Thank you so much to NetGalley and Manda Collins for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril coming out March 26, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoy this series. I love that each book focuses on a different heroine. I really enjoyed Jane’s character. There were a couple things I didn’t quite agree with. The beginning was a little hard to get into and she took some time to warm up to Adrian. but overall I thought she was a strong heroine who got things done. I really enjoy governess stories. I enjoyed the mystery part of the plot. I love Adrian‘s character. He seemed to be very dashing and considerate of Jane’s feelings. I think they worked well together, trying to solve the mystery. Overall, I loved it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance!

Another fun book from Manda Collins! This book is the perfect cozy murder mystery with some romance mixed in. It was so fun to get to see the characters from the previous books as supporting cast members. This one didn't have quite as many twists and turns as some of the previous books in the series but the characters were so likeable I was happy they didn't have to suffer too many twists of fate!

This book is perfect for someone looking for a quick read that likes a cozy vibe, historical fiction, and a sweet love story!

Suspenseful, enticing, and adventurous!

A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril is an engaging, amusing tale set in London during 1869 that features Jane Halliwell, a clever young woman who, after losing her father and having to become a governess to the daughter of Viscount and Lady Gilford, finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery with her teenage crush, Lord Adrian Fielding, when it quickly becomes apparent that these murders and perhaps even a few more may not be as random as they first appeared and may actually be tied to their positions as agents for the Foreign Office.

The prose is authentic and mischievous. The characters are confident, daring, and endearing. And the plot is a compelling blend of mystique, attraction, amateur sleuthing, desire, tricky situations, danger, and titillating romance.

Overall, A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril is another passionate, spicy, immersive page-turner by Collins that left me entertained, satisfied and eager to read whatever the Ladies Most Scandalous manage to get mixed up in next.

After her father’s death, governess Jane becomes embroiled in investigating her employer’s murder alongside Lord Adrian—the man she once loved. As they hunt the killer, Jane’s wit and charm rekindle their connection. But with danger lurking, will their second chance at love survive?

This book has compelling characters, a page-turning plot, and strong romantic tension. Jane is a refreshingly strong and intelligent heroine. Despite the hardships she’s faced, she remains witty and resilient. Her verbal sparring and crackling chemistry with Adrian is electric from their first meeting.

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

Fun historical romance read. Adrian and Jane solve a. Murder while trying to deny their feelings for each other.

The mystery and romance in this was so cute. I haven't read the other books in the series, and this is my first time reading this author. I liked the pacing and the plot.

Adrian was so in love with Jane. Like so in love that he could've pretended as much as he wanted and everyone knew. I enjoyed this so much.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The fourth installment of the Ladies Most Scandalous series continues the saga from the previous books. In this story, Jane and Lord Fielding reunite, and reignite, desires after parting ways in dramatic happening in Jane's family. Years have past, and Jane has been forced into circumstances, due to her father's death, that are less than ideal. Fielding has furthered his life within the walls of the foreign service, and returns to find Jane's life in taters.

A mystery unravels at a dinner party both attend, leading them to partner to find the culprit. This mystery runs parallel to the love story. Their second-chance won't be thwarted by murder.

This series has been a joy to read, and I love the cameos from the past installments. I've been truly charmed and entertained, and look forward to future books.

Thank you, Forever

A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril is the latest installment in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Manda Collins comes through yet again with historical romance seamlessly combined with a mystery in one delightful story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Jane Halliwell’s life changed with her diplomat father’s sudden death five years ago. Instead of being married with a household of her own, now she’s working as a governess. When Lord Adrian Fielding arrives at her employer’s home for a diplomatic gathering, Jane is surprised. She’s only run into her former crush Adrian a few times since they both lived in Rome, and she’s still hurt about the way he disappeared after her father’s death. Adrian remembers Jane as his mentor’s engaging daughter, not the smart and stunning young woman who impresses him at every turn. When Jane’s employer is murdered, the two join forces to investigate. Will their growing attraction help or hinder their efforts to solve the crime?

This book has murder and intrigue from the outset, along with a strong connection between the main characters. I like that the grudge between Adrian and Jane is cleared up early on, with no further miscommunication necessary. And, it’s great watching other characters explain to Adrian that he’ll never gain Jane’s favor if he tries to tell her what to do.

I figured out who did it early on, but it didn’t limit my enjoyment of the mystery or the romance. In this case, watching Jane and Adrian grow closer as they investigate the case is the best part. And, while characters from previous books make appearances, this story easily works as a standalone.

A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril is a charming story with equal doses of romance and mystery. Manda Collins balances both aspects of the story perfectly for a throughly enjoyable book.

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

Hmm – strange things are afoot in the Foreign Office as this excellently-written, well-paced, well-plotted historical romance/mystery unfolds. The protagonists are very likable and relatable, while the antagonist is venal and vile – just the way I like it. You’ll love it all – and it will keep you on the edge of your chair wondering who did it.

Five years ago, Miss Jane Halliwell’s world crashed and burned – to a cinder. Her beloved father, who worked for the Foreign Office, committed suicide and left Jane and her mother destitute from his gambling debts. She is now governess to Margaret, the daughter of her father’s good friend, Lord Gilford. Lady Gilford is not a supporter of Jane and takes every opportunity to belittle her and assure Jane knows of her now reduced place in society. Therefore, Jane is shocked when Lady Gilford informs her that, to keep the numbers right, she must attend a dinner that is part of an international symposium sponsored by Lord Gilford.

Lord Adrian Fielding, brother of the Duke of Langham (from book three), was a new and very young Foreign Office diplomat five years ago when his mentor committed suicide. He’d befriended the man’s young daughter, but, after the suicide, he was immediately sent away from Rome to another posting without even being able to say goodbye. He’d caught a glimpse of her two years ago, but she wouldn’t speak with him and seemed very angry. Now, he’s at this symposium – and she is here – and still angry. Why? He’s tried to find her since their encounter two years ago, but it seemed there was no trace of her. He hopes to make things right with her.

Since this is a romance – with a mystery tagging along for the ride – we’ll need to know a tad about the mystery. Jane finds Lord Gilford stabbed to death in his study. Who could have done such a thing? There is no shortage of suspects as the house is full of foreign dignitaries, servants, Foreign Office representatives, and family. Detective Inspector Eversham (from book 1) is immediately called in and enlists Adrian’s assistance. They would prefer to leave Jane out of it, but she insists on helping as Lord Gilford was one of the very few to give her a helping hand after her father’s suicide. As they work through the clues – and uncover other happenings at the Foreign Office – the danger to them increases, and they grow closer. While the identity of the antagonist didn’t surprise me, the depths of his depravity did.

I can definitely recommend this book and this series. While this isn’t my favorite of the series, it was a lovely read, an exciting mystery, and provided us with a well-deserved HEA. We also got nice visits with the main characters of the previous books and a sweet epilogue. I hope you’ll give this book a try and enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Reading.

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

Manda Collins does not miss! The world she has created is fantastic and the characters continue to captivate. This book fits in and is greatly enjoyable just like the others she's written.

This continues to be a delightful series - an exciting blend of romance and mystery. Somehow Manda Collins continues to keep this romance reader coming back for her mysteries - a testament to her talent!

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
A Governess’s Guide to Passion and Peril is the fourth installment in Manda Collins’ Ladies Most Scandalous series. It can be read as a standalone, with both the mystery and romance being completely self-contained, although the characters did previously appear in earlier books in supporting roles.
I really enjoyed both leads, and I really liked learning more about them. They also have a prior acquaintance, which translated well to the romance. I also liked how their circumstances kind of paralleled each other, with them both coming from fairly well-off backgrounds, but making choices to work, in spite of their family or friends’ misgivings, with Jane serving as a governess and Adrian working with the Foreign Office. As for their pursuits, I did wish Jane’s novel writing was fleshed out, but I was otherwise satisfied with how things came together for them.
The mystery was also fairly interesting and fairly fast paced, with the action taking place over a few short days. What started as a single murder became a bit more complex, and it was fun to try to solve it along with Jane and Adrian.
This is another fun read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a fast-paced, fairly low-steam (but not completely closed-door) historical romantic mystery.

As much as I really enjoyed the previous books in this series, this one just seemed to be missing something for me.

I liked reading these books because the level of romance mixed with the murder mysteries was always perfect. Here everything felt off. It seemed like the investigating took a front seat and the romance was squished in wherever it would fit. I didn’t have enough time with Jane and Adrian together to really root for them or connect with them. The relationship seemed kind of forced and just happened.

Even though that portion of the story was disappointing, I did really enjoy how the mystery unfolded and was flying through the book to get to the answer of who did it. Sure, I may have guessed it about halfway through, but it was still fun to read.

This is the fourth book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, but it certainly could work as a standalone. I would classify this as a historical romance with a very active serial murder side plot. It’s also light on the spice/steam.

For those who have read the series, this installment focuses on the governess, Jane Halliwell, and Lord Adrian Fielding, who were both introduced in the previous book. Jane and Adrian have known each other for years, since Jane was a student and Adrian worker with her father in the foreign service. However, they lost contact after her father’s sudden death (at his own hand) and the loss of their family’s fortune from gambling, Jane and her mother were shunned by those in society which relegated Jane to the position of Governess back in London. Now, several years later, when Jane’s boss hosts a symposium (with Adrian in attendance) and winds up murdered, Adrian and Jane are forced to spend time together as they work through the murder investigation. Spanning the course of a few days, this proximity reminds them both of the crushes they had before Jane’s father’s death.

Overall, I really enjoyed each book in this series and the Governess’s Guide was no exception! This story was very entertaining and the murder investigation keeps you on your toes trying to guess who the culprit is.

Another fantastic historical mystery from Manda. This one has Adrian and Jane. We have seen them before and I was waiting on their story. I can usually figure out the villain and I did in this one but Manda had me wondering who the mysterious E was. The why is one as old as time but I still did not connect it. I loved the whole story. Manda is really good at delivering a mystery with romantic elements. Adrian and Jane were such a cute couple working together. It was great seeing characters from the other books in this series.

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril
4th Book in the Ladies Most Scandalous Series
Rating: 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

**SPOILERS**

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril sadly had more peril than passion. It was a good murder mystery story but I feel that the romance between Jane and Adrian played secondary instead of being the main focus. Jane had been attracted to him since she was young and actually had a crush on him. It was a little disappointing that he lets her know that he was aware of her feelings, but his rakish ways, I mean his career got in the way.
Overall it was an okay story. Stay to see how Jane and Adrian solve the mystery and fall in love out of nowhere.

This was a fun and romantic historical murder mystery. Both the mystery and romance were good individually, but together they created a great read. I loved the childhood friends to strangers to lovers and the somewhat forbidden romance between our two main characters, Jane and Adrian. You can tell that they obviously still care for each other and that there is love between them now. I loved seeing their relationship evolve through this book. The mystery was also well written and had me continuing to guess who did it.

Overall, this was a good historical romance and mystery that I recommend!

Read if you like…
•historical romance
•murder mystery
•childhood friends to strangers to lovers

Thank you to Forever for a gifted eARC through NetGalley to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one! It was a fun mystery, and I liked both Adrian and Jane. I also liked seeing the characters from the previous books although this one can be read as a standalone.
The pacing was okay, but I felt like the mystery was dragged out a bit. I had the murderer figured out around the halfway mark, and it took our characters much longer to figure it out for themselves. I also wish that there had been a bit more of the development of Jane and Adrian’s relationship, but I did enjoy the little moments they had together.
I liked that Jane got closure over her father’s death, and I thought the murder plot line was interesting in how it brought in other deaths.
I was entertained the entire time I was reading, and the writing style is easy to follow along with. The voices of the characters are distinct, and the dual third-person POVs works really well for the story.

Thank you Forever for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been a big fan of this series since reading A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem. I’ve enjoyed all of the books in this series! I really liked Jane. She’s had a tough life after her father supposedly took his own life. She was forced to find work as a governess where’s she is often mistreated by the families. She’s found a post with a former family friend. She’s determined not to let it get her down.. Her employer is hosting a house party when he’s murdered. She quickly steps in as the event’s hostess. She’s reunited with another family friend, Adrian. They work together to solve the murder and find themselves becoming closer in the process.

Jane and Adrian’s relationship seemed to change quickly. I felt like he was lying to himself about his attraction and feelings for Jane. Despite this almost insta-love I liked them as a couple. I enjoyed the mystery although I did guess pretty early on who the killer was. I loved seeing the characters from the previous three books come together to support Jane. I’m always excited for a new book for Manda Collins!

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril-Book #4 The Ladies Most Scandalous Series-I read it as a standalone, haven't read the first 3 books in the series

by Manda Collins-never read author

Rating: 5/5 ⭐

Publication 3-26-24 Read 3-15-24

Format: eBook, 294 pgs. kindle

HEA/HFN:HEA

Epilogue: yes, 1 year later. A catch up with all the couples and setup for book #5

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC💛! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

✔️ Historical Romance
✔️ Murder Mystery/Suspense
✔️ Women's Fic
✔️death of a parent(suicide)
✔️parental estrangement

Summary- In London 1869, Miss Jane Halliwell(23) is hired to be Lady and Lord Gilford's governess for their sixteen year old daughter Margaret. Jane's father died while on post in Rome 1865, his death ruled a suicide. Jane's mother goes into hiding in Scotland with her cousin. Jane refuses to give up her dignity and independence, so she goes to work for her father's former colleague, Lord Gilford. Diplomat Lord Adrian Fielding works at the Foreign Office investigating wrongdoing by foreigners on British soil. He and Jane were childhood friends but Jane felt more for him. He was focused on work and didn't know Jane had a crush on him. When they meet again at Lord Gilford's symposium, he is puzzled by her attitude towards him. Tragically Lord Gilford is murdered at the house party and they reluctantly work together to find his killer.

The murder mystery plot was Jane and Adrian worked as a team questioning suspects, and found a possible connection between Lord Gilford's murder and Jane father's death. There was a lot of banter between Jane and Adrian, mainly her standing her ground when he tried to "protect her" by hiding her away. They made inquiries into each member of the special delegation so I got to know a lot of the characters and previous couples.

Overall, this romantic suspense kept me interested the entire time even though the romance was a subplot, Jane and Adrian were great protagonists and their first time together was steamy! Now I have to go back and read the other books to get ready for the new Lord Gilford.