I took a little break from my reading list books and read this one. It’s a cute historical murder mystery. I liked it. The perfect break.

'1885: London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands.

And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead.

She'll quickly discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, both marauding husbands and murder are par for the course.'
________________________

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.

I thought the voice acting was good and the story was interesting enough. If I wasn't reading with audiobook format however, I'm not certain that I would have stuck with it. Or at the very least I probably would have left it for a while before going back to it.

There was nothing really wrong with this book, it was only that it felt very much like so many other stories. Young women fighting again the societal norms and restrictions of her day because she has some pluck, unlike the vapid young women around her. It's tried and true, but nothing new at all. If you're going to read it, go for the audiobook.
_____

I would like to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sharing the audio format of Of Manners and Murder written by Anastasia Hastings and narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. This is my honest review.

It’s 1885 and if one wants advice, especially women, they write to Miss Hermione, an advice columnist. Needless to say, when Violet learns that the identity of Miss Hermione is her Aunt Adelia, she is surprised; that surprise grows when Violet is asked to take over as Miss Hermionie so her aunt can go on a trip. Jumping in with both feet, Violet reads her first letter from a woman named Ivy. Ivy believes someone wants her dead and when Violet travels to the village where Ivy lives, she finds that she is too late, Ivy is dead, and Violet is determined to uncover the truth of what happened.

Of Manners and Muder, the first in the Miss Hermionie series, is a fun little mystery. I liked the characters, especially Violet; she is a strong, independent, determined woman. It is a fast-paced novel for the most part, and it kept me hooked right from the start. While most of the story is told from the perspective of Violet, there are also some chapters narrated by her sister Sephora. While I liked seeing the events through the eyes of more than one character, I honestly disliked Sephora. She is shallow, superficial, and concerned only with finding a man; I hope her character improves in the subsequent novels in the series. 

While I enjoyed the audiobook, just as I disliked the character of Sephora, I also disliked the voice used for her within her chapters. It was whiny and shrill, and while it was probably the correct voice for a character such as she, I found the voice annoying. It was also a little slow in the narration (an opinion I hold for almost every audiobook I listen to); I sped it up a little. That being said, I did enjoy the narration. Hutchinson-Shaw creates emotion and suspense in her voices, inflection and pace, and I can’t wait to listen to the next Miss Hermione novel.

I loved this book. I got the audio for this book and cannot recommend it more. The cozy feel of the whole story, along with the time period and the mystery was beautiful and I want to read more from the author in the future.

This is a fun beginning to a new cozy mystery series! I really enjoyed the anonymous letters to "Dear Miss Hermione" as a storytelling element. Some letters related directly to the mystery, moving the plot along. Others served as a way to help give character development and personality to the reader. The main character is a strong-willed, independent amateur sleuth, and it was fun to follow along with her as she digs into the mystery.

I enjoyed the audiobook - the narrator was perfect, and the pacing was good. I look forward to the next book in the series!

4 stars- I enjoyed this as an audiobook! Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.

This is the first book in a Victorian era cozy mystery series.  Violet learns that her aunt has been secretly running an advice column, and now she has to take over it while her aunt takes a trip to the continent.  This story is told from both Violet and Sephora's POVs, this made for an interesting story since even though these two are half sisters they have vastly different personalities.  Violet is more like a bluestocking, where Sephora is your typical Victorian debutant.  

Even though I was easily able to guess who committed the murder early on, I still had fun reading the story. For me, there were no real surprises, but I enjoyed seeing these sisters grow a little and lean to trust each other's strengths. There were some things that did not quite fit well with this time period, however sometimes you just have to let that go to enjoy the story. For example, Violet somehow running around without a lady's maid. Due to the household they came from, she should have had one trailing after her as she gallivants around London and beyond. The same goes for Sephora, but then she would get so deep in trouble if there was one. So I get it.

I hope that the love interest that is teased for Violet makes an appearance in future books because I really like him for her.  

If you are in the mood for a fun Victorian era cozy mystery, you should give this one a try.

I picked this up for a historical cozy mystery adventure and that’s exactly what it delivered. I adored the FMC and thought her amateur investigative skills were realistic. I loathed the sister as she was completely daft and annoying. I understood her use in the mystery but she should have never been given random chapters in her POV. Not only did it gave away the twist as effectively as shouting the culprit’s name in a quiet library, but it solidified how dim-witted the sister truly was (my least favorite character type). The budding romantic relationship was okay but it was introduced fairly late so I didn’t care for it, but it might be fun to explore in later books now that it’s established.

Audio: 👍🏼👍🏼 (really liked)
Narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw

Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Fabulous historical fiction and a wonderful start to a new series. I really enjoyed the voice actor and her ability to change her voice to suit each character, she was able to really bring the story to life. I enjoyed the strong female protagonists and felt that the author did an excellent job with the character development. There were several mini plots with one major plot and they all connected. I loved that there was a Dear Miss Hermione, a historical equivalent to a Dear Miss Manners. An excellent way to show a little bit of female empowerment, historically speaking. I really enjoy historical fiction and this author did a wonderful job blending in historical fiction along with mystery and murder. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I didn't know I needed a mystery featuring an agony aunt until I read this one. England in 1885 is a great setting for this series, and Violet is a great lead character. I understand why Sephora was there but to be honest, the sections from her point of view didn't add much for me. But I loved the rest so much (independent aunts! supportive housekeeper, dashing Americans!) I will read book 2.

I’m officially in my historical cozy mystery era and this one was such a win. Definitely one of the best that I’ve read lately and I’m so glad that I was approved for this audio. I listened to the entire thing in two sittings because I couldn’t put it down and was so curious as to what was going on.

The thing that I love most about cozy mysteries is the characters and their relationships, and this one really nails that. I especially love the relationship between the sisters Violet and Sephora. They have such a believable up and down relationship and I loved the dynamic between them. I also really enjoyed the way that the side characters played a part in their interactions, especially their housekeeper. The romance in here is also really good, it’s subtle and I honestly didn’t think that there was going to be any but it felt really natural and I think that it’ll be a great element in later books.

The mystery here is really good as well, the premise makes it sound a bit different than what it is I think. The Dear Miss Hermione column definitely sets up the mystery but it didn’t play as big a part as I was anticipating. That’s not a negative though because it all flowed really well and kept me guessing the entire way through. Honestly I had no idea what was going to happen until the very end and I loved it.

Seriously this was just such a win, I was so invested in this story and all the twists and turns it took and really can’t wait for more books in this series!

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced audiobook of Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC.

Before I start talking about the story itself, I would like to mention that Mia Hutchinson-Shaw might be my new favorite narrator. She brought the book and characters to life, and I loved listening to her voice. In the future, I would give any audiobook a try just because she is narrating it. Her narration was that enjoyable.

Thankfully, the writing was just as good as the narration. Violet and Sephora were such fun characters. Distinct and headstrong in two very different ways. And while I did guess some of the overall mystery halfway through, it didn't detract from the story. I give this book 5/5 stars.

This was a pleasant surprise! What an entertaining read. The characters were wonderful and really came to life. This was my first historical cozy mystery and I had a lot of fun with it. I wanted to figure out the killer right along with Violet and kept rooting her on! OveraIl, I would definitely recommend to anybody looking for a fun, light, character driven mystery.

When Violet is left to act as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," she never expects to do anything more serious than respond to distressed letters from silly young ladies. Her first letter, however, is from a lady who fears for her life. Unable to get the letter out of her mind, Violet decides to visit the lady in person, only to discover the lady already dead. Discovering the truth becomes Violet’s goal, but will she draw danger to herself and her family?

This was a fun beginning to a series. Violet made an intriguing character to follow. Her background as the daughter of a colonel who traveled to different countries made her bold and curious. She does have a bit of a disdainful attitude towards the interests of other young ladies (fashion and reading books). I enjoyed watching her search out clues and put them together, even if I had guessed the answer already.

There were two things that kept this from being a five star listen for me. One was a minor detail: Violet’s habit of referring to people she just met by their first name, especially gentlemen. I’m not sure why she did that, and every time it happened, my confusion took me out of the story. And the other was the inclusion of a few chapters from her sister Sephora’s point of view. I did not enjoy them at all, and I really didn’t see what they added to the story.

Overall, I had a lot of fun listening to this. The narrator made the characters come alive. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy historical mysteries.

This was a DNF for me. These characters are very 2 dimensional. The sisters are stereotypes and not overly likable. The story wasn't compelling enough to get me past the frustration with the characters.

This was a fun read and very different than other cozy mysteries I have read. The setting in Victorian times is enjoyable and the headstrong and robust character of Violet is a breath of fresh air. There is a witty tone throughout as Violet navigates new terrain as the author of an advice column while also solving a mystery.

This is the first book in a series and I will definitely be reading future books.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

If you enjoy a good Victorian era mystery with plucky female characters who break the mold of Victorian society in the most interesting of ways, then this is a really great book to read. There is a mystery, murder, intrigue, parties, flirting, sass, all surrounding an intriguing cast of characters and London backdrop.

As far a characters go, Violet was fun. She was willing to break the mold because of her father's upbringing of her, but honestly I found her to be tedious at times. She was stubborn to the point where she didn't take in the drama that normal occupies a person's mind and I understand that's where her sister comes in, but I couldn't help but be frustrated with her a little bit. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I think partly it was her relationship with her sister that did frustrate me. Sephora is the polar opposite of Violet and I also found her to be frustrating. Irritatingly so until the end, she proved to have brains but she never really seemed to use them. I suppose she's sixteen and no sixteen-year-old usually uses her brains especially when taught not to. The Miss. Hermione column was an interesting touch that I really appreciated and did enjoy, though it had a strange part in the story and seemed to completely be forgotten as the book continued until randomly near the end.

As an audiobook, this was well done and I enjoyed it. The narrator did a great job with the voices and I was sucked into the story. I want to give this book more than a 3.5 and overall the story was really well done, however, the middle was quite predictable and dull and I did figure out the mystery by the time I reached about half way through, which was unfortunate since nothing was a surprise at that point. However, it was an enjoyable story and if you can make it through to the end, the characters finding their way through to the end is really quite enjoyable, though some of the characters at the end being thrown in just confused me as to their relevance but I digress. This book gets a 3.5 out of 5 from me.

Of Manners and Murder is the first book in a new historical cozy mystery series by Anastasia Hastings. Set in London during the late 1800’s. Violet suddenly finds herself in charge of the extremely popular “Miss Hermione” column when her Aunt runs away with her latest paramour. When her first letter spikes her curiosity with its fear of something dark brewing Violet, it turns out, is already too late, Ivy, our letter writer, is already dead. Thus begins Violet’s search for answers.
The audiobook was well narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. The story had me sucked in right away as I found Violet a delightful protagonist. While I can’t say that this story was anything super new it had just enough intrigue to keep me invested all the way through. The one thing that I found rather off putting were the chapters in Sephora’s POV, while in the end this helped me figure out the whodunit I just found myself rushing through these chapters eager to get back to Violet’s POV. Overall a great start to a new series.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that there was going to be a new cozy mystery series set in late 1800’s London, I was excited. I really enjoyed this book and while this isn't the most historically accurate book, it's a fun romp. I enjoyed Violet as a character, though she does come off as judgmental at times. It was nice to read a historical where the main female character doesn't expect help OR need help from a man.
And while a man does help at the end, he is not the focus and isn't the entire reason for their success.

While I understood why this story was done in dual POV, I didn't really enjoy Sephora's perspective. I found Sephora to be shrill and annoying and everything about her really bothered me. She was written to be very superficial, slightly stupid, and completely gullible. I did figure out the main plot twist very early on and I think that it was mostly in part to Sephora's chapters. It was very obvious that her love interest wasn't who he said he was. But I'm not sure that her POV really added anything of substance to the book.

Overall, I thought this was a well-written and well-told mystery. I will definitely be continuing on with the series once book two comes out.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the audio-arc of this book!

This cozy mystery was absolutely delightful. I loved all of the regency vibes mixed with an Agatha Christie type mystery, and the Dear Miss Hermione advice column was the perfect addition. I had no idea how the mystery was going to end, and the conclusion was both surprising and satisfactory. Overall I would highly recommend!