I thoroughly enjoyed @mandacollinsauthor A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem. It is the perfect combination of mystery, romance, and Victorian England. Need I say more?! I loved the premise and the chemistry between the two main characters.

Witty, fun, and definitely sexy I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait for more from this new series! Thank you @readforeverpub for my gifted book.

This is a funny and romantic novel about finding love when you don't expect to. Between the mystery and suspense in this novel there is a love story. I read this novel pretty fast ans would recommend this for an easy weekend read. I look forward to more book from Manda Collins.

I received a free advanced copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
#Netgalley

I had a hard time getting through this one. It wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped it would be and I also had lots of confusion and questions. Like how were Caro and Katherine such good friends who knew so much about one another but had only met a month earlier? I also found the romance between Andrew and Katherine unbelievable. One second they aren’t friends, and the next they are in love? I felt like I was missing something. The murder mystery also left a lot to be desired. This one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one from start to finish; I think it’s the first historical I’ve read with such a strong murder mystery element, and I absolutely loved the blend of the ongoing case to ramp up one kind of tension with the burgeoning romance between the leads on the other half. Kate and Andrew were a fun couple and a slightly older one which is always enjoyable to read; I’m a big fan of couples that are both equally matched in life experience and heroines who have a sex life and aren’t shamed for it! This is a series I’ll definitely be reading more of and the sequel with Caro and Val seems very promising if the glimpse we got of them in this book is any indication.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Really wanted to love this one, and still planning on reading the next in the series, but unfortunately this was not a love for me. While I love the premise- and the idea of Kate and Caro dedicating their writing in the newspaper towards articles aimed to help women protect themselves, I feel like that never came to fruition. This was one of the many plot points that I really wish would have came to be.

Another issue I had was how little we knew about Kate, her past, and our hero Andrew. While I understand this was centered on a premise of murders going on around them, it left little for believable character development. Their interactions were brief, and then all of a sudden they were in love with each other. It just didn't mesh as well as I was hoping for, and it left me wanting more.

I did enjoy it, despite those missed opportunities. I liked the authors writing style, and it had just enough to keep my interest in finishing, as well as continuing with the series. As I hope what I missed in Kate and Andrew's book, will be more prominent in Caro and Val's.

3 stars

Historical romance is one of my favorite genres and I've recently been getting more into mystery as well so this was a perfect genre combination for me!
This was so fun to read. I loved the chemistry and banter between the two main characters so much. Katherine is a crime journalist who is witness to a murder. Andrew is a detective whose career is on the line and solving this case is the key to saving his job. I really liked the dual POV and that we were able to see the story unfold from both character's perspectives.
The Victorian Era is so interesting to read about so I definitely enjoyed the setting as well. I came for the romance which definitely delivered and I was hooked by the mystery aspect too.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem was everything I did not know I needed in a romance novel.

This year, I challenged myself to read things that challenged me, so I decided to ad historical romances to my list, I usually am a contemporary romance reader, when I received A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, I didn't know I would enjoy it so much.

I was surprised to learn that not only was it a historical romance but it was a murder mystery romance novel as well. It was such a good read that I could not put it down. A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem takes you to England where there is a murder on the loose, we are introduced to Lady Katherine and Detective Inspector Andrew. Lady Katherine is not pleased with the METs handling of the whole Commandment killer, so she takes to publishing the Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem with the information she was able to find about the murders that the police department misses. When that information is published, Detective Andrew is taken off the case for having missed important information. The police force uses the information that is published to arrest the wrong man, thinking the case is closed.

That is until Lady Katherine stumbles across another murder that closely resembles the commencement killers. Together Lady Katherine and the upset Detective Andrew work closely trying to piece the new murder and connect it to the other murders. While working together they develop feelings for each other that neither want.

As I said, I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book, not one usually for murder mysteries I really enjoyed this book. It took me out of my comfort zone and made me see a different genre of romance that I can enjoy.

Thank you so much to both Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

This is a brilliant premise for a historical romance. It’s almost like a combination of a cozy mystery with a historical romance. We have a lady newspaper columnist in Lady Katherine Bascomb who clashes with Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham.. She writes a column that leads to the arrest of a notorious killer. She flees to a house part in the country but murder follows her. Andrew also follows and is not happy with her because of how her reporting has affected her career. They reluctantly investigate together the new murder and find themselves drawn to one another. Katherine has to overcome her past bad marriage in order to commit to Andrew. The mystery keeps you guessing and all of the secondary characters are well written. The dialogue is witty and it is overall an entertaining book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reading of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem in exchange for my honest opinion. This historical mystery novel follows Lady Katherine, a reporter for her late husband's newspaper, following clues of a serial killer reeking havoc across London with the help of Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham. This was a slow burn for me, it took until after a quarter of the way through the story for me to feel engaged to the characters and the plot development. Once I was more into the story, I felt that this was a charming Whodunnit tale and I can't wait to see how the author turns this into future installments with other characters.

This novel has the perfect balance of mystery and romance. I can’t wait to read more about these witty and forward-thinking women!

Interesting, likable characters and an intriguing mystery plot make for an enjoyable historical mystery/romance!

It's London, 1865, and there's a serial killer on the loose. Widowed Lady Katherine Bascomb owns her late husband's newspaper enterprise and writes her own columns for the paper, in particular ones to help keep women apprised of the news they need to know. Her reporting results in an arrest and the disgrace of Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham who's been kicked off the case for not beating her to the punch. But when both of them turn up at a house party in the country, the killing doesn't stop and now Katherine is a key witness. As Katherine and Andrew discover a grudging respect for each other, and a friendship that turns into something more, will they catch the killer before he or she turns on them?

From the beginning pages I found myself engrossed in this story! I really enjoyed Katherine's character, her dedication to the paper and her desire to make sure women were informed of the real danger to them posed by the serial killer. She's intrepid, fearless, curious, and persistent. All the characteristics that Andrew, who at first finds Katherine quite annoying (especially since she cost him his demotion) eventually respects and adores. Of course, he doesn't like her putting herself in harm's way and has every intention of keeping her away from danger especially when it's clear that the killer is much closer to them than expected and wreaking havoc on the country estate and nearby town but Katherine is a worthy partner and sounding board. Their romance is a slow burn, a bit of an 'enemies to lovers' trope that moves into friendship and then deeper feelings. They are a well suited couple and I enjoyed their happy ending as much as the mystery that they solve together, one that has some interesting twists and turns. I'm eager to read what is coming next in this series! And it's definitely made me want to read more stories in the historical mystery genre.

I haven’t read any historical romance in awhile but this book totally reminded me what I’ve been missing. I loved all the characters, the writing was fast paced and witty, and even though the mystery wasn’t full of tons of twists, it was still really enjoyable. I’m excited for the next book in the series to come out next year!

This was my first book by Manda Collins and I thought is just an Okay read. I wanted more of the romance, felt like the characters didn't have much connection apart from the physical attraction. I wanted more romance (conflict, pining, grovelling).
I was invested in the mystery plot and liked it until it was resolved. It was done too quickly and my major quibble is that once again we see the scheme where people who suffered abuse become villains. It a trite and offensive narrative that I don't want to read in my romances.

This was an interesting book. First thing of note, I found the cover and blurb to be slightly misleading. Nothing about the cover would make me think this book relies heavily on solving a murder. Shame on me for not better reading the blurb, so I will take the loss on that.

The story is incredibly feminist and the main protagonist is smart as hell and I appreciated that about her. I also liked her wacky friend and the cat. The feminism of today as well as commentary about social justice particularly regarding criminals and class were spot on. I think that is what kept me reading.

I felt the romance between Kate and Andrew was the weakest point. Their love story felt grossly under developed and the story felt like it ended abruptly.

I hope in the next book the love story is much better developed.

A Historical Fiction Romance/Mystery set in England 1865 about a reporter and a detective who can’t stand each other and end up investigating a series of murders together.

I have to start this review by saying that based on the premise I had really high hopes and expectations for this book, which could be the cause of why I didn’t enjoy it that much.

It started it out really slow at the beginning but by the halfway point it started to pick up. I did love that our heroine Lady Katherine is a fierce independent woman who speaks her mind and does not back down from a fight and our detective Andrew Eversham was the perfect gentleman. Overall it was a cute read, writing was great and the plot was well executed. I give it 3.5 stars

Thank you, @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

I've just read my first Manda Collins novel and I am in love! A Lady's Guide was everything I wanted to read at the time -- a sharp-minded, independent woman meets disciplined, meticulous detective. It has the wise cracks, the mystery and the burgeoning romance, plus the setting of 1865 London is fun.

Lady Katherine now runs a well-known London newspaper after her husband passed. It's rare for a woman to own much less run a business but she relishes having autonomy over her own livelihood. London is currently gripped by fear with the unsolved murders making the headlines. Feeling that the detectives are missing a woman's perspective, Lady Katherine decides to do her own investigative work. All looks promising after her first column leads to an arrest and all of London sighs in relief. However, Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham isn't convinced. He thinks Lady Katherine's column was irresponsible but more pertinently, he believes the wrong person was arrested. When she comes across another murder in the country that resembles the London murders, she and Andrew team up together - okay, he was definitely talked in to the partnership by a persuasive Lady Katherine - to find the true killer before more any more lives are lost.

The mystery sucked me in immediately. Not only was the concept interesting, there were also enough fascinating characters for them all to be touched by suspicion. All the pieces for the mystery were well played out. What cinched it for me, though was the marvelous chemistry between Katherine and Andrew. There was some verbal sparring and slight annoyances but we know they delighted in it. Lady Katherine's astute observations coupled with Andrew's expertise make for a powerful combination and they were simply effective together. And it was refreshing that Andrew never thought to underestimate Katherine or put her in her place. Once past the sting of that column, Andrew developed an appreciation for her wit and knew she was just as resolute as he was about bringing the actual killer to face justice. Of course, he wanted to protect her and keep her out of harm's way but he also knew her defiant spirit would have none of that. To put it succinctly, he respected her. Watching two very capable people in action is so rewarding. They're so perfectly matched to go head-to-head, to challenge each other which translates so naturally into that delicious sexual tension between them.

I love reading mysteries and I've grown fond of historical romances lately so the two combined together was a blast for me. A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is a scintillating mystery and Lady Katherine and Andrew will charm your socks off!

4.5 stars

Am I the only one that finishes a book with a mystery/whodunit element that wants to go back and read it all over again the second it's over? Especially when I definitely did not guess the guilty party, I just wanna go back and find all the clues I might have missed. This is exactly how I felt the second I finished this book, I just wanted to start it all over again.

I enjoyed Kate and Eversham's relationship. They butt heads at first, but are essentially after the same outcome and come to see each other as a strength as opposed to a hinderance in the figuring out of this mystery. I loved that I was always on my toes, you never know who's going to die next or where the next clue will be coming from. That definitely kept me turning the pages.

I loved seeing Kate and Eversham become closer to one another and develop feelings for each other. I was so happy that he truly paid attention to her concerns regarding marriage and didn't just outright dismiss her. He's so enamored with her and I'm such a fan. I also just loved the fact that Kate was a strong independent woman. This is what Eversham falls in love with, and he doesn't try to change her.

I enjoyed this book so much!!!

Sweet, romantic, and hilariously funny. There were moments I laughed out loud and others that warmed my heart. In the end, I truly enjoyed reading this one.

3.5 stars

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem was one of my most anticipated autumn 2020 releases. I’m obsessed with the cover, and after reading the blurb I was sure this would be a fun read with feminism at the forefront. While I had a few small issues with the book, I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from Manda Collins.

My favourite thing about this book was our heroine, Lady Katherine Bascomb. A woman owning and running a newspaper in London in 1865 was pretty much unheard of, but she inherited it from her late husband and was determined to be more than the owner in name only. Her intelligence, strength, determination, and humour made her easy to connect with and root for. I also enjoyed our steady, earnest Scotland Yard hero, Andrew Eversham, although I wish we’d got to know more about him. Kate’s new friend Caro was a really fun character too, and I’m curious to read more about her in the next book.

My issues with the book mostly came down to pacing and some inconsistencies and unanswered questions. The book took place over a short period of time, but I’m not quite sure how much time exactly. Because of that, the romance felt very much like insta-love and was hard to believe at times, especially with how hot and cold Andrew was. He pretty much hated Kate at first because she was responsible for him being taken off the serial killer case, but then he was suddenly and completely enamoured with her and boom they were in love. With the short time period of the book and a serial killer on the loose, it felt like there should have been more urgency and excitement, but I thought both were lacking. I was also confused about the age of various characters - Katherine was widowed, but how old was she? I also questioned the accuracy of the ages of some of the side characters, but can’t really say more because of spoilers.

Overall, I enjoyed A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem. Despite the few issues I had, I found the story and characters entertaining, and I’ll definitely read the next book in this series.

This book took me a while to get into, and then overall I still wasn't in love with it. The characters had some good moments, and the mystery was intriguing, but it was also paced in a strange way and written in a way that did not inspire me to pick it up consistently. Fans of this author might love this more than I did since this was my first attempt at her books.