I don’t normally read historical fiction, but I love a murder mystery vibe! And I felt like the two mixed well. I really enjoyed the narrator and how she read too, I felt like her performance added the story for me.
Sometimes it felt the plot for away from the “finding the murderer”. Though the baby plot was adorable (if not a lil graphic?) I kept wanting Tiffany to focus on saving the man she’s in love with.

I also wish a little more detective work was at play. I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but I guess I assumed she would be more “Sherlock” about the case but she sort of just stumbled through the “investigation” by listening to gossip. It was definitely a fun read and I’ll go back to read the first one soon!

I will say there was triggers for racism (from side characters), mentions of several SA moments, and very descriptive details about childbirth.

* I received an advanced copy of the book through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for granting me access to an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Once Upon a Murder, written by Samantha Larsen and narrated by Marni Penning, transports listeners to 1784 England. As the newly appointed librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort, Miss Tiffany Woodall intends to leave behind the world of masquerades and murder. However, fate has other plans when she discovers the frozen body of former footman Mr. Bernard Coram. In a whirlwind turn of events, Tiffany finds herself accused of the crime by the justice of the peace.

Determined to clear her name, Tiffany embarks on a quest for truth, uncovering Bernard’s involvement in a dispute over a woman and his blackmailing of a man named Samir. As Samir is arrested, Tiffany realizes her life mirrors a tragic drama rather than the lighthearted romance she had hoped for. With her beloved incarcerated and her own reputation at stake, Tiffany races against time to solve the murder before it’s too late.

In terms of storytelling, I’d rate Once Upon a Murder a solid 3 stars. However, the audio performance by Marni Penning earns a stellar 4.5 stars. While I confess to skipping the first installment of this series, I found it easy to follow the narrative without feeling lost. Although references to the previous book are present, they don’t detract from the overall story.

As a fan of murder mysteries, I appreciated the narrative’s exploration of this genre. However, I found the storyline excessively saccharine, with a progressively melodramatic tone that diminished its appeal. Despite addressing weighty themes, the characters lacked depth and came across as rather feeble.

It’s worth noting that Marni Penning’s exceptional narration breathed life into the tale. Her skillful portrayal of various characters added depth to the narrative, and her captivating delivery was the primary reason I persevered to the story’s conclusion.

In summary, Once Upon a Murder presents an intriguing premise, albeit marred by its overly sentimental execution. While the audiobook was tolerable, it was Marni Penning’s exceptional performance that truly salvaged the listening experience.

Disclosure: I have not read the first book and would recommend doing so for personal enjoyment since the events are referenced frequently. However, it is not necessary to follow the events of this story.

This charming sequel follows the same FMC, Tiffany, a 40-year old pious librarian who is working more like a nanny for the neighboring Duchess. When she stumbles on a dead body outside her home, she follows the trail around the small country town to clear herself of suspicion. However, the tension builds where her love interest is accused of the murder since he had a falling out with the victim. The stakes are never too high or too dangerous, so this sticks to the cozy mystery genre with romance but no sex.

That being said there are retellings of rape and severe domestic violence between the secondary characters. It is safe enough for adults but I would be sensitive of sharing it with younger audiences. I enjoyed Tiffany's persona and voice as she guides us through the story. Duchess Catherine is a wonderful character with the the heart of Lady Bridgerton. and the steel of Lady Danbury. The author note at the conclusion showed a good level of consideration.

However, I felt that half of the narrative was about discrimination against the characters of color (the Indian love-interest and the African adopted-son) without much weight or sense of justice. Here, inclusion felt flat unlike the Bridgerton tv adaptation, that gives radical power to POC or whimsical works like Lex Croucher that add diversity without restricting them to historically-accurate narratives. Not problematic but not contributory either (I say this as a brown pacific islander).

This will be a pleasant pick for soft romance readers who enjoy for a bit of intrigue, the tenderness of motherhood, second chances at life and the strength of female friendships.

The variety of dialects and accents in the audiobook narration was excellent except for the child's voice. That was unfortunately shrill in a very odd way that took be out of the story several times. But the large host of female characters were masterfully done.

I loved this book! It is the second in the series, and picks up right where the first leaves off. Tiffany is once again embroiled in mystery and intrigue. She and Samir must work together to get to the bottom of the mystery of a death. But when Tiffany shares feelings that Samir doesn’t return, she has to work through things. I just loved it. We see characters from the first book, The author does such a good job of making you suspect every person in the book! And then not knowing until the very end! And just when you think you have it figured out, it takes another turn!

Thoroughly enjoyed! The audiobook was particularly fantastic! Such a well done story!

This was quite good for a historical cozy-ish mystery, and though it was the second in a series to which I hadn't read the first, I felt like I kept up well with the characters and their backstory. I liked the mixed-race couple struggle aspect, though I would imagine it would be much worse at the time. The role of the Dutchess of Beaufort was the only character I did not understand. From the sound of it, this rich, powerful woman saved the day in both books so far, and I'm not sure why she and Tiffany are friends. Perhaps I should read the first book after all.

This is a character-driven mystery, not overly violent, and hints at the social struggles of that era, and the differences between classes, races, and sexes. The selling of wives (complete with a rope leash) when divorce wasn't an option was a disturbing thought and image. The reader has little or no sympathy for the victim who died, given his atrocious behavior, which just keeps getting worse, so the whole story is about forbidden love and false accusations, with the protagonist spending a lot of time in the story playing pirates with the Dutchess's son, with annoying dialog between the child and Tiffany seeming excessive. There's a satisfying resolution, so it's not an anxiety-ridden read, and if there are more books, I might continue in the series.

This is book two of a series and I read it as a standalone since I didn't know that. However it was not made to be read this way and as such the prior relationships and histories were not disclosed making it hard to follow in the beginning.
Tiffany is okay as a character but I actually found the Duchess, Catherine, to be much more fun. I would absolutely read more about her.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did a good job of individualizing the characters so we would know who was who. I did find the voice of the child, Beau, to be incredibly obnoxious as he was six not two- don't make him speak in a baby voice.

I won't continue with the series. The novel wasn't strong enough for me to want to know what happened in the past not care about the characters enough to make me want to know more. The climax of the murder was underwhelming and the ending felt more rude to women than anything else and I am shocked that such strong female characters would allow it.

I absolutely LOVED book one in this series! So I was VERY excited to read this!
I felt the mystery was just as suspenseful and puzzling as it was in book one. I also fell in love more with a few new side characters and old friends. Thomas and Catherine were especially good to Tiffany and I loved the support she got this time around.
The issues of racism and prejudice were still mentioned but it wasn't as important to the story. That being said women's issue still are at the forefront, and a TW should be mentioned for rape. It wasn't graphic and the story was well done and well well paced and it was about standing up for those weaker and those looked down on. EVERYONE deserves justice and the law is supposed to be innocent until PROVEN guilty!
Once again Tiffany was the one who had to seek the evidence. Honestly they should just make her the town constable! Haha
My issue was with the romance. I didn't see it coming....can't say more because it's spoilery so.....yeah, I just didn't like the situation. Still though, everything was resolved beautifully and it was a GREAT ending! Really enjoyed the book 😍

Thank you to Samantha Larsen, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Possible spoilers

I'm disappointed. Tiffany---I still don't feel that name suits her, always struck me as more of a Harriet---was still a good character and I liked her, but she was OBSESSED with loving Mr. Lathrop and wanting children of her own. She thought of little else, and I got sick of it. I loved little Beau and Nathaniel, and I love a good romance, but I came for a juicy murder mystery, and the mystery was a complete afterthought here.

Lathrop was hardly around, and when he was he just cooed love at Tiffany and apologized over and over. His early twist really threw me; seemed to come out of nowhere and not at all in character for him.

I loved Catherine but it was completely unbelievable how she threw money around. She just became the ex machina character. Need this thing to happen? Have Catherine write a check.

I was shocked at how quickly Tiffany assumed ownership of Nat. Like almost from the moment---Elsie? Ellie?---appeared reluctant. I realize the mother abandoned ship, and I realize Tiffany was in love with the baby's legal father, and I realize it seemed like the perfect opportunity for Tiffany, but you don't just start calling yourself the baby's mother not twelve hours after he was born. If the mother had given verbal permission for Tiffany to do so, I'd have felt better about it (in writing would have been best, but I doubt the mother had the ability). It was a sticky situation for sure, but Tiffany was rather vultureish about it.

Also, I disliked Mary. Very much. What a little dumbass.

Overall, it was very lazily written, stuffed with fluff, and not at all worthy of its predecessor. RIP, this series' potential.

Once Upon a Murder by Samatha Larson
Audiobook narrated by Marni Penning who was fabulous!

Audiobook out February 20th

This is a historical fiction murder mystery. It is book 2 in the Lady Librarian Mystery series but you do not need to read book 1 to enjoy this book.

You follow Ms. Tiffany Woodall as she tries to solve the murder of a dead footman who she stumbles upon leaving her cottage one morning. First she must clear her name then the name of her beloved.

This is a cozy, clever murder mystery read. I listened to it all at once. I just could not put it down. If you love historical fiction and murder mysteries this is the book for you. The characters were fun and personable and the twists kept me guessing the whole book.

Book 2 in the Lady Librarian Mystery series

Tiffany Woodall is back. When she leaves her house for work one morning, she discovers a dead body in the street. Once she has been cleared of suspicion, the justice of the peace decides Samir, the man Tiffany loves, is guilty and arrests him. Tiffany then eagerly tries to figure out who is actually guilty before Samir is hanged.

I enjoyed this one more than the first. Let me say- I love mathematical pirates!! (I suppose that is the former math teacher in me!) While some of the storylines were briefly disappointed, I am overall happy in how they wrapped up. Mary's story arc is maybe the only one still bothering me. Anyway, I enjoyed the characters and the resolution.

The audiobook is narrated by Marni Penning, who does a great job. I listened at 1.5 speed

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

In 1784 England, duchess’s librarian Tiffany finds a footman’s frozen corpse and becomes the prime suspect. As she investigates to clear her name, she uncovers a web of secrets and blackmail involving her friend Samir. With Samir arrested and her reputation at risk, Tiffany must solve the murder before it’s too late.

This historical cozy mystery is the second installment in a series best read in order. It has an eerie atmosphere and understated emotion. The audiobook narration was enjoyable.

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

I want to start by saying Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’ll start by saying that I did not read the first book in this series yet which ai expect from reading some negative reviews after folks loved the first book, was the smart choice.

A few things… first, it was a well done sequel in that it could be read as a stand alone and you weren’t left confused by any old material. The references from the past book came off as any other background information Ina seamless manner.

Second, I have reviewed other ARC audiobooks and the narration completely ruined the book. This is the exact opposite. I have a feeling that I enjoyed the book more because of the narration than I would had I read the print copy. The narrator was brilliant with her voices of each character but she did as a good competent audio reader does. She put just enough acting in to get the reader engaged but without crossing that fine line where it takes away the consumers ability to create the world how they see fit with their our imagination.

For the prose itself. I would rate this a 3.5 if Goodreads would get into the current decade and adjust their rating system. Instead the rating will have to stand at a 3 as I can’t in good conscience round up. The book is fine. It’s a good read but not excellent. I enjoyed the historical flourishes with a unique concept of sorts. What was missing was the live story.. it had the makings to be an epic romance that could take you away but without becoming a cheesy romance novel. It could have been a romance with substance, but the author didn’t quite get there.

The lose was also a bit choppy and abrupt in how it switched between sub plots. That being said I love the diversity of the book and that the author handled potentially triggering material with skill.

I would recommend the book to others and it did make me want to pick up the first in the series.

I absolutely adored Samantha Larsen’s book A Novel Disguise and was so excited for the second book in the series! Once Upon a Murder is such a fun read, and has just as much murder and mystery as the first book!
I feel for poor Tiffany Woodall and the unfortunate circumstances inflicted upon her and the other women living in that time period! Samantha is such a phenomenal history writer and really makes you stop and think about what life was like in the late 1700s!

If you are a fan of history, mystery, and/or murder I highly recommend not only this book, but the whole series!

Title: Once Upon A Murder:
Series: A Lady Librarian Mystery #2
Author: Samantha Larsen
Narrator: Marni Penning
Publisher: Dreamscape Audio
Genre: Cozy Mystery- Historical FIction
Pub Date” February 20, 2026
My Rating: 3.8 rounded up
Pages: 304


This is second in Lady Librarian Mystery series. I didn’t read the first in this series but the “Little Red Riding Hood costume on cover and the title which of course is similar to - “Once Upon a Time” got my attention.

In 1784 Miss Tiffany Woodall was the official librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort. While on her way to work she stumbles upon the frozen dead body of former footman Mr. Bernard Coram lying in front of her cottage.

Tiffany’s life seemed to be coming together, with her ownership of a cottage, new position as a librarian, and budding romance with the town law enforcer/bookseller, Samir.
Her life is suddenly thrown for a loop when on her way to work she stumbles upon the frozen dead body of former footman Mr. Bernard Coram lying in front of her cottage.
Now it all begins . . . .

Jumping to the ending which was so great- I just love Samir!

The Author’s Note is very informative regarding what was happening historically. ~ I always enjoy both the Author’s Note as well as the Acknowledgements however not often included in an audiobook. So was delighted when included.

Another plus is Narrator Marni Penning’s audiobook performance - she did a great job performing the characters!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media as well as Crooked Lane Books for this for this early audiobook..
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 20, 2024

I didn’t enjoy the audio narrator for this book. Her inflections were strange and her character voices bordered on cartoonish.

Beyond that, the book itself wasn’t anything memorable for me. I loved Catherine but didn’t like any of the other characters, including the main ones. All of the “reveals” about the various characters were more confusing than shocking. They simply didn’t make any sense for the characters.

Overall the book was fine but not something I’d recommend to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.


This is the second book in Samantha Larsen's Lady Librarian Mystery and Miss Tiffany Woodall stumbles across the body of a someone she knows from the first book that was dumped outside of her home. Throughout the book, Tiffany is juggling her job as a librarian and working to clear Samir's name in addition to a juggling a variety of other unexpected issues with the people she encounters while doing this.

I wasn't thrilled with the first book but I enjoyed it enough to check out the second in the series. Unfortunately, this was not what I was hoping for and I really struggled to get through it. All of the good things that happened with Tiffany and Samir in the first book were sidelined (especially with Samir being locked up for most of the book).

The audiobook was also really trying at times with some of the most grating voices being done that I have ever heard.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

In the second installment of the Lady Librarian Mystery series, our heroine Miss Tiffany Woodall-- no longer forced to dress and act as her older brother-- literally stumbles across a the body of someone familiar dumped right outside her cottage. Forced once again to solve a mystery to clear her own name (and the name of those she's fond of), Tiffany has to balance her growing responsibilities as librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort and her deepening affection for a certain Mr. Samir Lathrop with the mystery at hand.

I loved the first book of this series, and there was so much I loved about its sequel! Set in the 1700s, I particularly appreciated Tiffany's desire to explore more traditional female roles. (Here me out! I promise I'm not anti-feminism!) While I am 250% for female representation in all types of roles and forms of media, it was nice to read about a character that wants to raise a child and (in the vein of Bridergton Season 1) who discovers more about her body throughout the story (albeit in a child-birthing manner rather than sexual) which would have been accurate for the time period. Tiffany is a different sort of female character than most written about today, and I think her desires and goals should be just as celebrated.

However, while the mystery was fun and the characters weirdly interconnected, I feel like some of the main characters strayed a little too far from their characterizations in the first book. I found myself frankly shocked at one character's secret marriage, another's blatant (and out of character) racism, and Tiffany's loss of gumption. It felt as though Larsen had an idea of how she wanted the mystery to end and, rather than working with the lovely characters she had, she twisted them to fit her needs.

While I still enjoyed the story, and the epilogue absolutely stole my heart, I found myself wishing some things had played out a little bit differently.

This follow up novel is even cozier, and provides a much more satisfying resolution to the character's relationship arcs. The undercurrent of idealism will sometimes pull me out of the book, especially historical fiction, and it was definitely present here, but was exactly what I was in the mood for so it worked for me.

As a devoted fan of the cozy mystery genre, I couldn't wait to dive into Samantha Larsen's latest installment, "Once upon a Murder." Set in 1784 England, this delightful tale follows the escapades of Miss Tiffany Woodall, the newly appointed librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort.

From the very first page, Larsen masterfully weaves a captivating narrative that effortlessly transports readers back in time. While "Once upon a Murder" is the second book in the Lady Librarian Mystery Series, Larsen expertly crafts the story in a way that allows it to be enjoyed as a standalone. However, for those who have followed Tiffany's adventures from the beginning, there's an added layer of depth as the story picks up where the first book left off.

The plot unfurls with the chilling discovery of a frozen corpse, thrusting Tiffany into a desperate quest to clear her name after being falsely accused of the murder. Yet, just as she begins to unravel the truth, a shocking twist emerges: her beloved, the village constable Samir, becomes the new prime suspect. As Tiffany navigates through the labyrinth of deception and intrigue, she unearths hidden secrets, scandalous betrayals, and unlikely alliances, all against the picturesque backdrop of a quaint English village.

What sets "Once upon a Murder" apart is its perfect balance of mystery, romance, and quirky characters. While Tiffany's investigation keeps readers guessing until the very end, Larsen deftly intertwines moments of budding romance and unlikely friendships, adding layers of complexity to the story.

One of the highlights for me was the endearing interactions between Tiffany and the Young Duke during their reading sessions. Their dynamic and witty banter provided a delightful respite from the tension of the murder investigation, showcasing Larsen's skill at creating memorable characters and relationships.

I listened to an audio version of the book: Marni Penning's narration brought the story to life with her captivating delivery and skilled portrayal of the characters' emotions.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an early copy.


#OnceUponaMurder #NetGalley

Once upon a murder is a clever romantic mystery novel. When Tiffany discovers the body of a man at her doorstep her life and that of the man she loves is upended. With the stakes being immensely high for her, Tiffany races against time to solve the mystery to save the man she loves.

I enjoyed the audiobook. The narrator brought the story to life and kept me hooked. The plot and the tension were really good. I felt the beginning of the story dragged on a bit with certain descriptions but the middle and end made up for it. The end was definitely worth the wait.