Highly entertaining and enjoyable book,not your average romance. I loved the in depth descriptions which truly placed you in the time line of the plot.

Thank you NetGalley and author for this ARC!


I loved everything about this book, it was cute and fun. The characters made the love story so enticing. I would read this book multiple time! Thanks again!

This was another fantastic historical romance/mystery novel from Manda Collins! Her books are always a fun read, and I quite enjoyed this newest one. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Another super cute historical romance, cozy mystery by Manda Collins

If you haven’t checked out this series yet and love those two genres, this series is a must. The perfect amount of angst and romance in the background as the mystery is unfolding with each page turned.

I always know I’m in for a sweet, cozy read when I pick up a book by Collins!

Read if you like: fake dating/insta-love
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Poppy and Joshua decide to fake an engagement so that Poppy can use Johsua's standing as a Duke in investigating the murder of her brother-in-law and the fact that her sister is being accused of the murder. Joshua wants his grandmother to stop pushing unmarried girls at him, so he is down for the bargain.
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Overall the book was fun but the drama was a little much and I struggled to believe the romance. Poppy and Joshua hated each other and then it felt like the switch was immediate. I loved the first book in this series so if you did too, then I encourage you to check this out and see what you think. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me!

Another lovely installment in one of my new favorite historical romance series. I just think the blend of mystery and romance in this is so well done — so much so that I’d love to see Collins write more in this series or maybe even tackle a new one (possibly even revolving around the same couple throughout?). The countryside location of this one really added an interesting element to set it apart, and Poppy and Langham had that great chemistry from the beginning where you couldn’t wait to see that banter turn into something more. I also will never not love books when the hero falls and falls hard but then bungles his initial attempt at a proposal. Nothing like a near-death experience to earn that confession, though!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Manda Collins does it again! This series is such a fun mashup of mystery, romance, strong women, and dashing dukes.

Poppy Delamare (aka Flora Deaver) ran away from home two years prior to escape an arranged marriage. In her absence, her sister was married to him and now stands accused of his murder. Poppy races home to clear her sister‘s name, and, as she departs, runs into the Duke of Langham, who is coincidentally traveling to the same town for his grandmother’s house party.

Joshua, the Duke of Langham, has no desire to be paraded in front of potential future duchesses and proposes an arrangement to Poppy. He will throw his ducal weight around and clear her sister, and she will pose as his betrothed for the duration of their time at his grandmother’s.

Historical romance’s fake fiance trope scratches the same itch as modern marriage of convenience for me. The forced proximity, romantic glances “to keep up appearances”, and plentiful opportunities to get to know one another are so romantic. This story also balances the mystery plot line extremely well. I did not guess how much deeper the mystery would run, and I loved the conclusion of the story.

Is it too much to hope that we’ll see Adrian in book four?? 👀

Thank you so much to @readforeverpub for a gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

At this time this book is not for me. I couldn’t get into story or the characters. The writing seems fine. I hope to try this title again at another time.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was just what I needed! A tale of deception, murder, fake engagements, and romance set among a Victorian country house party. This is the 3rd in a series (now I need to get hold of the first two) starring Poppy Delamare who is trying to clear her sister's name from murder with the assistance of Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. Of course, she is playing the part of his fiance for the week so he does not get shackled by the sweet young misses his grandma has lined up for him. This was a quick, fun read with plenty of snark, twists in the murder investigations, not to mention cavern explorations.

This is the third book in Collins's "Ladies Most Scandalous" series, and I think it was my favorite one! I loved Poppy and the way she fights for herself and others around her. She is brave, smart, and intrepid--just what I love in a heroine! Langham is just as swoony and dreamy (yes, I'm using both) as one wants a book hero to be...and the way he supports Poppy during their fake engagement (we love a fake dating trope!) warmed my heart. Plus, Kate, Caro, and their significant others from books one and two make their appearances! While less obvious than in the previous books, it definitely seems like there will be a fourth book in this series--my guess is that it will center on Langham's younger brother and a new acquaintance of Poppy's! I guess we'll have to wait to see if I'm right or not. :)

You could *probably* get away with reading this book without reading the first two...but I'm always going to advocate for reading books in order because my brain feels nicer that way. This series is a fun blend of mystery and romance--my favorite!

This book was super cute and funny! It was also a pretty easy and quick read! I really enjoyed reading this one.

This book was a fast and exhilarating read. I liked the murder mystery plot. The characters poppy and Joshua had wonderful chemistry and I truly enjoyed them together.

I was so late to this series and I think this was the first of the series that I read. I was lucky enough to receive a physical ARC of her and she’s one of the prettiest cartoon covers of a historical romance that I have!

Let’s start with the first meeting at the train station. I’m obsessed with a meet disaster, and this felt like that! As Poppy is shedding her London persona and putting her family persona back on, she suddenly has a new one to adopt- that of a future duchess in order to help the duke avoid the matchmaking mamas and grandmas. She also has a murder to investigate… for which her sister is being blamed.

The characters in A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes are vivid and full of life, even those I despise like the conman stepfather. The added element of a cult??? PALEASE!!! It’s really just an iconic historical romance and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to review it!

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes was a super cute Regency romance reminiscent of The Bridgerton series in writing style and tone but with a unique murder mystery twist. When Poppy Delamare’s sister is accused of murdering her husband, Poppy unwittingly teams up with the Duke of Langham in a fake engagement which offers her the protection of his title and gets his family off of his back when it comes to finding him a suitable wife. While this book didn’t have the most profound character development, there was enough for me to invest in their relationship and connect with them. Poppy was a delightful heroine that you couldn’t help but root for and Langham was adorably sexy. I loved the twist on a typical Regency romance by adding a murder mystery and the villains of the story were perfectly dark and scary. I didn’t see the ending coming and fully enjoyed the ride. This book is a companion novel in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. I plan on going back to read the others in the series because I was charmed by the little glimpses of the other characters from those novels. All in all, this was a very easy and enjoyable Regency romance that I recommend for anyone looking for one with a twist.

I had so much fun with A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins. This book was made for me, as it includes many things I love: a Victorian-era romance, a murder mystery, dislike to love, a snarky female lead, witty banter, a fake betrothal, a swoon-worthy male lead, and great side characters.

I fell for Poppy and Joshua on page 3. Their chemistry and banter were perfect. I loved how supportive they were of each other. I rooted for them the entire time and smiled ear to ear while reading.

I was pleasantly surprised by the mystery. Often times the mystery will suffer when a romance is involved, but not here. I thought the mystery was well thought out and expertly paced. I was intrigued from the start and generally interested to watch it unfold.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Duke is the third book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series by Manda Collins. When I first requested this book, I had no idea it was part of a companion series. I usually prefer to read these in order. However, not reading the previous two books did not impact my enjoyment or understanding of this one.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Ladies Most Scandalous series by Manda Collins is back with its next installment, “A Spinster’s Guide to Dukes and Danger.” This time the story follows Flora Deaver, who is actually revealed to be Poppy Delamare- a woman who ran from home to escape marriage and has been living a double life ever since. She returns home to save her wrongfully accused sister from a sentence of death for murdering her husband. On her travels she bumps into Duke Langham who is also returning to meet a gaggle of suitors brought together by his grandmother. They scheme a plan to help each other- she will play his fiance and he will use his power at the duke to help her sister.

I love love love a good fake dating trope. Cue every cute holiday romcom you’ve ever watched on tv. It’s especially fun if the two characters go from enemies to lovers. Needless to say, this plot totally won me over. I even got to feed my mystery craving. All in all, a win for me!

I loved the relationship between Poppy and the Duke. As much as they don’t want to like each other, he openly admits how smart she is and takes her side every chance he gets. In a time period where that feels unlikely, it was impossible to not like the Duke after a while (not that I ever felt like I didn’t like him, to be honest).

Overall, this book was a pretty cut and dry romance. What you see is what you get, and I was not disappointed with it in the least. In the end, it got a 4 star rating from me!

Thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Poppy Delamare went to London years ago to escape the arranged marriage her stepfather insisted on. She started over as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver and was content with her life. Until a morning newspaper informed her that her sister was accused of murdering her husband, the very man Poppy had run away from. A mishap as she's trying to get a ticket home ends with her pretending to be betrothed to Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. She gets the protection of his name and power and he gets to avoid all the misses desperate to become duchesses.
What follows is a series of revelations and interesting interactions with a wide cast of characters that make even the expected plot elements fun and original. Everything from how Langham's family reacts, to the truths about Poppy's family, and the bizarre inclusion of a bored-rich-people cult feels natural to the story and makes it stand out.
I cannot find the words to adequately express how incredibly delightful I think this book is. It has the perfect balance of slow-burn enemies to lovers and sweetly supportive friendship that comes a little bit out of nowhere but still makes perfect sense. It also deals with murder and some very serious implications and threats while keeping a very fun and light touch throughout it. It really does give readers a little bit of everything in just-right doses.
It's the third book in the series but I'm pretty sure it can be fully enjoyed without knowing what happened in the first books. You'll miss out on how Poppy and Langham initially met and some of the background on the characters that show up later in the book, but it won't affect the story at all.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the wonderfully romantic read!

I really enjoyed Poppy and Langham's story! Watching them banter in the previous story, had me hoping they would be paired. Collin's didn't disappoint!

Loved this one. The mix of mystery plot and budding love was great. I appreciated that they didn’t admit their love for each other until late in the story and that even when we were in the characters’ heads the sentiment was there but in measured, realistic ways. I appreciate the limited instalove for sure. I’m a big fan of stories that have a strong female protagonist but that the male lead still provides a shoulder for her when she needs it. The Duke did such a great job of letting Poppy flourish in her wit and strength but also recognizing at times when she needed someone to step up for her. Not because she couldn’t on her own, but because it’s nice to know that the people we care for will fight for us and with us.

With a Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes, Manda Collins is officially a new favorite historical romance author. This series is fiercely feminist, with fantastic dialogue and genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. How could you expect anything else for a series called Ladies Most Scandalous?!? Manda always writes the swooniest leads, and Joshua and Poppy were no exception. I adored everything about their enemies to lovers journey.
This was a 5-star read for me, and I highly recommend it for fans of historical romance! A big thank you to Grand Central/NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this delightful story.