I really enjoyed this book. Lady Helena is in mourning her beloved husband has just died and befitting the age the book is in, a period of mourning is observed.
She is a wealthy woman in her own right, but now she has her brother trying to organise her business and arrange suitable matches. She uses her mourning to reignite her passion of plants and their healing properties,
When a troubled young girl on her estate gets into trouble, she goes against her families wishes and helps but in turn unearths some truths she would rather not have known.
A lovely read.

I love historical fiction, especially mysteries and this one did not disappoint. Based in the victorian era, I loved following Helena as she investigated her husbands murder.

A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

I love historical fiction and mystery, and this book combines the two perfectly. It checks off all of the boxes I look for in the perfect book.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

Satisfying and fascinating read with such a strong female character. With the death of her husband and not want to be married again, she goes on a adventure. Going against her family wishes and pushes through to start her new live by solving mysteries that others cant. Great start to amazing series ahead. Can’t wait to see what comes with the upcoming books.

This is the first in a series and it was a very good start. It involves a female investigator investigating her own family. It is set in the late 19th Century in Sussex, England and follows Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy who three years previously was married to Sir Justin Whitcombe. He was the second love of her life after her first died and she has been content up until now, despite the fact that their have not been blessed with children, until her poor husband is discovered dead in the river near their impressible home. While mourning the death of her husband suspicions arise in her so she begins her quest to learn more about her own dear relatives as she tries to uncover the circumstances behind her husband's death. This was a lovely easy read. It was well written, not too taxing, and flowed very well. I enjoyed it and am looking forward now to the next installment.

Lady Helena finds herself widowed at a young age. She wants to prove to her family that she can make it own her own and does not need to remarry so quickly. In the meantime, she meets a mysterious French physician who makes her question if her late husband’s death was really an accident.

This is a good start to a new series, and I’m interested in how it progresses over the series. The book is full of mystery and romance. Lady Helena really grows in confidence and independence over the book. The interactions between Lady Helena and the doctor are interesting. The mystery is well-written. If you enjoy Historical Mysteries and Romance this is a book for you.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.

It took a while for Lady Helena to grow on me. The story was initially hard to get into but I was eventually drawn in to the drama surrounding the British nobility. Lady Helena reminded me of Lady Sybil on Downton Abbey—slightly rebellious but still very much a part of the British aristocracy. I’m looking forward to seeing how the series continues—hopefully with a wedding between Lady Helena and Fortier.

Wonderfully exceptional. I'm normally not big on mysteries, but this one blends so beautifully with its rich historical context that I always found myself eager to turn the page. The writing is lovely, full of careful observation without loosing itself in unnecessary details and still it is very vivid - I felt transported into this pristine little countryside, everytime I opened the book.

The story lives from character interaction and I loved the variety of characters, who weren't just placeholders - they all had own motives and background stories. The main character is especially interesting since she doesn't fulfill a stereotype - of course there is a certain modern feminism that creeps in (but I haven't read historical fiction without any), but she is often contradictory, which I love about her, because it is so real and authentic - much more so than those single-sided characters that are always consistent. She is intelligent, strong even in her weaknesses and her dialogue is sharp. I could indentify very much with her, although she still remains a little distant which seems befitting since she is an english aristocrat in the 19th century.

I also loved that Steen put some strong critical voices against the old aristocracy into her story. The inequality of the old structure of society is repeatedly thematized and I find this especially interesting since the story is told from the perspective of an aristocrat herself.

The only thing I found lacking was the language at times. Although I'm certainly no expert in that matter, I'm pretty sure that there were some phrases that would never have been uttered like that in the 1880s.

I thank Netgalley and Aspidistra Press for an ARC to read and review.

I love the Historical fiction genre and this one didn’t disappoint. Lady Helena Investigates certainly was a joy to read and I can’t wait to read what happens in her life next.

I did not want this story to ever end. I enjoyed the believable characters and the pacing was very good. The story held my interest and was at times sad, happy, exciting and thrilling. I want to read everything this author has ever written. I cannot wait for the next mystery!

Lady Helena Investigates is an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to more books in this series. I did find this story to be very light on mystery or solving investigations, but instead it’s more of a period slow burn romance with a couple of slightly mysterious deaths which the circumstances of were eventually revealed. At times I found the story to be a little slow moving, but otherwise very well written and I enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher, Aspidistra Press, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

When Lady Helena Whitcomb begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of her beloved husband, Justin, she discovers far more than she ever expected.

In the late 19th century, when Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy married Sir Justin Whitcomb, it helped her find a centre for her life, devastated by the death of her first love. Justin and Helena live a quiet country life and, while they would love to have children, they are content with their happy life together. But when Sir Justin is found dead in the river, Lady Helena is determined to find out what happened.

She finds an odd ally in the mysterious, handsome French physician Armand Fortier as they begin to unravel the threads that lead them back many years into Lady Helena’s family history. As she rekindles her interest in pursuing her mother’s former work as an herbalist, the mystery widens, encompassing a tenant farm family as well.

What Lady Helena discovers and the secrets she reveals will draw the reader along with her, looking into the next journal, the next painting, the next note to discover secrets, lies and broken hearts.

Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy Whitcombe is now a widow. Her husband of only three years has died as a result of a fall into the river that runs over their estate. The doctor who examined the body thinks there was foul play but the coroner's jury ruled accidental death. When other discrepancies arise, Lady Helena begins to feel that something is amiss and starts her own private inquiry. Was her husband's death an accident, if not why was he murdered?

This was very slow moving and didn't really seem like a mystery at all until maybe the last 50 pages. The characters were very 2 dimensional.

If this series is going to continue, it definitely needs to have the characters infused with a bit more life.

Our story starts with a young widow Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy losing her husband Sir Justin to an accident in the river. You follow Helena through been a young widow who is expected to marry soon after mourning so the estate will pass into the hands of her new husband to by the end of the story being a woman in charge of her own destiny due to changes in inheritance. A meeting with French physician Armand brings the idea her husband may have been murdered. Helena then finds her life embroiled in murders, suicide and incest but becomes stronger and closer to her family as a result.
This is an absorbing story that will keep you hooked till the end.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Helena has lost her husband, her mother is going insane and her family wants to control her every move. She is part of a prominent family in the English countryside and is constantly being gossiped about. But on the bright side, she is very wealthy. When the local physician, the handsome and clever Frontier, approaches her with the suspicion that her husband died under mysterious circumstances, she begins a journey of self-discovery and finally realises her worth. She is a very interesting character, snobbish but generous and warm. This story is well-told, with a few twists to keep the reader engaged, and plenty of quirky characters. I am hopeful there will be a book 2, and will wait impatiently for its release.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. The description makes it sound like it was a collection of short stories. Happily, it was a complete novel and not a group of novellas. I really enjoyed this book. Lady Helena is so real that she seems to be in the room with you. I loved all the historical details, the character interactions, the personal journey that she makes throughout the book. And of course the mystery which gets more and more dark the farther you go. Unexpected discoveries abound! Fantastic! I can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you so much for approving me for a copy of this book! Please see “note to publisher” section for my thoughts.

I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

...And unfortunately didn't like it very much. Oops. Historical detectives, especially historical detective duos, are my catnip but this fell flat for me. There were far too many characters, none of them were given any sort of depth and the main mystery itself was fairly boring to be perfectly honest. Plus, I didn't like the writing style very much: it meandered about a lot without actually saying anything, which left me more irritated than gripped.

I was optimistic about this, but in the end I simply couldn't get into it on any meaningful level.