I tried several times to listen to this book. Finally, I was able to finish. I ended up liking it. But because of all the times I tried and stopped, I am giving it 3 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and HighBridge Audio for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret of the Lost Pearls is the sixth book in the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries! I really love Rosalind! She is a feisty heroine! I also love the mystery aspect for it was very engaging! Thus, this was a solid listen in a very captivating series! I really love the heroine! She had a very beautiful voice and made Regency London come alive with the way she expressed each word. Thus, the narrator helped enhance the book! I recommend this listen for fans of Katherine Schellman, Andrea Penrose, and Cindy Anstey!

I finally got around to listening to this. I am a huge fan of Darcie Wilde and the Rosalind Thorne mysteries. This one fell a little flat for me. I still love Rosalind and Alice. I hate that the budding romance is between an employer and employee. The mystery was good. Adam was not in it very much and there’s a lot of moments of embarrassment/anxiety. My biggest issue was that this is Pride and Prejudice fan fiction and the author really leans into it. It took me out of the story a lot to consider modern reception of different characters. So, I didn’t love it honestly.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
Rosalind Thorne, despite being a lady, works as a detective in regency England. She has knowledge about all of the best people and uses it to solve the mysteries brought to her. In this case, she is recruited to find a missing necklace. It is hoped that she can save the family from embarrassment. While conducting her search, she uncovers an even bigger mystery.
This was an interesting story with an interesting mystery. Each chapter was opened with a quote from Jane Austen and served as the theme for what would happen. Like with most historical fiction, the story tried to stay mostly true to the mindset of the era. Even though this was part of a series, it was not necessary to read the previous books to understand what is happening or like the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Secret of the Lost Pearls.

Author: Darcie Wilde
Narrator: Kitty Kelly
Published: 12/27/22
Genre: Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers | Romance

The final results are tabulated. After failing to interest or entertain me, I noticed a pattern in myself. I don't enjoy the written recency period works. I would happily watch this on Masterpiece.

Reading/listening was truly exhausting. I was wore out at 51% and didn't want to finish. It was as if all I heard was blah, blah, blah, blah. The simple people and the simple expectations of daily life sprinkled with closet morality is better in an hour on TV than 11 hours on audio. Around 70% I did start to become interested in Rosalind, but until that point I couldn't tell you anyone's name.

I knew the story couldn't be complicated, the storyline and characters are too immature, and the servants are too afraid. (I've watched a lot of Masterpiece Theatre.)

This gets 3 stars from me. The author and the narrator did their jobs. If you like the time period, I can't imagine that you wouldn't enjoy this. After finishing, I sat back and visualized the story on Masterpiece, and that is a compliment to both the author (I could see the show.) and the narrator (whose voice kept me going).

The Secret of the Lost Pearls by Darcie Wilde is a historical fiction set in London, had strong willed women and a woman detective. What else could you ask for? I enjoyed listening to this mystery and loved the spunk of the women this story. I loved being lost in that era and trying to guess who the culprit could be. Definitely one I would recommend for a quick and fun listen.
The narration by Kitty Kelly was good.
I would like to listen to more books by the author.
Thank You Net Galley for approving this book for me to listen to.

A great mystery novel, and I loved that it was a historical setting. It was my first read by Darcie Wilde, and it won't be my last! It kept me guessing until the end with its multiple threads to unravel and all its twists and turns. Although I prefer books with two to three POVs, I found it delightful and intriguing despite the extra POVs added. The narrator did a great job.
This book was given to me by NetGalley, but I was not required to provide a good review.

This audiobook was technically the 6th book in a series, however it was enjoyable as a stand-alone as I did not read/listen to any other books in the series and still enjoyed this one.

The narrator did a great job bringing Rosalind to life. Felt the pacing of the story was a bit choppy at times. Sometimes the story moved along very naturally and at others it felt like we were walking a stubborn dog who decided they didn’t want to move and we had to drag them along. However, the story was intriguing and enjoyed it. I would be interested in listening to other books in the series to learn more about Rosalind, especially her relationship with Adam.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for a copy of this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this book. I wish that I had not jumped into the series at this book, but I still loved it. I will now go back and read the books that came before this one! I love how strong the females are in this series and can't wait to read more of them!

#TheSecretoftheLostPearls
#NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the narrator and felt that they went good with the story. I hope to read more by this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and to the author for the ARC!

I’ve quite enjoyed the Rosalind Thorne series, and was excited to listen to the newest installment. Thank you net galley, and Highbridge audio for the ALC in exchange, for my honest opinion.

Over the series, Rosalind has honed her detective skills and ability to maintain her independence. This is the aspect I’ve most enjoyed, watching Rosalind grow and determine her own path forward. And while her relationship with Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness was in the background this outing I’ve appreciated seeing them figure it out.

As always, the mystery was entertaining, although the culprit was one, very annoying individual… To the point where I would need to sit down for a moment to get over my aggravation at the character.

The narrator did an excellent job, voicing each character giving them a true sense of self. I will certainly be picking up the next book when it comes out.

A Most Useful Lady

A most interesting mystery inspired by the writings of Jane Austin. There are tiny quotations from Pride and Prejudice throughout the book. I really enjoyed those quotes and the way the book was written.

Rosalind is a useful lady, for a fee she helps society ladies in need. She helps them meet the proper people, dress and act properly as a young lady should. She is hired by her friend Bethany to help her younger sister Penelope in her coming out. However, Rosalind finds out that Bethany really hired her because a valuable pearl necklace has been stolen and Rosalind's sister Nora is accused of stealing it. She wants Rosalind to find out who stole it to clear her sister's name.

Rosalind finds out that scandals are flying and secrets abound within the household. When someone turns up dead it becomes more than the theft of the necklace.

I love the way this story is written as if it took place in England during the times of carriages pulled by horses, ladies having a coming out season, the servants and their secrets which are added to the secrets of the house. So many secrets for one house.

I listened to the audio book and the narrator did a fantastic job. The accent was perfect and the voice was pleasing and easy to listen to and understand. I would recommend this mystery.

Thanks to Darcie Wilde for writing a great read, to Kitty Kelly for the great narration, to HighBridge Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to listen to and review.

Darcie Wilde is, for me, a must buy-must read-will recommend author. This latest installment in the Rosalind Thorne series explores family secrets and parental manipulation, and the dangerous results of ensuing rebelliousness from the young people in a wealthy family. Rosalind is made to go beyond her typical work as a financially distressed genteel woman, which is to help young ladies navigate their way through the rigidly structured social world of London's Ton. However, she is soon pressed into investigating the theft of a magnificent necklace made of black and white pearls. Unexpectedly, her ne'er-do-well father, a gambler that has long kept bad company, nearly embarasses Rosalind in public. The socially powerful Lieven saves Rosalind from humiliation, but in a world where information is like gold, there will be a price for Rosalind to pay.
Readers familiar with the series will appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the changing relationship between Rosalind and her sister, a courtesan, and Adam, the Bow Street Runner from previous books in the series.

Wilde has developed the loving relationship between Adam and Rosalind with delicate realism; they have gone from working investigations together to caring deeply for each other, while understanding more about how social class affects each of them. Both are mature people; neither has lived sheltered from life’s harshness. Yet they observe social proprieties with each other in a way that shows their respect for each other and feels realistic for the time. This doesn’t ignore the real-life mistresses and extramarital affairs of the Regency era; instead, it is a nod to the precarity of Rosalind’s social position. Gossip about her personal behavior could destroy her ability to earn a living as a single woman from a genteel background. Gender inequality is part of this story, handled subtly and seamlessly in a tight, well-paced plot.

Wilde writes engaging secondary characters as well, and I appreciate her acknowledgment of the ethnic and cultural diversity of Regency London. I love a genre novel with good historical research and emotional depth, and that’s one reason I’m willing to clear my schedule to dive into a Darcie Wilde novel. As a Reference Librarian, I would recommend this novel to fans of Stephanie Barron, Jennifer Ashton, and Valerie Bowman.

A wonderful addition to this historical mystery series set in Regency England. I could imagine Jane Austen herself writing Rosalind Thorne as a "useful woman" who also happens to solve mysteries in her efforts to help women of the ton with problems that require discretion at all costs. The language and sensibilities are just right.

The latest story finds Rosalind helping Mrs. Gerald Douglas find what has happened to a valuable pearl necklace that has gone missing. Mr. Douglas thinks Mrs. Douglas' sister is to blame, a woman who made a disastrous marriage at a young age and returned under mysterious circumstances. But Rosalind finds the Douglas family has many other secrets: fraud, forgery, blackmail and murder. Rosalind will need all her wits, and some help from Bow Street Runner, Adam Harkness, to solve this mystery.

The narrator has done a wonderful job in delivering great voices and the right timing for this historical piece.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

I listened to the audio book version of this tale and I really enjoyed it. I was a little slow at time, but never enough to lose my attention. I wanted to find the culprits so badly. The twists and turns were plentiful and I was always rearranging my suspect list.
I loved the cast of characters the minor and main ones both in turn. From our main sleuthing lady to her maid who was always trying to lend her hand at some detective work.
I also loved that each chapter started with a Pride and Prejudice quote. I also felt that you could see a lot of similarities between this story and that if Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. There were woman that were spurned by a proud male, there was a young flippant sister who ran off with a bad sort of mom, there was a mama that in my opinion was Mrs Bennett to a T.
For a period piece the language and flow throughout the story was very well done.

This has to be my favorite Rosalind Thorne mystery yet! There was so much progression in her relationship with Adam, with Alice, and considering the longevity of her “career” as a useful woman. There was a lot on the line for Rosalind. And the mystery was all over the place - in a good way! - so I was enthralled right up to the end.

The narrator found such subtle nuances between characters. I look forward to hearing more from her.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

A detective mystery with a female protagonist (Rosalind) skilled at networking and finding things out from secrets of the elite group to backgrounds of the nameless drunks roaming the street.

The book spent a decent amount building plot and introducing charachters in a Jane Austen style and a few lines from Jane Austen's work are referenced throughout the book whenever a relatable situation is about to be presented. The narrative was intresting making me constantly get back to this book even after a busy schedule.

Though there wasn't much of a suspense building, the charachters were engaging enough to continue forward. A satisfactory one time read to get somewhat classic vibes with hints of elite society, marriage, inheritance, theft and murder.


Genre: #mystery #womensfiction
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐

Thankyou @netgalley @darciewildeauthor @kensingtonbooks for the Digital ARC

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Audiobook version :
The Secret of the Lost Pearls by Darcie Wilde is the sixth book in the Rosalind Thorne Mysteries. I recommend reading them in order as they do refer back to earlier events. I am a huge fan of the series and was not disappointed with this story
Kitty Kelly is an engaging narrator and I enjoyed listening to her. She reads with appropriate emotions, tone, and changes voice for each character. Her cadence is very even and pleasant.
Rosalind Thorne was left in dire straits financially and to remain in high society she has made herself available as a 'useful woman' helping ladies of the ton in need of discreet help. This book takes place in London in 1820 and revolves around the Douglas family and has numerous characters to sort through quite early in the story. Mrs Douglas, an old acquaintance, requests Rosalind's help after a valuable pearl necklace goes missing and her younger sister is suspected by Mr Douglas to be the thief. Multiple crimes from fraud to murder have Rosalind searching for the truth with help from Bow Street officer Adam Harkness. Mr Harkness and Rosalind are slowly building towards a romance in the series. The story takes many turns and at times I was confused with theories of who was suspect and why. In the end I was quite satisfied with how the crimes were solved, explained and dealt with.

Rosalind continues on her path as a pseudo-private investigator, while her love life does not budge a step to my deep and great displeasure. This time the inquiry starts with a theft and leads to a murder via a necklace and paintings. The tension is quite constant, but certainly not very high, but after six books I have also gotten used to it.

Rosalind prosegue sulla sua strada di pseudo investigatrice privata, mentre la sua vita sentimentale non si schioda di un passo con mio sommo e grande dispiacere. Stavolta l'indagine parte con un furto e arriva ad un omicidio passando per una collana e dei quadri. La tensione é piuttosto costante, ma certo non altissima, ma in fondo dopo sei libri mi ci sono anche abituata.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

The Secret of the Lost Pearls by Darcie Wilde
Narration by Kitty Kelly
I enjoyed this addition to a long running Regency mystery series. This story was slightly different in that it involved an entire family rather than primarily just a specific woman as the person with a problem. It was an interesting change. The solution was satisfying and the mild romance continues.
My only complaint is with the narrator Kitty Kelly. She mispronounced several words, especially in the frequently used phrase “the haut ton.” And since it was frequently used, it was particularly annoying. This series has had several narrators, some better than others and I wish they would go back to an earlier narrator.