Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

It just dragged on for me I think, I was suprised to say I didn’t like this because I love a historical fiction and a mystery and put them together I thought I’d love this but it didn’t feel like I could do much detective work myself, there weren’t many clues and it just felt like it kept going and I was getting pretty bored. I did like the ending just it was a drag to get there.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 8th December and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of January

In this ... fanfiction, Jane Austen's Emma plays the amateur detective after she finds a dead body inside Highbury's church.

Honestly, I hated this book.

🎧 Audiobook : 1/5 ⭐️ I absolutely hated the narration, especially when it came to men's voices. Terribly annoying.

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for providing this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I love Emma and was excited to listen to this. At first, the narrator was a little much, but she grew on me. The trouble is that the story drags on and on. The ending is very predictable, and there's nothing wrong with a predictable ending, but the journey to that ending is not all that clever or engaging. If this audiobook wasn't easily played in the background while I drove around doing errands, I would have DNF'd it.

**I received an advanced listening copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Emma Knightley trades in her matchmaking skills for sleuthing in this first in the series featuring Emma, Harriet, Mr. Knightley, and all the characters from Jane Austen's "Emma." Emma and Harriet stumble upon the dead body of Mrs. Elton in the church, and Emma does not like the way the investigation unfolds. She uncovers secrets and half truths in the Highbury community; more importantly, she is in a race against time as a beloved member of the community is the prime suspect.

Kelly does a remarkable job capturing the characterizations of each character from Austen's work. Emma is still stubborn, Mr. Woodhouse is still fretful of draughts, and Miss Bates is...well...Miss Bates. The reader also sees a bit more internal dialogue for Emma, as she navigates keeping house, keeping her father happy, and trying to keep her husband happy (and not continue to look for clues to the crime). Kelly also brings out Emma's intelligence and attention to detail and writes Emma as a believable sleuth in search of truth and justice. While I guessed the murderer about halfway through the story, it did not deter my enjoyment of the overall story.

Polly Lee as the voice actress well, overall. There are moments that the male characters sound identical--in some scenes, Frank Churchill sounds like George Knightley, so at times it is hard to determine who is speaking or if one of these characters happened to enter the room whilst the other was present. Lee's performance of Emma is very enjoyable, especially when Emma is trying to hide her exasperation over Mr. Woodhouse or Harriet.

Fans of Jane Austen adaptations will find this enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the continuation of the series.

#MurderInHighbury #NetGalley

4⭐️ Narration
3⭐️ Story
Rival indigenous horror authors, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are surprised when their mutual friend tricks both of them into attending a writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle.

Finding themselves haunted by more than just their past animosity, Penelope and Neil lean on each other to unravel the mysterious happenings around them and find that they not only have more in common than differences, but they are also stronger together- in both ghost hunting and with their writing!

This is an interesting romance/mystery that I found a little disjointed with the genre melding. I really appreciated Penelope and Neil’s interactions and their enemies to lovers relationship and found that the mystery aspect of the story to be a distraction and take away from the romance.

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook narrated by Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia and I can easily say that it was the highlight of my reading experience. The inclusion of Curtis and Kyla‘s indigenous voices brought the characters to life and added another dimension to them. Both mariners did an excellent job voicing their main character and differentiating the side characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed my listening experience and found that the romance between Penelope and Neil to be very compelling. Their cultural struggle are what made this book stand out.

This is a review of the audiobook.

A vicar's wife is found murdered in his church in rural England, where the character Emma Knightley (from Jane Austen's work) lives. Emma tries to solve the question of who murdered the vicar's wife. I figured out who the murderer was early on in the story, which I found to be to be too long.
I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#murderinhighbury
#vanessakelly
#janeausten
#netgalley
#goodreads

I had high hopes for this book and some of the plot line was interesting. I think the writing was well thought out, this may just not be a genre that I’m fully committed to as I found myself struggling to complete it. The narrator did a great job and the production was smooth, just not super action packed!

Really loved the story but the narration just didn't work for me. The really harsh semi-cockney accent for some of the characters was, I think, meant to display the class disparity, but felt too far from the regency accent to work and the men's voices made me laugh, and not in a good way. The book itself is a wonderful homage to Austen and I think does Emma credit by playing on the curiosity, impertinence of the source character. If you like Claudia Grey's Mr. Darcy and Miss Tillney series or Carrie Bebris' Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries, you will love this!

A delightful cosy murder mystery set in the quiet village of Highbury. But as everyone knows, never underestimate the quiet village life. Intrigues and personal grudges run deep!

The story is set after one year of marital bliss for the Knightley’s. It’s high summer when Emma & Harriet are checking the church flowers, when they stumble across Mrs Elton’s bludgeoned body - a bloodied bronze candlestick nearby on the altar.

Was it a robbery disturbed? A desperate thief? Or someone more sinister and close to home? Mrs Elton’s murder sets the quiet village life in uproar! Gossip and speculation is rife and some villagers are turning on the vulnerable in society.

I love the charm and the wit of Emma & Harriet playing the role of detective. The author has stayed true to to the original characters, but skilfully introduced new characters and the murder plot line.

As a typical overthinker, I kept analysing who was the murder and was ‘hiding in plain sight’. What are the red herrings?

What could be improved, the plot did drag a little in the middle. I feel like too much plot time was spent on village speculation and the incompetent local authorities.

Overall, I love reading murder mysteries based on Austen’s world. They’re the perfect escapism for Austenites. Perfect for those who enjoy Claudia Grey and Stephanie Barron’s mystery novels!

Thank you to Netgallery for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This first entry in a new series is a good start. Emma comes upon a body in the church, and, when she believes the wrong person is targeted as responsible, starts her own amateur investigation into what really happened . This is a typical village mystery with a cast of quirky characters. I enjoyed the relationship with Emma and her husband, but the rest of the characters fell a little flat for me. Overall I would likely continue in the series.

The narration was good.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #TantorAudio for a free copy of #MurderInHighbury by Vanessa Kelly. All opinions are my own.

This is a delightful re-imagining of Emma by Jane Austen, but picks up the story beyond the point at which Austen ended hers. Here we find out about Emma's further adventures after she has married Mr Knightly.

When the vicar's wealthy but unpopular wife is found dead - in the church of all places - the inhabitants of Highbury are as horrified as they are titillated by the gossip and speculation that follow.

Both the local police officer and the coroner seem completely unable to get to grips with the situation, casting suspicion on the most unlikely of suspects. So, it is fortunate that Emma is there to step in. Which she does with her usual audacity and wilfulness, despite now being a respectable married lady!

This is an entertaining comedy of manners and a murder mystery rolled into one, and it delivers on both counts. The narrator does an excellent job. Highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen, it gets 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC of Murder in Highbury.

I had such high hopes for this book but it fell short for me. I thought it to be too long and drawn out and when the mystery is finally solved, really?! The journey through this was exhausting. I thought for sure the ending would bang but boy was I wrong.

Of course I was interested in a continuation of "Emma" by Austen...and this murder mystery was just the ticket. Emma and George Knightley are thrown right in the middle of a whodunnit in Highbury, and character development of the Eltons, the Bates, Mr. Woodhouse, Frank, Jane and others are all a part of the story. Certainly this would appeal to all Jane Austen fans, but also to those interested in Regency period stories, or just a good cozy mystery. I found the events and styling true to the time period, which is refreshing since so many these days adopt a more modern flair which can be unrealistic.
The narration was formally British and took a bit to get used to, but overall suited the story and did not detract from it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

Emma, the main protagonist, reminded me of a rather spunky Jane Austen character. At the same time, the author stayed true to the time period. The murder and possible suspects was well paced and although I figured out who the murderer was half way through, I didn't know how Emma was going to figure it out. I would love to see this as a series. Very fun. Emma's father was my favorite character. Loved his phrase, "I do not approve". The Polly Lee did a nice job narrating the audio. She was very clear and her voice for each character brought so much humor to the story. Absolutely delightful. I did have to speed up the listening speed to 1.25 as normal speed sounded extremely slow and drawn out.

Murder In Highbury is a delightful new series set in the village where Emma and George Knightley happily reside, one year after marriage. We first come upon Emma and her friend Harriet when they stumble upon the body of the vicar's wife. It doesn't take long to determine that the victim met with foul play. Emma, as always, is in the center of the action, taking it upon herself to solve this murder most foul!

I found Emma's character slightly softer around the edges than Jane Austen's version, but maybe this is from contentment in marriage, because she is a very likeable character. I found the dialogue between her and her husband often amusing and clever, and the writer kept close enough to the cadence of the language of Austen's era to feel realistic and fitting, at least to me.

I will definitely seek out the next installment of this new series! And I really enjoyed listening to the audio. The narrator has that plummy English accent I love to listen to, and manages to change tones to differentiate between characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vanessa Kelly, and RBMedia for allowing me to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has re read and re read Jane austens catalog wishing for more , “murder in highbury” is exactly what I needed!
Vanessa Kelly brings Emma back to life and pulls from the brillant base character Austen developed.
The characters are well adapted to their on going adventures all the while staying true to their original nature .

This was a fun one to listen to.
The characters were funny and interesting. I enjoyed that there was romance and mystery. I also loved that Emma was smart and brave I also liked that George supported her and trusted her.
The narrator did a great job- this was pretty entertaining and unique.

Entertaining little historical murder mystery. Emma is your amateur sleuth and stands up for herself when it was in the time that men thought women were fragile. ha! She knows better and she shows them that.

This book truly adapts to the Victorian time period. I love being able to follow the murder mystery without technology advancements. It’s a classic mystery that has you wondering and changing your mind about who the killer is.
The narrator’s voice helps you into the old time period and very pleasant to listen to!

3.75

Note: This is a review for the audiobook version, which is basically the same as a book review unless the narrator is really good or really bad. Stay tuned.

“Murder in Highbury” is a cozy mystery set in the world of Jane Austen’s “Emma” after the original novel. I wouldn’t say that you necessarily have to have read or seen Jane Austen‘s novel, but it probably would be helpful. I found myself wanting to rewatch the movie, because it was on my mind, but also to refresh my memory. The book does reference a lot of the events in the book, particularly who was in love with whom and what was done about. I basically remember just the end and the gist of Emma’s behavior.

The story is sweet, particularly since it’s about a murder and the mystery is interesting, though not Christie level by any means. The dialogue is witty and seems in line with the novel and times, though much more modern in that it is easier to understand than book actually written at the time of this story. If you like a cozy historical mystery and like Jane Austen, though not in a purist sort of way, you will probably enjoy this book.

As for the narrator, this was a challenge to listen to. The female dialogue was good, but, unfortunately, it was the opposite with the male characters, especially George, Emma‘s new husband. As there are at least as many men predominant in the story, if not more, this was challenging. I started listening to this in the car and my mother, who was also there, didn’t want to listen to it for our return journey due to the narration. I had committed to listening to the entire book and writing a review, so I pressed on. After a while I was able to ignore it, but it certainly was a factor. It’s hard to rate a book based on narration, since the star ratings are combined without delineation for audiobooks.

Thank you to Vanessa Kelly, NetGalley, and Tantor Audio for providing me with a free advanced copy of this audiobook for my unbiased review.