This book was a DNF for me. I got to 30% and decided it was not for me. Hopefully it will be a good fit for someone else!

Wedding turned a bloody mess? Yup, it would appear so. There's no holy matrimony in this one. Only bloody matrimony! And what a fun romp it was!

Ruby Irving is all set to marry the man she... well, likes well enough. But, at the altar, he decides that he doesn't want to marry a tycoon's daughter. Maybe it's because she's from Nevada? Her father is livid and threatens to kill the groom. Of course, when he ends up dead, her father is the main suspect. But Ruby believes in her father. He's not a murderer. And she's going to prove it.
I liked her character. The story was not quite as cohesive, it was, in fact, a little disjointed and the ending came out of nowhere but I am interested in reading the next book in the series to see if it smooths out.

Three stars
This book came out January 30, 2024
Murder Most Gilded Age #1
ARC kindly provided by Somerset Park Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This book just didn't click with me on any level. I did read the whole thing but there were many times I thought about throwing in the towel. I just didn't love the storyline and I didn't enjoy any of the characters.

Thank you for the chance to read this early.

I normally enjoy cozy historical mysteries. The plot idea for this one sounded like it would catch my attention. Unfortunately, I think it needed to be a bit longer so the author could work on plot and character development. I didn’t find one character that I actually liked, which has long been a pet peeve for me in books.
A quick read which a lot of readers will enjoy. I would be interested in seeing how the author builds on these characters in the next book.

I usually love this author's historical mysteries so couldn't wait to read this one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in this one. On the plus side the plot ran along at a good pace but I didn’t find one character that I actually liked, or who made decisions that made sense. I'm not sure why this was perhaps because it was quite short so there wasn't a lot of time to get to know the character's. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

new-series, first-in-series, 1890s, historical-novel, historical-research, local-law-enforcement, heiress, left-at-the-altar, unpleasant-in-laws, family, family-dynamics, family-drama, amateur-sleuth, sly-humor, verbal-humor, situational-humor, siblings, friends, friendship*****

First, he said 'I don't', then his body was found under the table holding the wedding cake. Next HER father was the prime suspect by the police only because he had loudly declared that he would 'kill' him. Boston's brahmins thought she was beneath notice because her very wealthy family was from the wilds of Nevada. Sleuthing is an adventure populated with some fun characters! Fun but short.
Too bad it has only very limited access.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Somerset Park Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pub Date 30 Jan 2024 #MurderMostGildedAgeBk1 #CozyMystery

Boston 1892

Love historical mysteries and this one was delightful! A bride jilted at the altar, Ruby later finds her fiance murdered!

A great cast of characters and engaging dialogue make this an easy, fun whodunit and looking forward to more!

This fast paced murder mystery story is just a bit too fast for my taste. There could have been a whole extra part of the story of Ruby telling the police how she solved the crime, considering how they looked down upon her character as a woman throughout the entire story. I was hoping for more suspense and a longer list of potential killers. I hope that in the next installment of this series there is more interaction between Ruby and Mr. Harrington and they solve the next one together perhaps.

A Most Murderous Wedding is the first installment in a new murder mystery historical series set in Boston.

I really liked the characters, Ruby's parents were amazing, but I found the mystery a bit underdeveloped, I thought more could be done with it.

The story is well written and funny, so it was a pleasure to read but I would have liked some more action.

I am really curious to read the second book of this series to see how the characters develop and maybe we could have more mystery.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for providing me with an ARC from Netgalley.

Ruby Irving is having a bad day. She is jilted at the altar, and then discovers the former groom murdered. The police immediately suspect her father. Convinced of her father's innocence, Ruby decides it falls to her to uncover the truth about the viscount's murder on her own. As she delves into the dangerous investigation, Ruby realizes that her pursuit of justice may come at a perilous cost to her own life.

I love cozy historical mysteries. The premise for this one sounded promising. Unfortunately, I think it needed some more length to build out the plot and the characters. As it stands, I didn’t find one character that I actually liked, or who made decisions that made sense.

For those who like quick reads, this is definitely one. The plot moves at a very quick pace. As an investigator, Ruby relies on her intuition to piece things together. Some of the language used, such as hang out, was very modern and took me out of the story.

I would recommend this to readers who aren’t looking for historical accuracy in their cozy reads.

Yes I want more of this series. We have a lovely heroine Ruby, rich heiress from Nevada, who is to marry a British Viscount George.

Instead of I Do George says I Can't and walks away from Ruby at the altar. Chaos ensues with all guests retiring to the hotel where the reception was to take place. Only to find George dead.

Ryan uses her instincts and her smarts to rout out the villian and solve the mystery. Along the way she meets and intriguing baseball player Ned Harrington, receives a proposal from an Earl and is jumping off windows.

An entertaining novella with just the right amount of sass and intrigue

The first in a new series by Bianca Blythe set in America's Gilded Age, A Most Murderous Wedding follows jilted bride, Ruby Irving searching for the murderer of her ex-fiancee before her father is framed.

I love a good cosy historical crime as much as the new girl, and the premise of Blythe's novel sounded interesting but I think there would've been much more potential if it was slightly longer. The characters are decent with some strong character development, but the plot feels like it was meant to be longer and I would've loved to read more.

Overall, A Most Murderous Wedding has good potential as the beginning of a new Gilded Age series. I can't wait to see how Ruby's adventures progress.

Thank you, NetGalley and Somerset Park Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and appears to be the first in the series. It was an interesting quick read that kept me turning the page. It wasn’t easy to work out the murderer which was good. The characters were well written, with humor and the story line followed nicely. It was a quick read so there was not a lot of development in the story but I enjoyed it as a quick mystery read. I received this as an Arc from Netgalley and freely give my review.

This is a Historical cozy mystery set in Boston during the Gilded Age. I loved the setting, the dynamic characters, the mystery was excellent. I absolutely loved this! This is the first in a new series and I cannot wait to read the next book!! This had become one of my favorite cozy historical mysteries. Love it!!
I just reviewed A Most Murderous Wedding by Bianca Blythe. #MurderMostGildedAge #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thanks to BookSprout and NetGalley for copies of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion...

This appears to be book 1 of a new series by Bianca Blythe that is set in Gilded Age America. It seems far more coxy mystery than romance, especially when it opens with the heroine, Ruby Irving, the pampered daughter of a wealthy Nevada tycoon, is jilted at the alter by her groom in Boston, an impecunious Viscount. Her father is overheard by the grooms aristocratic family and friends, as well as the snobbish elite of Boston Society, threatening to kill the groom, as he literally runs from his stunned bride and the wedding.

As the gleefully gossiping guests take advantage of the Irving's continued hospitality at the gala they had already paid for at a posh hotel, Ruby takes some time to herself to reflect on things privately in the cake room. Unfortunately as she is sitting down, she finds her ex-fiance's dead body under the wedding cake table, stabbed through with the cake knife.

Of course this starts an investigation by the Boston police who immediately latch onto the Irvings, specifically Ruby's father, since her ex-fiance's family immediately point the finger at him, and Boston, from their elite to their police force, treat the Irvings as outsiders and willingly paint the father as being the guilty party.

Fearful of being railroaded and knowing her father is innocent, Ruby flounders about without a lot of help to prove his innocence.

This book was a bit of a hard read initially for me. I love a cozy historical mystery; I usually find them fun to read. But I found many of the characters generally unlikeable in this story, at first. They did not seem overly well developed, and quite stereotypical - the cold, autocratic, snobbish British aristocrats, the snobbish elite Bostonians, versus the nouveau riche, unpolished, and unaccepted Irving parents. The Irvings, including Ruby, who is characterized as being educated at a woman's university and observant, and Mr. Irving as being a shrewd businessman who built his wealth from nothing, are rather brash, and impulsive/thoughtless in their actions and speech at times, leading to more harm to their cause than good. I also felt like Ruby and her brother had a very conflicting view of their parents - yes, she loves and believes in her father's innocence, and loves her mother, but there appears to be a constant evident core of embarrassment about them and not wanting them too close in her life.

But somehow, they stay out of jail, and Ruby rather intuitively figures out the details that point to someone else being guilty of her fiance's death, proving her father's innocence.

This was cute, but without a lot of depth and convincing drama/tension, until the very end with the confrontation and revealing of the motivations of the real killer. There appears to be a brewing relationship with another very peripheral character, but it is very much a sideline.

Cute, but not compelling.

2.5 stars out of 5

2.5 Stars (outliner)
One Liner: Good premise, not-so-good execution

1892, Boston
Ruby Irving is the daughter of a Nevada tycoon, a rich man with new money. Despite her education and money, not many like her or her family. After all, she doesn’t belong to the English aristocracy. Ruby doesn’t seem to mind.
However, when her groom jilts her on the wedding day and refuses to say his vows, Ruby is in the limelight for the wrong reason. As if that’s not enough, George, the ex-groom, is found dead (murdered). Ruby’s Pa is the prime suspect since he was heard threatening to kill the man.
With the police making up their minds and not doing the needful, Ruby decides to investigate and save her Pa from being framed for murder.
The story comes from Ruby’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
I’m always up for a cozy mystery, so when this was available for request, I didn’t think much. Also, it would have been my first mystery series set in the Gilded Age. Unfortunately, the results are not great.
Given the page count and that this is still the first in the series, there isn’t much character development for anyone, including Ruby. I’m okay with it to an extent since we get an idea of what they are. That’s enough for the plot.
What I Like:
This is a small book with 199 pages and has a steady pace. You can finish it in a single sitting (1.30 to 2 hours max).
The story starts with the wedding and the groom refusing to say ‘I do’. Even the death occurs soon afterward.
We get the backstory and information in bits and pieces to prevent an info dump. This helps sustain the pace and keep the readers interested.
Ruby starts out well. Her parents are rather endearing. I like the scenes where she is proud of them, as she should be.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Well, the mystery has potential but has not been explored. Ruby starts sleuthing, which becomes half-baked in the second half. The resolution is not a result of her efforts but a chance plot development.
We are told Ruby is a smart girl, a math-loving, practical person who doesn’t believe in romance and stuff. However, somewhere along the way, she ends up with tingling(s) for more than one person. The shift from being a no-nonsense heiress to this for the sake of sustaining the mystery messes up her arc.
Ruby isn’t that different from the snobs she claims to dislike. While this can be a deliberate character flaw, it doesn’t reflect well on a girl who tends to feel ashamed of her parents when they so clearly love her and give her what she wants.
With the narrative in the first-person, the story could have been real good, especially the climax. However, the readers are left to assume that everything has been sorted when we jump to the epilogue after the killer is revealed (to us). This works in short stories, not in novels. We don’t need detailed explanations, but a paragraph or two is necessary.

To summarize, A Most Murderous Wedding is a quick cozy mystery with some lighthearted moments and depicts the social situations and flaws well. However, it is pretty much an average read.
I’m an outliner here, so check out other reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley and Somerset Park Press, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A delightful cozy mystery featuring Ruby Irving, a bride who is jilted at the altar. The time period of 1892 and the location of Boston make it different than a lot of books that I read in regency London. I had no idea who did it until the end. I am hoping there is romance in the air in future books between Ruby and Mr. Harrington.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this historical cozy mystery. All the characters were a fun cast to be around, her family and friends. I really liked her parents. And the hint of romance with Mr. Harrington, is something I look forward to being developed in the future. The mystery also kept me engaged and I did guess the killer but that's cause I watch tio many hallmark mysteries i think. I'm not docking it any stars cause it didn't take me out of the mystery, but I think the tone was a little more modern than the time period it was set it. I'm gonna check out this authors back catalog for sure. Thank you to the publisher ANF NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Most Murderous Woman is the first entry in this lighthearted historical cozy mystery.
When heiress Ruby Irving is jilted at the altar by an impoverished Viscount, her father threatens to kill him. When humiliated Ruby finds the viscount dead, stabbed with the cake knife, her dad is the main suspect. The police are doubtful any of the high society wedding guests are responsible, so Ruby sets out to find the real killer and clear her dad's name. This was a fun fast paced mystery with witty dialogue sprinkled with a touch of humor. I especially enjoyed the brash staight talking characters of Ruby's parents. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!