When Kat’s friend Samuel is accused of embezzlement and murder, she’s determined to prove his innocence. As she investigates, she uncovers shady dealings within the bank and finds herself in danger. With the help of her confidante and suitor Daniel, Kat navigates treacherous territory and takes on powerful individuals to clear Samuel’s name and protect those she loves.

This is the first book I’ve read in the series, and I was able to follow the story with no problem. I liked the characters, and the engaging plot was full of twists. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I have enjoyed this series from the beginning and I was super excited to have a book that focused a bit on the family where Kat's daughter, Grace, has lived since the beginning of the series. I really enjoyed seeing what life in what is essentially the time's version of a middle class home as well as getting to know Joanna and her family better.

Kat was very personally involved in this mystery as both the fate of her daughter and a family she cares deeply about. She's also tackling a very different area than her previous investigations as she delves into an established financial institution that is very much not open to women. Nor is it a world that Daniel McAdam is particularly comfortable in which made for an interesting change. I enjoyed the mystery though my heart did break for Joanna through the majority of the book. I wasn't quite sure how it would work out until close to the end.

My only complaint is the will they/won't they aspect of Kat and Daniel's relationship. I get why Kat would be hesitant giving her history but I wish the situation would be resolved.

This is a great historical mystery series with lots of upstairs/downstairs atmosphere. This is the seventh book in the series and I think I've enjoyed every single book.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and Ms. Ashley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I enjoyed this latest foray into Kat Holloway's downstairs, mystery-solving life. However, to be completely honest, I much preferred the downstairs portion of her life to the mystery-solving portion. In this latest episode, we spend much more time with Joanna (Kat's friend) and thereby with Grace (Kat's daughter), we find out some tiny information nuggets about Davis (!), we learn to cook a few more historical treats, and we FINALLY get a teeny tiny bit of advancement in Kat and Daniel's romance. (OMG. Seriously. A literal snail would move faster). All of that is a lot of fun and pushes the mystery, which was already a tad underbaked, even more firmly into the backseat.

I'm not sure why Kat, who has solved (or been involved in solving) several murders, would try to confront a murderer alone, or rush in to yell at a suspect and expect her verbal browbeating to induce him to confess anything. I know she had a major personal stake in exonerating Sam, but frankly a cook's ability to solve a financial mystery of this sort seemed a real stretch. The mystery of who (or what) Davis was contacting Bury Edmonds (sp?) for, was more compelling. No complaints though, as I had no problem paging through the less exciting mystery bits to get back to Kat's personal life.

Looking forward to the next one to see if Daniel and Kat FINALLY make any actual moves forward with their relationship, or to find out any more of Davis' juicy secrets. ;)

Oh! This is the most exciting, interesting, on the edge of your seat, read it in one sitting book I’ve read in a while. Most of the things Kat Holloway holds dear are under threat and it appears the deck is definitely stacked against her. With the rich and powerful working against those she holds dear, can she, a lowly cook, defeat them? I’ve just read the last page and I am already wondering how I’ll ever manage to wait for the next installment.

Kat was at the end of a wonderful day visiting her daughter Grace when she noticed something wasn’t right with her lifelong friend, Joanna Millburn. When Kat prodded, Joanna finally broke down and told her that her husband, Samuel, was being accused of embezzlement and threatened with dismissal from his position. Kat knew there was no way possible that Sam would ever embezzle. He was the sweetest, gentlest, and most loving soul Kat had the pleasure of knowing. He had a misspent youth, but he had turned his life around in the last 20 years. When Kat found herself with a dead husband and a newborn she had no way of supporting, Joanna and Sam offered to care for Grace in their home – and to treat her as one of their own. They had lived up to that commitment for the last twelve years and there was no way Kat would let anyone hurt Sam, Joanna, their children, or Grace.

Kat had just begun her investigation at Sam’s place of employment when Sam was arrested – right in front of her – and there was nothing she could do – nothing. No, the charges weren’t embezzlement – he was charged with the murder of a fellow employee. OMGoodness! How will Kat ever get him out of that when the judges and the police are against Sam as is his rich and powerful company? Luckily for Sam and Joanna, Kat calls in all of her friends – from above and below the stairs – and they mount an investigation of their own. Yes, there is Daniel, James, Thanos, Lady Cynthia, Roberta (Bobby), Lady Townsend, and even Daniel’s reprobate brother, Mr. Fielding, and many others who band together to protect the Millburn family and prove Samuel’s innocence.

There was excitement on every page and just when you thought you had it all figured out – you found out you really didn’t. I think this might be the best book so far – and I’m really excited to find out where Daniel and Kat’s relationship goes from here – and what Daniel’s big ‘final’ task might be for Mr.Monaghan. I can recommend this book and this series. I will, however, say that this is not a series you can just jump into the middle of and get a good feel for the characters and relationships. You really need to read the series from the first book forward. Happy Reading!

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

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Kat Holloway series is one of my favorites in the historical mystery genre. Kat, being a cook, and there being all the food references doesn't hurt at all. It's a difficult time in history for women with limited choices. Kat is starting to ponder these options for Grace.

Kat's current post has the advantage of some good co-workers and Lady Cynthia but the disadvantage of being a servant with limited flexibility and Lady Cynthia's horrible aunt and uncle in charge. Luckily, Kat has some good connections which can help her a bit with their perceptions.

Sam Milburn has worked at a small investment bank for many years. He worked himself up, studying hard, working diligently. Now he's under suspicion of embezzlement which he didn't do. Kat goes to work with her allies to get info on the bank and its employees.

Lady Cynthia takes her to the bank, pretending her interest in investing. Kat's sharp eye notes several oddities. While they are there, a body is discovered, and Sam is arrested. Things look very dire but Kat is adamant in proving Sam's innocence and getting him freed. Daniel helps her as she investigates, also with protection for those who don't want her investigating. Miss Townsend procures top notch legal talent for Sam. Thanos gets to work on the books and discovers the method of the embezzlement.

Kat really goes all out to prove the truth and ends up in danger herself. Luckily, she is very talented and comes out on top of the criminals. I loved this mystery with dire consequences and an uplifting conclusion.

Another great addition to the Kat Holloway series - and with even some progress on her relationship with Daniel!

"Speculations in Sin" is a mystery set in 1883 in London, England. This is the 7th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the mysteries of the previous books.

The mystery was clue-based, and whodunit was pretty obvious from the start of the investigation. Kat asked questions and followed up on leads but seemed rather distracted by her growing attachment to Daniel. Kat has solved enough mysteries that it's mindboggling that she angerly rushed off to confront a person she believed was a murderer rather than waiting for the police to do their job like Daniel suggested. Of course, she's gotten off in private and threatened by the murderer. Also, some things didn't seem realistic, like she's locked in a strong room in a bank which required two keys to open the door but there's a window to the outside. Like criminals can't climb the outside of a building. Anyway, I wasn't that impressed by the ending.

The main characters were interesting and likable. Historical details were woven into the story. There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language.

In the seventh Below Stairs mystery, cook Kat Holliday needs to prove that her best friend Joanna's husband didn't embezzle from his work at a bank or murder the chief clerk. The stakes are high. Joanna and Sam Millburn have been providing a home for Kat's daughter for many years. If she can't clear Sam, the consequences will spiral into disaster not only for the Millburn family but for Kat too.

Luckily, Kat has made a number of friends in her time in London. She'll need to call on all of them to solve this problem. She has been wary of trusting Daniel who does some mysterious work for Scotland Yard, but he has never failed her. She also needs the help of her employer's niece Lady Cynthia and Lady Cynthia's circle of influential women if she wants to learn more about the bank where Sam Millburn worked.

Besides the person at the bank who is framing Sam for embezzlement and murder, an old enemy of his resurfaces from his boyhood in South London and wants to draw Sam back into his circle of criminals.

This was an engaging story. I love Kat's dedication to her career as a cook and the pride she takes in her work. I also love that she is starting to get over her wariness and build a new relationship with Daniel. I even enjoyed the tension felt by the working class who are just one short step away from economic disaster. Kat's viewpoint makes the danger very clear and real.

I really enjoy the Kat Hollaway/Below Stairs series set in Victorian London. It’s probably my favorite series of all of Jennifer Ashley’s. This time the story of SPECULATIONS IN SIN is very close to home for Kat, our intrepid below stairs cook, as it involves her very good friends Sam and Joanna. Sam has been accused of murder in the international bank where he works and been arrested. Kat begins looking into the supposed crime, with help from her friends and the mysterious and enigmatic Daniel McAdams.

Really liked this book, the story and the characters. A few more layers were pulled back on the mystery that is Daniel, and another step forward in the slow simmering romance. Recommended read.

I found this read to longggggg. The subject matter made for interesting read, just wasn't for me. i will have to try a couple of other reads by this author.

A new entry in a favorite series. Independent woman and gifted cook Kat Holloway's existence is threatened when her best friend's husband is framed for embezzlement and arrested for murder. Since this is the family that watches over Kat's daughter, she must make sure to find the real criminal.

As always, a great ensemble cast including Kat's fellow servants Mr. Davis and her assistant Tess and the quirky family she works for. But the most important person is her more than friend Daniel MacAdam. He has a mysterious job and a dark past but Kat knows him to be a good man, competent, and they have a strong attraction that they nourish but aren't quite ready to give into. Kat has worked hard to be strong and self-reliant and she will not give that up. But, she trusts Daniel, and she acknowledge that he and her daughter (not his child) are her family.

Kat is resourceful and smart and not afraid of much. She dares to insert herself into the world of high finance in London to get at the truth and uncover the criminal. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.0

It’s good to be reminded how enjoyable the Kat Holloway (or Downstairs, or whatever you want to call this series) are. Given the misfortune that inevitably plagues Mrs. H, her fellow servants, and other members of the working class, maybe enjoyable isn’t the right word. Intriguing. They are definitely intriguing.

I’ll admit that the stakes are high in this book and the situation hopeless for so long that it took me a bit of time to get sucked into the quest because the solutions don’t come quickly at all. It may also be because I have listened to the last few books which keeps things moving. I most recently listened to the first novella “A Soupçon of Poison” which, based on what I remember of book one, has such an inaccurate timeline, it’s ridiculous, despite an intriguing mystery. I began book seven before acquiring the second and brand new third novella, that I don’t know how they factor into the enjoyable content about Kat Holloway.

Though there is a little less time spent with most of the usual cast of characters, we see a lot more of Grace’s surrogate family and some other minor characters. You will see more Kaniel (Kat and Daniel’s couple’s name?) canoodling than ever before but I can’t help but wonder how Kat could ever leave her job and independence behind to marry Daniel. We are, most of all, reminded of how tenuous their lives are, and given the many mentions of Kat’s nest egg squirreled away somewhere in her room, I can’t help but imagine a day soon when her hiding place is revealed, and her savings wiped out. After all, she proves time and time again that nobody can truly hide what they don’t want others to find.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

This series continues to develop into one of my favorite sets of cozy mysteries! Speculations in Sin features more romance, developments in Kat's backstory, and of course lots of good cooking.

The Below Stairs Mystery series book seven, Speculations in Sin, Mrs. Holloway, Kat, is out with her daughter Grace for her half day off. When she returns Grace to The Millburn’s home, Kat realizes there is an unusual tension in her friend Joanna Milburn. Joanna and her husband Sam took over the care of Grace when Kat had to become a live in cook to earn money to support Grace. Their kindness has keep Grace safe and well provided for; Kat would do anything for them.
Sam is being pressured at the bank he works at. Sam discovered someone is altering the bank registers and creating accounts to embezzle money. When he brought it to his superiors he was accused of being the thief.. Kat who has looked into other crimes promises Joanna she will look into the bank and its employees. As Kat begins her investigation, she recruits Lady Cynthia who has the means to set up an investment appointment with the bank and can take Kat as her chaperone. While at the appointment Sam is arrested for murder of a co-worker who was helping him investigate the embezzlement.
Can Kat save Sam and find the culprit? With the help of her friends Kat proves what a strong resourceful woman she is and for those of us rooting for her and Daniel there are heartwarming exchanges and hope for the future.

Another good installment in the Below Stairs mysteries. The mystery plot wasn't the best, but at this point I'm here for the characters. Things progress enough for the characters that the reader feels like there is development, but it also relies on the familiar. As usual, I'll be counting down the days until the next book. I will always want more.

The mystery - embezzlement and murder at a prestigious investment firm - while engaging with many plausible suspects, becomes an aside when you care about the development of the wonderful characters in this series. It is always enjoyable to meet up again with Mrs. Holloway and her coworkers, friends, family, and love interest.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked: the below-stairs, Downton Abbey style view of life for the commoners, especially of course Kat Holloway. What I didn't like: I jumped into this series with this book, and Daniel felt pretty one-dimensional to me, which I assume is mostly because I haven't read the previous novels. Still, his character wasn't super interesting to me.

Three stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*