Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a chance to read and review this book for an honest review. The writing style is light and witty. The characters are intelligent, adventurous, and intriguing. The plot is a bit predictable but I enjoyed the journey to get to the end.

If Jane Austin wrote a detective novel, this would be it. Light hearted but engaging. Women challenging their roles in society while solving crimes.
You are drawn In immediately as the main character is asked to take over her aunt’s advice column. This leads to an immediate alarm over a letter from a young woman who appears to be in danger. Unfortunately, they arrive too late to save her, but they are committed to finding out who the killer was.

A decent historical cozy mystery, though likely more appealing to those more interested in the manners than the murder.

In this light historical cozy, a young woman filling in as an Agony Aunt for her actual aunt stumbles into a murder mystery after taking an interest in a suspicious series of letter sent to her alter ego, Miss Hermione.

There’s a reason most historical cozies with female sleuths are set later than this, and that’s because this time period carries a lot
of constraints on how independently a woman can operate. This book definitely takes some liberties with that, which, while helpful for the plot and for the protagonist’s actions, feels like a bit of a stretch.

Her sister Sephora is much more a woman of her times, and unfortunately also so obnoxious that reading her POV chapters is pretty painful.

The mystery itself is fine and the pacing is also fine. I didn’t mind this, but I can’t see myself continuing the series.

Excellent regency era mystery with a varied cast of characters. Narration was spot on, but took some time to get used to as I don't normally listen to (or read) this genre. I appreciated the various perspectives of the time provided by the sisters, and how the gentlemen in the book were either attracted to or repelled by them. Violet and Sephora couldn't be more different and find themselves at either end of a confidence artist's game. By the resolution I was already looking forward to book 2 of the new Dear Miss Hermione series.

Looking for an entraining mystery set in 1800s London? With strong female lead?Well then this is the book for you!

Overall, the characters are likable and believable. While I won’t say it was unpredictable, I wasn’t able to piece together all the twists- which is a plus for me!

We mostly follow Violet, but we do also get parts from Sephora’s point of view. I appreciated the differences between the sisters. Violet is the older, serious sister while sixteen year old Sephora is ready to make a splash in society and to fall in love.

The story starts with Violet taking over her Aunt’s advice column. When she receives a strange letter seeking advice, she decides to visit the writer- only to discover a murder. Now she must determine who she can trust and who is the culprit. All while keeping her identity as Miss Hermione a secret.

The plot was fast paced, but did not feel rushed. I liked how we really got into Violet’s head and we’re able to understand her thought process. I will say if you are looking for romance, there isn’t much in this book- although it seems like one is being setup for later books.

Overall, I have this a 3.5 out of 5 stars (4 rounded up). This is an enjoyable cozy mystery. I looks forward to future installments in this series!

Thanks to Dreamscape Media LLC for giving me access to the audiobook Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An advice columnist acting as a detective to investigate the murder of one of her writers? Sign me up!

I enjoyed this book by a new to me author, it is a fun historical cozy mystery with an added newspaper advice column I thought was a fun touch. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to learning more about everyone in the next book. The story is told as a dual storyline with the sisters Violet and Sephora two very different women and you get a neat look at the time period from these two. I am sure we will see Violet and her the faithful Buntie (sp. audio) solving more crimes in the future!

Narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw was very well done each sister had her own voice and you always knew whose story was being told.

4 stars

I received this book from the publisher Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

The dual POV is my favorite and this book is a perfect example of why. I loved getting both perspectives from Violet and Sephora. The era was such a delight to read about. This was a really good cozy mystery.

As a new historical fiction cozy mystery I was super excited to start this. I felt like there just wasn't anything super special or bad about this book, it just didn't keep my interest enough to make me want to read the follow ups. I liked the story itself but wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to people unless they specifically state they like this exact genre.

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings is absolutely brilliant! Thrown into the roll of advice and agony columnist at the last second by her aunt, little does she know that a murder will be apon her full of twists and turns! Book 1 In the A Dear Miis Hermione Mystery series!

I received this ARC for a review.
I found this book entertaining and somewhat comical the entire way.
It’s wonderful to see woman fight for their independence.

This book was cute and I was hooked right from the beginning. I do so love a good strong female heroine, especially in historical fiction! I love the way Violet falls into writing the agony column and accidentally becomes an amateur detective! I can't wait for more of her books! Now I'm off to look for more books written by Anastasia Hastings to add to my ever-expanding TBR!

#OfMannersandMurder
#NetGalley

This is a very clever setup for a cozy mystery series and I can't wait to see where it goes! I will say, the only thing that gives this 4 stars instead of 5 is the sister, Sephora. She is incredibly shallow and obnoxious and her narrated sections were hard to get through. However, everything with the main heroine, Violet, was wonderful and she is a fabulous character. I hope as the books continue Sephora grows out of her shallow phase (we get a glimmer toward the end of the book) and is less irritating. I will definitely be picking up the rest of these as they're released. Fabulous!

In 1885 London, 25 year old Violet yearns to be a scholar but that is not a role available to young ladies. Violet’s father served in the British Foreign Service so Violet has lived all over the world. Her mother died when Violet was 12 and her father remarried an heiress and they had Sephora, her 17 year old half sister. Sadly, her father, mother and stepmother have all died and both young ladies are living with her somewhat bohemian Aunt Adelia. Adelia is Miss Hermione, an anonymous advice columnist who is popular because she provided answers that are blunt, realistic and not what a lady would normally say. Adelia is off on a tryst and has Violet fill as Miss Hermione. In the first batch of letters that Violet receives, Mrs. Ivy Armstrong is once again seeking help with her new marriage. Violet decides to visit Ivy but arrives at her village to find that Ivy is dead. Being an intelligent, independent woman, Violet feels she must investigate Ivy’s death and has suspicions that Ivy wasn’t clumsy and prone to accidents but that someone was trying to murder her and succeeded.
A large cast of characters are part of Violet’s investigation…other victims, potential suspects and accomplices. Along the way, Violet’s life is threatened, her sister is kidnapped and she meets an American who seems to know a lot about her and is devastatingly handsome.
I hope there are many more installments in this series which has started out so well.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review Of Manners and Murder.

Published: 02/16/23

This is not my favorite era to read. It's one thing to imagine a person getting up every day, needing help to dress several times a day, and reading about them. Women not strong enough to think and men chasing each other.

Author Anastasia Hastings and narrator Mia Hutchinson-Shaw (loved her) made this book enjoyable. I had read the first few chapters in a sampler, and wanted to read the rest.

The story reminded me of Downton Abby. The proper protocols, the attire, language and as previously mentioned weak females.

This was okay for me. I enjoyed the time listening. Basically, there is a murder, everyone is a suspect, blah blah blah.

I would recommend this for Masterpiece fans.

*A great start to a new Historical Cozy Mystery series with a spunky female lead character*

Audio ARC provided by Dreamscape Media / Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


It was high time I tried out the audiobook feature on Netgalley. Of Manners and Murder caught my eye because I love Historical Mysteries especially ones with smart female characters. (As a side note, I will absolutely be requesting more audio ARCs in the future. I love this new option!)

Of Manners and Murder is about a young woman in London, 1885. Orphaned and fast approaching spinsterhood but with no desire to marry, Violet is at the mercy of her richer relations. When her aunt runs off on an adventure, Violet is left to cover her Aunt Adelia’s secret job as London’s most popular agony aunt. Though her aunt assured her it would be an easy job to fill, Violet finds herself sucked into the storied behind the letters she receives. When one desperate writer reveals she fears someone is trying to harm her, Violet decides to investigate only to find the woman has been murdered.

I liked this take on the amateur sleuth. It’s always nice when authors find an angle other than someone investigating out of pure nosiness. I found Violet to be a compelling character. Having spent her younger years abroad, Violet had a much broader view (and less insular prejudice) than most of her peers. Her thirst for adventure and a life beyond the narrow trappings of a society lady made her a sympathetic character.

The story was told in first person, past tense and primarily from Violet’s point of view. But there were a few sections told from her half-sister Sephora’s point of view. And that was the main issue I had with the book. Just as the story was getting interesting and finding a good rhythm, the narrative switched to Sephora. And unfortunately, she was vapid, flighty, scatterbrained, and immature. Certainly, she was a product of her society. The story makes it clear that Sephora was raised to be a proper little trophy wife. With a fortune from her mother’s side of the family, Sephora had a very different upbringing and expectations than her poor, older half-sister. While I completely understand that she was a product of her times, I still found Sephora utterly obnoxious. Hopefully, her character will mature in future books, but she didn’t make a good first impression.

I will also mention that the story does have some anachronisms. For example, there is no way an unmarried teenage heiress would have had that much freedom to sneak around. But most of them were minor things, and none of them impeded my enjoyment of the story.

Other than that, Of Manners and Murder was an engaging, fast-paced mystery. The murder mystery itself wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it kept me guessing enough. And I flew through this story in little more than a day. The end events leave many opportunities for future books in the series, and I hope there are more to come! Which leaves me with the downside of reading ARCs: I wanted to binge straight into the next book in the series, but it hasn’t even been announced yet. This sadly means I’ll have to wait even longer to find out what Violet does next.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 5 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

I loved this historical cozy mystery! Violet has been recruited by her aunt to take over the Agony Aunt column known as “Miss Hermione”. One of the letters sends Violet off on an adventure to catch a murder. I will absolutely be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the series!

A delightful mystery! Many of the women in this book may be a bit ahead of their time—I’m not sure that they could have legitimately gotten away with doing some of these things in 1885—but I enjoyed their adventures a great deal. Violet is an intrepid protagonist and well suited for new role as advice columnist “Dear Miss Hermione,” even when it involves trying to solve a murder. The audiobook was narrated beautifully, capturing a variety of voices, and was very enjoyable. I especially loved the ending of this book; the way in which the storylines wrapped up and tied together was excellent. If this is indeed the first in a new series I will look forward to Violet’s next adventure. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Of Manners and Murder is a fun lighthearted who-dunnit historical mystery. The perspective goes between Violet, who has taken up the role of the mysterious Miss Hermione- an advice columnist in Victorian London, and Violet’s half sister Sephora. Violet’s first letter is from a repeat writer named Ivy who is worried someone is trying to kill her. When Violet goes to the small town to visit Ivy, she finds Ivy is dead. Violet poses as Ivy’s friend from school and tries to figure out what happened to her.

I enjoyed this book! It was very lighthearted and a good setup for a mystery series. There’s the slightest hint of a future romance which will be fun to see how that plays out. Sephora is (I believe) 16 and still very immature so that got a little annoying but it makes sense for the story and the narrator did a great job voicing her. I’m excited to read more in this series!

This was so good! I love an entertaining cozy historical murder mystery!

What I liked the most was the MC Violet is actually written as intelligent. The last several books that I have read that had a female MC were made into morons. It was so frustrating to see this as a common occurrence. So this was big relief. Also, she was charming and witty which is a big plus.

It looks like this book will be the start of a series which makes me super happy. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!