This regency romance was a sweet story - fairly clean and it almost seems to be written in a style similar to how regency ladies may have told their own stories. This story is about Anthea, whose father has gambled away their fortune, sold her deceased mother's jewelry, and has taken loans to continue his habit. Anthea's father has no plans to continue to lease their current home, and his plan for them both is to move to the seedy side of town to live with his mistress.

Anthea does not wish this life for herself, so she goes to Gideon Rodrigo for help. Gideon has helped Anthea's father in the past with his debts, so Anthea knows him and has thought him to be a good man. Gideon is unwilling to allow Anthea to move to the shady part of town, and instead offers to marry her.

There's a seven year old mystery to solve, plus the introduction of Gideon's daughter to the ton. I enjoyed the book, however I thought some of the wording was somewhat repetitive and it wasn't really my style. It was a sweet romance and it tells a good story. They mystery was also good. Unfortunately, I didn't see much character development and I'm not in love with any of the characters.

The Whispering Tongues is the third book in the Sussex Regency Romance. It has mystery and romance. I did not particularly care for the characters. The murder took a long time to occur. Still, I recommend it for fans of Regency romance.

The Whispering Tongue is a cozy Regency romance book by Beth Andrews, featuring a young couple who solve murder mysteries. Anthea Halliwell, who has been hiding due to theft accusations, seeks help from Gideon Rodrigo to start a small business. However, Gideon offers her marriage and safety instead. He elopes with Anthea and enlists John and Lydia Savage, a sleuth couple known for their expertise. The series is solidly written with engaging characters and a steady pace, highlighting prejudice against the Jewish population during the time period.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this advanced copy for an honest review.

Very charming romance! And mystery.

I love historical romances with some mystery. I felt so much for Anthea. Its one thing to be shunned by society for something you didn't do, but to then be cast off for your friend? And then her father. Its not like todays times.

I enjoyed the mystery and the redemption for Anthea. Gideon was a hero.

Ah, a sleuthing couple in the Regency period. How unusual and a different take on the usual romance. Such innocence to believe her friend about he theft too by our heroine, but of course, it fulfilled its aim, made her unavailable for marriage to the charming flirt that her friend wanted for herself - yes, this was obvious from the start.
I thought it was a shame that Mr Rodrigo had had to convert from Judaism but I also too, realise that was the necessary thing to do in order to undertake a wider business. After all, Disraeli did it. It was good though to show the anti-semitism that existed in this period
I different and intriguing version of this genre.

I enjoyed every second of this one!!! It takes some real talent to take a basic premise that has been done multiple times and then somehow still make it unique and make it stand out head an shoulders above the rest! I'll definitely be looking out for the authors backcatalouge and future releases!!

Another first authors' read for me and I really enjoyed it. It led me to purchase her first book featuring John and Lidia Savage who are amateur detectives having successfully solved their own mystery. Here our heroine is very much victim of said 'whispering tongues' of the title. She enlist the help of Gideon (fabulous name) who has loved her from afar. The gossip about Althea has damaged mentally and he makes it his business to heal her and correct her accusers. A lovely writer, I enjoyed this story very much. It touches on the social issues of the day and the rampant anti-semitic surrounding Gideon. Of course John and Lidia come up trumps so all happy ever after. My thanks to Netgalley,Joffe Books and the Author for an advance copy of The Whispering Tongues.

The Whispering Tongues by Beth Andrews is a lovely cozy mystery, regency romance that I loved from beginning to end. Excellent pace, lovely character, plenty of pleasant surprises and a great family dynamic make this beautiful story a fun, page turner that will make you smile.

The story of young Anthea Halliwell grabbed me from the get-go with the excellent world building and description of her circumstances. As she finds herself in need of help and turns to Gideon, her life changes overnight. I really enjoyed the mystery, suspense and trying to figure out what happened all these years ago. What everyone thought was just theft turns into a much bigger crime and close friends of Gideon come to help clear Anthea's name.

This is a quick and fun novel full of charm, romance and twists that will keep you turning the pages. I found myself smiling through most of it and really enjoyed the fact that the conclusion left no open ends or questions unanswered. Fans of Bridgerton or Jane Austen's work will love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Beth Andrews for the advanced copy of The Whispering Tongues. While not required to write a review, I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Marriage of convenience? ✅
Murder? ✅
Part of a series that works as a standalone? ✅

Tonally this book didn't really work for me, but I appreciate how it was written, the characters and the plot. Definitely enjoyable and quick enough not to bore readers. This book tried really hard to be Austen-esq, but at times almost made itself too campy to be fun.

I enjoyed the mystery and the romance and had fun. My rating would have been higher but the religious part bored to me to tears and didn't add anything to the plot.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is a strongly Christian story in the form of a regency romance. The heroine, Anthea, is an outcast from society after being wrongly suspected of theft. Her father is an inveterate gambler that has bankrupted the family, so she has gone to Gideon Rodrigo to borrow money for a millinery shop. Gideon, the hero, is a widower and a Jew who converted to Christianity because he "secretly read the New Testament and became convinced of it's truth." It's unclear why Anthea would go to him for money. She' describes him as a merchant later in the book. Is he actually a banker? A money lender? Stereotype much? Gideon proposes to Anthea instead of lending her money because he has always been attracted to her and is sure she is innocent of the charges against her. They marry and Anthea finds she is very attracted to Gideon. They also try to solve the mystery of who really committed the theft that she was accused of. The book has numerous anti-Semitic insults directed towards Gideon while he is defended by mention of Jesus and the apostles being Jewish and of course the fact that Gideon is now Christian. I found the romance sugary sweet, the characters two dimensional and some of the dialogue downright bizarre. Gideon's 17 year old daughter actually says to Anthea that she expects Anthea to have a baby soon "considering how frequently you and Papa seem to be copulating". Who talks like that? Certainly not a respectable girl In regency times. At the couple's wedding, a friend refers to Gideon's cousin's wedding at the same church (all the Jews in this story have converted to Christianity). She says "What was his name? Benjamin Braham, I think. It used to be Abraham, of course, but that's something the family prefers to forget. He came home from the war without a scratch. Then after he returned to England he cut his foot on a shard of broken glass. . .it turned gangrene and they were forced to amputate . . Anthea struggled to keep from laughing . . " Laughing? Was that story supposed to be funny? I might have been able to ignore some of the silly dialogue but too much time was spent on the Jewish issue. It took over the plot and was the subject of much of the conversation. The romance and the mystery should have been enough to deal with in a short book.

TRIGGER WARNING: anti Semitism
Anthea Halliwell has reached crisis point. Her father is almost bankrupt and about to move in with his lover, she herself has no prospects after a false accusation of theft. Lucky to escape the hangman's noose, Anthea asks her father's business associate for help setting up a shop. Instead Gideon offers her marriage...
The Whispering Tongues is an historical romance and mystery novel set during the regency period. This is the third book in the series and I am not sure if there are spoilers from previous books.
Anthea has been a social pariah since she was accused of stealng a friend's necklace. Now her father's gambling means the family are going to lose their home. She is offered the chance to change her prospects when Gideon proposes. He has admired her from afar and now she allows her own feelings to lead her choices. The match is a physical and emotional one. I did tire a little of the frequent inappropriate comments about their sex life but their relationship is refreshing.
Personally, I enjoyed the mystery side of the plot. Gideon calls upon investigators John and Lydia Savidge to help clear his wife's name. I think that the culprit was easy to anticipate but I enjoyed watching how their story unravelled. There is a lot of drama and danger, especially for Anthea, as the net closes in on the real thief.
The Whispering Tongues is an entertaining novel and I shall look out for more books by this author.

The Whispering Tongues is a delightful read that took me back in time, reminding me both of the Bridgerton novels, as well as an Agatha Christie mystery. A splendid tale of Anthena and her surprising marriage to Gideon which solves both of their predicaments which ignited their quest to solve a great mystery that has plagued Athena and her reputation, The characters in this novel are so much fun and unique, which made this book a great and satisfying read for me. I recommend to any readers that enjoy historical fiction, a good mystery, and some laughs along the way!

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in consideration for an honest review. I have appreciated the opportunity to enjoy this book, and all opinions are my own.

5 stars

An excellent story. The hero has to suffer anti semitism even though he changed his religion a time ago. He's been in love with the heroine a long time. Gideon helped Anthea's gambling father sort out his finances and liquidate some of his assets. Antheo comes to him when it's obvious she's going to become homeless and she's decided to become a governess. Gideon suggests marriage instead. He has a delightful daughter who is keen as well and it's agree Thea will help her manage the season. There's a dark clous over Thea's head as a previous friend accused her of steadling some jewellry. The necklace was found but the rumours stuck and so after living as a recluse for 7 years Gideon is keen to clear Thea's name. I knew it was a series but what I didn't twig was that Gideon/Thea are not the actual sleuths, that's Lydia and John. It's a good mystery, though some of it's obvious there are some major twists. I might go back and read books 1&2.

Worth a read to dip in and see the darker side of the Regency.

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

I hate leaving negative feedback, but if I’m being honest in my review of this book, I have to.

Anthea Halliwell is Bath’s most famous recluse after being falsely and publicly accused of theft seven years previously. Thanks to her degenerate father and his gaming habits, she feels compelled to appeal to Gideon Rodrigo for financial assistance, based on his loans to her father in the past. A widower with a spirited teenage daughter, Gideon offers Anthea a vastly different solution: marriage. After eloping, he reaches out to amateur sleuths John and Lydia Savidge for their assistance in clearing Anthea’s name and solving the mystery of the stolen necklace.

At only 171 pages in the digital copy, there simply was no space to flesh out any of the characters. As a result, everything felt rushed and very superficial. While I appreciate that the author was paying homage to Jane Austen, this likeness felt forced, both in language and plot. The mystery was lackluster and the romance was on the cringeworthy side. Additionally, there was too much heavy emphasis on Gideon’s Jewish heritage and prejudice amongst the Bath gentry — while I have no doubt this was factual, it was focused on both constantly and at the same time casually, if that makes sense at all.

I can sum up with a quote from the book itself: “Why, Anthea wondered, did she always have to sound like a character in a tawdry Restoration drama?”
Exactly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Historical romance with a difference. Part of a series,this is the third, featuring a husband and wife who solve murders. This time it's a mystery they must solve. Good characters.

I enjoyed everything about this story. I found Gideons and Anthenas romance uniquely written. I loved the humor from the characters mainly Lavina and Lydia. The entertainment was fresh and moved rather quickly in the story. The was a good page turner for me. The writer did a great job of keeping me entertained with the romance and mystery.

The whispering tongues by Beth Andrews.
Sussex regency romance book 3.
Anthea Halliwell’s life was ruined by scandal. Her once-bright future was cruelly taken from her the moment she was accused of theft. For seven long years she has been shunned by society, her reputation in tatters. Can she ask Gideon Rodrigo for help? Will he help her?.
Really good read. 4*.

This was a lovely read and easily enjoyed as a standalone novel.
Anthea and Gideon were such a lovable couple and I enjoyed the fact that there were no silly misunderstandings or miscommunications between them. They jumped straight into marriage as a solution to Anthea's problems but it worked out for the best and they made a very endearing couple.
The mystery of the real thief's identity was a fun process to watch especially as the investigation was combined with launching Rachel into Bath's society. Rachel was a very amusing character as she had the habit of saying what she was thinking whether it was polite to do so or not.
This book was a lovely mix of mystery, romance and humour. Definitely recommended.

(Pardon my brevity, Netgalley & publisher; I broke my arm.)

While I really ought to have read the first two books in the series beforehand - this isn't a terrific standalone - that's on me, and the overall writing style here is delightful. I appreciate what Andrews was trying to do with the religious aspect, but I didn't love it, and that did bring things down for me a bit.