This was such a fun book. I love strong female protagonists who takes no prisoners, and Poppy certainly fits the bill! She will do whatever she must to prove her sisters innocence. Watching the relationship with her and Langham unfold and grow was so much fun and I was completely engaged from start to finish!

I really like the book but could do with less language. I liked the characters and the chemistry they had, the plot was beautiful but I found the language to be unnecessary. I choice of words made the novel hard for me to read. Why would the hero need to speak of 'pissing gold'?. It really ruined the book for me. I hate it because I really like the characters and story.

“A friend? I don’t believe a duke can ever be friends with an impecunious spinster, Your Grace.”

Third in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, this stars two characters that were introduced in the previous two books. An assistant to the other books heroines, Flora, and Duke of Langham, a friend to the other two heroes. Right away we learn that Flora is actually Poppy Delamare and she is on her way back home, the home she ran away from two years ago and changed her name to avoid a betrothal that her step-father had engaged her in. Poppy read in the paper that her step-sister Violet has been accused of murder, the murder of her husband and the man Poppy was supposed to marry. Feeling guilty that Violet had to marry the man in her place, Poppy wants to save Violet and prove that she didn't commit the murder. At the train station, she gets pick-pocketed and trying to chase the man down, runs into Langham, a man she's had a contentious relationship with. After losing her money, Langham, on the way home to his grandmother's birthday party, decides to help Poppy with the murder investigation, if she'll pose as his fiancee, saving him from the debutantes he knows his grandmother invited to her party.

One of the reasons he was so amused by Miss Deaver, he realized, was that she didn’t treat him like he pissed gold. She gave him a hard time of it, and it was refreshing.

I started the series here and didn't have a problem, there's obvious some emotional groundwork done already between Poppy and Langham in the previous two books but their courting and friendship is done here. Their situation is set-up in the first ten percent with them sharing confidences of how they're in the situations they need help in, basically the cards are on the table. This leaves room and time for them to simply be their true selves in each other's company. I liked this and thought this had the general tone of a Grace Burrowes, sweet babbling brook tone and pace, but I thought the murder mystery would have them actively Sherlock-ing more than they were. It took until around forty percent before the case actually gets going and we start to get sides of story of what happened and a couple clues in the tellings. Poppy's sister Violet is being kept away or disappeared for a lot of the story to keep some of the true story of what happened to her husband in the dark and there were some interesting red-herrings but I was missing Poppy and Langham more actively searching for clues. We do get one big scene of them trapped in cave and a, close to gruesome, danger element from a Lucifer's Society (think Hellfire Club) that could be involved in the murder.

This arrangement with the duke wasn’t a game; it was a necessity for gaining her sister’s freedom, and she would do well to remember it.

Our leads were given plot elements of family issues, Langham not as close to his younger brother as he'd like and Poppy's dislike of her step-father and how that affects her relationship with her mother and the obvious worry over her sister Violet but they didn't spend enough time with those characters or flesh out the issues to give those elements depth and thus, add layers to the characters for me. Poppy and Langham also had a more sweet friendship to growing love relationship for the majority of the story, so when they had their open (cave) door sex scene I didn't feel the passion between them as much as I would have liked; it felt a bit abrupt after how physically calm things were between them prior.

There were, he realized suddenly, few things he wouldn’t do in order to make Poppy happy.

The later last bit ramps things up with Violet appearing and revealing some information that eliminates and shines a brighter spotlight on some characters in regards to their guiltiness. We also get the previous two main couples making an appearance that I'm sure series readers will enjoy and a danger scene that has both Poppy and Langham realizing that time is too short not to go for the one you love. I thought the story took a while to get going, I wanted more Sherlock-ing, and the characters and elements had kind of a nothing new here feel but the friendship tone between Poppy and Langham was sweet.

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is the third book in the Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem series, and follows Poppy, a practical spinster, and Langham, a duke tired of being set up with eligible young ladies. When Poppy’s sister is accused of murdering her husband, Poppy must return to the family she fled from two years ago to avoid being married to the same man. When she runs into the Duke of Langham at the train station the two strike up a plan; by pretending to be engaged, Langham can avoid the matchmaking attempts of his grandmother and sisters, and Poppy can use his influence to make sure her sister gets justice. But the small town of Langham’s childhood appears to be full of controversies and mysteries, and Langham and Poppy can’t seem to stop being drawn to each other during their investigation.

This is my favourite book in the series so far. I really loved Poppy and Langham, and I found the mystery really fun and compelling. Things just kept getting wilder and the mystery kept getting more and more complicated, which I enjoyed. The pacing was good and I was satisfied with the way all the clues tied into the overall mystery.

I really liked Langham and found the chemistry between him and Poppy to be really interesting. They complimented each other well and the development of their relationship made sense to me. Even when they miscommunicated, I felt like it fit into their characters and what they knew about each other so the misunderstanding wasn’t a problem. I feel like these two characters made a lot of sense together and I really liked seeing their relationship play out, the banter and the ways in which they challenged and supported each other was really fun and lovely to read.

This book has romance, murder, cults, fake churches, meddlesome grandmothers, tiny dogs, and more! I had lots of fun with this book and couldn’t put it down, and it has me excited to read more books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes follows Poppy, who is returning to her home village upon hearing that her sister is about to be executed for allegedly murdering her husband. Enter Duke Langham, who after a pretty bad first meeting with Poppy, convinces her to enter a fake betrothal with him so that she could use his influence to help release his sister and he can avoid all of the ladies trying to become the next Duchess.

I liked the combination of the murder-mystery and romance. It was a unique twist on the typical Victorian Era, and I could see it playing out like an episode of Bridgerton in my mind. However, I did have a bit of a hard time getting into the story, since it focuses on characters who have been introduced in previous books. The pacing was good and I thought the story moved well, though there were definitely a couple of events that had me wondering why they were placed where they were within the story. I do want to see what the other stories in the series are like, so I will likely be checking those out soon!

Historical romance + mystery is a perfect combo, and Manda Collins is really stepping up to the plate. The third entry in the Ladies Most Scandalous series focuses on Poppy and Joshua. Poppy Delamare (aka Flora Deaver) ran away from home two years ago when she was about to be married off to her stepfather's secretary. When she left, her younger sister was married to him in her place. Now, he's dead, so Poppy's headed back home to clear her name.

Joshua, the Duke of Langham, is also headed to the same small village. In his case, he's attending a house party put together by his grandmother. In true HR fashion, Poppy and Langham come up with the perfect excuse for a fake relationship: as his fiancee, she'll benefit from his influence as she investigates her sister's case, while he will be free from all of the matchmaking schemes his grandmother has put together for him.

The mystery and romance work in tandem, and neither feels like it overpowers the other. Note that this mystery involves murder, blackmail, confidence tricks, infidelity, and even a satanic cult, so it could have been easy to focus on the mystery to the detriment of the romance. Instead it feels like there's just enough sexual tension and emotional resonance for us to feel invested in Poppy and Langham's relationship.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is set in 1860’s London, and I couldn’t help reflecting upon how different women’s lives were back in the 1800s. Our main character, Poppy, would be comfortable living in today’s world, as she is a thoroughly modern woman who believes women should be educated and have the same rights that men have. When her sister is accused of murder, Poppy speeds home to prove her innocence. The Duke of Langham accompanies her on the journey and offers his help. In exchange, he asks that Poppy pretend to be his fiancée to keep his grandmother off his back.

That’s right, we have a fake dating in the 1800s trope going on! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and that was the most fun part of the story for me. I love watching as the fake dating pair slowly become attached to one another. The passion or connection was a bit hard to feel in this book, which may just be a product of the time this is set in and the need for everyone to act properly all the time.

I also enjoyed when Poppy’s friends came to town and loved their interactions with her. It sounds like they may have been the focus of a prior book in this series, but I also think this worked just fine as a standalone. The book is well written, but the era and a regency storyline just weren’t the right fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a fun read, I devoured it in a day!! I love a historical romance, so add in a feisty heroine and a rakish hero, and I am all in!! I've read the previous books in this series, and this has to be one of the best!!

This was just a fun read. If you're looking for a little escapism, this is the perfect series to do so.
Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing,) and Manda Collins for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I haven't read the other books in this series but this can be read as a standalone and I really enjoyed it! The romance was fun and I liked the mystery element as well. This book has so many tropes that I absolutely love from forced proximity to fake engagement to regency romance and it all just worked really well for me.
This was a really easy and fun read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This regency romance starts out really strong, getting right into the thick of the mystery and literally crashing the MC's into each other's paths. However, the pacing gets a bit wonky after the first third and I got the sense that there was some difficultly in keeping the competing plot lines and tones in a balanced delivery. The relationship between the MC's is initially very appealing and well drawn, but the further the story goes, the more bumbling the characters become in both their detective roles and their romantic ones. There were also several instances of information being repeated almost verbatim within the same two or three paragraphs. This may be a reflection of where the manuscript is in the editing process, but I haven't encountered it before, so I thought it bore mentioning.
Overall, I would say this book had really good bones, but I would have liked to see things fleshed out with a little more emotional depth and realism.

Manda Collins excelles at writing lovable mischief causing characters and this addition is no different. From the crimes to the utterly romantic gestures this book was fantastic.

Poppy Delamere is trying to catch a train, to get to her sister who has been accused of murdering her husband. Just when she thinks that things can’t get any worse, she is robbed in the train station, and literally bumps into Joshua Fielding, The Duke of Langham. He is a friend of a friend, and they have met before but don’t get along particularly well. However, as they are heading to the same area, he offers to assist her with her travels.

Along the way they come to a mutual agreement. He will assist her in her mission to prove her sisters innocence. She will pretend to be his fake fiancée, to prevent his grandmas match making attempts.

As they work to untangle the mystery, and convince his family that their engagement is legitimate they find out that they don’t loathe each other as much as they originally thought.

Overall I enjoyed this one, and it was a quick read. My only criticism is that there was not much of a build up to the sex scene, so it felt a bit abrupt and awkward.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review

Collins's series thrives with her third installment.
I think this one is my favorite so far. The mystery kept me guessing and the characters were incredibly entertaining.
The writing is witty and immerses the reader into the world. I actually wished this was longer! I was having so much fun.
The romance is fake dating trope with two characters who really dislike each other but need this ruse for reasons. I liked how it played out. The romance developed at a nice pace but I do wish there were more steamy/intimate scenes!
A great book to escape into!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC!

🌟🌟🌟💫

This is the third book in Manda Collin’s “A Lady’s Guide” series. I found this instalment to be a nice continuation, with a similar combination of fun light historical romance and some bonkers mystery-related hijinks.

Poppy has been in London for two years under a pseudonym, working for Kate and Caro and assisting in their newspaper column and investigations. Her step-father wanted her to marry his private secretary, and Poppy ran away to avoid that fate. Unfortunately, her step-father forced her sister into that marriage, and now the private secretary has been murdered and Poppy’s sister is the prime suspect.

Poppy decides to make her way to the town where they live to help her sister, and ends up getting into a fake engagement with the stuffy Duke of Langham, with whom she had prior run-ins.

I loved the classic fake engagement trope in this book, and the way Poppy and Langham develop a friendship as their attraction deepens. There’s some fun banter and good side characters. The mystery element had some elements that were a bit extra bonkers, but I was able to roll with it. A fun read.

This was such a fun and entertaining book! Both the mystery and romance plots of the book were good! I liked the murder mystery and it was well done and kept me guessing who did it throughout the book! Although some parts of the mystery did feel a little ridiculous and out there for me. The romance on the other was great and gave me everything you would want in a hate to lovers with a fake engagement! There was good banter between Poppy and Langham. I just wish there was more of them actually being together!

Overall this was a fun book and do recommend!

Read if you like…
•murder mystery
•hate to love
•fake engagement
•historical read
•🌶️

I enjoy watching murder mystery films or tv show and ever since I started watching Miss Scarlett and the Duke I wanted to try out historical romances with a murder mystery twist and I have to be honest this is quite a good combination.

This book hooked me in from the start, I was very intrigued by the characters and the story. Also I am a sucker for ulterior motives relationships/ fake dating so that was another win for me.

When I read the first book I remember feeling a little bit unsatisfied with the romance portion of the book because I felt it wasn’t enough, but in this third instalment the balance between romance and the rest of the plot was perfect.

The murder mystery plot was actually engaging and I have to be honest I had absolutely no idea how the mystery was going to wrap up.

I feel like this book is perfect to read on a rainy afternoon while enjoying a cup of tea because also the country setting gives a very distinct cozy vibe.

I sincerely enjoyed Poppy and Langham’s story. The mystery and suspense plot line went in a direction I didn’t see coming that made this story stand out against the two before it! Poppy and Langham have the best fake engagement storyline I’ve read in a minute and that could be because it was a historical romance which I don’t often read, but do enjoy!

Poppy had such confidence and strength that I loved her from the moment she was introduced in the last book, but especially when she meets Langham’s family for the first time and when she is introduced to the ladies of the ton. Her wit and banter is wonderful and funny and I adored her! Langham is her perfect match and respects her but also challenges her, which made all their scenes so good!

Lovely installment in the series - I believe that this was even better than the first two books, and I look forward to the next!

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes
“A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes” is my favorite of the “A Lady’s Guide” series so far. It is a fun murder mystery with dastardly villains, a missing sister, a secret society looming in the past mixed with a house party of marriage-minded young ladies, a fake betrothal, a suspecting family, and a couple who will admit to almost anything but their feelings.

The pacing and momentum and really good, the mystery that reveals harkens back to the gothic mysteries of the 19th century, and the characters are fun and endearing, even when the duke employs his quizzing glass. I recommend the book for a fun and romantic time.

My thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. All opinions are strictly my own.

Even having not read the first 2 books in this series, I was utterly charmed by Poppy and Langham.

When Poppy’s sister is accused of murder, she finds an unlikely ally in the Duke of Langham who needs a faux-fiancée to ward of marriage-hungry debutantes visiting his country estate for his grandmother’s birthday. Poppy is headstrong but not so prideful as to be foolish, and Langham is besotted from the jump and truly good to the core.

I don’t typically love romance novels with a heavy mystery subplot, because the relationships between characters tend to get lost in the shuffle, but Manda Collins weaves the love story and crime-solving together beautifully.

For a murder mystery, this novel felt incredibly low stakes and, for lack of a better word, cozy. The vibes are simply immaculate, and I look forward to jumping back into this world with the first 2 books of this series.