‘A SPINSTER’S GUIDE TO DANGER AND DUKES’ BOOK REVIEW

by Manda Collins
Publisher: Grand Central Publishers
Pub Date: March 28, 2023

My Thoughts:
4.5⭐️. I am loving this series. I love the characters especially the FMC in each of the series. They’re daring and opinionated. Brave and curious.

From start to finish, never bored. Finished this book in one sitting. Never predictable. Love how the men are so enamored by the women. It gave just enough spice without going overboard. Enemies to lovers trope.

Poppy is no different from the FMC of this series. Stubborn, quick wit, and determined to find her half sister. The one thing I like about the Duke is that he doesn’t let society dictate his decisions, not even his grandmother. I love the banter, the unpredictability, and the plot.

Thank you, Netgalley and Grand Central Pub for the eARC in return for an honest review.

What a fun series! We now get Poppy’s story as she works to clear her sister’s name in a resulting murder mystery, with an unlikely partner, the Duke of Langham. I often found myself holding my breath and unable to stop turning the page until I learned the latest twist. It’s Bridgerton meets Nancy Drew with romance, danger, & the ‘Ton. Also loved that we got appearances by Kate and Caro. This latest in the Ladies’ series releases this week! Thanks to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes
3rd Book in the Ladies Most Scandalous Series
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story! I loved how Poppy and Langham are brought together to solve a murder and that the only way they can work together is to pretend to be betrothed.
These two together made a great pair of sleuths. Adding the back and forth banter and "pretend" flirtations made the story more entertaining. Of course the male lead did not disappoint with his nobody-touches-my-fiance attitude. He was so protective of her, even when she could stand for herself. One of my favorite scenes is when he suggests to her to try and solve some coded list on her own, because she's smarter than him. lol
Though the main focus of the story is finding the culprit of who is responsible for the murder of Poppy's brother in law, the chemistry between Langham and Poppy was very evident from the moment they decide to help each other out from the get go.

Overall, I really had fun and was trying to solve the mystery along with our two leads. Leads who fell in love along the way and their pretend engagement became oh so very real.

In the third installment of Collins' Lady's Most Scandalous historical mystery-romance series, we meet heroine Poppy as Joshua, the Duke of Langham prevents her from pursuing the man who stole her purse. Not to leave a lady in distress, the Duke insists she join him in his private train carriage. On the journey out of London, the two strike a deal: the Duke will use his influence to help prevent Poppy's sister, Violet, from being arrested for the murder of her husband, and Poppy will pretend to be the Duke's betrothed to prevent his grandmother from throwing the women of the ton at him. The continue their farce of engagement, growing closer in the process, while looking into who may have actually killed Poppy's brother-in-law.

I loved this book! Romance and mystery are two of my favorite genres, and I loved to see them mashed together in one great novel. Poppy and Joshua were both extremely likable characters and I was enthralled by the mystery from the very start. I suspect I saw the dangling of a book four when two minor characters of the opposite sex greeted each other by their Christian names... I hope I'm right! Because now I want to read it!

Thanks to Forever for my eARC and finished copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I devoured A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins. Although this was my first of hers to read, I cannot wait to go back and read the others in this series.


Poppy Delamare has a secret identity that she’s been keeping from her friends. When she reads that her sister is accused of murder however; she cannot let her sister be alone and sets her sights on home. Duke Joshua of Langham has morals, he cannot leave a lady in distress. Seeing Poppy robbed at the station, he convinces her to travel with him to home. He also has the connections necessary for Poppy to learn all about her sister’s case. The catch? He’d love for her to be his engaged lover for the week.

Manda Collin’s A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is part mystery, all parts historical romance. I love reading a marriage of convenience and the forced proximity aspect made this one I will recommend! Poppy and Joshua trade barbs throughout with tension that leads the reader to think: when will they finally kiss?! While I thought that the ending mystery part was rushed, I found the overarching mystery fascinating and may try to do further research into if this secret society actually exists! I read this book before the others and felt this could be read as a standalone.

Thank you Forever Published and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

✨ Review ✨ A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins

I flew through this in two sittings! I enjoyed the two previous books in this series, but this by far is my favorite!!

Miss Poppy Delamare (Flora Deaver, or Kate's assistant in previous books) is fleeing London to rescue her sister from a false murder charge when she quite literally runs into Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. While Poppy thought Langham a flashy, annoying rake, they make a deal where he will help with her sister's legal issue and she'll pretend to be his fiancee for a week during a house party to keep his family off his back. They end up traipsing around through caves and empty fake churches and I loved it!

The snark and sass between these two was just a delight. And Poppy's not afraid to verbally cut down anyone who questions whether she belongs there. The blossoming romance between the two of them was a delight, and the mystery was a fun addition. I would have loved a bit more steam between the two, but overall I adored this book and will for sure be back for more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: historical romance f/m
Location: rural UK
Reminds me of: the other books in this series + Evie Dunmore
Pub Date: March 28, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ sassy, strong 1800s women
⭕️ historical romance + mystery/suspense
⭕️ weird gothic cult stuff
⭕️ swoony dukes

Thanks to Forever Publishing and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

This was my first book in this series and I'm wondering if it put me at a disadvantage. I loved the wit and banter of the characters and how Poppy is her own person, but I wish there had been a bit more focus on the relationship between Poppy and Joshua. I did love the mystery and danger and I'm always a fan of a fake relationship story. This book didn't completely hit the spot for me, but it did have elements that appealed to me. I'm wondering if I read it at a different time if I would think differently?

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub Date: 3/28

For the past two years, Poppy Delamere has lived in London under the alias Flora Deaver. She left her small town to get away from a terrible home life and awful engagement without looking back. But then her sister is accused of murdering her husband, and she must return home to help clear her name by finding the real killer.

When she sees the Duke of Langham at the train station, he offers her a ride home in exchange for a favor. He’ll help her prove her sister’s innocence, if she agrees to pretend to be his fake fiance. He’d like to make it through his grandmother’s birthday celebration without every available woman in the ton expecting to become the next duchess.

I can’t believe how wildly entertaining this book was! From the start, I loved Poppy. She’s headstrong and shirks polite society by being unequivocally herself. Langham was sweet, charismatic, and the perfect gentleman, and I loved their witty banter and sizzling chemistry. The whole “teach me how this whole lovemaking thing works” in historical fiction is one of my favorite things about it! It’s books like this that make me wonder why I don’t read this genre more often.

The mystery itself was intriguing and took up a great deal of the story without overshadowing everything else. This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story is full of mystery and adventure, and I’m happy to say I didn’t see the ending coming! I haven’t read the first two books in the series, but I will be rectifying that, soon! Read this if you love witty banter, a headstrong fmc, quirky side characters, and Bridgerton with a side of murder.

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for letting me read this one early! You can pick up your copy of this twisty historical romance on 3/28.

Sharp and Clever...

Poppy Delamare has no time for the frivilous Duke of Langham, Joshua Fielding. He's handsome and wealthy and dismissive of the invesitgating she and her firends do.
Poppy is in dire need to get to her sister before she hangs for a murder she did not commit.

Poppy is very clever, has a rapier wit and does not simper or defer to the duke. Nope, she treats him like an inconvenient necessity since she needs his help to save her sister. There's plenty of mystery and murder to solve with ties to Langham. But this thrust and parry of the equally matched Joshua and Poppy is sharp and clever and a very good read.
Recommend.

4⭐️

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes was a fun time. It had banter, a strong female lead, a brewing romance, and fake dating (betrothal?)!!

I loved Poppy, she was quick witted, knew what needed to get done, and was fiercely loyal to her sister. Despite odds being against her favour, she did whatever she could to clear her sister's name.

Langham was fun too, it was nice to see him support Poppy, and the way he fell for her was so sweet. The two of them together were definitely a power couple, and while the ending was a tad cliché, I was glad for it. This mystery kept me on my toes; I did not know how it would unravel till they figured it out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn’t finish the first of this series so not sure why I thought this would be any different. There’s something offputting about the writing. Just not for me.

This book feels on par with its predecessors. If you enjoyed the rest of the series by this author then I’m sure this one will also be a hit. It’s filled with murder, complicated families, falling in love, and most importantly being true to oneself. It has strong characters who aren’t afraid to be themselves, but also allows them moments of vulnerability and being strong enough to lean on others; which in my opinion is always a good thing.

It’s definitely a series that hits a lot of strong notes when it comes to women’s independence in the 1800’s (truly this is a book for fans of Evie Dunmore). And that is who I would target this books towards. It shows how it only takes a handful of people being their authentic selves in order to help create change, which is a good message to have in these less than ideal times. I will always be excited to see a strong female main character and that’s what we have in Poppy.

As much as I enjoyed this series (and this book in particular), I could have used more relationship development between Poppy and Joshua. I personally need more when it comes to my romances but this is a book that is trying to straddle the line between the genres so I understand why some other plot points become more important for the story. It was still an engaging read and I’m sure anyone who enjoyed the rest of the series will be excited by this one as well.

Such a fun book! FMC Poppy is such a great character - strong, smart, unashamed of who she was and is - and MMC Joshua (Duke of Langham) likes her and eventually loves her because of these traits. Both the romance and the mystery elements are compelling, and all of the secondary characters were entertaining. I had not previously read the other books in this series and now both are waiting on my Kindle! The angst here is more about the murder than the romance which I actually really liked. The villain is not exactly hard to figure out but the path to the discovery is interesting.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes is a well written Victorian Romance wrapped up with a murder mystery.

This book was well balanced between the mystery that brought the main characters together and the romance that develops over the solving of that mystery to save her sister from hanging.

In this enjoyable book Ms. Collins gives us - fake betrothal, dislike to love, a headstrong FMC, vulnerable yet caring MMC, and romance you see build through their getting to know one another.

I have yet to read the other books in this series but this book can be read as a standalone, I didn't feel like I was missing any information to thoroughly enjoy figuring out who-dun-it along with the characters.

The romance was fun it all just worked really well for me.

Thank-you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.


#ASpinstersGuidetoDangerandDukes #NetGalley

I love a good enemies to lovers with slow burn and engagement of convenience! Manda Collins writing is very easy to read and such a great story. We meet our MFC,Poppy, in a train station running to save her sister when she runs into the Duke of Labgham who swoops in to rescue our damsel. But our damsel doesn’t need saving so a relationship of convenience is born. Will this relationship be more than they bargained for?

I love this series! I adore the independent women who are the stars of the show, and the men that let them shine.

This book is no different. I love the stubbornness of both Poppy and The Duke. It makes their banter and humor so much fun. I also loved underlying mystery. This book is particularly fun because where else are you going to get a cult, a fake church dedicated to Lucifer, and some nice spice all within the span of about 10 minutes?

I also loved the cameos at the end with our dear friends from the first two books. It made me want to reread their stories, too.

I hope this series continues, because I am a big fan!

This is my first Manda Collins book and though it's part of a series, it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone. I don't read a ton of historical romance but this one was fun and I didn't feel bogged down by any of the historical language or aspects. I liked the mystery part of the story a lot and it just felt like I was being taken on adventure with Poppy and Joshua. The chemistry was great, the story was well-plotted, and it kept me always turning the page and not wanting to put the book down so I could know what happened. Tempted to go back and read the series in order!

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes is a charming historical romance with a mystery subplot. Manda Collins does a masterful job of blending the genres together into a throughly good story.

4.5/5 stars

Poppy Delamere escaped home and a forced marriage, and has been supporting herself working as a secretary in London. But when she learns that her younger sister Violet is accused of murder, she races back to the countryside to help clear her name. At the train station, she runs into the Duke of Langham. They are heading to the same village, as Langham has been summoned for his grandmother’s birthday celebration. As they ride the train together, they devise a plan. Langham will help clear Violet’s name while Poppy pretends to be his fiancé to ward off the prospective brides waiting for him. But as the two pursue their goals, what happens when they develop an attraction to each other? And discover they actually like one another too?

Poppy is a fantastic FMC. She’s smart and driven, and doesn’t apologize for these traits. And Langham loves it. He’s so used to everyone fawning all over him because he’s a Duke that he appreciates when Poppy is unintimidated by him. For her part, Poppy is always slightly surprised when Langham takes her seriously, since most people write her off. I adored the way these two worked together to solve the murder mystery while bantering their way around the countryside.

This is my first romance by Manda Collins. I’ve been meaning to check out this series for a while, and was happy to discover the books don’t need to be read in order. But now that I’ve met Poppy and Langham’s friends, I plan on going back and reading the rest.

A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes blends historical romance with a touch of mystery and humor. If you like a slow burn love story with lots of forced proximity, read this book. Manda Collins creates engaging characters whose intelligence shows through while solving a murder and even while pretending to be engaged.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As always, Manda writes an excellent mystery with a dash of romance. Buckle your seats, this story is one wild ride. Several red herrings, so I did figure out the villain but I was made to wonder at times who it really was lurking around stirring up mayhem. Langham and Poppy’s quest to find the villain and help Violet is the storyline I absolutely love. It was smart, clever, well written, funny at times, and really fun to read. And of course, the romance, love and HEA is the icing on the cake. If you love suspense as much as I do, pick up this book, or this series. You won’t be disappointed.

But is this the end, Manda? How about Adrian and Jane? Could they have a story lurking in the dark recesses of murders, mystery and mayhem.

Bridgerton with a murder mystery. Yes, please. I devoured this book. It hooked me from the first page. This is the third book in the series and my first. I was able to read this as a standalone. I really liked the fake engagement of Poppy and Joshua. Sorting the clues and finding the culprit. A smashing job.