A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins is the first book in the A Lady’s Guide series. This romantic comedy and mystery centers around Lady Katherine Bascomb, a beautiful widow who runs a newspaper and Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham. Kate and her friend Miss Caroline Hardcastle discover a secret witness in a serial killer case and run an article about the new information in Kate’s newspaper. This new information gets Andrew kicked off the case, and the new lead investigator arrests someone in haste after too much pressure is placed on the police. Kate goes to a house party in the country and discovers a new body that appears to be linked to the previous killings. The police want to investigate whether this new person was killed by a copycat or if they accidentally arrested the wrong person. They send Andrew to investigate and he is not thrilled to have to work with Kate.

I really enjoyed this book. The constant twists and turns had me guessing until the last minute. I love a book that can surprise me and this was very unpredictable. The characters were really fun to read about. Kate is a great heroine. She is smart and independent. She is unapologetically herself and has found a likewise companion in her friend Caroline. Andrew, the procedure-following police man, is a nice contrast to Kate.

I loved the romance aspect of this book, but I honestly would have enjoyed a book about just the two ladies going on hilarious misadventures. Their friendship was fantastic. I also enjoyed Lord Valentine and I am very excited to read the next book to see what the history is between him and Caroline.

I was invited to read an ARC of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #ALady'sGuidetoMischiefandMayhem

I'm so mad I waited so long to read A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem! I just devoured the audiobook and I loved every minute of it! It was the perfect combination of murder mystery and historical romance. I loved Lady Katherine and her determination to help solve the murder and then right the wrong that came from their article. I liked the friendship she delivered with Caro (Caroline) and I can't wait for her book!

I loved her instant connection with Eversham. He wasn't a huge fan, but I liked that he allowed her to help with the case. They made a great team! i really like how they were able to talk about how little rights women had in marriage and how they would handle it. The mystery element kept me guessing until the end.

I can't wait for the next book!

I will update with the link when I share on my bookstagram account.

This was a clever, entertaining, well-written historical romance. It held my attention and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I greatly appreciate the publishers sending me this book in exchange for my honest review! A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem was a fun addition to the Victorian Era romance genre. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book as well and thought Collins did a very clever job of entertaining her audience! I am so glad to see this is a part of a series and I can't wait for what is next!

I would describe this book as a cozy mystery hiding inside of a romance, and that is why it is not only highly enjoyable but memorable. Collins did an amazing job of taking the best parts of both genres and creating a story that is as romantic as it is full of twists and turns.
Lady Katherine Bascomb is a widow who inherited her late husband's newspaper and is determined to give a voice and information to women on topics where they are often excluded. This includes the city being terrorized by a serial murderer known as the Commandments Killer. Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham is the one in charge of catching the killer until a discovery published by Kate in her paper gets him removed from his case and an innocent man arrested. The two rivals end up working together in what feels like a race against time as the murderer seems to have followed Kate to a house party in the country.
We get both a story of the amateur detective doing her best to discover the secrets of the case when no one seems to be interested in anything other than a quick solution to calm the masses and an enemies-to-lovers story with all the trappings of a historical romance. Truly, the best of both worlds.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the great read!

I was under the false impression that this book was a romance first and a mystery second. This is a mystery with a romance subplot. I don’t like mysteries. I think the only reason I got through this book is the fact that I had the audiobook from the library and had it on in the background while I was working today. Now, it’s not bad, which is why I still gave it 3 stars. The writing is good but for the life of me I cannot make myself care about the whodunnit.

I liked Kate. It was fun to have a character who was a widow so she was able to move around more easily in society and was not bound to such strict rules. Eversham was fine. I’m not fond of cops in my romances, but I tolerate the ye olde inspectors in historical romances. The two had fun banter and I liked their rivals to lovers story.

I do know that I will read the next book in the series, mostly because I already have it from NetGalley, but I really hope that I enjoy it more. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the digital copy.

A journey t back in time to the mid 1800's England, where we meet Lady Katherine Bascomb, a fire cracker of a woman who has fought for the rights and safety of herself and all women. Taking over a popular newspaper after she loses her husband, she firmly insists that she will be involved in writing columns, though the men around her are none too pleased (it's no position for a woman) When a string of murders begin, she creates a new column entitled A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem in order to investigate the so far unsolved case and to provide helpful advice and tips to women on how to stay safe. A noble intent, though of course her life takes an unexpected turn and she teams up with Andrew, the investigator assigned to the case. From less than friendly terms to steamy romance we follow the pair as the truth slowly becomes clear.

The title of this book is what caught my eye, I mean how do you resist a guide book to mischief and mayhem? Add in the murder cases, an intelligent heroine and a dose of steaminess and I knew I couldn't scroll past this one.
Unfortunately, while I had high hoped this book didn't exactly live up to what I had imagined.

The potential for greatness is all there and I adored Lady Katherine in the beginning, however it was a bit of a yawn trying to keep turning pages in order to reach the end. There are some facts that don't seem to add up to being realistic, and the murder investigation is not the focus here. It's more of a hum-drum tale of being in love and a reminder of how little women were granted back in those days.

Overall, I didn't hate it. However, I wouldn't read it again. I only finished the book because I made a commitment to do so as I received a digital copy of this book via Negalley so that I may share my opinion with you. I wish this book was better structured with more focus on the promises in the synopsis so I could recommend this, but I can't in good conscious. I will say if this book still has you interested it won't be the worst thing you've read, so there's no harm in giving it a try.

A splash of intrigue, a scoop of mystery, and a generous helping sex scenes... My favorite kind of recipe. I'd never read a serial killer storyline in a historical romance before. That, coupled with the steamy scenes between Kate and Andrew made this read 100% worthwhile.

HOWEVER, the plot definitely dragged for a good chunk of the book. I also had some trouble keeping up with all of the characters (and there are a LOT). It was hard to care about the characters (aside from Kate and Andrew), because we were constantly being introduced to new ones.

Rounding up from ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the Arc.

This is a murder mystery and romance rolled into one. The chemistry between and Katherine and Andrew is palpale. Katherine is also very independent and it causes a constant friction with Andrew's sense of what women can do since she wants to help him solve the mystery and contributes more than a few times. He eventually sees that she can run interference in her own life pretty well. The feminism is period appropriate. This reminded me of the TV series "Scarlet and the Duke". Also, love the new cover.

Thanks to Forever Publisher for the publicity review of copy of A LADY’S GUIDE TO MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM by Manda Collins, refreshed with a new cover September 28 🤩

Give me all the regency romances with smart women, witty banter, and characters I want to read more of. I’m super excited that I don’t have to wait long for book 2 in the “A Lady’s Guide” series: An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire, out November 16.

A mystery disguised as a romance. I went into this thinking it was a historical romance. I have a hard time reading historical romance, but this one kept my attention till the very end.

A romance novel wrapped in a murder mystery! Real friendship amongst women who support each other! I really enjoyed this book. I was impressed by the fluidness of the story, I was invested in the mystery plot as well as the romance between the main characters. I recommend this book to a bunch of my friends to take on vacation with them and none came back disappointed!

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
I'm always up for a good read with a strong female lead and a protective, yet sensitive male protagonist. Add in some murder and some steamy romance and you've got yourself a winner.

If you enjoy English historical murder mysteries, you’ll enjoy this one. The storyline was an intriguing one and I found the two main characters likable and entertaining. There was a plot twist that took me by surprise near the end that gave the story quite a suspenseful ending. This was my first book to read by this author and I’m interested in reading more by her.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This book was cute! It gave me cozy mystery vibes along with my weakness: historical romance with a touch of spice. I did think the pacing was a little slow. I got a little bored, but I am glad I finished reading it! I loved the feminism and the main character's ability to hold her own. I'm also excited to read the next novel, because I think Val is an interesting character and can't wait to see what the author has in store for him.

Fabulous! This was a fun read, mixing mystery and romance with a real Victorian London feel to it. Very Agatha Christie / Sherlock Holmes. It was nice to see a feisty heroine who was realistic for the era.

This was pitched to me as a historical romance, but it was more hugging the line between cozy mystery and historical romance.

things I liked: the friendship between the two main female characters and their drive to be break societal expectations of what a woman should be and should do.

things I didn't love: this book had one foot in each genre door, and I wish it leaned into one just a bit more. It also took quite a long time to get to the romance. I think I went in with different expectations than I should have.

in just a few words: not bad, but just not for me!

To keep things short, I enjoyed the murder plot. It added more to the book to make it more than just a romance. Even though the synopsis gets you to think that it's more of a romance, it's kind of good that it wasn't because the romance wasn't great enough to be the focus.

I have to say I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, as I tend to not like books set in the period of history. However, sense it was a mystery I was willing to give it a chance and I am glad I did. I loved the banter between Lady Katherine and Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham. I love banter between the heroine and hero when it's done good and in this case it was done very well. It reminded me of Sherlock and Watson in a good way and I look forward to the next book in the series.

RATING: 4 STARS
2020; Forever/Grand Central Publishing

I love this cover - the vibrant colours, the font and the image. Many times it is the cover that first draws me to a book. It is one of the reasons I love the library as I can take risks...many many risks! As soon as I saw this one was available to be reviewed I requested it quickly. I kept putting the novel aside, waiting for a weekend I could dive into it. Months later, I was still waiting. A week ago I needed something light and fun, and since the long weekend was looming, I knew I would at some point have a chunk of time to read. I was reading the book right before bed, so often times I had to set a timer so I would not stay up too late. Last night after dinner I finally had time to finish the case of the Commandments Killer.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is a mix of genres so it may or may not work for readers. Manda Collins has mostly written historical romance novels, so this book has steaminess and chemistry of a historical romance. You feel the sparks when Kate (Lady Katherine) and Andrew (Detective Inspector Eversham) meet, and also between Caro and Val (secondary characters who will most likely have a book next). Yet, the plot that moves the story along is the mystery aspect. There is a serial killer loose, leaving bodies with notes pinned to them. He is labeled the "Commandments Killer" because of what is written on the notes.It is more of a cozy mystery, than a serious one (even though the murders are gruesome). Add in humour, feminism, journalism, and a murder at a country house and readers will some solid hours of entertainment.

Kate and Caro write a new column titled "A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem" taking on issues deemed to sensitive for women, especially those in high society. When they go to investigate the case they discovered a new witness. That new witness gets Detective Inspector Eversham kicked off the case due. to negligence. The truth is that his rival on the force is the one who missed it, but us placed in charge, and suddenly arrests a suspect. Kate thinks that the man is not the killer but is not sure what to do next. She leaves for the country, invited to a friend's country home, and seems to have brought the killer with her. After a walk with fellow guests she comes across a body with a note. When Eversham comes to investigate, the two start to butt heads, not wanting the other to find something before the other.

I read some of the reviews - good and the bad - and I think it's one of those books that either capture your interest or not. The writing is fun, but it's not deep on characterizations or plots. Collins does dive into feminism and women's rights, but it is from a lady of high standing. As historical romances usually involve high society, it makes sense that this novel also features higher class characters. If you need a a quick getaway in your imagination, this could work for you!

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley, as well as a physical finished trade paper copy. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***