sidelines and puts them center stage. I liked how it delves into Langham’s family and history, which is distinctly unexpected.

This was part of a series and even though stand alone, there are references to the other books. This review may contain spoilers.
This story features the companion of Lady Katherine Eversham, Flora Deavers. We find out right away that she is a hired companion to one half of a writing duo. The ladies have treated her as one of their own, and she always tries to emulate their ways and manners. The heroine has been using a fake name because she had escaped from an arranged marriage. She had been reading the newspaper and she happened to see that her younger sister has been accused of murder, the murder of her husband who the heroine was supposed to have married. The heroine feels guilty and does not even tell her employer about the fake name or that her sister was in trouble, she just packs and goes to the train station, where her purse is stolen. She was about to catch the thief when she runs into a man. He turns out to be an acquaintances of hers through her employer and friends. He is the duke of Lanham and they both know each other through Lord and Lady Wrackham who were recently married. In dealing with the duke, the purse thief escapes. She is not able to buy a ticket and the duke offers to buy one for her, but she refuses. She does, however, agree to ride in his private car since the duke's valet is with him. While traveling, the heroine explains to the duke why she is leaving London and tells him her real name and the that her step father was forcing her to marry his business secretary. She never thought he would force his own daughter to marry in her place, nor would her sister ever be capable of murdering someone. Since the duke was travelling to visit his grandmother who wants him to get engaged, the duke says if she agrees to a fake betrothal, he will get her sister free of the murder charges. He does not want one of the debutantes that his grandmother has invited. So the hero and heroine both have reasons for the fake betrothal.
I think this would have been a better story if the opening was built up more. The story opens as if the reader knows the heroine and the lady she works for or that she does not get along with the arrogant duke. This occurs often in the story, with the characters being referred to as if they were already known. Because of this, I give the story 4 stars, since it is not quite stand alone. It is an entertaining story, so I do recommend reading.

Very fun! This falls into the sub-genre of historical mystery romcom, because there were hijinks and suspense and spiciness and snark. A really enjoyable book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I wanted to like this book so badly. I found myself continuously starting and stopping it, but ended up DNFing.

Poppy is forced home to help her sister who is accused of murdering her husband. When she runs into Joshua on the way they team up. Joshua, who is going home for his grandmother’s birthday, can’t help but offer any assistance he can as a duke to help Poppy clear her sister’s name. While trying to solve the mystery of who the murderer is, Poppy and Joshua become very close. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Forever for my honest review.

first of all, i didnt realize this wasnt the start of the series but after finding out i wanted to continue anyway. the comparison to evie dunmore solidified my decision as she is one of my favorite authors. i always love a well meaning man with a penchant for stubborn women so it comes as no surprise i enjoyed this one

Thanks to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins!

Another grand slam for Manda Collins. I love regency/historical romances as a category, but I struggle because sometimes it can get so repetitive. I think that's what makes Manda Collins a strong author and The Spinster's Guide a unique series; she writes the expected but with a little bit of mystery behind it.

I fell in love with Poppy and Joshua immediately. The enemies to lovers vibes along with their bantering yet passionate personality made for the perfect storyline. As characters, I felt like they each stood well on their own but together they were everything! Behind Eversham and Kate, this was a close favorite of the series for me!

This book was wonderful. I have enjoyed every book in this series. They are sweet, romantic, and the mystery is always properly solved. I look forward to more books from this author.

This was a fun, quick read and even though I hadn’t read the first two books in the series, I don’t think it took much away from reading this book as a standalone book. I don’t read a whole lot books set in this time period, so am absolutely no expert on the speech of the time, but I tended to find a lot of the speech used in this book, especially the dialogue, a bit over the top. I liked both main characters, although I always prefer main characters in a romance to spend more than just a handful of days together before they’re madly in love.
My biggest complaint, though, is that both characters (especially the mmc) are described throughout the book as being blonde, but the cover shows him with very dark brown/black hair.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Stubborn and self-reliant Poppy Delamare escapes an odious betrothal and hides in London as a secretary. When her sister is accused of murder, Poppy agrees to a fake engagement with Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. Poppy and her sister get protection of the dukedom and Langham gets protection from women intent on becoming his duchess.



Fake engagement, false first impressions, catching feels, solving a murder. This sounded perfect for me. I read book one but I wouldn’t say you had to read the others in this series.

The mystery was too underdeveloped for me but I liked the pacing of Poppy and Langham’s relationship from enemies to friends to lovers. I loved Langham’s protective nature and seeing Poppy find her way again.

This is Langham and Poppy's book, with some cameos by Eversham, Kate, Caro, and Val. This one got a bit dark, with the underground society, but I wanted that explored a bit more because it was interesting. As it was, it just seemed to exist for the "close quarters" purpose and then not much else was made out of it. In this we have Poppy and Langham pretending to be engaged, Langham's way of getting out of being paraded in front of a bunch of eligible women selected by his grandmother and Poppy so she has more clout in trying to save her sister, who is accused of murder, from the hangman's noose. This is both historical mystery and historical romance so it has a wider appeal and both aspects seemed to work well together. The romance wasn't as instalovey as Eversham and Kate's and the banter was great. The mystery was well done and kept my attention, while the side characters were nice additions. I feel like this series keeps getting better with each book and I hope it continues. 4 stars. Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book three of the series but can easily be read alone. Love the series, the author, this book and LOVE the cover!

Review:
I am obsessed with this series from Manda Collins. Her characters are interesting and captivating all while being constrained by the rules and morals of their time period. This is the third book in this series from Collins, but you don't have to have read the other two books to fully appreciate Poppy and Langham's story. A fake engagement feels at times like a background story to the murder plot an the rise of a secret society was a unique, interesting backdrop for Poppy and Langham's budding romance. I can't speak enough about their friendship turned relationship and Poppy's friendship with her friends.

Synopsis:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lady in danger must be in need of rescue, but whether she wants to be rescued is up for debate—for fans of Evie Dunmore and Netflix's Bridgerton from the bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem!
England, 1867: Miss Poppy Delamare is living a lie. To escape an odious betrothal, she fled to London where she’s been hiding as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. However, when her beloved sister is accused of murder, Poppy cannot leave her to the wolves. Only a most unexpected—and unwelcome—collision interrupts her journey home . . .
Despite a rather dismal first meeting, Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, has no intention of abandoning a lady in need. But he’s not above asking a favor. A fake betrothal will give Poppy and her sister the power of the dukedom and protect Langham from the society misses intent on becoming his duchess.
Yet the longer the ruse goes on, the more Poppy and Langham realize how false their first impressions were—and the less pretend their engagement feels. But before Langham can propose in truth, their search reveals a tangled web of lies and betrayals. With time running out, can Poppy and Langham find the real culprit—before Poppy becomes the next victim?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the first two books in Ladies Most Scandalous series so I definitely was going to pick up book three and I was not disappointed! The story was a perfect mix of strong FMC, romance and mystery! I enjoyed Poppy and Langham's banter (and barbs) and the slow burn was perfectly paced through the book with an added bit of spice. It was perfectly balanced with the mystery plot. I enjoy a good mystery and I was so pleased that the mystery elements weren't put on the back burner compared to the romance. Instead, it seemed to compliment the romance!

Poppy is strong and fierce and I loved how she didn't take any BS and was poised the whole time. I also loved the sort of pride and prejudice vibes with Langham and Poppy and how they didn't really know each other at first but slowly began to see the virtues in each other.

Highly recommend!

This book is part of a series, but it can stand well on its own.

What I love most about the series is that there's always a mystery at its heart. In this case it's the murder of Poppy's brother-in-law - with her sister as the prime suspect. Poppy and Joshua Fielding - the Duke of Langham - aren't exactly friends, but when circumstances throw them together to solve the crime, they end up finding love as well.

The story moved very well, the dialogue was snappy and fun, and the steamy parts were very well done. I enjoyed this book very much, and especially enjoyed the mystery. A great choice for fans of both genres.

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

The third book in the series it can be enjoyed entirely as a standalone

CW: off-page descriptions of violence and murder, attempted assault on heroine, side character held captive, emotional abuse by a step parent, claustrophobia, ableist language (Victorian Era) - based on Author's note

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

-m/f romantic suspense
-historical romance
-fake engagement
-murder mystery
-just a hookup
-forbidden romance elements

I adore this series so much. I don't read a lot of romantic suspense, but this series has the right mix of romance, historical and suspense vibes. Capable women who enjoy solving murders despite the era they live in working against them.

Poppy runs into Joshua (yes it has been a long time but I found me another Joshua) and they strike up a bargain. He'll help her clear her sister's name and discover who murdered her sister's husband in exchange for faking an engagement. Definitely not a recipe for two people to fall in love with each other wink wink. This was a great fake relationship as these two were forced to work together, to investigate the murder all while pretending to be engaged. they had great sexual tension. I loved who they both trusted in each other and just respected the other.

It was great to see the couples of the previous two books, and honestly maybe my favorite my series (don't make me pick).

Steam: 3

I wish this would have been a little longer to get more relationship development but this mystery was my favorite of all three

Perfect blend of historical mystery and romance! Ahh! All the feelings with this one. It is a perfect blend of the two genres. I would recommend this to anyone who wishes their historical romances came with a side of mystery! I think it will find readership at our library!

this series is amazing. each book gets better and better in regards to the writing but I will always love the first one the best. its the best of both worlds with regency and also a little bit of suspense and mystery. I highly recommend if you like something a little bit different.

I read this series in 2 days! I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for this book but had to find and read the first 2 first and I am so glad I did, because it gave me an early look at Poppy and the Duke. This was such an exciting book, murder, secret societies, con men, and a smoldering romance.
I love the way Collins writes these clueless men, and her way with bantering couples is just excellent.
The authors' notes and the discussion questions are an extra attraction.
I highly recommend this whole series and I now plan to read more Manda Collins as I have only read 2 other of her books.
So once again thank you Netgalley and I have written an honest opinion of the book.