A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure
by Angela Bell
Pub Date 27 Feb 2024
Bethany House,Bethany House Publishers
Christian| Historical Fiction| Romance


Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley provided me with a copy of A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure for review:

Looking for a fun, and adventurous reach, with a unique plot line, look no further.If you're looking for an adventure with a unique plotline, look no further.


Although Miss Clara Marie Stanton's family is eccentric, they are not insane.

London, England, 1860
When Clara's ex-fiancé starts spreading rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it's all she can do to save them from his desperate schemes, society's prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara's Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.


A shame-chaser haunted by war, Theodore Kingsley wants to leave Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who pronounced him dead behind. In England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara's dismay. Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his flying owl machine, leaving a note for Clara urging her to join him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe in order to fulfill her dreams of adventure. Theodore and Clara follow Drosselmeyer's trail of clues, but they must stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself--at any price.


I give A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventures

Around the World in 80 Days meets Mary Poppins (I just get those vibes okay 😂) but slather on some romance, and add some fun Nutcracker references. It may not sound like it would work but I promise it does.

This debut is so fun. It’s whimsy. It’s steampunk. It’s full of adventure. The characters are quirky and so full of life. (I’m looking at you mama Stanton). I was laughing at their antics and loving their character arcs.

I loved all the clock references and the slow unravel of the past. And as fun as this story is, there are serious and hard moments as well.

This story has a strong faith theme. It demonstrates putting trust in God instead of trying to control everything yourself.

Content: past child abuse, terrible treatment of the mentally ill, violence

Whimsical, lyrical and fun—this story will bring you a little joy, mystery, and intrigue. Throw in a loving family, a quirky and strong heroine, a vibrant setting, and a message of faith this book will leave you with a sense of hope and inspiration!

This is an intriguing mix of Christian fiction, historical fiction, and romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Clara’s grandfather is a clockmaker who also makes intricate automatons in Victorian England. Due to a continuing problem with her former fiancée, Clara is suspicious of her grandfather’s new apprentice. When her grandfather suddenly takes off, she reluctantly sets off with her mother and the apprentice to find him. Join them on their adventures in Europe.

Just because Miss Clara Marie Stanton’s grandfather mutters to himself and has a flock of mechanical butterflies hovering around his head, it by no means indicates insanity. And if her mother wears a live ermine around her neck, eats vegetarian, and rescues every downtrodden animal she encounters, it doesn’t mean she suffers from hereditary insanity. But all of London buys into Clara’s ex-fiancé’s lies about her family.

Mr. Rupert Forrester wants to force Clara to marry him to save her family from his malicious gossip and lies. If he can force her hand, he’ll save himself from his creditors before they can send him to debtor’s prison. He’ll stoop as low as necessary to get his hands on a letter proving Clara’s uncle died in an insane asylum.

The news of her uncle’s death killed Clara’s beloved grandmother, and her grandfather struggled with depression (not insanity) over their untimely deaths. And now Clara’s childhood friend (and former fiancé) has ruthlessly turned against her and her family. Her shoulders feel tired from bearing the burden of keeping everyone out of Bedlam, but she’ll do anything to save her family’s name.

When her grandfather disappears and invites her and his new apprentice on a multi-continental scavenger hunt, he inadvertently unleashes even more danger for Clara. But she can handle it on her own. She absolutely does not need the help of the utterly annoying, most likely unscrupulous, somewhat handsome apprentice her grandfather asks her to take along.

Theodore Kingsley feels lower than the salt of the earth. All his life, his father assured him of his worthlessness. While trying to carry out the one task his noble father asks of him, Theodore botches the job. He feels responsible for the deaths of hundreds of his comrades at arms. Even God doesn’t want anything to do with him now.

Theodore has spent four long years roaming the world, becoming a vagabond tinker and clock repairman. When he arrives back in London, he ends up on Mr. Drosselmeyer’s doorsteps and finds himself thrust into the strangest apprenticeship of his life.

His employer, an absentminded genius, comes along with an endearing daughter with a penchant for collecting broken animals, paying no heed to the demands of society. And Mr. Drosselmeyer’s granddaughter has more prickles than the napping hedgehog on the Stanton’s sofa. She instantly dislikes Theodore and threatens him with bodily harm if he won’t let her chase her disappearing grandfather alone.

But Mr. Drosselmeyer’s instructions explicitly state the two must travel together. A romp across Europe ensues as the unlikely trio (Mrs. Stanton comes along as chaperone) works to discover each clue and evade the villainous Mr. Forrester.

What I Loved About This Book

Angela Bell’s sprightly wordsmithing creates a delectable feast for book lovers. I couldn’t resist highlighting entire passages of wisdom as the protagonists struggle to accept themselves, their worth, and each other. While dealing with big emotions, the book never feels maudlin or preachy. Theodore (aka Mr. Arthur) struggles with PTSD and adverse childhood experiences. Clara has exchanged her dreams and ability to play with a need to control the outcomes of other’s behavior.

At first, I thought Bell relied completely on magical realism to bring the inanimate inventions of Mr. Drosselmeyer to life. But a quick look at the internet reveals the invention of automatons nearly a hundred years before the setting of A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure (1860). I love it when an author surprises me by revealing my ignorance of history. Even better, the author points readers to their own Creator—regardless of the burdens we may carry and our beliefs about ourselves.

This book is so whimsical and fun! I immensely enjoyed reading it! The steampunk Victorian vibes were expertly written, and I loved the scavenger hunt aspect to the story!

Clara and Theodore are both great characters, and I loved their character arcs. The spiritual themes were beautifully woven into the story, and I appreciated how they were written to organically be a part of the plot.

There are so many fun things about this book! I always love letters in stories, so the letters from Grand to Clara made me happy! The automatons and the animal menagerie were delightful, and the food descriptions made me hungry. The details of their trip and the locations they went to made me feel as though I were traveling with the characters!

I really enjoyed this book, and I am excited to read more books by this author in the future!

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

I already know that A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure will be one of my favorites of 2024! Wildly and uniquely creative, this is one of the most beautiful, intriguing, and unpredictable books I’ve read in a long time. When Clara Stanton’s clockmaker grandfather takes off across Europe in none other than a flying automaton owl, she chases down clues to find him with his one-legged apprentice, her mother, and her mother’s ever growing menagerie of misfit animals. Clara grew up “exploring” with her grandfather through travel books, and Bell invites readers to similarly “venture into the unknown like explorers of yore” through London, Prague, Amsterdam, and more. Inspired by Around the World in 80 Days and the Nutcracker, Bell’s deft pen brings deeply historical cities alive with vivid descriptions of stroopwafels, clocktowers, and cathedrals. The love story gently unfolds as Theodore and Clara both learn about the redeeming love of God and reminders to give up control to the One who loves us most. I highlighted so many beautifully written passages in this book, including “There’s no substitute for taking in the sea air whilst the sky is aglow with maiden moonlight’s silvery blush” ; “What-ifs are not acquainted with what-is, and they spread horrid falsehoods about what-will-be, so why bother entertain them? I’d sooner invite hope into my home” ; and the reminder to “release all white-knuckled illusions of being in control and revel in the freedom Jesus came to give to you. May you rest assured that Emmanuel is God, so you don’t have to be.” I loved this book so much and definitely recommend it for anyone who loves stories about adventure, family, and second chances.

*I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher and #netgalley. I was not required to provide a review and all opinions expressed above are my own.

Fun, funny, inspiring, adventurous, whimsical, reddeming. The list could go on and on! I LOVED this story so much! My all time favorite character had to be Clara's mum "Heidi Stanton" for her whimsy and fierce love of family and all animals great and small. This debut author has already written a classic in my opinion, so well done! Thank you netgally for the ARC, the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

A sweet steampunk-y tale that riffs with pieces of the classic Nutcracker story -- a "broken" prince of a man, a genius inventor named Drosselmeyer, a giant clockwork owl, a beloved young woman named Clara/Marie -- and uses them to spin a yarn of thoroughly believable adventures across different cities with carefully crafted characters and details.

This was sophisticated historical fiction, but also quite quirky and fun. I found the characters humorous, and chuckled at their behaviour, and I felt the author brought the story and characters to life very well. I think a book like this would be a good choice for a light comfort read, after reading something dark or heavy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

What fun! I loved the the entire story, strong heroes, a terrible villain, automatons, a grand adventure and an ever growing cast of stray animals that no one seemed the least bit bothered by. I hope this is just the beginning of the story for Mr. Kingsley and the Stanton family. Absolutely charming story that I'll be able to recommend to light hearted romance readers of any age.

Thank you to Bethany House Fiction for this ARC of A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell. All opinions are my own.

What an excellent debut! This book is an absolute delight with a menagerie of animals, an adventurous European scavenger hunt, and a delightful cast of characters. It’s also a faith-filled story that is heartwarming and full of character growth.

There were so many fun elements to this story. The number of different animals and all the sticky situations they found themselves in was hilarious. Mrs. Stanton, the protagonist’s mother, was so endearing, and I loved her care for all animals and for everyone she encountered. She was also super protective and full of wisdom. I really enjoyed all her interactions with Clara (the protagonist) and Arthur (the apprentice/love interest).

Both Clara and Arthur were interesting characters. I loved their interactions and how much each of them grew throughout the story. While I do think Clara was pretty mean to Arthur to start with, I did understand why she acted that way. Arthur was so patient towards her, and I found him to be so charming.

Grand (Clara’s grandfather) was so sweet and quirky. I loved how he cared for everyone and didn’t pass unfair judgments on people. The scavenger hunt he set up was so fun and interesting. He was such a brilliant inventor, and I looked forward to learning about each of his creations.

One thing I really appreciated about this story was how the author included faith naturally throughout the book. Some of the characters had such strong faith and were amazing mentors to the younger characters. I loved seeing how the characters grew in their faith throughout the story.

Overall, this book was such a great read. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy historical fiction stories set in 1860s Europe. It’s full of adventure, family, and a slow burn romance.

The travel bug has bitten me! This was the Victorian European tour I didn't know I needed. I loved all of the characters and the growth they experience over the course of the story. I feel like everything was so fleshed out - from the characters to the architecture it really felt like I was on this adventure with Clara, Theodore, Mrs. S, and Fred.

As much as I enjoyed the story and character arc, I did feel like the romance was more of a sub-plot and would have liked to have had a bit more of it - but honestly there was way more to the story than the romance and the author did an amazing job keeping my attention and moving the story along while also allowing readers to relax and have a pseudo-vacation through 1860s Europe. I loved the prose and the wit between the characters, all while the author creates a beautiful image of who God is throughout the story for readers.

Overall, very fun historical Christian fiction - readers who enjoy the hijinks and sass of Jen Turano's characters but with slightly less of the romance emphasis will enjoy this read!

Thank you to the author and publishers for the chance to read this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow! What great imagination and creativity from this debut author! Follow as Grand(father) leads Clara, apprentice Arthur, Mum and menagerie on a European scavenger hunt. Amidst danger and misadventures, they follow the clues to many fascinating wonders and fantastic marvels. Full of whimsical happenings and quirky characters, you will be left wonder-struck too! The sweet romance brings enemies to friends and beyond. The thread of faith is strong as the two main characters learn to give up control, forget past hurts, and grow in trust of God and each other. It’s an amazing story and I loved it! I look forward to future books by Angela Bell.

A strange wonderful quirky book. A sort of steampunk around the world in eighty days. The family are delightfully weird, in the nicest possible way. I could see why they may not have been a good fit for an uptight upper class. Looking forward to more books from this original author.

A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure
by Angela Bell
Publisher: Bethany House
Series: None
Rated: 3
Obtain: Borrow
Back of the Book: “Miss Clara Marie Stanton's family may be eccentric, but they certainly aren't insane. London, England, 1860- When Clara's ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it's all she can do to protect them from his desperate schemes, society's prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara's Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.
Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond haunted by the war, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara's dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer's trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself--at any cost.”

Impressions: This is reminiscent of, Around the World in 80 Days. Society has outcasted the Stanton family due to rumors. The quirky Stanton family is sent on a multi-country adventure as Grandfather Dosselmeyer seizes the day on an unexpected journey to spur Clara to overcome her grief and fearmongering rumors. It is a playful and whimsical adventure. The romance was ok, but the rest of the story was a little too whimsical for my taste. This was a cute story though with spiritual wisdom with a clean romance.

Quotes: “What-ifs are not acquainted with what-ifs, and they spread horrid falsehoods about what will be, so why bother entertaining them? I’d sooner invite hope into my home- for even when her predictions miss the mark, she makes for pleasant company and eats far less food.’”

“‘Civility smiles because she’s content, and more importantly because she and her household are safe. No one can take advantage of you if you keep the door bolted.’ ‘True, but no one can take care of you either. Bolted doors are poor judges of character, keeping out friend and foe alike. I don’t want you to forfeit the former for fear of the latter.’”

“Trusting that the Way, the Truth, and the Life is better than our way, our understanding, and our might.”

“‘Just as Grand would never expect a clock to fix its own windings, God would never expect us to mend our own hearts.’”

“’ The third step in relaxation is to accept one’s own stupidity. This eliminates the stress of caring what people think and the frustration of never meeting their expectations.’”

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

This book was truly unlike anything I typically read... but I absolutely adored it. It had a whimsical, steampunk vibe to it with Clara's grandfather taking off in a flying owl machine. There was so much great history, romance and even a suspense, all rolled into one excited and unique adventure. The characters were absolutely fantastically done. Clara's family was eccentric, for sure, but I couldn't help fall in love with them and all their quirks. Her mother's love of animals led to some wonderfully hilarious antics throughout the story and her grandfather's inventions throughout were just so clever! Theodore was equally intriguing and just seemed to fit so well with the family. I loved having the chance to go on this beautiful adventure right along with them... and the author did a great job at making me feel like I was doing just that. There was a great faith message within the story as well, and I found myself loving everything about. While this may be different than my typical reads, I find myself wanting to find more like it!

If you enjoy Christian historical romance, you'll absolutely want to experience this one for yourself.


**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.

Angela captures the readers interest from the very beginning with unique topics of automation, set in the 1800's England. She ably draws in the skill of a clockmaker and his automation abilities with the very real childhood/family issues of those who come in contact with the Stanton family. Issues of abandonment and financial worries intertwined with the love, hilarity and at times absurd behaviour leads the reader to be absorbed and reminded of the truths of faith sprinkled throughout the the Stanton's adventure revealing the love God has for all people, whatever their past and the new life that He gives to those willing to accept His offer of love.

This book is so much fun! I absolutely loved it! It’s got a little bit of The Nutcracker in it especially with the main character being named Clara and her Grandfather Drosselmeyer. Also has Around the World in 80 days vibes as Clara chases/follows her Grandfather’s flying owl machine with him flying in it, to different destinations. Along with Clara, her mother and Theodore come along on the journey. Clara’s mom is hilarious, and does whatever it takes to help animals. Theodore, who has a metal foot, and newly employed to Drosselmeyer, is on Clara’s bad side. She doesn’t trust him but as they go along the journey together she learns to. I love Clara and Theodore’s relationship. There is a lot of banter and wit that just made me smile and laugh. They are awesome together. And then thrown in Clara’s mom and it’s just a good time. There is a villain in this story as well that is chasing them and they have to outrun them and get to Grandfather first. The Christian message is strong in this story, mainly being Clara tries to control everything and do everything on her own and learns to lean on God and let him control things and guide her.

“There is a God who loves us more than we could ever love each other, and because there’s no darkness in Him at all, we can trust His love absolutely. We can lean wholly upon it and follow Him into the unknown, trusting that He will carry us through sunshine and storm. Trusting that the Way, the Truth, and the Life is better than our way, our understanding, and our might.”

Overall a fantastic read and I definitely recommend!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

What a fantastic debut by Angela Bell. She has written a wonderful adventure with her marvelous storytelling.
The quirky, loveable characters make this story shine. Our main heroine, Clara, sets out on a journey her grandfather has designed for her, and along the way, finds something she has been missing. Her mother and a noble, Mr. Theodore, are her travel companions and keep the adventure exciting.
The relationship between Theodore and Clara is absolute perfection. How they have a rough start yet blossom with humorous banter and teasing to feelings unexpected.
And Fred! I absolutely want a Fred of my own, an adorable ermine to carry around my neck.
Clara's mother brings humor to this story, and you will be laughing out loud, a woman ahead of her time, willing to do whatever it takes to save any animal in distress.
The grandfather offers such beautiful wisdom and guidance. It made the faith content in this story warm my heart.
This story was so unique and not what I was expecting but in such a wonderful way.
I highly recommend you pick this up and go on the soul searching adventure with Clara, Theodore, and Mrs. Stanton ( and her crew of rescued furry friends).