I enjoyed this latest installment in the Lady's Guide series from Manda Collins! I particularly liked how our main female character didn't give up once she realized how much of the murder was connected to her father. The serial killer aspect of it was a fun new twist, but I liked that the overall tone of the book was still cozy. The FMC and MMC duo was so charming and I liked that they had to reconcile with each other. The history worked well for them. This was cute.

London - 1869

Miss Jane Halliwell is employed as a governess to Margaret, 16, the daughter of Viscount and Lady Gilford. Jane is having a difficult time getting the girl to pay attention to her studies as there are many people arriving at her Belgrave home for a symposium on horticulture. Her father is well known for his rose garden.

In her spare time, Jane enjoys writing detective novels. Margaret and Jane have both been told to stay away from the people attending the symposium. But, when Lady Gilford finds they are less one woman for dinner, Jane is told she must join them.

Lord Gilford had served with Lord Adrian Fielding for the foreign service. (Adrian is the younger brother of the Duke of Langham.) Now, they are both back in the UK and working for the Home Office. The symposium is actually a front for a secret diplomatic mission. But when Jane discovers Lord Gilford stabbed to death in his study, the police come in to question all of the attendees. Jane is once again called upon to keep everyone calm. It appears some other suspicious deaths were actually murders.

Jane and Adrian had known one another years ago and now that they are both working to find the murderer, they are also drawn closer to one another. Could this spark an attraction between them?

There is certainly a lot of intrigue in this book which is usually not my cup of tea, but I must say that the author handled it all quite well and kept it very interesting. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril! This book was so fun.

This is one of my most fun historical romance series, and this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed it immensely, and I found the characters so charming. Two thumbs way up!

A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril is fabulous. I adore this Ladies Mist Scandalous series and this one adds a new element indeed. Really fun read!

The fourth installment in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. I have to give props to the author for creating and centering her stories around strong and independent women. It is always a bonus to have that in a romance, especially in an historical romance. I also love the mystery and romance genre being molded together, however, I wish there was more focus on the romance or that the mystery balanced more with the romantic aspect of the story. At times, I struggled to believe in the chemistry between the main characters. and that possibly impacted my overall enjoyment of this installment in the series.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing, and I have given my honest and voluntary review.

A delightful fourth instalment in the series
I had the pleasure of reading the book thanks to a #gifted copy from @hbgcanada
I also received the eARC from @readforeverpub via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

After reading and enjoying the first three books in the series, I had high hopes for the fourth and I was not disappointed.

There was murder.
There was romance.
There were strong and fierce women who dared to be more than what society told them they could be.
There was humour and laughter.

It was a quick read for me as once I started, I did not want to put it down. I love the story of Jane, the daughter of a diplomat who has fallen down the ranks of Regency society and now works as a Governess and Lord Adrian Fielding, also a diplomat and who worked for her father. After years of not seeing each other, they find themselves in each other’s company during a rose symposium Jane’s employer is hosting. After a murder takes place, Lord Adrian begins an investigation with the help of some friends we met in previous books, and Jane joins in, forcing the two to spend time together and, because it’s a romance, fall in love.

We also get to catch up with characters from the previous books, and perhaps there’s some scene-setting for future books in the series? I don’t know if this is the final one or not!

While I figured out the killer pretty early on, I still immensely enjoyed how Jane and Lord Adrian solved the crime.

I’m thrilled to have this book on my shelf alongside the first two; now I need to pick up the third in the series!

This was just an okay read for me. Definitely not my favorite of the series. I wasn't wowed by the chemistry between the main characters and didn't love the narrator (which maybe contributed to my mediocre experience). Part historical Regency romance and part murder mystery. Likely to be popular among the Brigerton loving crowd. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins is book 4 in the Ladies Most Scandalous Series. This is the story of Adrian Fielding and Jane Halliwell. Jane once dream of having a home and family of her own but due to something happening she won't reach that goal. Instead she is a governess helping to young ladies into the life she had dreams of. Adrian considered Jane a friend but when he arrives on the scene after not being fully in her life he is met with a different women. Jane isn't friendly towards him instead is somewhat icy to him. Enjoyed their story.

I just love Manda Collins' writing and her books are always so easy to enjoy. I have tried other mystery historical romances since I've read A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes last year and more often than not, it's a failure for me... but with Manda Collins, there is just something that I absolutely love. Her stories have such heartwarming characters that you can easily relate to and fall for. The mystery part is always quite intriguing and has a real impact on the characters' life which makes it the more intriguing. The forced proximity you get from it all makes our MCs form a deeper relationship and forces them to talk and acknowledge their feelings in the best of ways. (Nothing like a near death experience to make you realize who you care about, haha!) It's always such a fantastic ride and this one was no exception.

Jane was absolutely fantastic in how she went on with her life and did not hesitate to work and find something for herself after all that happened in her past. She's strong and always ready to act. Lord Adrian was just perfect with how he wanted to protect Jane so bad and got mad at being unable to sometimes. And the jealousyyyyyy, I so freakin' love a jealous man, especially when all of his friends have good banter and will never let it die.

This book is lighter on the steam level which, I'm gonna be honest, I was needing after some smutty reads. It was just a perfect love story with a little bit of spice and let's not forget about that tension. I enjoyed how those two worked things through and did not hesitate to talk about the past and make sense of what had happened. That's the only way second chances can work for me, and it was done perfectly.

The mystery part was quite interesting and I had my suspicions throughout the read which made it fun to find out more and more clues that led to finding the murderer.

This series is really a must if you enjoy mystery or historical romances, it's a perfect mix!

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, ForeverPub and HBGCanada for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

A regency romance and a locked room murder mystery rolled into one book? Sign me up!

I love this series and Jane and Adrian's story was a fun one! I raced my way through this book - the mystery was low stakes but it had me on the edge of my seat and I loved seeing the characters from the previous three books pop up!

Kate, Caro, and Poppy are my girlies and I loved seeing Jane join their little murder club. Also that conversation they had...amazing! But how I wish it was longer!

The mystery itself was intriguing and I got to admit, that I actually enjoyed it more than the romance. As much as I love Jane and Adrian together, I feel like the story was missing the relationship building. They got together too fast for my liking. I needed more pining and angst!!!!

I enjoyed the introduction of the new character - Will Gilford and I have all my fingers crossed that his book will be next! Manda Collins please never stop writing this series!

This is the fourth episode of this series. Jane and her friends get involved in another murder. This one is personal to Jane Halliwell, as it seemed related to the death of her father a few years earlier which dramatically changed the circumstances of both Jane and her mother. Love interest for Jane in this episode. Entertaining historical mystery series.

I've generally enjoyed Manda Collin's Lady's Guide series, and while this installment didn't quite live up to the shine of some of the earlier books, it was still plenty fun to read.

Jane Halliwell lost her money and her social standing after her father's suicide, and has worked as a governess ever since. When her employer - and long-time family friend - is murder, she's forced to team up with the man who broke her girlish heart, Lord Adrian Fielding, to solve not just this crime, but a string of murders going all the way back to Jane's father. Pushed together, feelings begin to rekindle, even with danger at every turn.

The combo of a murder mystery and a historical romance is always a delightful one, and it continues to work pretty well here. That said, the outcome of the mystery was a little too obvious for my taste, given how long it takes the characters to put the pieces together. And while there's solid chemistry at times between Jane and Adrian, both characters felt a little flat to me, especially in comparison to their livelier counterparts from earlier books.

All that said, A Governess's Guide was solid but not particularly memorable, and enjoyable enough to keep me entertained.

3.5/5

I always look forward to a new Manda Collins book! She has a real talent for weaving romance into intrigue and mystery and this book is no exception!

I loved Adrian and Jane's connection right away. It was funny to see everyone around point out that he had feelings for her repeatedly and him not realize it himself. The poor guy was so jealous and didn't even realize it. I also liked Jane as a character. Her history as a diplomat's daughter made her an unusual character and she was fun to read about.

I enjoyed the mystery element of this book as well which is somewhat unusual for me. I often am just invested in the romance but I wanted to know the culprit in this case. It was also a lot of fun to see Adrian and Jane investigate together! I liked that at the end of the day they worked together as partners and had each other's backs.

If you like historical romance with a mystery plot Manda Collins is always my go-to recommendation!
Her older books are a bit more romance with a bit of mystery and the more recent ones are about equal romance and mystery. The plots are always interesting with strong and smart female characters.

🌶️🌶️ - This one has two spicy scenes that have very little description. I would describe it as door barely ajar.

I have loved this series since book 1! In book 4 we are following Jane who is working as a governess after misfortune falls on her family. While in employment she meets up with childhood friend and former crush Lord Adrian. I really enjoyed the relationship between Jane and Adrian and also loved that we were solving the mystery of many mysterious deaths. I always love a good mystery with my romance. I really hope we get more in the series! Thank you Forever for my gifted copy for review!! This one is out now so be sure to go and pick it up. These do not need to be read in order to enjoy them!

A wonderful addition to the Lady's Guide series! Adrian has been trying to reconnect with Jane for two years, but she assumed his abrupt departure meant he wanted nothing to do with her. Little did she know, he had no choice. Now they are brought together by gruesome circumstances at an estate party - murder.

One murder turns into more when evidence of a pattern is revealed, and it turns out that someone is targeting men working in the Foreign Office...exactly where Adrian works. When he and Jane are involved in a carriage accident, there are more questions as to who the killer may be. As they search out the culprit, they find that they indeed have a serial killer on their hands.

Dangerous, exciting, and never boring, Adrian and Jane's lives have changed overnight, and there is always more to follow. Lots of surprises in this one as they find their way to one another, and I liked how there were so many layers to the deception.

There is nothing like historical romance. that is also a cozy mystery. Jane, who once had dreams of her own house is working as a governess because of her father and her lack of dowry. Unfortunately, while a house party is taking place, there is a murder and Jane is now forced to play hostess. she also has to deal with an old friend in Lord Adrian Fielding, who is investigating the murder of his mentor. The relationship and banter between Jane and Adrian is highly entertaining from the start. I love seeing her for her way into helping solve the mystery and both of them trying to deal with their feelings while also fighting danger. The mystery is interesting and the romance is delightful.

Not my favorite of the series and also not my least favorite. I give it a middle of the road 3 stars.

This book kept my interest pretty well. However, it was a big letdown in the romance department and the mystery was pretty uninspiring. I guessed who the murderer was pretty quickly and kept hoping the lead couple would share some more steamy moments, discussions of their feelings, etc. It was pretty late in the book before there was even a kiss and then it seemed like the engagement came out of nowhere.

It just felt like the drama was forced. After reading and LOVING "A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes," I had high hopes for Lord Adrian's character development and love story. I really didn't get much from him and that was disappointing.

Collins also managed to shoehorn in all the previous couples from the series and that really just muddied the waters and took time away from our main couple. The previous characters were in this so much, I thought it must be the series finale. Maybe that's what I liked "Danger and Dukes" better, the story stayed focused on the main couple and I didn't have to struggle to remember the characters and plots of three other books.

This is a very cute and fun story. The writing is superb and the storytelling will capture any reader. I greatly appreciated how well the author integrated the romance with the mystery and how the story developed in a way that the reader truly was investigating with Jane and Adrian. Unfortunately, I do believe that the characters themselves could be more developed. I found myself struggling to care about the characters or really put myself in their shoes because they came across as a bit bland and one dimensional. Beyond that, the characters were all very similar to the other characters of their sex/status. Perhaps this is because I have not read the first three books (I was informed this could be read stand alone and I believe that to be true) but there was certainly more depth to be added to characters. Despite that, it was still a genuinely fun and interesting story and the writer is clearly skilled at her job.

This one had definite emphasis on the murder mystery of it all, which kept me entertained, but I was looking for a bit more connection to the romance. I never connected with Adrian, and their relationship just moved so fast!! Like I’m not a prude but they seemed to move very quick when it didn’t quite make sense.

One minute someone was getting murdered and the next he was getting her off and I was like ???? We love a danger bang but I think that was only their second kiss, and without really feeling their connection, I was just kind of baffled. (And then later on their consummation was fade to black, which was also confusing given the open door foreplay.)

The romance wasn’t really second chance, but they did have some history together which made it a bit juicy but also a bit surface level. Basically, the “they’ve always had a connection” premise acted as a bandaid to coverup the lack of relationship development. Was I too bothered by it? No, but I just think there was opportunity for a bit more.

The book itself was super short, so I do think a bit more time could’ve been spent on them as a couple without sacrificing any of the mystery. As a standalone I think it was a fun book, but maybe it suffered a bit since I loved book three so much (and that was the most romance one of the series).

I do also wish the vibes were a bit more screwball and Clue-esque. This isn’t a fault of the book, but I think it would’ve help keep me invested with the romance being pretty light handed.

Without the audiobook—and Mary Jane Wells—it probably would’ve been three stars, but overall it was a good time and I’m excited to see where the series goes next!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️.5/5

I received an eARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

We have loved Manda Collins’ Ladies Most Scandalous series because they are historical romances with an added mystery to be solved. You’re taken along for the ride as the main characters try to solve the crime while also trying to keep from falling in love. There are always some cameos from old friends throughout these books which is our favourite. But the best part is the setting in Regency times where love and lust could lead to a bad reputation and scandal.

In A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril, Jane Halliwell is working as a governess after her father’s suspicious death. She is thrown back into Lord Adrian Fielding’s orbit (he used to work with her father) at a house party hosted by her employer. When her employer is murdered, she works with Adrian and of course Detective Inspector Eversham to solve the crime.

Jane always had a little crush on Adrian but he never saw her that way, until recently when he saw her again many years later. We love the way Adrian became protective of Jane. We also love the way Jane empowered herself especially when she was down on her luck. We liked their chemistry, friendship and most of all their love for each other.

Read if you like:
▪️Historical romance
▪️Cozy mystery
▪️Protective hero
▪️Down on her luck heroine