For a debut book, I would give this one a solid 3.5 🌟. The premise is different, an airship that was unique. The writing style was engaging, but the characters could have been flushed out a bit more. Especially the romance, it felt like it ended on a hfn?? Overall, it's a decent read.

#netgalley #ALethalEngagement

An enjoyable read, with a unique locked room mystery premise. The setting on an airship is intriguing. The main character seemed just on the wrong side of knowledgeable and competent given the role she has as owner of the airship—I expected a bit more from her. The romance aspect could have used more tension/angst/swoon/other high emotions for my taste but perhaps that will come in a sequel.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

I was drawn to this book based on the cover - it reminded me of another favorite series, the Veronica Speedwell mysteries. This book did not disappoint! Very unique Gilded Age mystery/romance taking place in an airship traveling from the US to UK. Cora commences the ship's voyage with a new engagement to Terrance Tristan. But she is strangely drawn to Terrance's brother Nicholas. Cora inherited the airship's company after the passing of her father. So she is determined to get to the bottom of an unexpected murder on board. Clues keep piling up, and Nicholas and Cora race against time to solve the mystery. Everyone is a suspect, and there is nowhere to go on an airship traveling over the ocean.

I highly enjoyed this book, looking forward to the series continuing!

When I saw this I had to have it, Thank you netgalley and to the publisher. I was captivated by the authors writing and the plot of the story. From the very beginning I was taken in. I found the pacing to be mid-level and it was perfect. I can’t wait to see what else the author writes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

This was a wonderful romantic historical mystery! I typically prefer single-POV stories, but I actually really enjoyed having both the FMC and MMC POV here, and I absolutely loved the start of the romance between Cora and Nicholas. The story is set up for a sequel, and I do hope for the relationship to continue to progress - ideally with a bit more spice - between the two, as the series unfolds. I will certainly be looking out for the sequel.

This one had such potential (a locked room Regency-era mystery/romance on an AIRSHIP -- what a set up) but the characters fell kind of flat for me.

Cora is the daughter of an American businessman and owner of the airship. Her father allowed her many freedoms as a young girl -- accompanying him on his business around the world -- but it is now time for her to fulfill her promised of an arranged marriage to an Englishman, the second son of a duke. Cora likes Terrence just fine, despite the fact that he seems to be awfully distracted every time they are together.

His older brother, Nicholas, is a completely different story. The two have instant chemistry they try desperately to ignore. When a murder occurs on the first night of their voyage, the two are left to discretely team up and investigate as owner of the ship and highest ranking noble on board. They will need to solve the crime quickly before more people are hurt or worse, their reputations are ruined.

Would have loved a little more sparkle from both of these characters. We got the story from both of their POVs but they were kind of boring and the tension between them felt PG at best. It's hard with locked room mysteries to introduce enough suspects without character overwhelm and honestly the conclusion of this one felt rushed as result.

Would definitely give another book by this author a try though! The writing was good the protagonists just weren't for me.

A LETHAL ENGAGEMENT is a fun read perfect for fans of historical mysteries. The romance angle adds an additional level of enjoyment; while it is not necessarily resolved, it sets the stage nicely for a sequel. I like Skelly's writing style; while it can be a bit formal, it does fit the time period well. Her characters are well-crafted. I enjoyed getting to know Cora and Nicholas and was also intrigued by Ophelia. The mystery is fun to try and solve and the clues strewn throughout the narrative are carefully plotted. Ultimately, the story manages to portray the strength and intelligence of women while remaining true to the time period.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of A Lethal Engagement by April J Skelly.

A Lethal Engagement is dually narrated by NYC heiress Cora, and the British, first son of a duke, Nicholas. Cora is engaged to Nicholas's brother Terrence, a business arrangement crafted by their fathers in their childhood, though they have not seen each other in many years. They are flying on Cora's family-owned airship from America to London to announce the engagement - a terrifying circumstance for Cora, as the British peerage does not think highly of American heiresses. If only cattiness were the least of Cora's problems - instead, a body is discovered brutally murdered early on in the voyage, leaving Cora and Nicholas scrambling to find the killer and protect the reputation of Cora's family company and the pending union of their families.

The mystery was interesting and not one I easily solved from the clues throughout the novel, though, upon reflection, I did think of a few plot holes that may have muddled the story which I'll leave in the publisher notes so as not to provide any spoilers in this review.

I liked Cora and Nicholas as characters, and I think they are both tenacious in their own ways. Cora is doing the best she can in a time when women must be dependent upon men, and Nicholas is willing to change his views on how society functions in ways that show his character is capable of growth many other men are not ready for at this time. I do wish Nicholas would have stood up more for Cora as it related to Terrence, or that perhaps he had thought more of how he treats Cora throughout the journey in relation to her engagement -- I think this might have added some depth to their budding partnership as opposed to thinking many of the actions are just from the heightened state of danger the two are constantly in on this journey. The way they both seem surprised by their attraction but also ignore it while still moving forward with her engagement to Terrence is probably the most realistic angle of society marriages and also terribly depressing - so it makes sense why it's buried, but I wish it wasn't.

I struggled in the first 10 percent of the book - it took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the writing style and the transatlantic slang, and some of the dialogue seemed a bit stilted/forced before it seemed to find its groove. I think constantly having Ophelia be both "Phee" and "Ophelia" in alternating sentences in all of her scenes was also a bit jarring because I kept thinking there was an additional character -- I'm not sure if this was just confusion around how often to use titles and full names and nicknames when dealing with the ton, but it seemed to happen with a lot of interpersonal character interactions in a way that lifted me out of the story.

I also think some of the side characters could have been a bit more solid - the two British ladies, Tilly and Georgianna, are written as straight villains, and while they can definitely be vapid without issue, they serve no purpose other than to be rude and one-note. I was also confused by why they were able to run around unchaperoned while Cora and Phee are not - it seemed an odd mishmash of propriety being applied at times.

I also wish I knew a bit more about this historical time frame - I was researching the usage of airships, and it seems like while they were invented in 1890, they weren't used for travel until the early 1900s-1920 or so. Given that and that the story is a merging of the British Victorian era and the US Gilded Age I was a bit confused about this earlier technological travel advancement added to these two eras. Perhaps there will be more emphasis on this and further historical exploration in the sequel.

That being said, around 20% of the way through I just devoured the plot and the story, reading most of it in one sitting. I think this is a really entertaining read, with a fresh, different take on the 1890s historical cozy mystery. It's also fun to have a really intentional merging of British and American characters and to see their national values comes across in their characters in the context of the time period.

The story is set in an unusual setting (for a "Regency" romance) - an airship, which is an exciting premise. Also, the heroine is supposed to be an independent (business) woman, which for me is a great draw to the book. Nevertheless, if not for the current reminders that she has "built" the ship (made the blueprints?) and she has helped her father in business and engineering, it wouldn't be obvious from the described behavior. She didn't seem to have a great deal of thoughts or opinions, let alone any business sense. Phee, as a character, was a bit overdrawn. The male main character is described as very forward-thinking and thus a perfect love interest, which is great and expected in an escape read. But did it have to be a duke? As frequently stated by the heroine: dollar princesses and nobility is already a sensation, so an earl or marquess would have been enough, in my opinion. The dukedom makes the story more questionable.
The mystery was nicely mixed with the romance. Although the mystery was solved at the end, while the romance was more on the cliffhanger side (at least, it's how I read it). Was it supposed to be a teaser for a sequence?
It is my first book by the author, so I didn't know what to expect in terms of plot and style. Unfortunately, I would describe the style as on the "wooden" side. The narrative does not flow smoothly, and while the constant change of POV is a nice feature, it does feel forced after a while. Also, there are still some spelling issues throughout the text.

I have received a free advance copy from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoy a good historical romance, so when I read the summary of this book - I didn't hesitate to sign up for the ARC. I thought it was interesting, and had fun reading it.

April J. Skelly is such an amazing author. She never disappoints. Such an amazing read I had. 5 stars read from me. So so good. I recommend everyone to read this book asap.

I really enjoyed this as a historical mystery novel, it had that element that I wanted and enjoyed the overall story being told. April J. Skelly wrote this fantastically and was invested in the world and characters. It uses the element of mystery in a way that worked and was glad I got to read this. I hope there is more from April J. Skelly and in this world.

Overall, I ended up liking A Lethal Engagement quite a bit. I really liked Cora and Nicholas and was very invested in their relationship. I also really liked Phee and was rooting for her as well. I was so happy that both Cora and Nicholas were very involved in investigating the mystery. I've read some books where the protagonists just aren't interested in the mystery at all and it bogs down the book so much. Cora and Nicholas actively are trying to figure out what's going on and I appreciated that so much. That being said, there were quite a few coincidences in their investigation, where they just happened to see someone doing something. The other thing I think the book does a little weird is that, while the author seems like they are trying to show that women are more than men think they are, there is a little feeling of "but only woman who aren't docile or meek" and I ultimately don't think that's what the author meant, so I tried to give a little leeway for that.

A Lethal Engagement was a fun and interesting read and I did like it. I'm interested in seeing other book from the author. I would recommend it.

I was intrigued by the description of the plot of this book and was lucky enough to get an advance copy. I’m so glad I did. It’s a delightful start to what I hope will be a series, with strong characters, great tension, and a touch of romance. Cora is on her way to England with her new fiancé and his brother on board an airship that she is trying to keep control over. Her father’s will stipulated that she must marry to do so, hence the arrangement engagement. Things quickly go wrong on board, however, as someone starts killing guests, her fiancé begins to act strangely, and other passengers are clearly keeping their own secrets. Cora and her soon-to-be brother-in-law investigate to try to save the company’s reputation-and then Cora’s life. The setting really adds suspense to the story, and the main characters are likeable and believable.. The resolution of the mystery almost relied too much on coincidence, but it didn’t detract much. Fingers crossed for a sequel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily.

This is the first book by April J. Skelly I have read and at first I did not know what to expect.

The blurb looked really interesting so I jumped right in and I was not disappointed.

The story follows Cora and Nicholas as they have to deal with some unexpected events on board of an airship travelling from the US to England.

Cora's life is about to change but not actually in the way she planned.

I found it quite nice and different to have part of the story told through Cora's perspective and some through Nicholas', the plot was really well thought out and it was impossible to uncover the villain until the very end.

The book was so difficult to put it down I had to finish it in just one setting and now I want more! I really do hope this novel will be part of a series as the premises are really good.

Perfect for all the fans of this genre, you will love every page of it!

have received an advance copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily, thanks to the author for it.