Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
Violet is an unusual lady for her time: when her mother disappeared her life changed and so did she. She lost a joyful confidante and had no female figure to support her whilst her father withdrew and refused to talk about her. This shaped our heroine into a quirky young woman without knowledge of relationships and a desire to find her mother. What transpires is full of fun, misunderstandings, mystery and sadness as well romance as she journeys towards the final twist in her quest. I laughed out loud at some of the events, every page was interesting and built a picture of Violet and her world.

This book was a little difficult for me to stay invested in and actually finish. However, by the time I was halfway through the book, it did pick up and I found myself a little more invested in the story. As for the primary character, Violet, there were just too many moments of her repeating the same things over and over in her mind. If you removed that negative attribute, then I could enjoy her efforts to avoid living a life that society tried to force on her. I liked that this was a historical book and the mystery aspect did keep my attention. Discovering how Violet’s mother disappeared and the person responsible made the ending more enjoyable. While this has the potential to be a first book in a series, I am not sure I will venture reading any additional books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Crime
Fiction
Historical
Historical Fiction
Historical Mystery
Historical Romance
Mystery
Romance
Victorian

Violet was eighteen when her mother walked out the door for a party and never came home. In the ten years since, Violet's been adrift. The disappearance has been a stain on the family reputation, and Violet's been largely isolated as a result. The small, British seaside town she calls home doesn't leave much space for secrecy and discretion, and the rumor mill takes care of the rest. Other girls avoid Violet in case her bad reputation by maternal association might spread to them. At 28, Violet's a willing spinster, but her father is a cold, distant man, and he's constantly trying to marry her off to men who assume they can take liberties. Violet wonders if her mother's absence has inspired these disrespectful encounters. They're made yet more fraught by the version of "the talk" she received just before her mother left, instilling a sense of fear in her daughter by sharing her own horrifying experiences in the marital bed-- a more frank, realistic chat than one would see in romance novels set in the period and fair enough. And though Violet is desperate for a trade of her own, she's qualified for nothing. Her days are long and bleak without company or purpose.

At the start of the book, we see Violet fulfill one longtime aspiration by hiring a detective to investigate what happened to her mother. She's never been satisfied by the work of the police at the time, and she's desperate to know if her mother's dead or alive and to discover the how and why of it all. However, Mr. Knight's attitude toward Violet and her mother (via photograph) gives her pause, and he starts turning up truths that she never wished to know about her lively, beautiful mom. Violet approaches the other detective in town to see if she can find someone better, but he refuses to take up her case. Mr. Blackthorn has given up detecting to sell furniture, rescues beleaguered seagulls, refuses to entertain Violet's whirling energy before he's had coffee, and is in possession of the typewriter that inspires Violet's latest plan to find a profession. She first asks to use it so she can teach herself, offering to type things up for his business in exchange. Along the way, if she just so happens to pick up skills in lock picking, investigating, and following suspects... what's the harm? In fact, Violet can't help but start to imagine herself becoming a lady detective, and her enthusiasm draws the once downtrodden Blackthorn out of his shell, engaging in light, hilarious banter and looking happy about his life.

The banter is just one of many ways this mystery is genuinely fun and hilarious. I particularly enjoyed Violet's conversations with gentlemen who can't understand when she's being sarcastic because they don't care to actually listen to her. Her hired detective, for one. And her father, for another. Mr. Blackthorn seems to be the only gentleman who understands what she's up to and meets her tit for tat *swoon.* Violet also invents charities that need her assistance urgently to escape various situations, such as the Association for Alcoholic Animals. And the irony is that no one questions the organizations she invents, only the respectability of an unmarried woman volunteering. The horror! There's plenty of situational humor to enjoy, as well. The author doesn't shy away from messy topics but often approaches with an eye for the absurd rather than the dark and dreary. Violet's lack of knowledge about intimacy and her quest to sort it all out is one such example.

I enjoyed the mystery as much as the humor and burgeoning romance. It takes some intriguing turns, and Violet's personal stake makes it more meaningful. We also get to see her help with other cases as she tries out being a lady detective. Some go disastrously, all go a bit unexpectedly, and Violet barrels forward even when she's uncertain. A run-in with a cocaine dealer on one case and a courtesan on another as well as enlightening visits to a brothel, a museum after hours, and a beach where men are known to skinny dip round out some of Violet's wilder adventures. Each follows a light-hearted cadence that broadens our heroine's worldview but doesn't bog her (or the reader) down. The case nearest and dearest to her heart seems to be going less and less the way she hoped, though, even as she catches her stride with the others. Her father announces his wish to have Violet's mother declared dead so he can proceed with properly courting his new lady love, a woman Violet can't make herself dislike but can make herself avoid. Mr. Knight only gets more shifty, and Violet tries and fails to fire him twice (because he ignores her).

The resolution of everything is immensely satisfying. There are bits of true villainy and other bits of people just trying their best and yet others of people bungling things colossally. It's a fun kaleidoscope that keeps things from being too simplistic and *shudder* boring. The romance takes off in a fun direction, and I enjoyed seeing Violet take charge of her life. I would definitely read more mysteries with this intrepid lady detective at the helm. Thanks to Aria for my copy to read and review!

This was such a fun read! A bit different than other like it and soooo fun. Loved the characters!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Fresh and original - I chuckled my way through No Life for a Lady, enjoying Violet's husband-avoidance and super-sleuthing skills. A brilliantly-written debut from Hannah Dolby and a keen reminder of the way it was for women back then - not that long ago!!

A truly enjoyable romp featuring a strong-minded heroine, set in the 19th century Hastings. Violet Hamilton is an intelligent free spirit, despite being bound by the societal expectations and her particular situation as woman connected with a mysterious disappearance of her mother ten years earlier. She longs to be a Lady Detective but doesn’t have any experience in searching for missing people, so she hires a detective, a Mr Knight, to find out what happened to her mother. Violet is a delightful character, curious about world, and with enough guts to achieve her goas, despite her own limitations. The book is written in a first person, which gives us an insight into her mind and her frustrations, and this way the writing style is even more engaging and entertaining.

This book was so good. It was funny and enjoyable. This is historical fiction with mystery added in. I loved the character of Violet. The writing style is easy to follow and is engaging.

This book unfortunately fell flat for me. I wanted to like it, but I found myself struggling to read it and by the end the story felt like it was missing something.

I loved every line of this wonderful book.

It was warm, laugh out loud funny, and utterly fascinating. Full of intrigue and interest, with a wild cast of characters.

I whipped through it in 2 days because I just needed to know the ending. I genuinely cannot wait for Hannah's next book.

Unfortunately I read this when long-term sick and so while I noted a star rating, at the time I didn't have capacity for reviews for everything I was reading, and am only now just getting round to giving my feedback. Sorry that's not super helpful

Great premise, loved the way the story moved and generally found it charming - if a little annoying on and off.

What a great read.

Set in 1896 it takes you on the story of Violets life, her mother left when she was 18 and now 10 years later she wants to find her. She wants to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, but it’s not suitable for a young lady.

Easy read that will make you giggle.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

I was sent a copy of No Life for a Lady by Hannah Dolby to read and review by NetGalley. This is a very readable and amusing novel. There is a clear sense of time and place, with a good insight into the expectations demanded of women at the time. This is the author’s debut novel and I can see the characters moving forward into a series, I hope so anyway! A great read if you fancy something quite light-hearted that makes you chuckle along the way.

This was a brilliant debut. A quirky read that I absolutely loved! I’m glad to hear this will be a series as I’m looking forward to reading a next book

This was a lot of fun to read.

Violet isn't your usual kind of 28 year old in 1896. She is definitely not looking for marriage.

Her mother disappeared ten years ago and Violet wants to know what happened to her. In doing so, she ends up with the kind of reputation that is the ruin of a young woman in the olden days.

During her quest she hires a detective, then has to hire another who has literally just decided not to be a detective!

There is a lot of potential here.

For Bridgerton fans trying to hold themselves over, No Life for a Lady may make the wait a tiny bit easier. While regency-era romances and adventures are all the rage, this story deserves its place among the fandom. Readers are collectively living in the perfect moment for a story like this. The stakes are high enough to be thrilling but low enough to be incredibly relaxing and delightful.

Full review below.

I DNF'd this at about 20%. I just couldn't get into the story and the main character was incredibly annoying to read.

What a warm, joyful, entertaining, fun & romantic story. Just like a hot soup on a cold day or a piece of chocolate. Loved it. Thank you for this arc in exchange of an honest review (sorry for the delay, I fell a bit behind)

Fabulous, engaging and wonderful. I really enjoyed meeting Violet and seeing her finding herself in a male dominated Victorian environment. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

No Life for A Lady is a funny lady detective historical story about a lady named Violet. At the early start of her adult life she decides to take on her mother's missing person case. Fast forward ten years she is unmarried and determined as ever to doge all the suitors her father sends her way . Violet is determined to live to the beat of her own drum despite what her father and society says.

I really enjoyed this story , it was a fun and easy read with likeable characters , if you are looking for a light hearted historical read, this is the one for you.