Thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Hello, it's me - the reader who wants to read the book because of its cute cover! I accidentally did not look closely 'Once Upon a Murder' by Samantha Larsen is the second book in the series. However, I got excited about the premise and themes of the book! Is it worth reading?

-what is it about-

1784 England. Miss Tiffany Woodall ends her cases with murders. At least, that is what she believes. However, after confronting the dead body of Mr Bernard Coram, Tiffany decides to solve the case and find the culprit. It will not be easy as the love of her life is also involved in this...


-what I loved?-

-> I did not have any problems with getting into the storyline from the second book! I believe it was because of the light writing style and thorough descriptive elements that uncovered some of the crucial themes from the first book.
-> The atmosphere was amazing. Samantha Larsen decided to present a dynamic action full of twists and turns! I couldn't stop listening to the events that made my heart beat faster!
-> The romance theme surprised me with its different approach to the relationship between the two main characters. I wanted the author to expand it a little bit more, but it was still pretty well-developed.



-what did I not love?-

→ Sudden and unnecessary decisions made by the main character made the book pretty dull and unrealistic. Tiffany appeared to be irritating, I didn't like her character that much.
→ The historical background lacked depth, therefore it was much more interesting to turn myself to the dynamic action. However, even the writing style resembled modern times which troubled me a few times throughout the whole novel.


rating: 3/5 ✮✮✮
genre: Historical Fiction Mystery
themes: romance, murder case, historical background

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Good read, I liked the historical side of it and there was a nice amount of suspense without being too convoluted. I didn't read the first book but was ok without it, although I'm sure it would have been better to have read that one. The main character was interesting, and the narrator did a good job.

This ended up being more historical romantic suspense instead of cozy mystery but I enjoyed it. It was adorable and unique and I'll be interested to see if the author continues this series or leaves it as is.

This was a really cute mystery. I loved the main female characters and she added a lot to the story. I also loved the narrator and it added a lot to the story.

Ok I love a cozy mystery so I'm not surprised I loved this! I will admit I was surprised that this book felt kind of heavy at parts. It really played into the racism and gender discrimination of the time period. I did not realize that this book is a sequel before reading but I was able to catch up for the most part with the call backs throughout the book. It did make me want to read the first one now. Overall I loved this book and the ending was exactly the happily ever after I needed! Also the narrator was wonderful

This book was a fantastic read. Tiffany, the main character, is a fascinating character. She is independent at a time when women did not have any rights to anything.
She gets tied up in a murder after someone left a corpse in her driveway and she literally trips over the body trying to get to work. When she turned over the body, she knew the victim and he was not a well liked man in town.
Tiffany gets caught up in the investigation after realizing she may be a suspect as well as her love interest.

There was a reason (or several) that this book was on my list of historical fiction books this year, and it did not disappoint at all. We are back following Tiffany where she seems to be much better off until she quite literally stumbles over a dead body.

I loved that this second novel had multiple mysteries throughout. While Tiffany is obviously trying to find Bernard’s murderer, there are more, less-lethal, mysteries that still have drastic consequences. Not only does it keep you busy as a mystery-lover, we are also able to get to know more of those around Tiffany. The Duchess of Beaufort in particular is now a favourite of mine- she is the proverbial onion, we just keep getting layers!

Without spoiling it, there is certainly more angst in this novel, and there were several points that it felt like all was lost. However, without spoiling it- Larsen weaves a complex story that pulls our heart into it in the best way. Although the stakes were already fairly high, Larsen has raised them again!

Marni Penning’s narration is once again lovely, too. Tiffany could easily be seen as whiny but Penning brings a great deal of depth to her narration, and really makes us feel for her.

This is a fantastic book for anyone who loves historical mysteries, or eighteenth century hist-fic!

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Tiffany, librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort, who stumbles upon the frozen dead body of former footman Mr. Bernard Coram. As the investigation begins Samir, local constable, has to deal with the locals not liking/trusting him as well as having to come clean to Tiffany about his past. When Samir is arrested for the murder, Tiffany will do anything in her power to save the man she loves and find the true culprit.

What I Loved:
Tiffany, she is a strong independent woman who not only has a job but also has a home of her own with a staff and uses her knowledge and understanding to help anyone who needs it
Samir’s twist, I thought I had a good understanding of who Samir was to the town and Tiffany but you learn things about him that shocked me when I was reading
Who done it, I was pleasantly surprised that it took me a while to really figure out who was the true murder of Mr. Coram I think the author did a good job concealing the perps and the why
Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, this son and mother team are so much fun since the son is only 5 he is just a kid who knows he can get away with things and the Duchess is a great mother, employer and understands her power and will tear down anyone who gets in her way
Audiobook, the narrator for this audiobook did a great job with giving all of the characters their own unique voices and it was an overall enjoyable listen

I really enjoyed this book it was a quick and fun read that really had me in the mood to read more period romantic suspense books. This had a lot of read characters, intrigue and an overall great mystery that kept me guessing. If you are looking for a historical romantic suspense book with strong female characters and great mystery please check this one out.

Tiffany Woodall, the lady librarian, is back and she's got another murder to solve. This time the dead body is not only found right outside her small cottage, she literally tripped over him hurrying to work at Astwell Palace. It turns out it's someone she and others in the village had had dealings with so there are several suspects--including herself and Samir, the bookshop owner and local constable that she's fallen in love with. Clearing Samir's name isn't going to be easy and Tiffany's going to need all her powers of reasoning and deduction to save the man she loves.

There were so many suspects in this one I kept changing my mind about who the guilty person could be. Every time she found a believable theory new information came to light and disproved it. I liked how the fairytales fit into the story and helped solve the mystery.

I loved all the scenes of Tiffany with the young Duke of Beaufort aka Beau. They were all so sweet and delightful. One of my favorite characters in these books is the Duchess of Beaufort. She seems to have softened since the previous book, and now is becoming a friend to Tiffany as well as her employer. She's still a formidable woman and not one to be trifled with. I was shocked by Samir's secret and didn't feel that it went with his character but I'm happy he and Tiffany were able to work through it and get their happily ever after.

Content: There's a character who's had a baby with someone other than her spouse (does not go into detail, written in a sensitive manner). There's also talk of monthly cycles/childbirth. I consider this one to be a clean read.

I thought the narrator did an excellent job with all of the many voices. I loved her voice for young Beau--it was adorable.

I received a copy of the audiobook from Dreamscape via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

A cute little cozy mystery! Great for fans of Mary Winters and Katharine Schellman. I really enjoyed the way Larsen developed her characters more in this story than the first in this series. The people felt more real and the plot was much more succinct. Overall, a fun read!

I listened to the audiobook version of Once Upon a Murder by Samantha Larsen. I really enjoy historical mysteries and couldn't wait to listen to this audiobook based on the cozy mystery premise featuring a 40-year old librarian, Tiffany Woodall. When a footman is found dead outside her home, Tiffany is at first a suspect, and then possibly an accomplice of her beau, constable and bookseller Samir Lathrop who was being blackmailed by the deceased. While I enjoyed the relationship between Tiffany and Samir, I felt the story developed awkwardly as there was too much unsaid between the pair and even possibly lies by omission. The ending was wrapped up in a nice tidy bow that seemed too contrived for my liking. I wish there was more story development between the death and why the justice of the peace jumped to the conclusions that Samir did it without any proof or reasoning. Because I enjoyed the narrator, Marni Penning, I'm rating this book at 3 stars.

I just finished the audio version of Once Upon a Murder. I didn't realize when I started it that it was a sequel, however that did not affect my enjoyment of the novel, it works well as a standalone. Tiffany, librarian to the Duchess and temporary governess to her young boy, finds a body near her home on her way to the Duchess's one morning. She must clear her name as the first suspect in the murder, but her dear friend and hopefully someday lover Samir becomes number one suspect in her place. The racist Justice of the peace has no tangible evidence to support Samir as murderer, however, there is very little to clear his name either. Tiffany must figure out who the true murderer is before Samir is found guilty and hanged.
I love the concept of this story, however, I was disappointed by the mystery element only comprising about 10% of the novel and the rest focusing on home/work life that has very little, if anything, to do with the mystery element. I would class this as women's historical lit with a dash of mystery thrown in. Not the murder mystery with a dash of historical fiction thrown in, that I was hoping for. As such I gave it 3.5 stars rounded to four, because it is well written, the narrator was pleasant to listen to, and she evoked the proper emotions.

Didn't realize that this was part of the series, but I was still able to enjoy the story. It's not a great fit for audiobook form, but not too distracting.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

At first I found the voices from the narrator over the top and silly. The Heroine Tiffany seemed immature and like she was feeling sorry for herself because she was a forty year old spinster. Gradually, the story grew on me voices and all.
While Tiffany did annoy me in the beginning I love how big her heart is and how she cares for everyone around her. I enjoyed the romance budding between her and the Constable Samir and how they handles the challenges thrown at them.
This story has a diverse cast of colorful characters set in a small Georgian era town. It was pretty well researched and I enjoyed the historical fiction aspects.
The murder mystery aspect was well thought out and planned This story is worth the read and I enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook. All views are expressed are my own.

This cozy mystery got my heart racing! Once Upon a Murder explored some serious themes around race, gender, class, and privilege in the justice system, while still having a sweet yet complicated romance at the centre.
It was so refreshing to read a book set in the Georgian era, when so many historicals are set in the Regency & Victorian periods. After being used to seeing teen/20-something protagonists, I adored having an older character to relate to. With romantic, familial, and friendship, the unconventional found family with so much love for one another were a delight.
While I would love to read book 1, A Novel Disguise, it isn’t necessary to still enjoy Once Upon a Murder.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Dreamscape Media for the gifted audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Whodunit, diverse cast, closed door, cozy mysteries

This was interesting, but a bit all over the place. I liked the mystery. I wanted a bit more romance. I also wish I had read the first book. It seemed like you needed to. I do recommend this.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Cover ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Narrated by Marni Penning ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The narrator had a stunning soothing voice. Absolutely want to hear more books narrated by Marni Penning

Story by Samantha Larsen ⭐⭐
I struggled to get into this story. Nothing about this story grabbed me so it was unable to hold my attention overall. Due to that I will not be recommending this book.

This is my first time trying or even hearing of this author and I have seen reviews saying the first book is really good especially compared to this one, so I would give the first book a go, but probably only if it was available from my library.

This took me weeks to finish even though I am usually a really fast reader, I didn't bond with the characters and the plot seemed boring. Maybe it is just a me thing and somebody else would love it. I wish I could have loved it though.

Enjoyed the mystery and it kept me guessing.
Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and NetGalley for my eAudiobook.

I really enjoyed this one. It was so great being back with Tiffany Woodall. I liked how the murder mystery in this one connected to the characters we got to know in A Novel Disguise.

I thought the audiobook was well done and the narrator did a great job of portraying Tiffany's character. I hope we get to see more of her!