*3 1/2 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"You can always declare me another hysterical woman."

It's hard being an independent women in 1885 London especially when dealing with the consequences Of Manners and Murder: A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery Book One by cozy mystery author Anastasia Hastings. Violet's aunt drops a bomb when she leaves on a cruise with her gentleman friend and has Violet take over answering her Dear Miss Hermione letters; the most popular advice column. Violet had no idea her aunt was the secretive author. Of course her first letter is from Ivy who thinks someone is trying to kill her. Worried Violet visits Ivy only to arrive the day of her funeral!

I was awed by narrator Mia Hutchinson-Shaw who easily switched from prim and proper to whiny spoiled brat as Violet's half sister. I saw the murderer a mile away but it was still a fun Victorian mild manner murder mystery.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Set in 1885 London Violet is given the job of taking over for her Aunt who is Miss Hermine the Agony Aunt writter.
Violet receive her first letter that about a girl who is afraid someone is trying to kill her.
Before she can even answer the fist leter she receive a second even sounding more frantic. and the writer ends up dead.
Good iintrigue mysstery,drama and a lit of possibel suspects .
Good all around mystery suspense,
Voluntaril reviewed. Narrator was good.

3.5 stars rounded up! Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings was the first book in a new historical fiction cozy mystery series called Dear Miss Hermione. It was set in London in the late 1800’s. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Anastasia Hastings has written many books. This was the first of her books that I had the opportunity to read. She uses various pen names but the author’s real name is Connie Laux. I enjoyed the many twists and funny moments in Of Manners and Murder. It was fast paced and the characters were likable for the most part.

Violet and her sixteen year old half sister Sephora were living with their Aunt Adelia in London. One day Adelia decided on the spur of the moment and with no prior warning to just go off to the continent with her current boyfriend. Before she left, Aunt Adelia confessed to Violet that she was the notorious Miss Hermione. Violet was shocked by this admission. She had never suspected that Aunt Adelia was Miss Hermione, the clever columnist who gave advice to those that sought it. Violet was more shocked though when her aunt relinquished the responsibility of her column to Violet in her absence. What did Violet know about giving advice? How could she fill the shoes of the clever and respected Miss Hermione? Violet had no choice. She told herself that she was capable and would be able to do it.

Violet jumped in with both feet and reached for the first piece of correspondence. She was expecting to read some romance dilemma but instead Violet opened a letter from a woman named Ivy Armstrong. Ivy lived in a small village not too far from London called Willingdale. She was terribly afraid that someone was purposely trying to hurt her or worse. Newspaper clippings were included with her plea for help. On each newspaper clipping, Ivy had circled the picture of the people she suspected of trying to hurt her. Oh my! This was not what Violet had expected. Violet knew that she had to go to Willingdale to help Ivy figure this out without giving away her identity. When Violet arrived in Willingdale, she discovered that Ivy was dead. Was Ivy’s death a suicide or was she murdered? Violet was determined to find out. She would seek out all the people Ivy had indicated to her. There were plenty of suspects. Would Violet be able to figure out how Ivy died and who if anybody had a hand in her fate?

The chapters alternated between Violet and her half sister, Sephora and were told from their POV’S. Sephora’s character, her shrill voice and annoying responses really bothered me. I found Sephora to be very superficial, quite gullible and not very bright. Sephora’s world revolved around herself, fashion, romance and finding a rich husband. She was so shallow. Hopefully, her character will improve. There were other characters, though, that I enjoyed very much. Surprisingly, Violet became quite adept at becoming Miss Hermione. I enjoyed reading some of the advice she wrote back to her readers. Near the end, Violet was offered a glimpse at romance. I hope that will be carried over to the next book in this series. She deserves happiness, too. I enjoyed listening to this book and look forward to the next book in this series. I recommend reading Of Manners and Murder if you enjoy books set in the Victorian era and cozy mysteries.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media LLC for allowing me to listen to the audiobook Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I really enjoyed reading this book, would read more and recommend

I loved this book. I listened to it thought audio book and it was impecitble. Also the person who read the book put so much character into the voices it makes the words dance in my brain.
Its a good mystery that you can follow prity well and have your own theories about. This is also a bit a romance which I enjoyed. I think a good book I would love to read again.
I recommend this to any one who enjoys mysteries and comedy. And if there is any one like me who love romance and mystery it perfect.

Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings
Narrator, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
This was an entertaining Victorian era mystery with a cute premise of a reluctant Agony Aunt getting involved in the murder of a writer of a letter she receives. It may not be absolutely historically accurate as some have mentioned but I’m not bothered by that so much. I will likely read the or listen to the next book.
The narrator was ok, not fabulous and not terrible

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of Of Mmanners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings. This was a fun audiobook. Violet is a strong character. She sets out to solve a murder.

Violet has been left in charge of Miss Hermione. Miss Hermione is an advice column located in London. The very first letter she receives sends Violet on a trip to discover the problem. It tends to be more than she bargained for.

This story reminds me a great deal of Agatha Christie. It is overly dramatic in places and it is a bit predictable. Yes, I find Agatha Christie’s novels the same way. But, that does not mean it does not serve its purpose.

I did love the time period and Violet is definitely a strong, smart woman. She is also nosey enough to get herself into a spot of trouble. I also found Violet’s sister, (I have forgotten her name) an absolute riot. And the narrator played her so well. She fit this time period to a “T”.

So, need a trip down the Agatha Christie trail…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Of Manners and Murder is the perfect cozy mystery to curl up with on a cold night! This book is exactly what I look for in a comfort read. It has a strong female lead, a great setting and an intriguing mystery. When Violets Aunt Adelia runs off to America with her latest love interest, she tasks Violet with taking over her role as London’s favorite Agony Aunt, “Miss Hermoine.” Violet gets more than she bargained for when the first letter she receives pulls her into a dangerous mystery.

This novel is set in London in the mid 1800s and is written from a single point of view. Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I really liked how the author incorporated Miss Hermione’s letters and responses into the story. I also enjoyed the setting and thought the mystery was well done. The author throws enough suspicion on different characters that while I had suspicions, I could not be sure who the villain was.

I enjoyed the narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw! She changes her voice just enough so that you are able to recognize different characters. I also thought she did a good job of portraying a woman from this specific time period. The audio is 8.5 hours long and can be knocked out in a day or so, especially if you speed it up like I do.

While I enjoyed the story, I would have liked more background info on Violet. There are events in her past that are eluded to but not fully explained. I also felt that her love interest should have been introduced sooner and played a bigger role in the story. However, I’m hoping for more of both of these in the next novel!

I would recommend this novel to fans of Enola Holmes or Miss Scarlet and The Duke or anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries! Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy!

This book left me with mixed feelings. The premise was solid and the story was interesting throughout. It's a fun romp overall. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things that took away from my enjoyment of this book. The general lack of historical accuracy was frustrating (For example, they didn't have a maid accompany them? That would not happen, come on.) The relationship between the sisters was also distracting for me and the way they treated each other resulted in neither being very sympathetic.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

"Miss Hermione" is a help column that is secretly answered by Adelia, who before running off with with a companion, quickly tells her niece Violet about the column and that Violet will need to take over. The first letter Violet reads is from a bride who is following up on a previous "Miss Hermione" letter. The letter states that someone is trying to kill the bride. Violet is intrigued and wants more information and sets out into the English countryside to find the letter writer. Violet finds out more than she bargains for with murder, fraud, and an American. Along with her half sister Sephora, who's beau has disappeared, the sisters try to find the answers to their questions. Will they find answers or will they end up in a deadly situation from which they will never return.

I enjoyed the book with it's light mystery without anxiety ridden suspense. A reader can figure out what the end of Violet and Sephora's journey will look like but it is still an enjoyable journey. Young adults could also enjoy this book.

I started listening to the book at normal speed and then sped up to 2.0 and 2.5. The narrator was clear and portrayed the characters well.

#NetGalley and Dreamscape Media provided an advanced listeners copy

Received this as a audiobook ARC from NetGalley. I enjoyed the story overall. I thought that having Violet become an advice columnist, for the newspaper was a great way for her to start getting involved in the mystery. I enjoyed Violet’s character a lot, but I could’ve done without her sister’s character. I understand why she was put into the story, but overall I just found her kind of annoying. Would like to see Violet and her romantic interest be flushed out more in later books. There were enough twists in the story so that I couldn’t guess the ending overall, I felt like it was a really cute, cozy mystery set in the Victorian era. As far as the narration of the book, I thought the narrator did a good job at keeping the narration at a good pace to listen to.

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this audio book.

It's 1885 and Violets aunt left town and her Miss Hermione advice column for Violet to maintain. What Violet didn't expect was to be caught in the middle of the suspicious death of a local woman.

For fans of Miss Scarlett and the Duke you will enjoy the strong female protagonist.

Reads like a Victorian Era Nancy Drew mystery and I was not able to figure it out until nearly the end. While not entirely historically accurate in regards to how ladies behaved in this period of time it seemed like it was meant to be pushing the boundaries a little bit. It was very slow moving for almost the entire book untill about 75% in and the characters themselves didn't draw me in until Eli Marsh entered the scene. Violet is determined, independent and inquisitive. Once the story all came together and made sense it was really quite clever. I will definitely be reading the next in the series.

Very good mystery. The twists kept the plot moving and engaging. The beautiful happy ending begs for a sequel.

Of Manners and Murder is an exciting and well-written historical mystery. The main character, Violet, is likeable and intelligent and I really enjoyed the concept of her aunt dropping the advice column in her lap indefinitely. The narrator for the audio version also did and excellent job. I can't wait for more of this series.

* I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

I listened to this audiobook (courtesy of NetGalley and Dreamscape Media) and found it to be very well done. The audiobook is narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, who did a fantastic job. Just speaking about the quality of the audiobook, this is a great one.

As for the story itself, I found it to be entertaining and fun. The clues given along the way were paced appropriately, the characters were mostly enjoyable, and the red herrings helped throw you off at times. One thing I did not like was the feminist ideology throughout in a period were this was not normal. It did not stick to the historical aspect with the overt feminism. Overall, I consider this a cozy mystery that anyone can enjoy, especially if you need a palette cleanser or are in a reading rut.

I am excited that this is the start of a new series because I loved this story. The characters were great, the mystery had plenty of potential solutions, and the solution was clever.

I really enjoyed Violet's clever wit, and it was fun to scoff at Sephora's silliness. Because there were so many suspects, you had to follow along with Violet's encounters and discoveries to come to the right conclusion. Otherwise, you could easily jump to the conclusion that it was someone else who committed Ivy's murder.

This was a well-executed mystery, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Anastasia Hastings, St. Martin's Press, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Such a fun cozy mystery- like a cross between Miss Marple and Bridgerton. I loved the “Dear Hermione” letters and Violet was a super-likeable MC. The Sephora POV segments could be a bit tedious, but her character was necessary for the storyline. The mystery itself was very clever- I’m excited for future installments! Loved the audio.

This was a good mystery. I thought parts if it were funny too. It’s crazy how men treated women! This was narrated well!