Title: A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
Author: Manda Collins
Series: A Lady’s Guide (Book 1)
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Nov. 10, 2020
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Synopsis: An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collins’ fun and flirty historical rom-com!
England, 1865 : As one of England’s most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she’s determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are praying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong.
Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham’s refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she’s the key witness in a new crime, he’s determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they’ll need to catch a killer.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
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My Review:
Lady Katherine Bascomb owns and writes for a popular London newspaper. When she works with Lady Caro Hardcastle, a friend and writer, about a series of murders plaguing the city, she doesn’t expect to gain the attention of head investigator Andrew Eversham, but that’s exactly what she does.
Andrew is furious. Not only had the Commandments Killer evaded him for a year, but Kate’s article resulted in removing him from the case. However, after a new murder appears, Andrew is back on the case and more determined than ever to solve it. Andrew begrudgingly accepts help from the persistent reporter, but with the killer on the loose and danger lurking around every corner, can Andrew and Kate solve the case?
This is an interesting mix of romance and mystery, and I like how the author blended the two genres. Kate is ambitious, intelligent, and confident. I loved her assertiveness and determination to help all citizens become well-informed. She dislikes that women are often sheltered from the realities of society, and her articles reinforce her goals to inform. I love that she is an asset to Andrew, which causes him to reevaluate his opinions on Kate and women as a whole.
The mystery is suspenseful, and the plot progresses well, but the strength of the story is definitely in character development. Kate, Andrew, Caro, and others are complex and dynamic, and the author did a great job of creating interesting and deep connections and personalities.
A Victorian romance with a strong female protagonist and a confounding mystery, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem will appeal to readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers novels. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance, of course!
- The witty banter and excellent dialogue.
- The murder mystery.
Recommendations:
Readers who like historical romance with intriguing mysteries will enjoy this read.
Can’t wait to pick up a copy!
It’s a good one! Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Ooh, I love this cover. It seems to be a bit of a trend for historical romances that do illustrated covers but I’m here for it! This sounds like a great read and I think I’ll definitely check it out. Great review 🙂
I’ve noticed a lot of illustrated covers in rom-coms and contemporary romance too. Definitely a trend that I’m liking too! lol
Your review makes me so excited to read my copy!
Oh, I’m so glad! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂