This one was a struggle for me to get through though I have enjoyed other books by this author so it might just be me.

I really enjoyed Charlotte and Laurence's story! I just loved how they worked together to solve the mystery of Laurence's past.

Content Warning: Parental murder, abandonment, child abuse/neglect, misogyny

I liked the last Jane Ashford I read (Jane Ashford: How to Cross a Marquess) and was intrigued by the description of this new release, being somewhat on a Regency mystery bent.  This is not mystery dominant, but the mystery is an element of the book.  This is also fourth in The Duke's Estates series, but the first of the series I have read and worked as a standalone.

The mystery was too complex in the end for the reader to even guess, so if you like to figure out things ahead of the characters this may be a disappointment.  I thought it was interesting and rife with good history, so enjoyed it.

The romance was great, with a beta-leaning hero and a "prickly" heroine.  Both read neurodivergent to me, but I am not sure if that was Ashford's intent.  I thought their romance made sense, as she was looking for someone to support her interests and he was truly looking for a connection beyond surface.  It wasn't necessarily a swoony, chest-pounded sort of romance but I thought it was more steady and thus endearing.

This is a kisses only story with some violent scenes.  I have added a content warning because, while not graphic, there are elements of the backstory and story which may be difficult for some readers.

The title has no tie in with the story.  I sometimes feel like I am overly annoyed with arbitrary titles, but like the cover I do think it should hint at what the reader is in for.  This title seems cute and funning, whereas this story is mostly serious.

The main action is characters working together to solve a mystery with many interesting supporting characters to keep the pace up.  It happens at the heroine's country home for a shooting party, and involves her raucous brothers who I assume will have their own stories (it felt like there may be a lead up for a couple in the book).  There were also some references to other characters in the series which suggested this might be a fun series to read with sleuthing ladies working together on mysteries, while also finding love.

Overall, I recommend this for most readers.  I will definitely keep this series on my short list.

This is the fourth book in The Duke’s Estates series, it is Charlotte Deeping and Laurence Lindley, the Marquess of Glendarvon's story. The story is well written and was fun to read and held my interest from cover to cover. There is a twenty year old mystery to be solved and has twists and turns, drama and romance. The story was well worth reading. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Jane Ashford is the perfect author if you are looking for a light historical romance, that feels reminiscent of a Georgette Heyer style, that is very light on the steam, but has a really lovely level of sweetness to the story. Ashford's writing is gentle, and have a softness to its pacing, that give a realistic feel to the time period and the characters and situations. A Gentleman Ought to Know is the fourth novel in Ashford's Duke Estates series and it is a charming companion to the other novels. This and the other novels in the series, all take place outside of the London scene which give them a really lovely gentleness that is perfect for a Sunday afternoon read. Ashford's characters in this novel are both charming and easily likable, and their romance is soft and endearing. I find the plots of Ashford's novels to create a nice driving force for the through-line of the novel, but ultimately the reader is more motivated by the character development. Ashford has a charming way of creating light banter and moments between the couple that reflect the way that Jane Austen's characters and relationships are explored in her works. I would definitely recommend Jane Ashford if you are a love of author's like Austen and Gaskill, her works feel like a branch off of the tree of those style of works.

Enjoyed the mystery during the house party with Charlotte and her brothers. Her mother had them invite some of their friends since she didn't meet anyone during the season. She is intrigued by Laurence who is a Marquess but more because she wants to know more about his past.
These inquiries and digging around are alerting others who are looking for the same info though.
In the middle of all of this Charlotte and Laurence grow closer and are very sweet. They share a kiss and you know they will get their hea just as soon as we get rid of the bad guys.
Def enjoyed solving the mystery of his parents murder. As there was a lot of subterfuge and political intrigue.

Thank you sourcebookscasa and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Regency cozy mystery....

This was a sweet read with a strong dose of mystery added in for flare.
Charlotte Deeping loves to interogate and solve mysteries. She has brothers and one of them invited Laurence to visit. They have a not so meet cute with a horse and a country lane. Soon, they are solving a mystery and falling in love.

Solving mysteries in a methodical way is what she does. But this mystery might be too dangerous for the women. (I dont think so.....). Well written and intriguing. Kept me interested from front to back. I would love to see the Deeping boys in a romance series. They sound like so much fun!!!
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.

Ironically, I have the first book in this series on my TBR list! It felt like I was missing a little bit of history while reading A Gentleman Ought to Know, so that explains it. I hadn’t known it was part of a series when I requested it from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. I thought this novel was a middling romance and give it three out of five stars.

Charlotte Deeping isn’t looking for a husband; all of the gentlemen she met during the season in London seemed to be insincere and mindless. She likes a good puzzle and has solved several with her school friends, but finds herself bored and purposeless now that she’s back at her family estate. In the middle of a walk, she’s almost run down by a man on horseback – one of her brother’s school friends, here to take part in the hunting season. Once she learns that his parents were killed and the killer never found, she can’t resist getting to know the Marquess of Glendavron better. Will she find her perfect match, as well?

The Marquess, Laurence Lindley, is shocked by the informality of the Deeping family and their easygoing camaraderie. He’s very reserved and didn’t want to turn down the invitation of his school friend, but would rather stay in his controlled social sphere. His dramatic and mysterious past has made him cautious and Charlotte, with her forthright personality, may just be the one to break him free from his self-imposed isolation.

I liked the two main characters of this novel individually; Laurence, having an unusual childhood being bounced from guardian to guardian, was characteristically reserved and reluctant to form attachments to anyone. Charlotte, with a family who respected and cared about her, was confident in herself and her abilities. They are very much an “opposites attract” couple, and I liked that. I felt that both their backgrounds were established well enough at the beginning of the book that it set the characters up well.

The plot of this novel was also pretty decent; I won’t say that the mystery component was stunning, by any means, but it was considerably better than the last mystery romance I reviewed for NetGalley (How to Court a Covert Lady, here). This plot was fairly unique, although not incredibly complex. It was well suited for a mystery romance. The romance plot was pretty standard, I thought, with no twists involved. It did end happily, which pleased me – as you know I am not one for sad endings.

There were a couple of elements that annoyed me about this novel; I found that Charlotte was a little callous in her pursuit of the mystery of the Marquess and that Laurence seemed to move past his traumatic childhood without much difficulty. As soon as Charlotte heard about Laurence’s past and his parent’s death, she thought “Oh, a mystery to solve, what fun!” and seemed to treat the issue as a lark rather than as a serious, emotionally difficult matter. Luckily, she had others in her life to remind her that her investigation wasn’t a game, which was a feature of this novel that I really appreciated.

Laurence didn’t become involved with Charlotte’s investigation until about halfway through this book when he was already forming an attachment to her. So, I’m sure that played a part in his willingness to dig up the past that he had ignored for so long. But, he ended up reliving the night of his parent’s deaths and then just kind of turned around and said “okay, what next?” as if nothing had happened. From then on, he appeared to be over losing his parents and his resulting unfortunate childhood sufferings. He also needed to prove his feelings for Charlotte were real (as happens, in romance books), and decided that being equally dedicated to the puzzle of his parents’ deaths was the way to go. It worked, of course, but I just found it quite… macabre.

There are many other detecting couples, of course: Verity and Sidney Kent (Verity Kent series, Anna Lee Huber), Veronica and Stoker (Veronica Speedwell series, Deanna Raybourn), Wrexford and Sloane (Wrexford and Sloane series, Andrea Penrose), Sebastian and Hero (Sebastian St. Cyr series, C.S. Harris). Each has faced their own share of personal challenges and/or tragedies, but they treat them with much more deference and gravitas than Charlotte and eventually, Laurence have done here.

All in all, I thought A Gentleman Ought to Know was passable. It wasn’t my favorite, but I’ve certainly read worse. If you’d like a clean romance novel with a little bit of mystery, this book might suit you well.

Charlotte Deeping loves nothing more than solving mysteries. One of her oldest brother's guests for a hunting party is Lawrence Lindley, the Marquess of Glendarvon. Lawrence has lived with a mystery since he was four years old, who murdered his parents. With a sense of purpose, Charlotte starts asking questions from known sources about the murders. As pieces of the puzzle come together, Charlotte realizes Lawrence may be the man who will let her be herself. Unexpected evidence is found to explain what happened in the past and solve the murders. Some humor between her brothers, mixed in with danger makes for an interesting mystery. Kissing only.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Miss Charlotte Deeping’s family hunting party turns into her preferred hunting party for Laurence Lindley, Marquess of Glendarvon, in “A Gentleman Ought to Know” by Jane Ashford!!

Prickly Charlotte almost gets run over by Laurence’s horse and does not let him live it down. However, as they learn more about each other while solving a fatal mystery, their meet-cute shifts from a reminder of near death to teasing banter.

The fourth book of the Duke’s Estates series is charming!! Charlotte’s friends are married and she does not want to. She does have marriage minded parents however they are not pushy, allowing for an organic relationship with her brother’s best friend.

The characters are entertaining and we get to see the different characteristics of Charlotte. She has four rambunctious brothers with different personalities and she has a distinct, lovely, and teasing relationship with each. Her friend and her duke husband allows Charlotte’s analytical and vulnerable side to show. There are others who collaborate with her to take action regardless of her gender.

I enjoyed the who-dun-it aspect to the story!! It allows for different settings, skills sets, twists, and more while they discover the full story that starts decades ago.

If you enjoy horses, mystery, skilled women, slow burns, and teasing, then I highly recommend this book!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is the fourth book in The Duke’s Estates series, and it is a charming addition. Charlotte and Laurence are interesting and likable characters, and their romance is sweet and lovely. And even though it’s not the first book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Charlotte is home after her first season in London, and with all of her friends now married, she is at a bit of a loss. Then, she meets her brother’s friend, and life changes for the both of them. Charlotte is a whiz at solving mysteries, and she becomes very invested in helping Laurence find out more about the death of his parents. I love how they work together to figure out this decades-old mystery. They have great chemistry, and their slow-building romance is lovely.

The secondary characters are fantastic too. Merlin, Charlotte’s boisterous and loving family, and Charlotte’s friends are all dynamic and fun, and the banter among all of them creates such a warm and loving and wonderful setting. It’s a great contrast to the dark murder mystery Charlotte and Laurence are trying to solve. And when they all investigate together…the best!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

An easy romance with great characters, a bit of mystery and lots of banter that made me laugh and swoon. I was looking for a bit more spice but I think the story is great as it is as well. I haven't read many of the author's book in the past but i liked this one and the way the characters arc are developed and the overall story so I will be looking out for more titles from her.

A Gentleman Ought To Know is the fourth title in The Duke’s Estates series, and brings us a fun romance between two people who appear on the surface to be total opposites – but maybe there’s a middle ground for Charlotte and Laurence, only time will tell.

Charlotte’s recent Season wasn’t all she’d hoped it might be. The men she was introduced to would have bored a tree or shunted her into a life that she has no interest in whatsoever. She’s made the decision that she’s better off on her own and begins to plan her life as a single woman, a happily single woman devoting herself to the family’s business passion and perhaps solving the occasional mystery now and then. The very last thing she expected was to be thrown into a brother’s friend’s life or to discover that the Marquess of Glendarvon is surrounded by mystery. One that she’s quite capable of exploring with or without his wishes on the subject.

Laurence was raised by guardians who may have taught him the way of the world but severely lacked any emotional involvement or understanding. He’s certainly not accustomed to Charlotte’s way of looking at the world, but she does indeed fascinate him… which surprises him greatly. He’s lived with the mystery of his parents’ deaths his entire life, but now with one side trip and one piece of jewelry, he’s tossed back into the questions that have never been answered. When the woman he’s coming to love is placed in danger because of his past, it’s time to solve the mystery and the crime once and for all time… which isn’t the easiest challenge he’s ever faced.

I enjoyed A Gentleman Ought to Know; it’s a well-written, engaging romance with touches of mystery, danger, and a growing attraction that will weave Charlotte and Laurence into a lifelong love. But it’s going to take a bit of time to reach the happy-ever-after ending. I liked Charlotte, she’s headstrong, stubborn, and used to going her own way, especially in solving any puzzle that she is presented with. I loved watching Laurence grow from a stick-in-the-mud to a man beginning to understand emotions and reveling in that knowledge. They fit together, as opposite as they are on so many things – together, they make up a couple that works for them, and that’s really all that matters to the heart.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Charlotte Deeping, 20, is back home in Leicestershire after her season in London. She is missing her good friends, Ada, Harriet, and Sarah all of whom are married and living some distance away. The Deeping family owns a racing stable where they breed race horses and hunters. Charlotte has 4 brothers, Stanley, Henry, Cecil, and Bertram.

Laurence Lindley, the Marquess of Glendarvon, is visiting their home as a guest of one of her brothers. As Charlotte gets to know him, she learns that his parents were murdered when he was just 4-years-old and no one know why. Since Charlotte and her friends all love a good mystery, she wants to help solve this one but her brothers tell her not to meddle. However, Charlotte is a strong-willed young woman and doesn’t give up easily.

When a ring is found that is a family heirloom belonging to Laurence, it opens up questions about his parents murder and many jump in to see what they can uncover.

Oh my. Too many characters involved here. The plot was rather boring and far-fetched. Laurence is a likable person but Charlotte is cold. Too many bumps in the road in this story to make it interesting.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An inquisitive mystery maven and a Marquess that witnessed the murder of his parents as a child.

I really liked how Charlotte and Laurence just clicked. Laurence wasn't afraid of Charlotte being outspoken and the teasing relationship she had with her brothers. Charlotte definitely enjoyed how easy conversation was with Laurence and him letting her take on finding out the mystery of his past. One of my favorite characters that added some fun to the mystery was Merlin, who is basically a crazy old man looking for something to do.

This book has a good balance of romance, mystery, and lighthearted family fun. The romance was definitely PG, so a little more fire would have been fun, but the overall story was told well regardless.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

3.5 Stars
Charlotte Deeping needs something to keep her occupied now that she's back home after her first London season. She misses solving local intrigues with her school friends, but they've all gone off and gotten married. Then Laurence Lindley, the Marquis of Glendarvon, comes for a visit, and drops a mystery right into her lap. When Charlotte's brother makes her promise not to interrogate the marquis, she agrees. But that only means she'll have to find subtler ways to learn about the mysterious Laurence and his past. The more time they spend together, the closer Charlotte gets to finding answers, and to Laurence.
The fourth book in the series & it’s easily read on its own, I love romance with a mystery & settled down to enjoy this book. It was a slow burn romance & whilst I really liked Laurence I disliked Charlotte & the more I read the more I disliked her. The book was well written & I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery but Charlotte’s character & the other female characters put a dampener on the book – if they'd have worn bras there would have been lots of bonfires!
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Maybe 3.5 stars.

It is most definitely not love at first sight when Charlotte Deeping and Laurence Lindley, the Marquess of Glendarvon meet. Especially since he nearly runs her down while taking a jump on the way to her family’s estate to join her brothers for the hunting season. Besides nearly killing her, he happens to be extremely handsome and sets her heart aflutter – to her everlasting disgust. Because, despite her all of dearest friends recently marrying, Charlotte has no desire to join their ranks and would happily declare herself a spinster and be done with society, she decides to ignore her inconvenient attraction to him. Good plan, but as soon as she learns that his parents were murdered and the culprits were never apprehended, she is consumed with curiosity and wants to investigate. But a promise to her brother hampers her attempts until she gets drawn into another mystery at her friend Cecilia’s nearby estate and enlists Laurence’s help.

Laurence is drawn to Charlotte from the start, but she makes it clear that she is not interested in being wooed. Yet she seems to enjoy his company and he finds himself telling her things that he never speaks of, primarily the gruesome murder of his parents when he was just four. She is compassionate, but not fawning. She is unlike any woman he has ever met and he can’t get enough of her. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that he wants to marry Charlotte, but she is not going to make it easy, because, for every step forward, they seem to take two steps back. And when the truth of his parents’ mystery comes to light, he becomes a target for the villains and any chance for HEA may be moot.

I liked the idea of this story, but the execution didn’t thrill me. I struggled to stay interested in the book as the first half dragged and was all about horses, foxes, and the hunt, the second half moved at a swifter pace, but now Charlotte has turned into a shrew. She describes herself as “prickly” and “acerbic” but I just found her to be intolerant, self-absorbed, and just plain nasty. She was quick to judge without facts and slow to accept her mistakes. I didn’t hate her, but she does make it hard to like her. I found Laurence to be more of a beta hero and could picture him as the submissive one in the relationship, as being perfectly fine with that. There is nothing objectionable about him and I felt sorry for him whenever Charlotte turned on him. This book was a very slow-burn romance, buried in a murder mystery. If it were just a mystery, I would have no problem giving the story a better rating, but it is supposed to be a romance and it wasn’t overly romantic, the love scenes are almost non-existent and I can’t tell you when or why they fell in love, other than he was handsome and she was not interested in him (or so he thought). But the mystery was very well done and the secondary characters were delightful. I have not read any of the other books in this series, but I had no problem following this story and felt it stood out well on its own. Overall, I enjoyed the story, as mentioned it was a very well-done murder mystery and for the most part, very likable, intelligent characters, as well as a bit of comic relief thanks to her brothers.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

This is the 4th installment in the series "The Duke's Estates". I had not read the first three books, but look forward to finding them. A Gentleman Ought to Know follows Charlotte Deeping and Laurence Lindley, the Marquess of Glendarvon. Through several twists and turns, the two realize that they love one another and solve a mystery along the way. I would recommend this book to a friend or anyone who likes Regency Romance,

Thank you to Jane Ashford, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable sweet clean romance with some mystery, kidnapping and intrigue both in the present and 20 years ago. I found it an easy read nicely paced and intriguing. The only negative was I wasn't sure about Charlotte at first she didn't seem very nice this may have been because I haven't read all the other books in the series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.