I really enjoyed this book. I admit I am a sucker for a strong female MC led book.

The MC, Violet, has to take over her Aunt’s “Dear Hermione” newspaper column and it leads her to investigating a woman’s death. There’s a few curveballs thrown in, but it is a cosy mystery so it’s nothing too dire (which I consider a plus).

I’m looking forward to reading other books in this series as they’re released.

I received a copy of this audiobook for a honest review from NetGalley.

I loved this book. The sisters are so real and annoying in that teenager way. I can't wait to read more about them. The mystery was very good. In fact I should say mysteries as there are multiple deceptions going on.

Of Manners and Murder is an adorable little mystery that unfolds after Violet is left to fill in for a beloved aunt's "Agony Aunt" column. Violet was a fun, inquisitive character who is careful in her investigation. Her sister, however, is vapid to the point of disbelief.

Delightful audio narration!

This was a delightful mystery! I loved Violet’s courage and wit throughout the book. I cannot wait to read the next one. I thought the narration was well done but Sephora’s character seemed almost over the top silly. She may not have come across so ninnyheaded in the print version. I am still so caught up in the book that I’m thinking with Victorian era sayings!

Enjoyable quaint mystery although quite predictable. The book’s plot is simplistic so it’s a perfect listen for a snowy day or when you’re trying to get a number of errands done. I am likely to recommend this title to cozy mystery lovers.

3.5 stars

This book was just NOT it for me, unfortunantely. I tried so hard to stay focused because I HATE to DNF ARCs. However, I got over 50% through this one and just couldn't do it anymore. The narrator was phenomenal. The characters, though, were selfish in their own ways and Sephora was so bratty and entitled. I couldn't go on. It's very rare that I DNF a book in the first place. Maybe this just wasn't the book for me. I'm not sure. The storyline was slow, as well.

3 stars

At times this has a slightly silly & contrived plot, but if you can ignore that this should be an enjoyable murder mystery with lots of quirky characters.

[What I liked:]

•This is a charming and entertaining mystery story. I especially think the framing of having the MC find her investigations through her work as an Agony Aunt is cute & original.

•There were enough suspects & complications to keep the mystery interesting until the end. Despite all the contrivances in the plot, the core of the mystery was solid.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•At times the light hearted framing & narration clashes with the tragic secrets that are being revealed as the investigation progresses. Probably the overall light tone is meant to give comic relief, but it risks trivializing the tragedy & discrimination certain characters face in the story.

•There are some inaccuracies concerning historical fashion that I’m going to be petty about. The MC says she doesn’t wear *any* petticoats for the sake of comfort, but it’s actually more comfortable & practical to wear at least one under a long skirt (to prevent friction & chafing, to absorb sweat so you don’t have to launder the outer garment as much, to improve airflow under heavy skirts, etc.)

Also, the men’s garment that goes over a shirt and under a jacket is called a waistcoat, not a vest.

•Eli Marsh & the smitten Constable are contrived characters that pop up suddenly when someone needs to be rescued. I wish they had been integrated into the story a bit better. Also the MC’s romance with Marsh was a bit forced & rushed at the end.

•I can’t stand the MC’s younger sister. She’s so over the top & ridiculous I can’t take her seriously.

CW: murder, medical abuse, suicide, infidelity, mental illness, substance abuse, sexism

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Pleasant ear read, the narration is clear yet varied. I liked the unconventional reveal in the first act, but thought the pacing was a bid meandering and slow in places. This is not a big whodunit, but the characters were pleasant enough if a bit thin.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for providing me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

While I found the book mildly entertaining the author let us know far too much much too early for there to be any hint of a surprise in the reveal. It was all too obvious. I would have removed the chapters that were in the first person for Sephora because it made it even more clear to me. I also disliked how the narrator portrayed weepy Sephora. Fairly grating.

Not one that I can highly recommend but if you’re looking for a whodunnit where you can definitely guess the ending, this works!

Bridgerton meets Lady Emily. This was such a fun and easy read. I can’t wait to read the next one. This is the first one in I hope a long series. Highly recommend.

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5

1885, England - Violet’s aunt is secretly the author of the Dear Miss Hermione advice column in the newspaper and with no warning, she dumps this responsibility onto Violet, so she can hightail it out of England with a lover for a while. She wants Violet to start by tackling one particular letter-writer’s messages and this becomes the basis for the mystery Violet winds up investigating. This is a fun concept for a series and I mainly enjoyed it. Violet is a strong, independent-minded young woman, who is more interested in going to a museum than in fashion and other “typical” feminine interests. She has a very naive younger half-sister, Sephora, who I found rather annoying. She does seem to grow up a bit by the end of the book so I’m not totally writing Sephora off as a character. There’s also a potential love interest for Violet, who, although in her 20s, is considered a spinster by the standards of the era.

There were a number of plot holes along the way, however, and those took me out of the story a bit. But I liked it well enough to consider checking out the next book in the series when it gets published.

Thank you to to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw did a good job with all the voices and accents.

All opinions are my own.

I reviewed this book in electronic format. This review is for the audio version. I enjoyed the narrator. I enjoyed this book. I really liked the “Dear Abby” premise. Violet’s aunt Adelia runs off with her boyfriend for an extended holiday and leaves her advice column “Dear Hermione” in her nieces hands while she is away.

First we must suspend our knowledge of what life was like for women in the mid 1800s as Violet and her half sister traipse around England on their own while their aunt is with a boyfriend… once you can look past that the book is really enjoyable! I like how quickly Violet picks things up, although I am sad that her relationship with her sister is so strained.

Violet reads her first “Dear Hermione” letter and learns that a young woman named Ivy is in trouble. They travel to Ivy’s location and find out that she is dead of suspected suicide. Violet knows something is off and is determined to bring justice to Ivy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins Press for an ARC of this audio book

This was a delightful read! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the audiobook alc. The narrator was perfect for the dual POV and different voices for the characters. She really nailed down Violet’s wit and Sephora’s immaturity. 😂
✉️
Violet considers herself a blue stocking spinster and isn’t about to change anything when her aunt tells her she’s leaving for a trip and that Violet is ready to take on the family business of answering questions from women to the newspaper column. The first letter Violet opens hints at attempted murder and Violet sets off to find the author of the letter. Only when she gets to the town, she’s too late and is at the funeral. She’s determined to bring justice and solve the mystery.
✉️
I didn’t care for her younger half sister Sephora’s POV but like all mysteries- everyone is a key player and at the end it made sense. But I think the story would’ve been fine without it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It ends with the hope of romance to come so I’m excited to see these characters again.
✉️
I’m excited for this to be a new series and can’t wait to read more. This book released earlier this month. These are my own thoughts and opinions.
✉️
Content: mania, murder and kidnapping, nothing graphic or scary

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel "Of Manners and Murder" in exchange for an honest review. This is the first in an apparent series of historical mysteries set in London in 1885. This is one of my favorite settings as well as one of my favorite time periods. If you do know anything of the etiquette in this time period, you will need to really suspend belief to properly enjoy this story. We have a woman and her boyfriend vacationing together with no chaperone as well as several other young ladies digging into suspicious activities and placed in wild positions. This would never have been accepted of course but in the book other characters hardly bat an eye. The general plot of this book revolves around Violet learning that her aunt is behind the "Miss Hermione" advice column in the papers. Since her aunt is going off on a vacation with her boyfriend, she asks Violet to fill in and write the column while she is away. The first letter Violet gets is from a woman who is sure someone is out to murder her. So as any respectable woman of the period would do, she jumps into a carriage and travels to the woman's town to investigate. Seriously, I enjoyed this and tried hard to not roll my eyes at anything that would take us out of our period setting here. The mystery had some nice twists and a good bit danger. It is definitely a cozy mystery and if you like those, you will probably enjoy this one. I didn't love it though for the reason I have already mentioned but for a quick read it was fun and I would probably read the next installment.

This historical cozy mystery audiobook set in Victorian England happen to fall on my ears between my classic reads, Middlemarch and Emma... and it couldn't have been more perfect timing. It came when my brains were tired of dense proses and daily work tasks, to lift me up for a bit of escapism. The story is very enjoyable and have a bit of Nancy Drew feel to it, or maybe Enola Holmes. I think this book is suitable as YA as well. The main character, Violet, is in 20s, not an heiress and unmarried (some may consider her a spinster), tall, smart, and well-educated. Her aunt decides to leave her to write a news-paper column "Miss Hermoine" anonymously to pretend like "Dear Abby." She comes across a letter from Ivy, who confesses that she is in danger and in need of help. When Violet visit Ivy's village, Ivy was already dead. Did someone kill her?

First of all, the narrator Mia Hutchinson-Shaw does a superb job pulling you into a story. I found all main characters in this book likable, even vain half-sister Sephora adorable. I wish the housekeeper to be in more foreground, but this is a series so I am sure that is to come later in other books. The writing is smooth - not too complicated and lost in history, and Violet is adorable.

Is this a literary masterpiece? Not really, and I give 4.5 stars because it's perfect for "cozy mystery" genre. It's not a kind of a book I want to keep it and read it over and over again (it's a mystery after all) but I would definitely look forward to reading the next book. I would highly recommend if you are into historical cozy mystery! It was a perfect escape for me!

An advance copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. Opinions herein are my own.

This was a fun historical mystery with an exciting lead! I have high hopes for the continuation of this series because this was a fantastic first book. The two sisters' constant clashing did get on my nerves at times, so I hope future installments will allow them to build their relationship more and we will hopefully see growth from Sephora. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings was such a fun and engaging book. This audiobook was very fun to listen to as the orator was trying to differentiate between characters with different vocalized sounds.

The story about a niece that takes over for writing for an advice column for her aunt was so funny. I enjoyed how they brought a lot of the characters into the story and had you really rooting for them.

When the main character receives a letter from a girl asking for help with her marriage and the main character goes to meet with her and she is dead so starts our adventure. With mystery, intrigue, love and of course a damn solar too in distress you can't help but being engaged in this 19th century scandal.

I highly suggest either picking up a copy of the book for grabbing a copy of the audiobook and giving it a try.

I have to say I absolutely enjoyed this book. I love a Victorian era cozy mystery with a smart and independent female main character. Violet was charged with managing her aunts advice column Miss Hermione ( Dear Abby vibes). The first letter she receives is from a young woman that thinks she is in danger. She names multiple people in her town including her husband and the Vicar. Violet cannot help herself and gets thrown into quite a mystery. I hope there are more Miss Hermione books in the future they will be an auto buy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Anastasia Hastings for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC audiobook for Of Manners and Murder. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It’s 1885 in London, England. Aunt Adelia escapes secretly with her latest lover, leaving her niece Violet with a slew of unanswered questions. Aunt Adelia leaves Violet with her very popular advice column “Dear Miss Hermione.” 

The first letter Violet receives is full of problems she needs to solve. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. When Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy has already been killed. 

She'll soon discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in England, both roaming husbands and murder are just part of the job.

Overall, I loved this book! It was fun to listen to. I enjoyed the plot. I loved Violet’s character. She felt like a strong go-getter character without being annoying. The romance was subtle but hopefully it picks up in the second book. I think Sephora was a more annoying character. She was obsessed with Franklin and her parts seemed a little predictable. It was pretty obvious about Franklin.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Victorian murder mysteries!

This was a fun cozy mystery. Violet is filling in for her aunt as Miss Hermione who answers questions for readers of a women’s magazine regarding etiquette and other “women’s” issues. One of her first letters is from a woman named Ivy asking for help figuring out if someone is attempting to harm her. When Violet travels to try and see Ivy she finds out Ivy is recently deceased.

This book has an interesting cast of characters who all seem like plausible suspects. Violet is strong willed and tenacious. I enjoyed reading about her process and following along as she discovered clues. This is the first book in what looks will be an entertaining female detective series.

This is the perfect book if you’re looking for a lighter who done it Murder mystery.