In 1890, American heiress Cora Beaumont boards the Lady Air to England, eager to secure her place in British society through her engagement to a duke’s son. When a murder occurs on the first night, leaving a calling card meant for her, Cora joins forces with her fiancé’s brother to unmask the killer before she becomes the next victim. As gossip spreads and tensions rise aboard the airship, Cora must navigate both deadly secrets and her fiancé’s indiscretions to reach England with her life—and reputation—intact.

This looked like it would be fun since it had a bit of a steampunk vibe with talk of airships, even if it isn’t in a steampunk category. However, this did leave me confused at times. The Lady Air was a massive ship with a ballroom, hot house, and printing room. I had no idea how it actually worked, and that feeling of confusion was annoying.

Cora was very much a “I’m not like other girls!” Nicholas was also a “I’m not like other titled men.” And I found myself annoyed with them both. I was not rooting for them to somehow get together. Their mystery was alright, though I was confused by the ending. It felt like it came out of nowhere.

Clearly, this book is not my cup of tea, but others may enjoy a steampunk adventure since it was well written.

In 1890, aboard a luxurious airship, American heiress Cora’s engagement to the son of a British duke is threatened by murder. Cora must solve the mystery before becoming the killer’s next target, all while navigating social intrigue and her fiancé’s wandering eye.

This romance in this book is light-hearted and fun, while the mystery is tense and intriguing. It’s an impressive debut, and I look forward to more from this author.

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

3.5 🌟

A fun little Victorian mystery with a charming cast of characters. I didn't find the resolution super surprising or satisfying, but I enjoyed the journey and the romance. This was a worthwhile light read and palette cleanser.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

"An airship bound for London is thrown off course by a murder on the first night of its transatlantic voyage in this locked-room historical mystery debut, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Katharine Schellman.

1890. American heiress, Cora Beaumont is celebrating her engagement to Terrance Tristan, the second son of a duke. Their union will solidify Cora's place in British society and put her in a rare position of power, but as they embark on the Lady Air's maiden voyage to England, Cora soon finds that not everyone in society is accepting of her recent engagement, and tensions fly as high as the airship. When a body is discovered the first night on the ship, with a calling card for Cora on the victim, she's determined to find the killer hidden among the passengers before they come for her next.

As Cora tries to solve the murder without attracting unsavory attention, her fiancé's wandering eye may cause even more problems for her position in society. Gossip travels fast aboard the airship and bad news could sink the Lady Air, as well as Cora's own social status, before they reach their final destination. When more bodies are discovered, Cora teams up with her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Nicholas, as they scour the ship for clues. If she fails, it won't only be her reputation visiting the undertaker.

No one is who they seem in this Gilded Age locked room historical mystery, perfect for fans of And Then There Were None and Alyssa Maxwell."

Who wouldn't bump off a buccaneer?

I uploaded my review to Goodreads. I will upload it to Amazon on release day.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and April J. Skelly for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Lethal Engagement coming out April 22, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love Victorian murder mysteries! It was fun that the character is American and going to England on an airship. I think it made the story more unique. I thought the plot was really fun. I loved Cora’s character. I think she was strong and smart. The mystery was fun. I think the book was fast-paced and full of action. If this is a series, I would definitely check out more books!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Victorian mysteries!

Cora is a determined and spunky heroine, and it's fun to sleuth along with her in this cozy mystery. The setting is charming, and the pace is perfect to keep readers engaged. The writing is solid, and it's clear Skelly did her research. Numerous red herrings and suspects keep readers guessing. This is a great start to a new series.

A delicious locked-room mystery with plenty of suspects and slow-burn romance. The author sets up a delightful will they / won't they romance all while Cora chases a murderer who threatens not only the passengers aboard the Lady Air, but also her livelihood. With fun period-appropriate dialog, Victorian sensibilities, and tension between the classes and sexes, this immersive historical mystery kept me turning pages not only to solve the main mystery, but to get to the bottom of a few other mysteries as well. I wish there'd been an epilogue to get a bit more of the romance in, but perhaps the author will be able to turn this into a series. I'd love to see Cora and her companions in more books.

I absolutely love finding new authors .April J Skelly has hit it out of the park with " A Lethal Engagement". The book grabbed my attention as soon as I started to read. Set in 1890. American heiress, Cora Beaumont is celebrating her engagement to Terrance Tristan, the second son of a duke. This will solidify her place in British Society. When she is aboard the Lady Air’s maiden voyage to England, Cora soon finds that not everyone in society is accepting of her recent engagement. It's clear that there are a lot of people not on board with this.

Suddenly, the first night, a body is found, and there is a calling card left for Cora. Cora is determined to try and sort out the clues. However, gossip starts to fly - and she needs to get to the bottom of it before it's too late.

This book is well written, the story line is engaging. I loved the setting, the Victorian swoons, and the plot. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

Ever since reading Gail Carriger's steampunk fantasy novels I've been chasing that same delightful high. I've yet to find a fictional world as fun as hers, but A Lethal Engagement is definitely the closest match yet.

I've read a lot of books that've made me want to visit their world, but A Lethal Engagement goes beyond that to make me feel like I'm there on the airship during the gilded age experiencing the sights, sounds, and mysteries right alongside the characters. This book is a delightful mystery in the same fashion as the boardgame Clue, making me wish there was an airship version to go along with the book!

Cora is an interesting heroine, a delightful mix of ingenuity, daring, and femininity wrapped into one character. Her familiarity with the airship and hand in designing it made the book fascinating, along with granting her a believable bid for partial freedom in a restrictive society. Her plucky determination to ensure The Lady Air's successful maiden voyage and unflinching willingness to face the problems that arise make her easy to cheer for.

Nicholas's desire to protect Cora, both from the gruesome murders and from society's censure, immediately endeared him to me. His stalwart support of Cora and dedication to supporting her when his brother leaves her out to dry make him a hero you can't get enough of. When combined with a chilling mystery, these compelling characters draw you in and keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page!

The reason I deducted one star was for multiple spelling errors. Cretin was repeatedly misspelled as Cretan, along with several other mistakes I won't specify. To encounter multiple such errors in a book from a respected publisher was off-putting.

oh this was a fun Victorian era mystery with a dab of steampunk. I LOVED the lead character Cora and how feisty she is. I love how she desires a loving relationship where she is valued as an intelligent capable woman. I was kept guessing all the way to the end for sure on the suspect...and it DOES have a bit of an Agatha Christie feel to it.

The downside is that...well I want more! :) I'm hoping that there will be a next book in the series so we can see Cora meet the Grandmother of the Tristan family! Also, I had to copy a few of the fun phrases that Phee and Cora swapped.

4 stars

*Thanks to NetGAlley and the Publisher for an ARC. All opinions are 100% my own.

This was not my cup of tea. The good; the main characters seemed well written, I enjoyed the cousin character and I always enjoy a period piece.

But as a murder mystery it falls down. There is no way to realistically solve the murder, and the murders make no sense for their supposed motive.

It's not really a locked room mystery either. It's a "people are all trapped in the same area" ala a house party murder. There is no conversation about any impossible crime or even any real detective work at all. The crime is only solved because the criminal makes themselves known.

The romance was lukewarm and like the rest of the plot somewhat unsatisfactory resolved. The use of some modern terms was a little off-putting too - I know the main female character is American but she isn't modern day American.

~thank you to netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review~

A Lethal Engagement is an incredibly fun romp through a Victorian airship with loads of swoony romance and a mystery that will pull you through it's pages. I love Skelly's witty banter and the humor infused into this story (especially from Phee). I also adored the romance between Nicholas and Cora. Their sweet moments, their getting to know each other through the investigation, his supporting her in a society that doesn't support women--it was so very sweet. And that ending was so cute with the two of them! I'm very much hoping for more books in this series so we can see where Cora and Nicholas go next!

What a great story aboard an airship. I thought I had this mystery figured out, not. Once I started reading it was really hard to put down, so I finished quicker than I wanted. I'm excited for the next one, to see what happens next.

I will admit that this book did take me a while to get into --- it wasn't so much the pacing at the beginning as it was the writing style. It felt a little stilted at first, almost like inserting historical speech into a modern day cadence.

That said, the writing and character's found their stride about 30% into the novel and after that I couldn't put it down! I loved the simmering tension between Cora and Nicholas, as well as Cora's blossoming friendship with Phee.

While I stuggled some with the timeline built around the initial murder, I thought the mystery itself was well done. It was definitely a focal point and didn't lose itself to the pagentry of building up the historical time period or to the romance, which is something I very much appreciated.

The author did a wonderful job building up all the suspense you want from a time-sensitive cozy mystery, and I found it ended up being a quick and entertaining read.

Wow wow, this book delivered exactly what I wanted it to deliver. There was mystery, romance, and murder which all tied together into a story full of twists and turns. Honestly I think that any fans of Hercule Poirot will be instantly invested in this book, as it was the thriller that kept me flipping pages constantly. I absolutely adored Cora's character and felt that she was very relatable in a way that made me root for her on every page, she was inspiring, brave, and thoroughly entertaining! As for Nicholas, he was a man written by a woman in every respect and I loved it. Overall, I would highly recommend this book as it kept my interest and kept me guessing with the intriguing plotline and the hints of romance embedded throughout to sate readers.

*Lethal Engagement* promises an exciting blend of historical intrigue, high society drama, and a classic locked-room mystery—all set aboard an airship, which adds a unique and thrilling twist. The premise of an American heiress fighting for her place in British aristocracy while simultaneously solving a murder is captivating, especially with the added tension of her fiancé’s questionable loyalty. The stakes feel high not just for Cora’s survival but also for her reputation, making the story as much about societal maneuvering as it is about solving a crime. ❤️

The setting—a luxurious yet isolated airship—creates the perfect backdrop for suspense, much like Agatha Christie's *And Then There Were None.* With a growing body count and a cast of characters who may not be who they claim to be, the novel seems like an immersive, fast-paced read filled with unexpected twists. Fans of historical mysteries and strong female protagonists will likely be drawn to Cora’s determination and intelligence as she races to uncover the killer before it’s too late. 😊

I just finished A Lethal Engagement by April J. Skelly. Enthusiastically 5 stars! It was cleaver, thrilling and funny at times. The setting of an airship in the gilded age felt magical and steampunk, a vibe I found captivating. I found myself instantly drawn to our heroine who was surprisingly relatable. I am not an heiress or been on an archaeology dig but I still felt we could be friends. I don’t want to give anything away but if you like historical mystery thrillers with strong female leads and a touch a sweet romance give this a try. I hope this is a series because I would love to spend more time with these characters. Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this. All thoughts are my own.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but after the author, who is also the publisher of Quill and Flame, started going on an 'anti-smut' campaign on social media, I can no longer support this author. It's fine if the author/publisher chooses not to write not publish books with open-door sex scenes, but to try to stigmatize books that are open door, authors who write open door, and readers who enjoy open door books, is just gross, unnecessary, and lacks respect. There was a way she could have promoted closed-door books without trying to harm open door.

An enjoyable read. I thought there was just a touch too much romance (just me ?) and it was a bit too much in your face.The rest of the story was great .