I haven't read any by this author before, but this was a good historical mystery. I would read the next in the series.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

A Wallflower's Guide to Viscounts and Vice is a cute and whimsical historical romance with a rake-ish hero and a non-conventional heroine with a passion for solving crimes.

It is a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it a lot. The story relied a lot on the plot which intrigued me, although at times I felt it took time away from developing the romance between the two main characters. The dialogue was juvenile at times, but I found the prose engaging and beautiful.

All in all, I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy historical romance with a mystery!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the advance copy.

ARC Review: A Wallflower's Guide to Viscounts and Vice
Pub Date: April 22, 2025

Lucy Penhallow is a wallflower by choice. She works in the police office with her cousin. When she and her best friends brother inadvertently witness a kidnapping, she wants to investigate and Viscount Gilford can't let Lucy take this on alone. While he nobly assists her, he realizes how intriguing and intelligent Lucy is. Gilford is in want of a wife to fix his family's finances but he fears that Lucy will think he just wants her for his money.

I have really enjoyed every book I've read from Manda Collins - I find them a really good balance between mystery and romance. And this was no exception! I was actually fully surprised by the resolution to the kidnapping they were investigating.

I will say that in this book, the romance felt just a bit underdeveloped for me - I didn't feel enough tension or chemistry before they got together. I did end up liking the relationship in the end and it did feel quite natural but it came out of nowhere for me.

Thank you to Forever for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Somehow, I missed the memo that A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice is technically part of a new series (despite it being in the bold print in the blurb), because the title was so similar to the previous books by this author with “Guide” in the title. But the naming convention is for good reason, as it’s technically a spin-off. While you don’t need to have any knowledge of the prior series to read this one, I was pleasantly surprised by the cameos from previous protagonists, so it’s a great treat to those who have read them.
And this romance was so cute! Lucy is the leader of the Mischief & Mayhem (Ems) Book Club, and I really loved her interest in mysteries, both fictional and factual. She works in the police department’s clerical office, and I love her passion and frustration about the ways the marginalized get ignored by the police, thus passively enabling more crime. Will, meanwhile, is reckoning with financial ruin and is in search of a rich wife to save his estates. I loved the dynamic between them, especially with her aversion to fortune hunters, which provides a compelling opposition to their brewing attraction.
As for the mystery, it was fairly compelling as well, following the abduction of Lucy’s friend and another member of the Ems. It’s fairly well-crafted, with quite a few twists and turns, and the culprit definitely caught me by surprise.
And while Collins sometimes struggles to maintain momentum and balance between the romance and mystery elements, she did fairly well here. I was consistently engaged in both, and drawn in my quick pacing that kept me turning pages, wondering what would happen next.
This is a super-fun first book in a new series, while also tying back to Collins’ previous work. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy historical romances with a strong mystery plot.

Lucy Penhallow is a wallflower; she is a wealthy heiress but wants a man who will love her mind rather than her bank account, so she steers clear of most of the fortune hunter the London ton has to offer. When her dear friend Meg's brother Will, the Viscount Gilford, returns from a few years abroad, they have an instant attraction. After one of Lucy's friends is kidnapped and she and Will try to assist her cousin, Detective Superintendent Andrew Eversham, they grow closer as the case twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the romance between Lucy and Will, and am excited to read more of this series as I have an idea of who our next couple will be. The mystery itself had a lot going on and was a bit hard to follow at times, but it wasn't easy to guess whodunit which is always a positive! I love Manda Collins' binge-worthy writing and short chapters that make me want to keep reading late into the night. It was also nice to see some of the characters from the previous series, and I hope we see more of them!

This was a super cute book! The romance was tortured in a Mr, Darcy sort of way which I love. The mystery was fun and kept me guessing. The ending surprised me. Overall a fun and cute read!

Witty, adorable, and twisty in all the best ways! This cozy historical mystery is packed with charm, romance, and plenty of unexpected turns. The banter? Perfection. The plot twists? So good! If you love a mix of intrigue and swoon-worthy moments, this one’s for you. Can’t wait for book two!

A massive massive thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley who allowed me an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review. I was devastated when I realized a Lady’s Guide was complete with the last book, but as soon as I saw this book coming up I knew that Collins was going to be coming back with a vengeance. I loved the connection to Lady’s Guide and Lucy is a wonderful new protagonist! This was an awesome read and I really enjoyed the return to Kate and Lucy’s London! This book is more suspenseful I think than the last installment of the series, but just as dreamy and steamy!

"A sunshine spinster and a grumpy viscount use their fake engagement to solve a murder mystery in the first book of a new series from Manda Collins.

A wallflower by choice, wealthy Lucy Penhallow would rather sit out the dancing all season than listen to false flattery from the fortune hunters who pursue her. But when she and her best friend's brother witness a crime in progress, they'll need to put every skill Lucy's learned from reading detective stories to the test in their hunt for a missing woman. And if Viscount Gilford happens to be handsome as sin and clever to boot? Well, that's no hardship for her.

Viscount Gilford needs a wife to save him from financial ruin, and there's only one heiress who's off limits. So when he and Lucy find themselves inextricably linked in the tabloids, it's a disaster. As their investigation progresses, their once unwelcome alliance becomes something more - a love match neither will give up. But there's a killer watching their romance from the wings who's only too happy to keep these meddlesome sleuths together...in the afterlife."

I mean, given the publishing landscape, I could see them being sleuths in the afterlife if they meet a sticky end...

I am a big fan of Manda Collins because she writes one of my favorite types of HR - a romance that takes place within a mystery! I was very happy to discover that it is the 1st book in a new series because I enjoyed reading her previous series ,Ladies Most Scandalous.
Collins characters are always well written and Will and Lucy are no exception! If you have read her pervious books, readers first meet Will Guilford in A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril. He has come home from a extended stay on the continent to deal with family matters. He is a man who is genuinely kind and compassionate who knows his family members respective personalities well. His young sister, Meg, is our female main character, Lucy Penhallow's best friend.
Lucy Penhallow works ( volunteers at Scotland Yard as a clerk where her cousin, Eversham is a high ranking detective. Theirs is unique friendship. He seems to respect Lucy's intelligence and seems to have a father's role with his gentle, protective nature towards her. She is clever, courageous and undyingly loyal with her family and friends. She chooses to be a social wallflower to protect herself from the Ton's numerous fortune hunters as Lucy is an heiress and her closest friends are her fellow book club members.
The mystery drives the plot and it is a solid one. As soon as I thought I had worked it out, Collins would throw in an curve. Will and Lucy are thrown into the thick of the mystery and as they try to discover the culprit, they realize they are developing feelings for it other. Although it seems to be an instant love, and some may find the romance a bit rushed, its not because they have know each other for a few years.
I received an advance reader copy and am leaving a voluntary review based solely on my reading experience.

Lucy loves mysteries and is a part of the Mischief & Mayhem Book Club. She is also an heiress who has decide to turn herself into a wallflower to avoid the fortune hunters. Will is the brother of Lucy's friend who has been hiding from his responsivities in paris for years when he finds out that due to emblement is family is all but destitute. He decides he needs to go back to england and find an heiress to marry. When one of Lucy's friends is kidnapped right in front of them they join forces to find her and apprehend to perpetrator.

I really liked this book. They mystery had a surprising twist at the end and I thought characters were well rounded. I especially liked the chemistry between Lucy and Will.

Lots of twists and turns with mystery and murder tied in. While Lucy and Will try to find out who did what they realize they have feelings for each other.

This was my first Manda Collins book.

Realizing that it was set in the same world as a previous series made sense as certain characters were introduced or mentioned in passing and then not brought up again. This was particularly distracting in the first third of the book as I was acclimating. The mystery was intriguing and surprising as it unfolded, but the love story felt a bit quick. The book definitely picks up towards the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for this complimentary arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Manda Collins' books. She always accomplishes blending historical romance and mystery.

Lucy and Gilford's romance was very sweet. If you like the grumpy x sunshine trope, this couple will certainly work for you. While on the lighter side of chili peppers, the characters have a lot of chemistry and tension to keep the romance embers burning.

The mystery kept me entertained while trying to figure out the whodunnit. I liked that this didn't proceed like a procedural and flowed more naturally.

A fun & entertaining read from Collins. A great series starter.

As a mystery lover and historical romance lover, Manda Collin's books are always a win for me. The first in her newest series, this story follows Will Gilford (who we met in A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril) and Lucy Penhallow (Eversham's cousin), as they become embroiled in a mystery regarding the kidnapping of Lucy (and Will's sister Meg's) friend Vera. Will is also on the unwanted hunt for a marriageable lady with deep pockets, since he returned from his grief tour of the continent after learning that his family is nearly out of money. Lucy happens to be a wallflower by choice, with loads of money and beauty. Will and Lucy work together to solve Vera's kidnapping, while experiencing a morbidly comical amount of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Collin's strikes a wonderful balance of her two main characters, calling back to Will's genuine kindness of character from the previous book, with compassionately written examples of how the trauma of what happened to his father has effected him. Lucy is a delight, wanting to hone her detective skills in a world that very much limits what a woman is able to do. The romance between the characters is such a great development of new friends to lovers, with a sweet progression throughout.

We also get some cameos of characters from the other books (including Will's godawful mother, who fortunately doesn't feature too heavily in the book) as well as the setup for the future book couples, including Meg/Woodward and Elise(Collin's calls her Helen in the first chapter and epilogue, which is likely an editing error that will be corrected)/Cheswick.

A developing romance happened in the middle of solving a kidnapping and murder mystery. Lovely main characters with introduction to more couples that will likely have their own stories in the future to look forward to.

I received an ARC of this enjoyable book from NetGalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

3.5 stars

A combo Regency mystery and romance. Viscount Gilford has been gallivanting in France for a couple of years, to the detriment of the estate he inherited from his father. A thieving steward and his mother's extravagance have made it necessary for Gilford to marry an heiress for a financial rescue. Meanwhile spinster Lucy Penhallow has no desire to marry and is content to spend time with her intelligent female friends. She even volunteers part-time at Scotland Yard since her cousin is an Inspector and she herself is quite interested in crime. She luckily is financially secure and content.

But when she sees a friend abducted at a ball, she jumps in to help investigate the case. She and Gilford are thrown together and become a scandal in the making.

This is definitely light entertainment, not particularly historically astute and the romance doesn't quite gel. Pleasant and unmemorable. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The twists and turns in this book! It kept me guessing, I thought I had figured everything out multiple times, and then had the rug pulled out from under me. Kudos to the author!

The mystery and suspense part of the book were fantastic, but I did struggle a bit with the romance aspect. It felt a bit rushed, and rigid.

Overall I’d give the book as a whole 3.5 stars.

I am a choosy romance reader and sadly this book did not hit the mark. The characters spend so much time investigating a crime that there is little room to make them interesting and three-dimensional. All the storylines seem underdeveloped. There is also no tension, no stakes, which makes the reading quite dull.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc.

This is my 2nd or 3rd Manda Collins novel, and it is the start of a new series but is connected to the previous series. There were many back characters that made cameos throughout this one. It didn't take away from the story, but would probably add to it if you knew the other characters.

This was a little slow paced, minimal romance that really didn't start until the second half. I liked Lucy and Will together. And we get the next couples set up at the end.

Overall I did enjoy this historical mystery romance.

I will note that there were a lot of typos and missing words in this arc, way more than any other arc I've read. They did distract me from the story at times, so I hope the editors do another read through before officially publishing.