I've read one previous book in this series, and need to go back and read the other two for sure now, because I've really enjoyed them. I liked how much characters from previous books made reappearances in this one. I'm really enjoying the murder mystery/romance combination as well. This one was quick and fun. I enjoyed following all the clues laid out for the mystery and making my guesses along the way. I enjoyed the way the romance developed and how sweet and sexy it was. I enjoyed all the strong female relationships throughout. I enjoyed the historical setting and all the details about the foreign office. It really was just a fun book and I definitely recommend.

Two friends reunite years later when a murder happens at a dinner party they both attend... now they'll have to find the killer and figure out the hidden feelings between them. Jane Halliwell dreams about a house of her own, but all her dreams were crushed when her father died and her and her mother were left penniless and cast outside society. She now works as a governess while also trying to write her own book. When her employer is murdered during a house party Jane is forced back into the ton and forced to work with the very same lord who broke her heart all those years ago. Lord Adrian Fielding is consumed with his job at the Foreign Office, he's always been focused on him job yet he has one regret, Jane. Adrian had been close to Jane's family, her father was a mentor and friend to him and when her father died he was forced to go away for work yet regretted never being there for young Jane. When he returned from work he discovered Jane and her mother outcasted into society and it was too late for him to do anything and when he tried to talk to her a few years later she did everything to avoid him despite how much he tried to talk to her. Now he's finally meeting her again, and he wants answers to her icy demeanor and it can't be helped that just being around her has him wanting to protect her at all costs and wanting to be there for her.... and maybe finally realize that despite the fact that she use to have a girlish crush on him and is now cold, he is falling for her. Adrian and Jane will be forced to work together to find out who the killer is and if there is a larger conspiracy at play while the killer starts going after them too. Yet being together after all these years has feelings coming out again and if they can solve the case and survive the killer, they might just have a chance at romance. This was an absolutely adorable historical romance. I adored Adrian and Jane so much, and from the bat you can see how much Adrian is head over heels for Jane (but just wont admit it). I loved the murder mystery element in this and I think this is such a fun book in the series, though you can read it as a stand alone. I've loved this series so much and this one was a great new one in the series!! It's a fun sweet read that will put a smile on your face the entire time.

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This is a fun, entertaining, captivating read. Adrian and Jane are interesting, relatable, intriguing, complex, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance with all it’s twists and turns. They are fun characters to spend some time with. I also enjoyed the mystery subplot and how it played out. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. While this is the forth book in the series, I read it as a stand alone and didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 32%. The writing is good, I just don’t think I’m a fan of historical romances. The murder mystery aspect was fun and it seems the characters relationships have potential but it’s just not for me. Give it a shot if you tend to enjoy this genre!

A Governess’s Guide to Passion & Peril

I love Manda Collins! We’re first introduced to Jane and Adrian in the previous book, A Spinster’s Guide to Danger & Dukes, and we know there’s history there! Finally, we get to find out what that history is, during a mürder investigation of all things!

Adrian previously worked under Jane’s father, and young Jane was a bit in love with him, but circumstances diverted their paths. Jane ends up becoming a governess, but it isn’t the best experience for her as she’s looked down upon for her father’s actions and fall from society. Adrian is a bit astounded by this and doesn’t understand why Jane is so cold toward him, but eventually he figures it out and the two are able to work together to solve the mürder of Adrian’s most recent mentor. I enjoyed how the romance between them developed, they both had things to overcome, but they did so like adults and communicated with each other! Look, Adrian is so overprotective and jealous and in love with Jane from the start and he doesn’t even know it!!! ‼️ I loved it!!! Ugh. It was so good! 👏🫠 And when he finally does acknowledge it? He’s all in. 😅🔥

The mystery element was fun, but I did figure out the villain early on. I enjoyed how Jane stepped in to assist the investigation, especially because it stressed Adrian out so much! Ha! I loved the cameos made by our previous Ladies Most Scandalous! The dynamics between Jane and her mother could have been fleshed out a bit more. I would have enjoyed some more follow up on how things worked out with them after the events of the book unfolded.

I love the Ladies Most Scandalous series, and enjoyed this newest addition! This was a solid read for me, and I’m already impatiently waiting for Collins’s next release!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

This series just keeps getting better and better! Enemies to lovers will always be my jam, even in Victorian times. After we briefly met Jane and Lord Adrian in the last installment, the duo gets their time to shine while solving a murder that has personal ties for them both. They're forced to put their personal history aside to solve a series of murders, most recently of Jane's employer. As the only child of a deceased and disgraced foreign service agent, Jane has been forced to work as a governess to her father's old acquaintances after being shunned from polite society. When the father of her charge turns up murdered during a house party, she's drawn into the investigations when connections to her father's death arise. Reluctantly, this means spending more time with Lord Adrian, who she once fancied in her youth. The attraction between them is undeniable, but as danger creeps in the more they look further into the deaths, they first must solve the crime before they can think about a future together.

This book is SUPER fun. It's not only a cute romance, but a smart house-party set murder mystery. Jane and Adrian's romance is adorable and going through the clues and intrigue to solve the mystery with them was such a joy. Highly recommend.

Jane Halliwell is working as a governess after her father's suicide has lowered her place in polite society. Jane is working for the family of one of her later father's colleagues at the Foreign Office when her childhood crush, Lord Adrian, comes to the home to attend a symposium. When the host ends up dead with a suspicious object left on his body, Jane and Adrian team up with our old pal Eversham to investigate what happened and whether the Lord's death was connected to other deaths over foreign officers, including Jane's father.

I enjoyed this, though it was probably my least favorite of the series, but I still liked it. I wished we had gotten more scenes of Adrian and Jane alone, like the previous books, to really solidify their relationship. I do wish there had been a bit more spice as well, compared to some of the previous books in the series. The mystery portion of the book was very well done and I was kept guessing right up until the end as to who the killer would be. Overall, a quick and lovely read!

Oh to fall in love while hunting a killer through the English countryside….

Jane is the daughter of a diplomat and she looses her place in society when her father commits suicide and she takes up work as a governess. When she attends a party at her employers and someone ends up dead, she teams up with her fathers prodigy and her old crush. Things quickly heat up between them as they hunt the killer.

I really enjoyed this book! The mix between romance, historical fiction, and murder mystery was great. Jane was a very likable character to follow. There was a lot of chemistry between Jane and Adrian. The mystery parts had a lot of twists and were interesting. There was also so humor sprinkled throughout. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed it! I don’t typically enjoy historical romance but this one was a very good one.

This is a series but I have not read the others. I think some of the characters from the other books are in this one but I don’t think they have to be read in order. It didn’t take away from my experience at all.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Forever for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely recommend!

What a fun read! Jane is dealing with her reduced circumstances- her father's scandalous death sees her shunned in society-by taking work as a governess but oh no- her new employer is murdered! Lord Adrian, an old pal joins forces with her to find the villain. But even better- he joins forces with her romantically. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the Regency might quibble a bit about the humor and the cozy aspects but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this enjoyable, entertaining murder mystery/romance.
Jane Halliwell, a former lady now a governess's employer is murdered at his diplomatic house party.
Lord Adrian, who Jane had feelings for years ago is also at the party. Jane and Adrian despite her hard feelings towards him after feeling that he abandoned her after her father's death, they team up to help solve the murder.
The relationship between the two is lovely as they start to realize the misunderstandings that took place.
This is a slow burn romance with a very interesting murder mystery.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my honest opinions.

"A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril" by Manda Collins is a delightful blend of romance and mystery set in Regency England. Manda gives us another story with an engaging plot, well-drawn characters, and swoon-worthy romance. I devoured this in one sitting and was sad when it ended. This gave me the much-needed dip into the regency I have been craving while waiting for the next season of Bridgerton. I loved every second of this banter, slow burn, mystery, romance. Please run; do not walk for this one.

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fans of historical mysteries will find the Ladies Most Scandalous series a delightful read. A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril is book four in the series. While each book features characters from previous books, it is not necessary to read them in order. You can just right in and not be lost.

In the latest mystery, Miss Jane Halliwell, daughter of an ambassador for England, finds herself in reduced circumstances, as they say. She is currently a governess for a former friend and colleague of her father's. After her father's supposed suicide, Jane and her mother were snubbed by their former friends. The household is hosting numerous other diplomats from various European countries and America for a symposium on roses. This whole thing is a charade for a meeting to secure the rights to a talking machine for England.

When Jane's boss is murdered during the first evening, everything is a sixes and sevens. Jane and Lord Adrian begin to nose around with varying degrees of success and find much more than danger.

I enjoyed this one. It was a fun regency romance-cozy mystery romp.

I always find governesses fascinating as they have a hard time fitting in upstairs or downstairs. While this novel is not mind blowing, I definitely found it to be a quick enjoyable read which left me with a smile on my face.

A nice light spring read!


Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

I have so enjoyed this series. This installment finds a woman whose circumstances have been greatly reduced by her father’s death and debts. She is working as a governess. A friend has been searching for her and now that he’s found her, wants her. An unexpected death, an accusation and some familiar faces made this book a lovely read.

I go into historical romances so hopeful and every time it seems I'm let down.

I was expecting this novel to be a lot more fun than it actually was; more of a romp through Victorian England than serious murder mystery, and to be honest now only was I a little lost, but I think our dear author was as well.

There seemed (at least to me) that there was a lack of cohesion between the two primary genres here. We would jump from a serious murder mystery to the out of place romantic scenes.

And the thing is, they wouldn't have felt so out of place if the two love interests had any semblance of chemistry. They just seem to have known each other from when they were younger and seeing each other so many years later randomly inspired love.

The pacing was also really awkward. I could excuse some of the insta-love of this book if we followed some proper pacing, but alas. Things seemed to move extremely fast or slow depending on the author's mood.

All this to say that this book was not for me. Oh, and I 100% guessed (correctly) who the killer was within the first few chapters. Take that how you will. I think that Collins definitely could have been a bit more clever with the entire mystery plot.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril by Manda Collins follows the story of two friends who reunite and uncover hidden feelings while investigating a murder in this captivating historical romance. The mystery unravels seamlessly, introducing a plethora of suspects, intriguing clues, and perilous situations that never detract from the central love story. This sensual and witty romance is sure to keep readers eagerly turning the pages.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher. A fun read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Another great Manda Collins book! I love how all of her cute couples live in the same universe and we get overlap in each book as more leads are introduced.

This was such a fun read because I love a good historical romance+mystery! ⁣

Jane Halliwell, the daughter of a diplomat has been working as a governess after her father's death and has been pushed to the edges of the society that she'd once been a part of. But, she's forced back into the same world again when her employer hosts a house party and is murdered by someone. She's required to temporarily step in as a hostess while they try to investigate the murder. And this puts her in close proximity with Lord Adrian Fielding - her ex friend and childhood crush. Adrian is surprised by Jane's standoffishness and while he'd like to bridge the gap between them, he also finds himself attracted to her. But with Lord Gilford's murder, it seems like someone has been targeting many officers in the diplomatic community and both Jane and Adrian need to work together to find the murderer before he endangers someone else's life!⁣

Manda Collins has always been amazing at writing books with the right amount of romance and mystery in them! This series and the Studies In Scandal books have been some of my faves, and this book was just as enjoyable! I loved the fact that Jane and Adrian resolve their misunderstanding near the beginning itself, and they start falling for each other. They were equally protective of each other but not willing to restrict the other from doing something either - and that was nice! The mystery is a part of the central plot and it was interesting to watch them uncover old secrets and connect the clues. I guessed the culprit halfway through the story but it was still very fun! Overall, this was a great read and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something that has the perfect mix of mystery and romance! This one comes out on 03/26 !❣️✨