Thank you, BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the free copy of the eARC. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I've always enjoyed a murder/mystery with my romance, so I was intrigued when I read the blurb. I wasn't off the mark and enjoyed this historical mystery immensely. I'd find the story engrossing and the plot well done. Each secret is being revealed layer upon layer, and there were enough twists and turns to keep you at the edge of your seat. I appreciate the historical details that Ms Devlin has included, such as the descriptions of the clothing and the buildings; these felt very true to the period. I was pleasantly surprised by the touch of paranormal here regarding Audrey's abilities (think Phoebe from the Charmed series). Hugh, the Bow Street officer and Audrey's backgrounds weren't as fleshed out as I liked them to be, but since this is the first book of an ongoing series, I'm pretty sure Ms Devlin will slowly reveal their histories in the following books. The attraction between them is palpable, and with her being a married duchess, I'm intrigued by how these two relationships will pan out. I'm not too fond of the fact that Hugh has a mistress, but since nothing is being shown on the page, it didn't really bother me. I hope the author will dispense with the mistress in the following books. I hope the next one will come out soon!

Happy New Year all.

Now onto my first review for 2023. This was a treat covering several genres.

When the aristocracy are involved, it never bodes well for Bow Street and for the
detectives involved. With some agile maneuvreing the high and mighty close ranks not
even bothering to be interviewed despite all signs pointing to tgem being perpetrators
of the crime.

In this story, we find the Duke of Fourniers covered in blood, cowering, speechless
in the room ofa brutally murdered opera singer. He does not give any explanation for
his presence or offer any for his defence. Hugh Marsden the officer in charge arrests him,
keeping him in a room in a tavern rather than carting him offto jail. The Duchess so far
has been a young woman of a retiring nature. In this case she knows that her husband
is innocent. It is a secret that cannot be disclosed as it will cut the entire family
away from their circles, apart from bringing revulsion amongst most people of their time.
The Duke apart from taking opium, is a confirmed homosexual whose relationships have
upto now been a very closed secret one his wife is aware of. She has a secret of her own,
one which put her in an asylum for two years. Audrey has the ability to see events from
inanimate objects and for this ability, she has suffered greatly. Despite her aversion
to the officer, and her inability to know very much about the demi monde, she begins
her own investigation using whatever objects she can pilfer from the scene of the crime.

Unraveling the story Hugh and Audrey find out who the murderers actually are, going against
the society they are a part of and bring about justice not just for Philip but for the
two victims as well.

What a good mystery! This is a genuine mystery, a horrendous murder, a Duke is arrested, and the young Duchess, Audrey, emphatically denies that her husband could do such a heinous act! However, Hugh Marsden, handsome Bow Street Runner, an Officer, and illegitimate son of a Viscount believes the Duke is guilty, and the hunt is on for a vicious murderer. I am so impressed with the writing, the historical aspects are what they all tend to be, the Duchess is a feminist who goes where no lady would have ventured in this time period. I can happily overlook that in exchange for a good story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I cannot wait to read her next in this new series.
I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you #Netgalley
carolintallahassee

I loved, loved, loved this book! It sucks you in right from the beginning and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next right up until the real killer is unmasked. The underlying connection/attraction between Audrey and Hugh added to the tension between the two - especially since you know it cannot go anywhere. I'm really curious to see what will happen between the two of them in future novels. The paranormal aspect also sets this book apart from other murder mysteries taking place in this time period. I definitely got the feeling that, although she didn't go about things in the best manner during this investigation, Audrey will become a pretty good investigator in her own right as the series goes on. I'm hoping for some more between Audrey and her husband to resolve a lot of what happened here - he did hurt Audrey with the secrets he was keeping and she deserved better. I can't wait to see what happens in book 2 of the series!

Historical drama with good characters and an interesting storyline. The reader will be intrigued by some of the twists and turns. A good read.

A great start to a series that I am definitely keen to continue reading! I wasn't entirely certain what to expect as this is my first read of Devlin, but it was a well written story with plenty of intriguing characters and hooks to keep pulling the narrative forward, and Devlin does an excellent job of balancing this book's plot with what is clearly going to be an overarching romance; giving the reader plenty to care about and be curious about going forward whilst still managing to wrap up the main mystery within this book.

The tone of the book is quite dark, but never so bleak that it feels miserable to read, and characters are well-drawn and easy to sympathise with. Marsden and Audrey have believable tension that doesn't feel rushed and both of their backstory's (Audrey's paranormal abilities and Marsden's presumed past scandals) are really interesting. I'm definitely curious to see where they're going to go, and anyone who is a fan of a slow-burn romance is sure to enjoy them.

Overall, it's a great book - I sat down and read it cover to cover in more or less one sitting - with a solid mystery, characters who you'll want to know more about, and a fast-paced narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Very good book! Audrey’s a duchess whose husband is accused of a grisly murder of an opera singer who’s supposedly his mistress. Audrey definitely knows this isn’t true ( she has a special ability) and starts her own investigation to free her husband. The arresting officer, Hugh, was raised by the aristocracy but had a dramatic exit from it. Audrey and Hugh eventually work together and trust each other with secrets to figure out the truth. I thought this book was great, every character had a great back story. A must read! I can’t wait to read the next in the series!

This was a great start to a new series. I’m a real sucker for historical mysteries and this one just hit all the right spots. The Duchess of Fournier must use her brains, courage, and supernatural skills to save her husband who has been arrested for killing an opera singer. She works alongside the interesting and attractive Bow Street runner, Hugh Marsden, to try to figure out who framed her husband.

There are so many great historical mystery series these days that arrange to have a slow-burn romance develop between the two protagonists over a number of books and Cara Devlin has hit a home run with this new entry. I can’t wait to find out how the mutual attraction between the Duchess and the Runner will develop and what further mysteries they will solve together.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I've read quite a few mysteries set in 19th century England featuring a male/female sleuth pairing, and I was expecting this to be similar to the Veronica Speedwell series or the Wrexford & Sloane mysteries, and in some ways it was, but it does have an extra element that sets it apart. Audrey Sinclair, duchess and wife of an accused murderer, has a supernatural ability to touch an object and see what are essentially memories, or images of things the object would have witnessed. It's pretty handy for solving mysteries but typically hasn't been received well by Audrey's family or society in general, which is part of why she was secretly committed to an institution for two years. After her release (and several years before the events of this book), she married her childhood friend, the Duke of Fournier, and they vowed to keep each other's secrets. She knows that he did not brutally murder the opera singer whose body was found in rooms he rented while he cowered in the corner in a daze, and she works hard to convince Bow Street Officer Hugh Marsden of this. The end up investigating together, forming a begrudging alliance that ends up turning into more of a friendship. I enjoyed this and am looking forward to more!

Well written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters. The author did a great job of taking the reader back to the regency era with the bow street runners and so forth. A good level of mystery, suspense and twists also kept me guessing.

Being a lover of the historical crime / mystery novels of C.S Harris, Ambrose Parry, Anna Lee Huber and Anne Perry and Tasha Alexander I was eager to try Murder at the seven dials by Cara Devlin hoping it would stand up to those. It certainly did.

A great read well written and researched with plenty of twists and turns. Apart from the main story with a gory murder of an opera star to solve the two main characters Hugh and Audrey had interesting back stories themselves. These were tantalisingly dangled and we got to know Audrey's secret early on although by the end of the novel although you had some idea of Hugh's fall from grace it felt you still had not got to the bottom of what really happened. As usual there is an interesting will they won't they get together at play. But that plus getting to know Hugh's back story just gives more reason to want to read the next one to see if there is more detail as I don't suppose Hugh's story was as straightforward as it seemed.

The other characters of Sir and Dr Thornton supported the story well and I am sure will feature in many more of the series to come.

This was definitely one to read for lovers of this genre and I will be reading more in the series as they come out. The brief introduction to the next one at the end of this novel made me want to download the next.

An opera singer is found murdered and nearby, a duke covered in her blood. His wife, however, is convinced of his innocence and sets out to prove it.

A solid historical mystery, although not my favorite characters!

An interesting debut....the mystery was intriguing but at the same time predictable: murder of someone considered low class in order to protect the secrets of someone of upper crust society. The only thing that I couldn't really enjoy was the duchess's unique gift. I'm not one for supernatural things, so it was weird to me that she could glean information from left over energy. Again, the plot was interesting...just not really my type of historical mystery.

What's not to love? A duchess with a strange gift collides with a Bow Street officer with a chip on his shoulder. I'm a fan of Anne Perry mysteries, and even the title snagged my attention. The dark alleys and the flashy opera boxes of 19th century London serve as the setting of this well-drawn story.

I'm not sure whether to label the duchess's gift as "paranormal." She herself calls it "energy" that lingers with objects. The story doesn't have a true paranormal vibe. The duchess is merely at risk for being misunderstood--she was thrown into an asylum at one point and keeps her secret safe. Her husband knows. He keeps her secret and she keeps his.

I loved the way the main characters changed during the course of the book. Kinda like Pride and Prejudice. Only the duchess takes Mr. Darcy's role and the officer is Elizabeth Bennet. A great start to a series!

There are adult themes in this book (for example, mentions of homosexuality). And of course there is a bloody murder. But the author manages to keep things in the PG-13 realm overall, and I am thankful for that.

I received a free pre-publication copy for review but my opinions are my own.

In 1819 London, Hugh Marsden of Bow Street, is called to rooms in Seven Dials. The victim was an opera singer and in the room was the Duke of Fournier, bloody and with the murder weapon. Marsden is certain that Fournier is guilty but Audrey Sinclair, the Duchess, knows that her husband is innocent. She has a gift that she is keeping secret and knows that Bow Street will not look any further for the culprit, so she decides to investigate. Marsden tries to stop her but she is determined and soon they are working toward the truth.
A Regency murder mystery that has interesting characters who are keeping secrets. And a well thought out story line.
Thank you NetGalley and First Cup Press for this e-galley of "Murder at Seven Dials".

Gory murder in early 19th century England. Apparent murdered found with the body. Duchess of Fournier, his wife, 'knows' that he's innocent, Bow Street Runner Hugh Marsden thinks otherwise. Intriguing aspects to the murder and social history while the two very different people clash during the investigations. A promising start to a series.. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A cute quick historical fiction meets mystery novel (novella?) that kicks off what seems like is a great series! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

What a read!! I have a bit of an obsession with regency-based novels, but most aren't worth talking about. This one though was fascinating to read. It had a bit of everything and at the end of it, I wished that there was more of the Duchess and Officer Marsden to read about. Their dynamic was kind of addicting to see, from enemies to reluctant allies to friends. It was paced perfectly with the ongoing plot. Another thing I loved about this book was the descriptions. I was able to picture the settings perfectly which made the read even more enjoyable. Can't wait to see the next book in the series!

“There is an excuse - there is the truth”
“Another creature resides within you, my dear … it sees what others cannot”
This series has the potential to become my favourite historical mystery series of all time !!!
A new version of a Sherlock Holmes duo with his Dr. Watson, the Duchess Audrey and the officer Hugh are probably now my favourite couple of investigators for murder crimes!!!!
I absolutely loved this book!!
I fell for the characters, for their dynamics and for the plot itself that was more than interesting !!!
I have to say that by a certain point I had guessed the culprit but overall, the final discovery was made sweeter by the newly trust forced by forced proximity between a police officer , tainted by his own past scandals, and a duchess with a complicated relationship with her husband and a secret of herself to keep.
Plus I have to admit that I very much appreciated how the author dealt with some very difficult topics that society at that time did everything to hide and pass as abominations.
I enjoyed very much how the story developed in time and how these two main characters worked with each other and the prospect of other books to come with them … it’s absolutely thrilling !!!
“The insufferable woman and her bloody investigation”

I enjoyed this book a lot, although it started stronger for me than it ended. The genre is mystery, but there's a slow-burn romance simmering under the surface that I imagine will have a payoff in a future installment.

The Duchess of Fournier's husband is accused of killing an opera singer believed to be his lover. The duchess is sure he neither had an arrangement with the singer nor killed her. The Bow Street Runner who was alerted to the death, and was first on the scene, is convinced the duke is guilty. He was found covered in blood and catatonic.

The duchess, Audrey, has the ability to perform psychometry -- touch items and read their histories -- and decides to use this skill to prove her husband's innocent. The Bow Street Runner keeps discovering her in the process of her investigation, and almost seamlessly, they begin working together.

I really liked the opening of the book, which felt gritty and dark, but that tone for long periods gave way to what felt a little more of a romance novel vibe. I also like, love, romance novels, but the beginning kinda sold me on the idea of something grittier. I mean, there's a lot at stake, more death, guns, and I'm in no way saying it's tame. The autopsy scene was plenty gross!

The mystery kept my interest steady. This book reminded me a little of the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas, and those mysteries work a little better for me in terms of surprises and misdirects, but the mystery here worked well.

The dialogue and use of Regency vernacular really worked for me. I went down a lot of historical rabbit holes as a result, which is a thing I like, and those details set the mood for me. I think it's the quality that made me know I'd enjoy the book.

I liked Audrey, and Marsden, and their chemistry. And I know I'm interested in what happens in future books. I'd like to see Audrey come into her own. This could be a really good series.