A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is the latest in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Each novel follows a different lady, one who is a strong and unconventional type, as they navigate a society that wants to keep them small and quiet. They also each get their own romance with a seemingly unlikely match.

This book follows Poppy, who has been working in London for Kate and Caro under a pseudonym to avoid her past. She must travel back into her past when her sister is accused of murdering her husband. Poppy finds herself entwined in a fake betrothal with the handsome Duke of Langham. Poppy needs his help to investigate the murder and Langham needs a way to avoid his grandmother's matchmaking designs.

If you love a historical romance, a fierce and capable heroine, and the trope of fake dating/ fake fiances, then you will love Manda Collins's work. I recommend you start with the first in the series, but this one can stand on its own as well. Collins is an auto-buy author for this librarian!

Poppy Delamere has been hiding as 'Frida Deever', fact-checker for the newspaper column A Ladies Guide To Mischief and Mayhem. When her sister is accused of murder she has to flee home to see her.

Lord Langham is a duke and doesn't wanna be bothered by the ladies so he asks Poppy to pose as his fake fiance. Pretty standard duke behavior.

The 2 join forces to figure out what happened to Poppy's sister.

First off, I super enjoyed this book. I went in expecting one thing and came out satisfied. All of Manda's books are "Nancy Drew meets Jane Austen with kissing" and that is 100% the case here.

The banter between these 2 characters had me all smiles the first half of the book. The scenes with his family and Poppy holding her own were marvelous and extremely satisfying.

The second half of the book is where the book lost a star for me. The story shifts almost completely to solving what happened with her sister that it's almost like the chemistry between them dropped. HOWEVER, the use of hand holding in this book GOT ME. Casual walking around hand holding is so rare in histroms (so weirdly) and it was all over the place here. It was rather sweet.

All in all I really liked it. Would def recommend to a friend but would tell them to start from the first book.

Shout out to all the MFM references

Manda Collins continues to exceed my expectations with each new book published in this series. The newest, A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is my favorite. In fact, it's one of my all-time favorites written by this author.

Using a tightly-plotted blend of historical romance and mystery wrapped around well-developed characters, snappy dialog, perfectly-placed humor, unexpected danger, sparkling banter, and a well-executed, adversaries-to-lovers, fake engagement, slow-burn romance, this story kept me happily flipping pages from beginning to end. In fact, I was having so much fun I didn't want it to end.

Can't wait to see what this author has in store for readers next.

4.5 Stars
*ARC received from Forever via NetGalley for fair and unbiased review

The moment I read the initial encounter between Flora and Langham in An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire I was itching to get my hands on their love story, and I must say that Manda Collins did not disappoint. This is my favorite of the series so far.

Poppy Delamere has been hiding in London the past two years, under the pseudonym Flora Deaver and working alongside Kate and Caro, but a murder accusation against her sister has her coming out of the shadows and rushing back to the family she fled.

Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, is heading to his country home to celebrate his grandmother's birthday when he encounters Poppy at the train station. The two do rather irk each other, but she is in need of help and they are going in the same direction after all. He offers her a ride.

Along the way they hatch a plan: he will assist her in clearing her sister's name if she will pose as his betrothed during the weeklong country party. They're from different classes and get along much like oil and water; surely this fake betrothal won't lead anywhere.

This book is a delight filled with banter, intelligent takedowns, mystery, and sizzling chemistry. Poppy takes on the formidable dowager duchess as well as Langham's initially prickly sister and the ladies of the ton and their highly ruffled feathers with aplomb.

Poppy and Langham make a perfect team, and I adore that one of the main things he finds attractive is that she doesn't fawn over him for being a duke. She has no qualms disagreeing with him and telling him what she thinks, and as a result, he falls in love with her. Instead of being challenged by her intelligence, he finds it to be one of her most attractive qualities.

Langham's moments of ducal condescension to others also had me smirking as they are so very different from who he is underneath it all.

This series just keeps getting better and better. I hope there is more to come. Perhaps a book about Langham's brother Lord Adrian???

I received a review copy from Forever via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Manda Collins resurrects the Hellfire Club as the Lucifer Society in this madcap rom-con whodunnit about a spurned groom-to-be, his runaway erstwhile intended, his wife, and a whole lot of ruinous fraud and other criminal goings on. There is never a dull moment in this mid-Victorian era mystery mixed with romance. There is some distracting tidbits with a thoroughly modern heroine, but in general, the novel rewards the reader with its brisk plotting and surprising villain. There is also sharp dialog that entertains.

I enjoyed this one! This is set in mostly in the countryside, with Poppy (known to her employer as Flora, as she'd been hiding her identity for reasons quickly revealed in the story) anxiously returning home upon hearing that her sister has been charged with the murder of her husband, an odious man (whom Poppy would have been forced to marry had she not left home). Poppy reluctantly accepts the help of Joshua, the Duke of Langham who has an estate close to her family home, in return for pretending to be his fiancee to help him avoid the women his grandmother has assembled in hopes of seeing him married off. It's a fake relationship trope story complete with an intriguing mystery to solve, all the while drawing Poppy and Joshua closer. Mostly lighthearted though the reality of women forced into marriage, including abusive ones, is part of the story. A sweet romance with sensual love scenes, witty banter, and a great addition to the series. Definitely recommend the whole series.

I loved how in the beginning of this book, everything starts happening right away. You are thrown into this book dealing with murder and potential brides from a meddling grandmother and it’s amazing!!

I LOVED the marriage of convenience and how Langham protected Poppy from his family, when he needed to, and the ton. I also loved how when his family came around about the marriage, they were very supportive of their relationship and was really there for Poppy.

I was shocked that this book was dealing with a satanic cult! It made me enjoy the book even more since I love books about true crime and cults.

Manda Collins has created a wonderful blend of mystery and romance in this book and I stayed up waaaaayyyy too late reading it. I couldn’t help it because it grabbed me with the first words and just wouldn’t turn me loose. You’ll absolutely adore the protagonists who are well-crafted, fully developed, and very relatable – and we get wonderful cameo appearances of the characters from the first two books.

Miss Flora Deaver has made a life for herself in London over the last two years. She has a job she loves and close loving friends – except – she has been lying to them about who she is. Now, with the shocking story of her sister’s imminent arrest for murder, she must quickly abandon all and return to . . . Where will she go? She is really Miss Poppy Delamare, daughter of a vicar, and stepdaughter to the vilest man on the face of the earth. She ran away when he tried to force her to marry another vile man – his private secretary, Mr. Alistair Lovell. What she didn’t realize was that her stepfather would force her sister, Violet, to marry Lovell after she ran away. And now, Violet is accused of Lovell’s murder and Poppy must give up her London life and friends to save her. However, things go awry as soon as she reaches Padding Station. Why is it that the one man who was there to offer assistance is that odious Joshua Fielding, Duke of Langham? Can they make his plan work?

Joshua Fielding adores his meddling, match-making grandmother and is on his way to his country estate to celebrate her birthday with her – and probably a house full of young ladies who hope to become his duchess. The face Joshua presents to the world isn’t who he really is, but he learned very early in life that most people were only after what he (or more to the point, his title) could do for them. The only person who doesn’t want anything to do with him or his title is Miss Deaver – and she detests him. However, when he comes across her in Paddington Station, he can’t help but offer his assistance. Besides, maybe they can help each other – she can pretend to be his betrothed and protect him from those marriage-minded ladies (and his grandmother) and he (and his title) can help her sister Violet.

Since I was instantly smitten by both characters, I smiled and sighed as Joshua and Poppy came to know and love each other. It was such a pleasure to watch Poppy charm Joshua’s grandmother and sisters all while investigating the murder of Mr. Lovell. And then, there is chemistry! OMGoodness – the chemistry between Poppy and Joshua nearly dissolved the pages.

The mystery is excellently done and the villains – well – they’ll lead you, Joshua, and Poppy on a merry chase before they are identified and justice is delivered. There is danger and intrigue within some unique settings and situations. You’ll love it.

I can definitely recommend this clever, engaging, well-written, and romantic book. While there isn’t officially an epilogue, the final chapter provides a nice wrap-up for the book. I hope you'll love it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paddington Station, London - 1867

Miss Poppy Delemere, who goes by the name of Flora Deaver, has been working for Lady Katherine Eversham and her writing partner, Caroline Wratham. Poppy has just decided to hurry to her home in Little Kidding as her sister, Violet, 18, has been accused of killing her husband, Mr. Alistair Lovell.

As Poppy rushes to purchase a train ticket, a man steals her reticule and all of her money. Giving chase, she runs right into Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. He is a friend of her employers. Learning she has been robbed, he offers to pay for her ticket. But, she is stubborn woman and distrustful of men. As she hesitates, he talks her into going on the train with him in his private car and he is also heading to Little Kidding and his home Langham Manor. It is his grandmother’s birthday and he knows she has invited eligible young ladies to be there in hopes he will choose one for his wife. When Poppy explains about her sister, he suggests they help one another. With his influence, hopefully he can get her sister out of prison while the authorities look for the truly guilty person. In exchange, she will pose as his fiancee to thwart his grandmother’s subjecting him to the young ladies. After all is over and settled, they can just call off the engagement. She agrees. At the train station, his entire family is waiting for him and shocked when he introduces Poppy.

This is a very good novel which is full of suspense. Poppy and Joshua are great characters and perfectly matched for one another. Secrets from the time of Joshua’s great-grandfather are revealed and boy are they crazy. I know readers of historical romance with suspense will really like this story. Manda Collins in a very talented author so enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

def 14% I don't know why this series just doesn't work for me. I can't get myself to enjoy the books. I always struggle with mysteries in romance, but I couldn't get myself to care about the characters. I felt like this book was an odd mix of both too much exposition and yet not enough because I felt like I needed to already know who the characters were from the previous books (which I've read but don't remember). Maybe I'll come back to this one when I'm on less of a tight reading schedule.

I think this installment of the series is one of the stronger ones, especially on the mystery part. The mystery was pretty strong overall. I liked the inclusion of the cult, which was really interesting. I liked this romance probably the most of the three only because it took most of the book for the couple to decide that they wanted to actually be together. We get a really good establishment of their friendship and that they do actually care for one another. Where this book lacked a bit was the beginning. The establishing chapters felt really forced and clunky, but once the set up was done, the author hit her stride more. I think trying to make this a kind of hate to love romance was not really the move. It felt hamfisted in their meeting in the second book and really forced in the opening chapters of this book. It’s okay for a couple to just be friendly and tease each other and discover they feel more than they thought. This series is stronger on the mystery front and sometimes the romance seems glossed over in certain points where I would love to know the feelings. For example, there’s a scene where the hero is talking about why he loves the heroine and his speech gets cut off and it ends with basically saying “he listed all the ways he loved her” I would have loved to hear those ways and maybe her reasons for loving him back? I would definitely give another book by this author a try!

Poppy leaves her life in London working with Kate and Caro when she finds our her sister is accused of murder. After her bag containing her money is stolen at the train station, she turns to the Duke of Langham, who is traveling in the same direction and offers his aid. Poppy agrees to be his fake fiancée to save him from a house of matchmaking mamas, their daughters, and his grandma. Together they try to solve the mystery of who really killed sister’s late husband and try not to fall for each other while they do.

I just adore this series! I love the smart female leads, their wittiness, and their mystery solving. I loved the romance between Langham and Poppy. He truly cared and wanted to help her regardless of their arrangement. They had great chemistry and banter! I read a mix of the ebook (thank you @readforever for my gifted copies!) and the audiobook because I have to own the whole series and I love Mary Jane Wells.

This is a well written romance and mystery. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I kept thinking the characters should be doing “more”. Especially since Poppy was supposed to be so concerned about her sister. She had a powerful Duke at her side so couldn't she demand to be taken to her sister? There is also some repetition which I always view as an author trying to fill-out the pages. Is the plot interesting? You betcha. It had exciting breathless moments and action. The romance was rather lukewarm but then it did heat up as the H/h got to know and like each other.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. A Spinter's Guide to Dangerous and Dukes is the third book in the "Guide" triology, but it can easily be ready as a standalone title. After seeing an article in the paper, Poppy Delamere is frantic to return home after seeing her sister's name in a newspaper about the death of her husband. After an boy steals her bag with all of her money, she runs into the Duke of Langham. After some sparing, they realize they are traveling to the same location, and she agrees to travel in his private rail car.

Langham is traveling to his estate to celebrate his grandmother's birthday; not wanting to deal with the eligible misses that she likely invited to the house party, he gets Poppy to agree to pose as his fiancé by pointing out that his position can only be beneficial. Poppy goes to visit her sister, but her stepfather prevents her from seeing her. Her sister is the prime suspect in the death, and Poppy needs all the help she can get to clear her name. I enjoyed the banter between Poppy and Langham and found the balance between the mystery and romance to be very nicely done. The mystery itself has a few nice twists that kept it from being too predictable. I'd really like to see what Ms. Collins could do writing a historical mystery series featuring the same lead characters with romantic elements after enjoying many of her historical romance titles featuring mystery elements.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is a masterfully crafted novel that seamlessly blends mystery and romance. The plot is cleverly constructed, the execution is flawless, and the writing is delightfully witty. The mystery element of the story propels the action forward, while the romance adds a pulsating beat to the narrative. The two elements are expertly intertwined to create a captivating and entertaining tale that will appeal to fans of both genres.

💍 Book Review 💍

Thanks to @readforeverpub for a free copy of this book. It came while I was out of the country (on Spring Break in Spain!) but I started it on @netgalley on the plane and devoured the physical copy when I got home last night.

✔️ Fake Dating
✔️ Solving a Mystery
✔️ Opposites Attract (Eligible Duke + Wannabe Spinster)

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes (just published this week!) is the third book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. I loved the first book but this is my favorite of the series. It's about Poppy and the Duke of Langham who pose as an engaged couple so she can investigate a crime her sister is accused of while he can avoid his family's matchmaking.

I love the Fake Dating trope and it is executed flawlessly here. I love when "affection for show" unlocks real attraction and there were some fantastic scenes where the eye contact and pining were both emotional and a little steamy!

The characters are well-matched and I loved how each chapter built their esteem for each other where you can tell they like each other as people and it's not just about physical attraction (though there is plenty of that too).

Sometimes when I read a book where there is a case to be solved, I don't always feel the need to reread - I know what happened. However, so much else went on here with the characters and the relationship that is worth revisiting so I would definitely pick it up again.

Highly recommend - I'd give this one 5⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

From the moment Poppy collided with Langham at the train station, I was hooked. Poppy Delamare is smart, headstrong, and resourceful. Joshua Fielding is dashing and commanding as the Duke of Langham should be. Together they are magic. I enjoyed their witty banter and passionate chemistry. They're so good together!

I love period stories and reading about customs of those times. I smiled at the clever references, including one to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Add in a fake betrothal, murder, and a secret society, and you have the perfect read to keep you entertained.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is book three in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. I didn't feel lost at all even though I haven't read the first two books. This book is perfect for those who like some mystery and/or Regency Romance. I'll be adding the first two books to my tbr and keeping an eye out for future books by Manda Collins!

This was a fun opposites attract, fake dating historical romance with dual POV and a murder mystery thrown in. Great on audio narrated by Mary Jane Wells and perfect for fans of Elizabeth Everett, India Holton or Martha Waters. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

A Spinster' Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins was a lot of fun to read!

When her sister is accused of murder, Flora Deaver knows she must go to her side. But when a pickpocket steals her money and Flora is forced to turn to Joshua Fielding for assistance, she knows she has to come clean: her name is really Poppy Delamare, and she is rushing home to clear her sister's name. Joshua knows that, as the Duke of Langham, his name might carry weight and help Poppy acquit her sister. In exchange, Joshua asks Poppy to pretend to be his fiancée in an effort to stop his scheming grandmother from playing matchmaker. But as they spend more time together, Poppy and Joshua realize that real feelings might be behind their fake engagement...and a real killer is on the loose.

While A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is a historical murder mystery romance, I would say the emphasis was on the murder mystery and romance, which I enjoyed a lot. Collins does a great job developing their relationship through mutual support during stressful and somewhat scary situations, and I enjoyed watching Poppy and Joshua grow closer as they investigated the murder of Poppy's brother-in-law.

I also loved how smart and driven Poppy (and Kate and Carol, for that matter) is. Despite having some pretty frightening circumstances in her past, Poppy is a fighter, and I respected her for standing up for herself, whether it was against Joshua, his family, or even the constable.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is out now, and if you a the first two books in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, you won't want to miss out on Poppy's story! Many thanks to Forever, Manda Collins, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first time reading Manda Collins (I hadn't a clue it was the third book in a series when I requested!) and I really enjoyed it! I loved Poppy and Joshua and their quest to clear Poppy's sister's name. Even though this was the third book, you were given enough context clues to piece out loosely what happened in the previous books enough to understand this book but not so much that you don't want to read the other two books (which I definitely want to do now). I did find it a little predictable as far as the murder plot, but it did not take away from my enjoyment.

I love all the tropes in this one: fake dating, he falls first, grumpyxsunshine, and probably more that I'm forgetting.

I loved how there wasn't really any dumb miscommunication that you often see in romcoms.

One thing that did irk me was that the cover pics don't match the descriptions? But maybe I'm just going crazy. I could've sworn Joshua's hair was referred to as golden multiple times?

I can't wait to read the first two books in this world!