Frances and George are such a delightful couple.
I love this series and I love that every time there is a mystery that you cannot figure out. At least I cannot.
The couple is in love and their connection is so strong that every story is lovely.
The side characters are also carefully created, and I enjoy every single word in these books.
Have I mentioned that Frances is also hilarious? Well, she is!!!

Frances, an American who got her title of Countess thanks to her deceased first husband, is the perfect person to instruct Kate, the niece of Viscountess Winstead on society in the run up to her presentation to the Queen. Thing is, something is off with Lady Winstead and, thanks to Frances's poking, it appears that Lord Winstead's death might have been, ahem, helped along. Frances' husband George is off busy on his own case but he will help out here, as do others in Frances' household. The reader, like Frances, knows that Kate is not trying to kill her aunt but who is? This is good cozy material with some delightful quirks. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier ones- this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fun read.

This is book 6 in the Countess of Harleigh series and while I haven’t read the earlier books I still greatly enjoyed this one. It is a great concept to have a Countess as an amateur sleuth and I have to admit she was a great character. Lady Harleigh has volunteered to help present an old acquaintance’s niece to the queen and society but on her first night there it is clear something is wrong because the Lady of the house isn’t loved by her stepchildren and she is sick with a mysterious illness and hasn’t seen a doctor. Of course Lady Harleigh needs to investigate more and her trying to wade through the house’s drama was pretty amazing. I definitely will be reading more of these books, it was the perfect mix of cozy mystery and historical fiction.

Missing jewels, a missing diary, a dead Viscount, a drugged Viscountess, a dead nurse, and a debutante with secrets will keep you on the edge of your seat in this excellently written and delightfully entertaining story. George Hazelton and his new wife, Frances, the former Countess of Harleigh, have their work cut out for them this time. Not that they exactly knew it was a case in the beginning. George was asked by the British Museum to find a diary that had been left to them by the late Viscount Winstead. They must have the diary to provide the provenance of the artifacts also left to them by the late Viscount, yet it wasn’t turned over to them along with the artifacts. The missing diary makes the artifacts practically worthless. At the same time, Frances has been asked by the dowager Viscountess Winstead to help introduce her niece into society. It is a happy little accident that both of their tasks coincide because Frances has access to the home of the Winsteads and George does not.

The Winsteads win the prize for dysfunctional families. When Frances walks into their home she finds a nearly comatose Viscountess whose illness no one can explain, a new Viscount with no love for his stepmother, and various other family members living off the Viscount. They are venal, disrespectful, and have no thought for anyone other than themselves. However, being dysfunctional, venal, disrespectful, or hateful doesn’t make you a murderer – does it?

With Frances ensconced within the Winstead household, George has plenty to be concerned about. Without him there, there is no one to protect Frances from the murderer who is surely roaming the halls of that house. Frances could easily fall prey to someone clever enough to keep the Viscountess drugged, has committed at least one murder and maybe two, and has stolen some of the Viscountess's jewels. Who can it be? Is it a member of the family? Is it more than one person? Is it the nurse? Is it the viscountess herself perpetrating a hoax? I’ll not tell – you’ll just have to read the book.

I definitely recommend this book and this series. The writing is excellent, the pacing nearly perfect, and the character development will make you want to meet them in person. Well, you’ll want to meet the good ones anyway. It is a fun, entertaining read with a lovely mystery and lots of shenanigans among some of the characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

‘ware the elderly Doyennes of the Ton.

A welcomed dive into the latest doings of the former Lady Hartleigh and her husband George Hazelton. Frances has been asked by Vicountess Winstead to sponsor her niece’s presentation to the Queen. What could go wrong? A fortunate opportunity for George to ask for Frances’s assistance in looking around Lady Winstead’s rooms for the deceased Viscount Winstead, Lord Peter’s journal. It lists the Egyptian artifacts he’d obtained in his travels, including the journal, that were all willed to the British museum. The journal has disappeared
It turns out that someone is drugging Lady Winstead with laudanum, and a murder occurs. The niece might be more than she appears and Frances finds herself negotiating with two truly frightening older women of the ton who wreak havoc wherever their attention lands.
An enjoyable Victorian mystery.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The next Countess of Harleigh finds Frances helping the niece of a viscountess get ready to be presented to the queen and society. However, when Frances goes to the household, she finds the viscountess really sick. Something seems off, and this is confirmed by the viscountess's best friend. Kate, the niece, is also hiding things from Frances. When the nurse of the older woman ends up dead, Frances can't help but investigate to try to save more lives.

Another great mystery in this series. We didn't get as much Frances side story as we do in other books I think here since she had to be in the Ashley household so much. I also think the denouement of the plot was really fast - like I wish there had been more explanation of how the culprit had murdered the nurse. Still, I look forward to more with Frances and crew!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series, and thought this installment was especially strong. The mystery was twisty, and the main character felt genuinely in danger. I appreciate the range of quirky characters who pop up with every book but don't take over from the main cast.

First time reader from this author. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and storyline as Frances has been asked to sponsor her friends niece, Kate and present her to society and Queen Victoria. With Kate's aunt the Viscountess Winstead becoming increasingly ill after the death of her husband, the late Viscount. Suspicions arise and Frances joins forces with her beloved George, to find out if something untoward is happening. With secrets and deception hiding within the walls of the viscountess's home, her stepchildren and even Kate come under suspicion. A great fun read!

I have read the rest of the books in this series and enjoyed them all, so I was happy to be able to read and review this book, and I was not disappointed. The book continues the story of Frances Hastings the dowager Countess of Harleigh as she settles into married life with her new husband George, and becomes engaged in solving yet another mystery involving the upper classes of London.

The plot was engaging and had enough twists to make it exciting, no suspect could be fully cleared right up until the last pages and new clues were being found all along the way. I enjoy Dianne Freeman's writing and find it to include just the right amount of humour, mystery, romance, and excitement. She includes enough details to make everything make sense, but not too much to bog down the story. Another great cozy mystery and I hope there are more Countess of Harleigh books coming and look forward to reading each and every one.

I recieved an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Adorable seems like a strange word to use in describing a murder mystery, but Dianne Freeman’s A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder, is adorable. I enjoyed getting to know each character, trying to decide who is trustworthy and who is hiding a deadly secret. The story is thick with bitterness, theft, and murder, but also light with flirtation and family.
I would give this a four star review if Freeman would tighten the language to omit needless words and edit passive voice passages.

Can this series get any better?!

OMG! This might be my favorite so far in the series - and I have loved them all so far.

Dianne really outdid herself with the vivid description of the setting and clothing. The visuals were stunning. I have loved seeing Francis and George's relationship grow with each book.

I wish it was a little more open door for the romance, but that's the romance reader in me begging.

I hope this series never ends! Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder" by Dianne Freeman is the 6th book in the Countess of Harleigh Cozy Mystery Series.
I have been lucky enough to have read all the books in the series & this book continues the witty, clever & entertaining vibe of the 1st 5 books in the series.
What I love so much about this cozy mystery series is:
1-there is always a great murder mystery, where you never suspect the person who is the actual killer;
2-some nice romance;
3-great characters;
4-it takes place in an interesting time period, England 1900.
I am anxiously waiting for book# 7 in this great series.

📚NOVEL THOUGHTS📚

This delightful read is the first one I have read in this series. It was a fun mystery as we follow Countess Frances Harleigh unravel clues to discover who is trying to poison the dowager Lady Winstead, whose husband Lord Peter has recently died. Frances has been engaged to introduce Lady Winstead's niece, Kate, into society and be presented to the Queen so with that veil, she is able to have access to the Ashley home and observe what goes on there, but Kate it seems, has her own secrets. As Lady Winstead seems to be on the decline, Kate hovers over her aunt and suspects that someone is overdosing her with laudanum. Lord Peter's children are suspect especially the new Viscount Jonathan Ashley who wants his cantankerous stepmother Lady Winstead out of his house, but needs her money in order to live in the custom he has always enjoyed. The same nurse who cared for Lord Peter during his decline is hired to care for Lady Winstead but Frances discovers there is some strange goings on where she is concerned. And why is Aggie, the Lady's maid, always hovering nearby?? The rest of the grown Ashley children and spouses are whiners who feel life is passing them by while they have to limit their social engagements during the mourning process of Lord Peter. When his valuable archeological journal that should be going to the British museum along with his artifacts goes missing, Frances believes this might be a motivator to keep Lady Winstead dopey with the drug. This is only a drop in the bucket when her valuable jewel studded necklace, earrings and bracelets go missing too! Frances enlists her husband George to see what he can find out as they usually work these cases together.
I found this book engaging and an easy read. Frances is an uncommon character for the time period of Victorian England as a woman sleuth but her husband gives her credibility as a team. The author makes the investigation fun as she throws red herrings for the reader to consider and then dismisses the suspect just as artfully. Besides Frances, the characters weren't as fleshed out as I might have expected so the reader could find a villain among them, but there was fun banter and dialog, especially between Frances and George. Their relationship is very playful. I did find some of the discussion of evidence redundant which made me skip around a bit. But overall, I can see why this series is a popular one. Also, the cover art is really eye catching and I found myself looking carefully at all it had to offer.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.

So so so good! My goodness, Frances and George continue to delight with each new book. I loved the mystery here. A really nice twist that I totally DID NOT SEE COMING. Can’t wait for the next!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Another success for Lady Francis! This series is fun, light hearted, and keeps you suspecting everyone until the end!! Loved it and hope there are more to look forward to!

I love this series! Frances and George are the Nick and Nora of 1900 England. Now Mrs Hazelton, Frances knows when and how to wield her courtesy title of Countess of Harleigh and does so effectively. Amazing for an American heiress! George has introduced love, humor, and fun to her and daughter Rose's lives. He's proud of Frances and her intelligence and doesn't hesitate to partner with her in his hush-hush investigations. In fact he threatens her that he'll just sit back and let her do his job for him. I love their conversations. So much teasing. The mystery in this story is very serious and tangled and people's lives are at stake.

this book is just wow i was drawn to it to what the blurb was but man i wasnt expecting much but it did keep me pulled into it. Im happy i took a chance on this book big time and i already told a few people that they need to read this book. i highly recommend this book. 5 star book and this was a new author to me so ill be looking into her other books and adding them to my wish list

Kate and her husband George are inveigled into investigating a noble family's arrangements. George is employed by the British Museum to find the diary of the nobleman who had excavated Egyptian objects which he bequeathed to the British Museum and which is missing. Kate has agreed to prepare a young lady of the family for presentation to the queen. The dowager of the family is failing and her husband is dead; was it murder?
Can Kate and George unravel all the misbehaviou? Read and enjoy.

Another cozy read! I find this series to be a comforting treat, though the mysteries themselves are always different and not easily solved, the consistency of the characters, the humour and the historic elements just make me happy. They aren’t rip roaring, exciting reads, but still very enjoyable.
I found George to be very adorable in this one and we saw some slice of life of his and Frances’ marriage, which I liked. The mystery itself was all Frances though and I missed those elements of spying and solving with George that were more prevalent in the other books in the series. I did enjoy seeing Aunt Hetty shine in this one with her boy toy Gilliam, those two added a great comedic element and I’d actually love to read about them in their own spin off series.
So fans of cozy mysteries with wit and warmth should pick up this series, I recommend starting at the beginning, though all the mysteries are contained, the character arcs and romance develop over the course of the series.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Investigating murder with Frances and George is always a treat, I’m so honored to be able to review this arc!

Frances has been asked to sponsor Miss Stover, a niece of the dowager Viscountess Lady Winstead. It soon turns out that the job comes with perks - we’re investigating!! 🥳There is something wrong about that family; the Viscountess’s condition is becoming worrisome and her niece suspects that she is being drugged. In the meantime a priceless journal of the late Viscount goes missing and coincidentally George is tasked to find it so our lovebirds can join forces to solve this puzzle.

Either I’m very distracted lately (I know I am 😂 ) or this mystery was more mysterious than the previous ones. I had no idea what the answers were until the very end. (As if I knew in the previous books 🤣.) The clues were scarce and red herrings aplenty so good luck detectives!

I was also a little disappointed that George was mostly absent and Frances did ALL the job. I liked other characters though, Hetty and Gilliam are getting more and more interesting and the two snarky old ladies provided lots of entertainment.

I enjoyed this book but unfortunately not as much as the previous ones so three stars this time.

I strongly recommend reading this series in order even though the mystery itself is a separate storyline.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.