This is the third book to Ladies Most Scandalous! I love how Manda Collins mixes humor in with her writing! The mystery while predictable was very fun! I also found to be romance to be very sweet and swoon worthy! Thus, I recommend this for fans of Rhys Bowen, Jennifer Ashley, and Amanda Quick!

Shirt & Sweet review: I loved this book! This is book number 3 in the series, Ladies Most Scandalous, and it is fabulous! I definitely recommend the whole series for fans of regency romcoms. This had been such a fun series to fall into, and I have loved all of the characters as well. Though I enjoyed each book of the series, this one was actually my favorite!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I used to read lots of cozy mysteries but I mostly read romance now, but this book is a lovely combination of the two. Poppy and Langham are complex characters and I appreciate how their pasts affect their present situation. This story was thrilling yet sweet and spicy, a combination that will ensure I read the rest of the series and gleefully await more of Manda Collins' books.

I love how Manda Collins perfectly balances mystery and romance in this series! A delight from beginning to end.

My favorite yet! The banter was spectacular, the mystery was truly f***** up, the romance was spicey AND sweet. Fantastic.

Manda Collins does it again with this third book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series! This story follows Poppy Delamare who had previously fled her home to escape and arranged marriage. After living in London for some time, Poppy now must return home to aid her sister who is being accused of murder. On the train ride there, Poppy runs into (literally) the Duke of Langham (who she isn’t a huge fan of) and they concoct a plan to help one another. For fans of Evie Dunmore and Bridgerton.

"A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes" by Manda Collins is a captivating historical romance that combines wit, suspense, and a dash of danger. Collins' storytelling prowess shines as she crafts a tale of unexpected romance and intrigue. The book's charming characters and well-developed plot create an immersive reading experience that keeps readers eagerly turning pages. Collins skillfully balances the elements of romance and mystery, keeping the suspense alive while exploring the blossoming relationship between the characters. "A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes" is a delightful read that offers a blend of humor, romance, and suspense, leaving readers with a satisfied smile and a renewed appreciation for the regency romance genre.

I love Manda Collins' historical romances! A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is another wonderful addition to her ever-increasing catalog.

The book starts as Poppy is leaving London on an urgent trip to Little Kidding, where her sister has been accused of murder. However, before she is able to purchase a train ticket, her purse is stolen, and she quite literally runs into the Duke of Langham. He offers to escort her to Little Kidding in his private coach, in exchange for a favor. His grandmother, the dowager duchess, is trying to marry him off, so he asks her to pretend to be his fiancée for the duration of the house party he is being forced to attend.

Once they arrive, they have two problems: they have to find a way to prove her sister's innocence, and the fake engagement starts to feel a little too real. There's a murder. There's mystery. There's a little bit of madness. There is a secret society and rituals and underground tunnels. Duplicity and nefarious intentions abound, and Poppy and Langham have to solve this mystery before it's too late.

Oh, and Poppy has to confess to her two closest friends that she's been living under an assumed name and lying about her past. Whoops.

Manda Collins books are just so fun and readable. The story flows smoothly from start to finish. Her writing is fresh and modern, but her style still hearkens back to the Victorian era she writes about. Whenever I pick up her latest book, I settle in with a blanket and a cup of tea, knowing I'm going to love it. She hasn't disappointed me yet!

Many thanks to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read other books by Manda Collins , I expected to love this but I just could not get into it.
The initial pacing was off for me and I could not care for the characters at all. Nothing they said was interesting.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A sweet romance that goes heavy on the mystery and intrigue of England's late 19th century secret societies.

So far my favorite in this series so far. Love a fake romance with some intrigue and danger thrown in

Enemies to Lovers!!!!

I loved this book and thought it was an amazing finish to the Ladies Most Scandalous series. I honestly can’t tell you which is my favorite in the series because they were all perfect. Poppy willing to do everything for her sister even if she has to get ruined. Langham is a man that needs a favor to get out of a betrothal. These were perfect characters to end the series because they make you wish to read it all over again.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great mystery that kept me guessing the whole time. I loved that we got to continue to learn more about Langham!

Poppy and Langham have a very quick courtship but it was easy to fall into insta love along with them. I saw the next book might be Lord Adrian's and the governess ❤️

4.25 stars

TW: Blackmail, Cult Behavior, Domestic Abuse, Kidnapping, Sacrifice (Alluded to), Murder (Off Page)

This is a fast-paced historical romantic mystery with lots of surprises and twists. This can be read as a standalone, even though there are two previous novels in the series (that I would love to get my hands on).

We start off with a bang when our heroine, Poppy, gets her bag stolen at the train station as she is making her way to her stepfather’s estate to investigate the murder of her brother-in-law, which her sister is accused of committing. The magnanimous Duke of Langham finds Poppy in a bit of a pickle, and offers her assistance. So they make a deal - he vows to help get her sister acquitted, and they fake an engagement while they visit his estate, so that his scheming family stops trying to find a duchess for him.

The mystery just takes off from there, with lots of scandals including a satanic “cult”, strong banter, and a murderer I didn’t expect…not to mention having sex in underground caves. Poppy and Joshua’s relationship takes off at a great pace, and interweaves with the mystery seamlessly. I was impressed with how the mystery plot and the romance both grew over time, but didn’t take away from one another.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced historical romance with an entertaining mystery, I would definitely check this out! I can’t wait to read the other two novels in the series after enjoying this one so much.

What a delightful and fun fake dating story, Regency-style! Poppy has been deceiving everyone, living her life in London as a secretary by the name of Flora, all so she could escape a very undesirable betrothal. But when she finds out her sister is in trouble and is being accused of murder, she can't just sit by and do nothing. When she is on her way home, her purse is stolen and she ends up getting help from Joshua, who is the Duke of Langham. He suggests they can both help each other out if she agrees to a fake engagement with him. She will have the backing of the dukedom to help clear her sister, and he can get the matchmaking mamas off his back. It's a win-win situation. But as they spend time together, the lines of real and fake start to blur, and Joshua is ready to propose for real. But before he can do that, they get wrapped up in more lies and betrayals in their search for the truth. Filled with mystery, drama, intrigue and romance, this story kept me engrossed from start to finish. I enjoyed seeing the characters interact and the witty banter between them was so much fun. I always enjoy books by this author, and this one was no different. Looking forward to the next one!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

A fun and lighthearted regency/ Victorian romance with a murder mystery that just added to the fun. Enjoyed this fast read.

Historical rom coms with a dash of mystery and intrigue was not a genre mashup I thought I needed but here we are, loving every one I read. Manda Collins’ series (Ladies Most Scandalous) has been so damn enjoyable to read and A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes, released back in March, was no exception. It was a delight!

Here’s the book’s description:
England, 1867: Miss Poppy Delamare is living a lie. To escape an odious betrothal, she fled to London where she’s been hiding as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. However, when her beloved sister is accused of murder, Poppy cannot leave her to the wolves. Only a most unexpected—and unwelcome—collision interrupts her journey home . . .
Despite a rather dismal first meeting, Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, has no intention of abandoning a lady in need. But he’s not above asking a favor. A fake betrothal will give Poppy and her sister the power of the dukedom and protect Langham from the society misses intent on becoming his duchess.
Yet the longer the ruse goes on, the more Poppy and Langham realize how false their first impressions were—and the less pretend their engagement feels. But before Langham can propose in truth, their search reveals a tangled web of lies and betrayals. With time running out, can Poppy and Langham find the real culprit—before Poppy becomes the next victim?
You could tell in the first two books (and especially the second) in this series that Poppy (known as Flora) was hiding something. I don’t think I would have guessed what it was though so that was a, well, I don’t want to say it was a nice surprise because the life she was running from did not sound like a nice one. But I liked that Collins was able to surprise me with the information about Poppy’s past.

The fake engagement trope can be a lot of fun to read - or extremely vexing. Thankfully, Collins’ story is the former. Granted, I couldn’t quite see how pretending to be betrothed to the duke would benefit Poppy but I was happy to go along for what was sure to be an entertaining and very bumpy ride. Langham, a man (and a duke at that), would naturally emerge from a broken engagement with his honour still intact. My concern was for Poppy. Even though the duke’s powers should help her sister, I knew that if the engagement was called off or even called into question, she would be judged by the ton and would definitely be found wanting. But she was a smart lady so if she thought a fake engagement could help, well who was I to stop her? (Not that I could, of course. She’s, you know, a fictional character.)

The mystery and hijinks in this story kept me guessing the whole way through and I definitely couldn’t have predicted the ending. I love that Collins can not only combine a frothy historical romance with a cleverly laid out mystery but combine it so well. Of all the recent historical mystery rom coms I’ve read, this was probably the one with the most sinister of mysteries. It was almost over the top but somehow, it worked! (And yes, I’m sure all that seems incredibly vague but I’m not about to give out any spoilers!)

I’m not sure if A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes will be the last in this series - I hope it won’t be. But if Manda Collins has decided this is it for her Ladies Most Scandalous series, well, I guess I’ll just have to read whatever she writes next! I might even dive into her backlist sometime soon. This series is a fun one and you should pick it up if you’re looking for rom coms that are a little different than you’re used to - I think you’ll really like them too!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I know nothing of the era in which this story is set so I can't speak for the historical accuracy of the story but I can say that I did enjoy this book thoroughly. Was the romance expected. Absolutely, that's why we read these stories is it not? We want the fake romance to turn into real romance. I think I didn't' bat an eye at how quickly it happened because during the time in which this story is set, people got married quickly, they weren't always a love match, so no one blinks an eye. I appreciated there was a little bit of spice, just enough to keep the story moving, not overwhelming and I liked the fact that she wasn't a virgin who knew everything like you often encounter in romance books. She also wasn't a delicate petal. Poppy is what I imagine an independent woman of that time would be like. And Joshua.....yeah that's not how men probably were back then but this is also a work of fiction. He's a wonderful book boyfriend? book duke? Either way, Loved him. I love that their relationship begins out of convenience but she refers to him as a friend as their feelings grow. You don't often see couples that explore their romance from a friendship perspective, so it was refreshing.

I also loved the suspense/mystery within the story. Gotta love a secret society of heathens, LOL. Rich heathens no less. The ending came quickly which I wish we had had more clues to help us the readers make a few informed guesses. Maybe even lead us in the wrong direction but either way, it was very enjoyable.

The third book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series is about Poppy aka Flora Deavers and Lord pompous (Duke of Langham). Poppy finds out through the newspaper that her sister in the country is accused of murder! She is off to save her and at the train station she is saved by Duke Langham and an agreement is made to help each other through a fake engagement. This was a fun book and a quick read.

This is the third book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, and I have enjoyed them all. I love that each book has a mystery at its core without losing the feel of a true romance. It seems rare to find books that hit on each so well. These are really up my alley.

It absolutely had everything I could want from a mystery and a romance. A smart and independent heroine, a swoon worthy Duke, the always reliable fake betrothal trope, spice, and an intriguing mystery.

Manda Collins does a fantastic job combining all of these elements into a great story. She has become a must-read author for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.