This series just keeps getting better and better! Enemies to lovers will always be my jam, even in Victorian times. After we briefly met Jane and Lord Adrian in the last installment, the duo gets their time to shine while solving a murder that has personal ties for them both. They're forced to put their personal history aside to solve a series of murders, most recently of Jane's employer. As the only child of a deceased and disgraced foreign service agent, Jane has been forced to work as a governess to her father's old acquaintances after being shunned from polite society. When the father of her charge turns up murdered during a house party, she's drawn into the investigations when connections to her father's death arise. Reluctantly, this means spending more time with Lord Adrian, who she once fancied in her youth. The attraction between them is undeniable, but as danger creeps in the more they look further into the deaths, they first must solve the crime before they can think about a future together.

This book is SUPER fun. It's not only a cute romance, but a smart house-party set murder mystery. Jane and Adrian's romance is adorable and going through the clues and intrigue to solve the mystery with them was such a joy. Highly recommend.

Jane Halliwell is working as a governess after her father's suicide has lowered her place in polite society. Jane is working for the family of one of her later father's colleagues at the Foreign Office when her childhood crush, Lord Adrian, comes to the home to attend a symposium. When the host ends up dead with a suspicious object left on his body, Jane and Adrian team up with our old pal Eversham to investigate what happened and whether the Lord's death was connected to other deaths over foreign officers, including Jane's father.

I enjoyed this, though it was probably my least favorite of the series, but I still liked it. I wished we had gotten more scenes of Adrian and Jane alone, like the previous books, to really solidify their relationship. I do wish there had been a bit more spice as well, compared to some of the previous books in the series. The mystery portion of the book was very well done and I was kept guessing right up until the end as to who the killer would be. Overall, a quick and lovely read!

Oh to fall in love while hunting a killer through the English countryside….

Jane is the daughter of a diplomat and she looses her place in society when her father commits suicide and she takes up work as a governess. When she attends a party at her employers and someone ends up dead, she teams up with her fathers prodigy and her old crush. Things quickly heat up between them as they hunt the killer.

I really enjoyed this book! The mix between romance, historical fiction, and murder mystery was great. Jane was a very likable character to follow. There was a lot of chemistry between Jane and Adrian. The mystery parts had a lot of twists and were interesting. There was also so humor sprinkled throughout. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed it! I don’t typically enjoy historical romance but this one was a very good one.

This is a series but I have not read the others. I think some of the characters from the other books are in this one but I don’t think they have to be read in order. It didn’t take away from my experience at all.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Forever for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely recommend!

What a fun read! Jane is dealing with her reduced circumstances- her father's scandalous death sees her shunned in society-by taking work as a governess but oh no- her new employer is murdered! Lord Adrian, an old pal joins forces with her to find the villain. But even better- he joins forces with her romantically. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the Regency might quibble a bit about the humor and the cozy aspects but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this enjoyable, entertaining murder mystery/romance.
Jane Halliwell, a former lady now a governess's employer is murdered at his diplomatic house party.
Lord Adrian, who Jane had feelings for years ago is also at the party. Jane and Adrian despite her hard feelings towards him after feeling that he abandoned her after her father's death, they team up to help solve the murder.
The relationship between the two is lovely as they start to realize the misunderstandings that took place.
This is a slow burn romance with a very interesting murder mystery.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my honest opinions.

"A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril" by Manda Collins is a delightful blend of romance and mystery set in Regency England. Manda gives us another story with an engaging plot, well-drawn characters, and swoon-worthy romance. I devoured this in one sitting and was sad when it ended. This gave me the much-needed dip into the regency I have been craving while waiting for the next season of Bridgerton. I loved every second of this banter, slow burn, mystery, romance. Please run; do not walk for this one.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fans of historical mysteries will find the Ladies Most Scandalous series a delightful read. A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril is book four in the series. While each book features characters from previous books, it is not necessary to read them in order. You can just right in and not be lost.

In the latest mystery, Miss Jane Halliwell, daughter of an ambassador for England, finds herself in reduced circumstances, as they say. She is currently a governess for a former friend and colleague of her father's. After her father's supposed suicide, Jane and her mother were snubbed by their former friends. The household is hosting numerous other diplomats from various European countries and America for a symposium on roses. This whole thing is a charade for a meeting to secure the rights to a talking machine for England.

When Jane's boss is murdered during the first evening, everything is a sixes and sevens. Jane and Lord Adrian begin to nose around with varying degrees of success and find much more than danger.

I enjoyed this one. It was a fun regency romance-cozy mystery romp.

I always find governesses fascinating as they have a hard time fitting in upstairs or downstairs. While this novel is not mind blowing, I definitely found it to be a quick enjoyable read which left me with a smile on my face.

A nice light spring read!


Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

I have so enjoyed this series. This installment finds a woman whose circumstances have been greatly reduced by her father’s death and debts. She is working as a governess. A friend has been searching for her and now that he’s found her, wants her. An unexpected death, an accusation and some familiar faces made this book a lovely read.

I go into historical romances so hopeful and every time it seems I'm let down.

I was expecting this novel to be a lot more fun than it actually was; more of a romp through Victorian England than serious murder mystery, and to be honest now only was I a little lost, but I think our dear author was as well.

There seemed (at least to me) that there was a lack of cohesion between the two primary genres here. We would jump from a serious murder mystery to the out of place romantic scenes.

And the thing is, they wouldn't have felt so out of place if the two love interests had any semblance of chemistry. They just seem to have known each other from when they were younger and seeing each other so many years later randomly inspired love.

The pacing was also really awkward. I could excuse some of the insta-love of this book if we followed some proper pacing, but alas. Things seemed to move extremely fast or slow depending on the author's mood.

All this to say that this book was not for me. Oh, and I 100% guessed (correctly) who the killer was within the first few chapters. Take that how you will. I think that Collins definitely could have been a bit more clever with the entire mystery plot.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins follows the story of two friends who reunite and uncover hidden feelings while investigating a murder in this captivating historical romance. The mystery unravels seamlessly, introducing a plethora of suspects, intriguing clues, and perilous situations that never detract from the central love story. This sensual and witty romance is sure to keep readers eagerly turning the pages.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher. A fun read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Another great Manda Collins book! I love how all of her cute couples live in the same universe and we get overlap in each book as more leads are introduced.

This was such a fun read because I love a good historical romance+mystery! ⁣

Jane Halliwell, the daughter of a diplomat has been working as a governess after her father's death and has been pushed to the edges of the society that she'd once been a part of. But, she's forced back into the same world again when her employer hosts a house party and is murdered by someone. She's required to temporarily step in as a hostess while they try to investigate the murder. And this puts her in close proximity with Lord Adrian Fielding - her ex friend and childhood crush. Adrian is surprised by Jane's standoffishness and while he'd like to bridge the gap between them, he also finds himself attracted to her. But with Lord Gilford's murder, it seems like someone has been targeting many officers in the diplomatic community and both Jane and Adrian need to work together to find the murderer before he endangers someone else's life!⁣

Manda Collins has always been amazing at writing books with the right amount of romance and mystery in them! This series and the Studies In Scandal books have been some of my faves, and this book was just as enjoyable! I loved the fact that Jane and Adrian resolve their misunderstanding near the beginning itself, and they start falling for each other. They were equally protective of each other but not willing to restrict the other from doing something either - and that was nice! The mystery is a part of the central plot and it was interesting to watch them uncover old secrets and connect the clues. I guessed the culprit halfway through the story but it was still very fun! Overall, this was a great read and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something that has the perfect mix of mystery and romance! This one comes out on 03/26 !❣️✨

📚 A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril by @mandacollinsauthor (technically book 4 in the series, but each book can be read as a standalone story)
Release date: March 26, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Period pieces, romance, and mystery. What more could you want? In Manda Collins’s newest book, Jane is a governess for a rich family that works in foreign affairs, just like her own father did before his untimely and unbecoming death. When her boss hosts a house party, she doesn’t expect to find her childhood crush Lord Adrian in attendance. Nor does she expect to find her boss’s murdered body. Working together with Adrian, Jane now must manage the entire house of guests, battle her conflicting feelings, and solve multiple murders.

I don’t generally like period pieces, but the mystery element here makes it so much better! Manda Collins does a wonderful job creating a mystery and characters who draw you in. While this book isn’t my favorite in the series (that will always be the first one), it is still a strong entry and a quick read! It is a highly enjoyable, lighthearted series, with enough twists to keep you interested, and this book holds true to that. Check out the Ladies Most Scandalous series if you’re in the mood for something a little different! Then make sure to try A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril at the end of this month!

Thank you Netgalley and Read Forever Pub for an ARC of this book!

Gave it 4.5/5.0 Stars
Not too long ago, I read A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes, the #3 book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, so of course, I was thrilled to see the next book in this series was available for review! If you love this series or are just looking for something new to try in 2023, here is a fun storyline! You'll be entertained with manners, mystery, and mayhem! You still have time to start with Book #1 and work up to this one, as it releases March 26, 2024!

For fans of Bridgerton, Persuasion, and books by Sophie Quinn. A mix of “cozy mystery” plus period piece. It took me longer than I expected to get into the story, but once I did, I dove right in.

I have really enjoyed the other books in this series - I've always found them to be a really good balance of romance and mystery. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite strike that balance for me and it's by far my least favorite of the series.

The "bad guy" was obvious by about half way through (right after the carriage accident) which wouldn't have necessarily bothered me but I feel like there was never an attempt to show us any other real suspects to make it more interesting.

I also just was not at all convinced by the romance. Honestly to the point that I was fully shocked when the characters kissed for the first time because I had detected no chemistry whatsoever and they hadn't had many scenes together to build that tension. Adrian also in the beginning of the book says that he has accepted that he won't marry for a few years due to his career and because his career is so important to him. And then less than a week later he's proposing? I don't know...it just really didn't work for me. I think I needed to see more character growth and time together - so really I think the whole book needed to be longer in order to achieve that for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The fourth book in the series is quite similar to the first three - love and murder … the miscommunication at the beginning is cleared up early on ( thankfully !) … I also like that this doesn’t have the what seems to be almost mandatory third act breakup - instead the focus is on solving the murder