Pride, Prejudice and Poison is the debut of the A Jane Austen Society Mystery series set in the English village of Kirkbymoorside in Yorkshire and features antiquarian bookstore owner Erin Coleridge and members of the local Jane Austen Society. It's time for the monthly meeting of the Society and tensions are running high between current President Sylvia Pemberthy and the younger members of the club who would like to see changes in the future. During a tea break, Sylvia collapses and dies, poisoned - and while nobody seems to be grieving over her loss, questions begin to swirl over which one of the members hated her enough to kill her.

The murder brings Detective Inspector Peter Hemming and his partner Sergeant Rashid Jarral to the sleepy town and they begin to point fingers at Erin's best friend, Farnsworth Appleby, know as the town's Tragic Widow and the Cat Lady. Despite warnings from the police not to get involved Erin takes matters into her own hands to clear her friends name.

If you aren't a fan of Jane Austen or familiar with her works, the story tends to bog down with the constant quoting of paragraphs and sayings from her books. For me it became a huge distraction from the plot, and made the entire cast of characters very difficult to like. It was fairly easy to pinpoint the murderer from the start and so I found myself just "slogging" along to the finish. Sadly, I don't think that I will be traveling to Kirkbymoorside again.

I received an advanced copy of Pride, Prejudice and Poison from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Pride, Prejudice & Poison is a murder mystery set in a Jane Austen Society. The plots has lots of twists that will keep you guessing up to the end. The characters have lots if different personalities, some quirky. Intriguing story.

The first book in a new series, Jane Austen Society and a new author for me. I will read the next story. Erin Coleridge owns a used book store in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. She admires forensic science and knows a great deal about it. Erin often quotes from Jane Austin's books throughout the book.There were numerous quotes and I felt it was overdone. We are introduced to Detective Inspector Peter Hadley and his friendly, easy-going Sergeant Rashid Jarral who are charged to find Saliva Pemberthy killer.
The Jane Austen Society is in a turmoil as no one likes the current President, Silvia Pemberthy. Matters come to light and the next meeting all members are there. During the Tea break, Silvia is found dead, poison by rat poison. The clues all point to Farnsworth, Erin friend. She decided to look for the murderer so her friend is not convicted. I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Pride and Prejudice themed cozy mystery? Sign me up! Combining two of my favorites worked a treat, and the author has very whimsical writing that made me just want to read more. Somehow everything feels floaty and romantic without being over the top and cheesy, and it captures a real love of Austen. Here we see plenty of quotes and comparisons, and best of all a real simmering romance that I hope expands in further books. I loved seeing them thrown together!

Erin is a marvelous sleuth and I genuinely enjoyed reading about her. She is subtle and yet sure and made this a favorite read for the year. If this is only the beginning, I have to wonder where this series will go since it started out so brilliantly! Definitely a five star read!

A great little cozy mystery. I loved all the references to Pride & Prejudice. A well written murder mystery and engaging from the very first chapter. This is book one in a new series, and would definitely love to read more in this series.

Erin Coleridge owns a used book store in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. Her social life is pretty much centered around the members of the Jane Austen Society. This evening there is a particularly contentious meeting causing arguments between the president, Sylvia Pemberthy, and some of the more vocal members.

But no one expects that at the next meeting Sylvia will fall ill and die - poisoned - and that one of the members will be suspected of the murder. When the police have Erin's best friend Farnsworth in their sights, she promises to investigate and find the killer. Even though she's warned away, it's not enough to keep her from searching. But will she find the killer or will the killer find her first?

This book started out well enough - a group of people who come together through their love of Jane Austen, but it got rather confusing almost immediately. From the description of Sylvia (which wasn't much) I supposed that such a harridan would be elderly; imagine my surprise when I discovered that she wasn't old at all.

Then there's Erin, who's strange, to say the least. She wears thick black glasses (only sometimes, so her eyes can't be that bad), which got me wondering why, if she's comfortably set enough to open her bookstore when she feels like it, she hasn't gotten a pair of attractive glasses or contact lenses? Who on earth would willingly wear thick black glasses if they were given other options? And in these days, there are plenty of other options. She pretty much dresses dowdy - yoga pants (!) and pulls her hair up in a mess on her head. Must be fun combing all the knots out at night. Yes, I'm being harsh, but really, there's no excuse for laziness, and that's all it is. I began to wonder if she was the only young woman in the village, since men were attracted to her - yoga pants, messy hair, black glasses, no makeup. She doesn't even have any friends her own age. All I was seeing was someone who was too lazy to look their best when they left the house. Sadly, she will never be a favorite character of mine.

I also got tired of people constantly quoting Jane Austen. I get that the book is the Jane Austen Society, but I imagined it would be a group of people trying to solve a murder, not people who strive to 'out-quote-Austen' each other. It got tedious after awhile, and I began to wonder if they were home re-reading all six of her novels, trying to find quotes no one else had said yet, and underlining those they'd already used. Eventually they'll run of lines to quote to each other. (Yes, I love Jane Austen, but this was starting to get on my nerves).

Then, Erin supposedly likes DI Hadley but kisses Jonathan in a public setting. Say what? Was that supposed to put him at ease? Please, please don't give us a love triangle. I've said it many times before: I absolutely abhor them.

I guess the big thing is I never got invested in any of the characters - Erin is lazy, not taking the time to make herself look decent and only opening her store when she's bored; she wasn't even online selling books, so I can't imagine how she makes a living. DI Hadley seemed nice enough, but there was no (very little) background, so how old is he? How long has he been an officer? We didn't even find out his hair color until later in the book. From his initial description at the hotel, I thought he also was an older man. Physical descriptions should be one of the first things given in a book, and there were very few. Plenty on how people dressed, but few on their physicality.

The mystery itself was fine, and Erin is another one of those amateur sleuths who just walks up to people and questions them about the murder, not even trying to be inconspicuous about it. It was only a matter of time before someone tried to kill her.

In the end, I felt as if there were more to be written - the book felt unfinished to me. The murder was solved and everything was tied up nicely, but it just felt...off. Like there should have been a continuation of the last few pages that never came. I will say that the ending really makes the book. And because of this, I wasn't enthralled with this one. While I may or may not continue with this series, it will certainly depend on whether I feel that it has any great potential.

I am a sucker for Jane Austen stories and adaptations. So the second I saw this I snapped it up as fast as I could!

The story started a bit slow. It took me a while to get into it. I felt a little bit unmotivated at the start and really struggled. BUT it got better and was worth pushing through. The mystery kept me guessing, and who could want much more?

I liked the Austen references and quotes and found most of them to be funny and well connected to the plot and the happenings. However, around about the halfway point they became a little tedious.

That being said, this is Book 1 in a series and I will absolutely try Book 2. I think there’s major potential here and I’m going to keep at it and hope for a good pay off!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set among the wild moors in a truly cozy Yorkshire town of Kirkbymoorside, Pride, Prejudice and Poison exudes small town charm. Our main heroine, Erin, runs her own secondhand bookshop and is also a member of the local Jane Austen Society. It is during a tea break at a meeting for this very same society that the less than popular president is poisoned. As the one who served the victim her tea, Erin's close friend is at the top of the suspect list. Erin is sure she can get to the bottom of the mystery and prove her friend innocent. Suspects abound among the quirky inhabitants of this small town and it seems as though everyone has a secret, or three to hide. York detectives DI Hadley and DI Jarral are called to investigate and sort through the many potential suspects to sift out the true culprit. In true cozy mystery fashion, Erin inserts herself in the middle of the investigation and sparks seem to fly.
Although it got off to a slow start, once the setting and characters had been properly introduced and the murder committed, the pacing of the book picks up and becomes quite intriguing. There are plenty of eccentric village characters that populate the small English town to keep you guessing as to the real culprit and keep you entertained along the way. I enjoyed the slow build of a potential romance between Erin and police detective Hadley and the charming, small town setting I long for in a cozy mystery. The one thing I felt like detracted a bit from my overall enjoyment of the story were the numerous Austen quotes that started to get a bit overdone about halfway through. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more adventures in Kirkbymoorside. I would recommend this book to fans of Jane Austen however one does not need to be familiar with Austen in order to enjoy the story.

From page one this book takes you into a setting that is mysterious and magical. With mystery and murder taking over, this beautifully written book is the perfect thing to get lost in for a while. The characters and plot are well thought out and delightfully complex. Overall, a wonderful read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge Jane Austen fan so the idea of a mystery that includes a Jane Austen Society and lots of JA references is always good with me!! I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to, though. Some of the characters seemed flat and stereotypical, which was bothersome at times. Still entertaining, but not captivating.
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decent plot but I didn't connect in anyway. I tried multiple times to put it down and pick back up later in hopes that I would love it. I didn't. I believe there's a story fir every reader. But this story was not for this reader.

This cozy takes place in the village of Kirkbymoorside, close to York. Think MidSomer Murders, but not quite so bloody. Lots of fun village characters, with their own secrets. Who killed Sylvia, the president of the Jane Austen Society. Erin's friend Farnsworth is a suspect. She served the victim her tea. So Erin sets out to find the killer. The village sounds peaceful and relaxing and the people are all characters. I enjoyed the story and actually was surprised by the killer. It's also fun that the members of the society are always spouting quotes from Jane Austen. Very enjoyable read.

It took me a short while to familiarize myself with the characters in this story, but once I did I could not put it down. I loved the slice of Yorkshire village life with all its intrigue and idiosyncrasies. As a Jane Austen lover I found all of the quotes delightful. There were so many twist and turns that I had no idea who was guilty. Coupled with the expert mystery was an engaging hint of romance. I forced myself to go to sleep as I was reading it, but literally got up in the middle of the night to finish it. I can't wait for more from Elizabeth Blake!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Erin was sure her friend did not commit murder and set out to prove just that by doing her amateur sleuthing. In doing so she found herself deeply attracted to DI Hemmings and also to Jonathan but the chemistry with the DI was a strong one. With her life now threatened by the killer it was imperative she finds the killer before she becomes the next victim. She also wanted to see where the budding attraction with the DI would end up.

I nearly put this one down. Luckily, after introducing the entire town, the story became the focus, and I finally felt I knew what was happening.
Maybe a few twists too many, but an enjoyable read for a rainy afternoon.

I you like a cosy mystery and are a fan of Jane Austen then this is the book for you.

Unpopular President of the local branch of the Jane Austen Society is poisoned during the meeting tea break. The prime suspect is surely the person who served the tea, but local bookshop owner and true crime enthusiast, Erun Coleridge, refuses to accept that possibility.
Her amateur sleuthing soon reveals that small towns can hide big secrets.
This is a fun and intriguing mystery. There are lots of interesting characters and red herrings to keep you guessing right to the end.
Lots of Jane Austen quotes and references, this is fun read.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy in return for an honest review

If you are a fan of Jane Austin, you will definately enjoy the references peppered throughout, if you are not as familar, don't worry, you will still enjoy the mystery. I thought it was well written, fun and had me guessing until the end. I found a new author and am looking forward to reading more in this series.

I really enjoyed this book. This was a new to me author and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. The storyline was well written and the characters are highly entertaining. I played a guessing game right up to the end trying to figure out who the murderer was. I highly recommend this book.

This book ticks some of my mystery-loving boxes: set in a library or bookstore, English, full of literary themes or references, set in a picturesque location. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to Erin, local bookshop owner and protagonist of the story. The story mostly follows Erin and occasionally shows the reader what's going on with other characters when Erin isn't around. I don't usually have a problem with third-person narration, but in this case I wanted more of her perspective, not just a description of what she was doing or saying. I felt pretty distant from her. The setup is interesting--members of a Jane Austen society who have a bunch of petty rivalries all find themselves suspects when the much-disliked president is poisoned. But the execution fell flat for me. This new series has potential, but I probably won't continue with it.

Perfect for fans of Jane Austen and quiet English towns sprinkled with murder and mayhem, comes the first in a new series, Pride, Prejudice and Poison by Elizabeth Blake.

When the president of the local Jane Austen Society is poisoned, Erin Coleridge, local bookseller, is determined to help the police by identifying the villain before more villagers are attacked. There are plenty of Jane-isms and moody walks among the moors to keep most Janeites happy.

This is a quirky book with a typical cozy mystery format that readers will find familiar and unsurprising. And, while charming and in-theme, occasional readers may find the multitude of Austen quotes peppering each page obtrusive and the large cast of characters with unique names confusing. As a librarian, I would recommend this author and book to those looking for a fun, quick read with no grisly violence.

With just the right amount of red-herrings and suspense (and just a little romance thrown in), Pride, Prejudice and Poison is the perfect book to read with a cup of strong tea at home.

I was given this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review.