Did not finish. I gave the author another try and once again I just couldn't finish. Something about this author's writing style is very off for me.

A return to form for the Rosalind Thorne series! I was a bit disappointed in the previous installment, as it felt mostly like an exercise in wrapping up some loose ends and confirming Rosalind's path. However, this one takes the character and plot development from the previous book and charges ahead.

In A Counterfeit Suitor, Rosalind is fully committing to a life as 'a useful woman', rooming with Alice, and learning to get along with Mrs. Kendricks. She is currently engaged assisting a matron whose wealth comes from trade in hosting a charity ball - and also trying to discover if her daughter's suitor is only after her money. However, Rosalind has a nagging feeling that all is not what it seems with the family. Into this morass comes the news that her disgraced father has escaped her sister's care and is currently in the company of Rosalind's nemesis, Russell Fullerton. As Rosalind tries to untangle increasing politically and emotionally complex threads, she's assisted by Alice and the loyal Adam Harkness.

I really liked the character development in this installment and how much time was spent on action, rather than endless ruminations. While the central mystery obviously moved forward, I also appreciated that Rosalind is living with the consequences - good and bad - of her choices in a real way. I've noticed a trend in some mystery series lately where there is a lot of anxiety and wheel-spinning about "what if X happens if I do Y", but then nothing actually happens. I like that Rosalind's life is moving forward and she is actively participating in making that happen.

I did feel the mystery was a bit convoluted, but I enjoyed all the action happening around it so much that it didn't bother me too much. Looking forward to the next book!

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced read. I adore this series about Rosalind Thorne, a gentlewoman living in London. She is an independent and strong woman, assisting those in need of arranging balls or auctions or even more complicated matters. Which is her specialty and how she supports herself. She comes into contact with her estranged Father during a particularly challenging and confusing time; assisting the Walfords with a charity ball that she believes is a front for nefarious political dealings. Exciting begging to end, Rosalind's likeable friends are present again, and an ending I didn't see coming. Can't wait for more!!

If you like regency romance and cozy mysteries you will love this book! It's the best of both genres rolled into one and makes me wish I had a ball to go to.

In this fifth book of this series, Rosalind ms family plays a bigger role.

When Rosalind’s somewhat estranged sister finds her to tell her their good for nothing, criminal, drunkard of a father is missing, Rosalind enlists the help of Adam, her friend and maybe more from Bow Street. In the process, Rosalind comes across an old nemesis who appears to be invoked in whatever her father is doing. When her father is found dead, Rosalind and Adam are determined to uncover the truth. Add is a plot regarding Charlotte, and we have another good book.

This could be read as a stand-alone but I think you get much more background on the characters and their relationships. I do like that the love triangle appears to be over and there’s a little forward motion with Rosalind and Adam. I’m looking forward to more books in this series.

Found this to be a very satisfying read, both in the resolution of the mystery and the development of the romantic element of the series.

I would recommend this series to fans of more slowly paced historical mysteries. There are a couple of exciting scenes, but for the most part I would describe these as ‘drawing room mysteries’. Also, I would suggest starting at the beginning of the series if character development is important to you.

I missed the first one of these, but this works well as a stand alone. It's well written, well informed about its era and interesting to boot. It's not my usual type of murder mystery, which is why I'll have missed the first, but that was my loss - and one I intend to rectify.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Involving and exciting from beginning to end. The secondary characters are well rounded and hold the attention as well as the primary ones. In this new entry into the series, Rosalind, Thorne, "fixer" extraordinaire, has been asked to investigate the suitor of the daughter of a wealthy matron, while she also helps plan the lady's fundraising event. As could be expected, things don't turn out to be that simple. No one is as they really seem and in the middle of it all Rosalind's sister arrives to also ask for help. Their father has escaped from the unofficial prison the sisters banished him to and is in town to make trouble.. There are a couple of murders, hints of Napoleonic conspiracies and pretty soon Rosalind is playing wack-a-mole trying to deal with all the individual crises. Adam, Rosalind's Bow Street runner beau, Alice her journalist friend and other allies are on hand to help her make sense of it all and watch her back. It was hard to put down.

An excellent addition to a wonderful series, accurately reflecting the customs and behaviors of the Regency period! The Counterfeit Suitor weaves together various threads of a complex mystery with the deepening relationship between Rosalind Thorne, a gentlewoman fallen on hard times, and Adam Harkness, one of Bow Street’s finest.

This book features the reappearance of Rosalind’s father, Sir Reginald Thorne, a gambler, alcoholic and forger, and her sister Charlotte, a courtesan. The father and sister had deserted Rosalind and her mother some years earlier and fled to France when his gambling debts got out of control. After her mother died, Rosalind was left on her own to figure out how to survive and has carved out a niche for herself on the fringes of society by being a “useful woman.”

Rosalind’s peace of mind and livelihood are threatened when her father escapes from a house in Bath where Charlotte has been keeping him, and confronts Rosalind in public. The confrontation between father and daughter has been engineered by Russell Fullerton, a scoundrel whose plans were thwarted by Rosalind in the past. Soon Sir Reginald is found murdered in Fullerton’s house and Fullerton is charged with the crime. While trying to determine if Fullerton is the actual murderer, Rosalind and Adam also uncover a plot to free Napoleon, and must figure out how it is connected to her father’s murder.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for a free copy of the book.

Rosalind Thorne, a "useful woman," is back in "A Counterfeit Suitor" by Darcie Wilde. Having recently rejected a duke's proposal, and having lost her housekeeper because of that choice, Rosalind is a bit adrift. Fortunately, her friend Alice is there to ground her, as she faces the greatest threat yet to her hard-won freedom.

Women of that era were rarely independent. Even if they built solid lives for themselves, it could be taken away by the courts and given to a male relative. So when Rosalind's felon father escapes from her sister's caretaking and is taken in by her enemy, she is understandably knocked for a loop. This happens at the same time as she is trying to organize a charity ball and help an anxious mother keep her daughter from possibly eloping. There are undercurrents there that threaten to sweep Rosalind away.

When Rosalind's father is murdered, suspicion falls on her family, including her courtesan sister. Complicating the investigation are Rosalind's feelings for Bow Street detective Adam Harkness, who is assigned to investigate the case.

Wilde has written a wonderful mystery within a mystery for Rosalind to unravel. Bonapartists, blackmailers, forgers, and gamblers all combine in a knotty puzzle. It's also good to see her interactions with Alice, and her childhood friend, Sebastian Faulks. Most of all, though, it's good to see her start to examine her feelings for Adam, and admit to herself, and others, that she cares for him.

4 out of 5 stars.

I received an advance copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This, and other reviews, may be found on Goodreads and my blog: redhatcatreviews.com

I thoroughly enjoy the Rosalind Thorne mysteries, and especially her (socially unsuitable) relationship with Bow Street Runner Adam Harkness. So many labyrinthine social conventions to maneuver, so many pitfalls for a proper lady to somehow avoid! I find myself wondering how many women actually did attempt to work within the Society framework to find some paid employment (like Rosalind's friend Alice) or otherwise remunerative work like Rosalind.

The Rosalind Thorne mysteries continue to provide enjoyable glimpses into the world in which Jane Austen lived. While Wilde has obviously done her research, she mostly manages to avoid letting this knowledge overwhelm the story. I did enjoy learning about some of the political intrigues that followed the fall of Napoleon, even as I mainly gave myself over to the enjoyment of spending time with Rosalind, and her friend, Alice, as well as Adam Harkness. Rosalind's sister, Charlotte, plays an important role in this title. One small complaint: the chapters told from alternate viewpoints kept me from following Rosalind's steps in solving the mystery. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am already looking forward to the next series entry.

This is the first time I added the genre of Historical Romance to this series. We all saw it coming and, in my opinion, Rosalind chose the better of the two men, so I enjoyed watching that budding romance grow. In this installment, Rosalind's family is center stage. Her father escapes his confines in Bath and is in the clutches of her nemesis, Russell Fullerton. While staying with Fullerton, her father is murdered and Fullerton is found over the body covered in blood. Rosalind takes it upon herself to find the murderer and he suspects are plenty, including her sister who is inconveniently absent and without an alibi. Rosalind and her band of amateur sleuths, and not so amateur Adam Harkness, discover there's more than meets the eye to reason for her father's death.
A fun and light read. Highly recommend.

Darcie Wilde's Rosalind Thorne Mysteries are one of my must read series! A Counterfeit Suitor is a gripping story combining Rosalind's estranged father along with a case of an undesirable suitor. I was completely absorbed from the beginning and could not put it down. The characters are interesting and the plot had just enough twists and turns. I am looking forward to the next book. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #ACounterfeitSuitor..

It’s so refreshing to read a good book with both substance and depth. This was it!! Character development is great as we get to know the main characters throughout the series and books. Historic details to the time period depicted are also spot on. The mystery itself is very well written and interesting with lots of twists and turns leaving the reader guessing until the very end. A great mystery novel that will appeal to all, highly recommend!!