This was not my cup of tea. The good; the main characters seemed well written, I enjoyed the cousin character and I always enjoy a period piece.

But as a murder mystery it falls down. There is no way to realistically solve the murder, and the murders make no sense for their supposed motive.

It's not really a locked room mystery either. It's a "people are all trapped in the same area" ala a house party murder. There is no conversation about any impossible crime or even any real detective work at all. The crime is only solved because the criminal makes themselves known.

The romance was lukewarm and like the rest of the plot somewhat unsatisfactory resolved. The use of some modern terms was a little off-putting too - I know the main female character is American but she isn't modern day American.

~thank you to netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review~

A Lethal Engagement is an incredibly fun romp through a Victorian airship with loads of swoony romance and a mystery that will pull you through it's pages. I love Skelly's witty banter and the humor infused into this story (especially from Phee). I also adored the romance between Nicholas and Cora. Their sweet moments, their getting to know each other through the investigation, his supporting her in a society that doesn't support women--it was so very sweet. And that ending was so cute with the two of them! I'm very much hoping for more books in this series so we can see where Cora and Nicholas go next!

What a great story aboard an airship. I thought I had this mystery figured out, not. Once I started reading it was really hard to put down, so I finished quicker than I wanted. I'm excited for the next one, to see what happens next.

I will admit that this book did take me a while to get into --- it wasn't so much the pacing at the beginning as it was the writing style. It felt a little stilted at first, almost like inserting historical speech into a modern day cadence.

That said, the writing and character's found their stride about 30% into the novel and after that I couldn't put it down! I loved the simmering tension between Cora and Nicholas, as well as Cora's blossoming friendship with Phee.

While I stuggled some with the timeline built around the initial murder, I thought the mystery itself was well done. It was definitely a focal point and didn't lose itself to the pagentry of building up the historical time period or to the romance, which is something I very much appreciated.

The author did a wonderful job building up all the suspense you want from a time-sensitive cozy mystery, and I found it ended up being a quick and entertaining read.

Wow wow, this book delivered exactly what I wanted it to deliver. There was mystery, romance, and murder which all tied together into a story full of twists and turns. Honestly I think that any fans of Hercule Poirot will be instantly invested in this book, as it was the thriller that kept me flipping pages constantly. I absolutely adored Cora's character and felt that she was very relatable in a way that made me root for her on every page, she was inspiring, brave, and thoroughly entertaining! As for Nicholas, he was a man written by a woman in every respect and I loved it. Overall, I would highly recommend this book as it kept my interest and kept me guessing with the intriguing plotline and the hints of romance embedded throughout to sate readers.

*Lethal Engagement* promises an exciting blend of historical intrigue, high society drama, and a classic locked-room mystery—all set aboard an airship, which adds a unique and thrilling twist. The premise of an American heiress fighting for her place in British aristocracy while simultaneously solving a murder is captivating, especially with the added tension of her fiancé’s questionable loyalty. The stakes feel high not just for Cora’s survival but also for her reputation, making the story as much about societal maneuvering as it is about solving a crime. ❤️

The setting—a luxurious yet isolated airship—creates the perfect backdrop for suspense, much like Agatha Christie's *And Then There Were None.* With a growing body count and a cast of characters who may not be who they claim to be, the novel seems like an immersive, fast-paced read filled with unexpected twists. Fans of historical mysteries and strong female protagonists will likely be drawn to Cora’s determination and intelligence as she races to uncover the killer before it’s too late. 😊

I just finished A Lethal Engagement by April J. Skelly. Enthusiastically 5 stars! It was cleaver, thrilling and funny at times. The setting of an airship in the gilded age felt magical and steampunk, a vibe I found captivating. I found myself instantly drawn to our heroine who was surprisingly relatable. I am not an heiress or been on an archaeology dig but I still felt we could be friends. I don’t want to give anything away but if you like historical mystery thrillers with strong female leads and a touch a sweet romance give this a try. I hope this is a series because I would love to spend more time with these characters. Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this. All thoughts are my own.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but after the author, who is also the publisher of Quill and Flame, started going on an 'anti-smut' campaign on social media, I can no longer support this author. It's fine if the author/publisher chooses not to write not publish books with open-door sex scenes, but to try to stigmatize books that are open door, authors who write open door, and readers who enjoy open door books, is just gross, unnecessary, and lacks respect. There was a way she could have promoted closed-door books without trying to harm open door.

An enjoyable read. I thought there was just a touch too much romance (just me ?) and it was a bit too much in your face.The rest of the story was great .

The "locked room" setting for this historical mystery is a dirigible which, at the end of the 1800s, is an elegant (at least for the first class passengers on the ship) place where several brutal murders take place. Cora Beaumont, who is an incredibly wealthy American heiress betrothed to the younger son of a British duke, is the owner of the blimp. and she is also a strong and determined woman who is not going to let murderers on her ship go undetected.

Cora is also challenged by her questions about her fiance, Terrence, when she realizes that she is much more interested in and attracted to his brother Nicholas. As Nicholas and Cora stealthily go through the halls of the air ship looking for clues as to who has been murdered and why, we are introduced to members of a theater troupe and other travelers on the blimp.

The setting of the dirigible seems rather constricted, and the description of the air ship itself seems a bit fanciful. Nonetheless, Cora and her friend Phoebe (Phee) present two women who are determined to identify who the nefarious people are on the air ship.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I truly enjoyed reading A Lethal Engagement. Cora and Nicholas make a really good investigating team. The author did a great job with the plot and dropping little hints about how the personal lives of the main characters would turn out by the end of the book. The murder mystery itself was very clever and kept me guessing until the reveal. I can't wait until the next book comes out.

Delightful read! Really enjoyed the mystery and characters plus the aeronautical history was intriguing!

A Lethal Engagement by April J. Skelly is an interesting and fun whodunit in the unusual setting of a dirigible traveling over the Atlantic. A twist to the story is the very forward-thinking arrangement of the main character, Cora Beaumont, securing her own financial identity independent of her husband upon her marriage. The story has several twists and turns, including one that was a bit anticipated though also welcomed.

Skelly has created a compact arena for Cora to fight against the once-timely ideas reducing women's stations to appendages of their husbands, dependent on them financially for everything. The progressive ideas Cora--and her father through his dowry arrangement--are happily fun, and Cora's efforts to maintain her dignity when put up against the snotty society women and the men who want to retain the status quo are enjoyable.

The murders themselves are grisly and I love that Cora does not let her discomfort reduce her to the stereotypical swooning woman of the time.

Those who enjoy strong female characters fighting against inequality will enjoy this book, as will those who like a good whodunit.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

In this story you follow Cora and Nicholas as they deal with some unexpected events on an airship that is traveling from the US to England. They are two people who reluctantly have to team up investigate the turn of events that has taken place.

I am a sucker for a locked room mystery and this one was really well done. It was really nice to be able to get the perspective of both Cora and Nicholas throughout the book and it helped you to really get into the minds of both of the characters. I cannot fully give it a five star because I did find the unmasking of the villain a little predictable but it was still very well written.

The weirdest part of this book for me is the fact that as a huge romance reader, I actually felt that the romance in this book was a little overdone. I would have liked it more if it focused on the mystery aspect and the romance was more of a secondary aspect. That being said, it was still a very cute and sweet romance to see and I did like how it was slowly build up to and wasn't an immediate thing.

This is a good story, I found the romance at times a bit much, but the whole being on a blimp over the Atlantic ocean and trying to outrun a storm (lightning could hit and destroy the blimp) along with trying to solve a murder, made it enjoyable. Cora Beaumont is an American in 1890 and has just become engaged to Terrance Tristan, the second son of a Duke from England. Cora, who is the daughter of the designer/maker of the blimp, Lady's Air, Terrance, his brother Nicholas and Cora's best friend are all travelling on the blimp to England. Being American, Cora is not as respected among the other travelers, most of whom are English, and especially the ones with an aristocratic background. Not long into their voyage, Cora is advised by the captain that a body has been found and a card had been left with the body. Cora and Nicholas (who is the first son and in line to become the Duke), begin investigating, and in rapid succession another two bodies are found. Cora also begins to notice that Terrance, her betrothed, hasn't been around as much as her should be, always seems to find an excuse to leave her with either her friend or Nicholas. Overall I enjoyed the book and I would look forward to reading another by this author. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

What an interesting start to a new series!

Cora is an American woman who is engaged to the second son of an aristocratic English family. In addition to her dowry, her late father gave her an inheritance, which includes the family airship company, that she'll retrain control of if she marries. If she doesn't marry, a loathsome half-brother gets control. As she takes off on the maiden voyage of her family's airship, bound for Southampton, she's relived that a more free life is ahead of her.

Things start to go wrong, though. Her fiancé has suddenly lost interest in her. She hears that accommodations on the ship might not be up to par. Then a woman is murdered in third class and the captain treats her fiancé's older brother as the one in charge instead of her.

She's determined to investigate the murder before they arrive in England. Her fiancé's brother steps in to help her, as his brother has become unreliable.

The pace is fast and the writing kept me interested. I couldn't help but google airships to see what they looked like inside. I hope this is the first of many in the series!

Cora, the daughter of a successful American businessman is set to marry Terrence, the second son of a Duke.
They, along with Terrence's older brother Nicholas and cousin Ophelia are on the maiden voyage of Cora's airship,
headed to England. Not all on board are happy with the engagement. When a dead body is discovered, Cora and
Nicholas investigate while keeping the murder quiet. Does the murder involve either Cora, her deceased father or
the suffragette movement? In addition to the captain's displeasure with Cora's involvement with the investigation.
she must also deal with Terrence's indifference. Story told form Cooa's and Nicholas' POVs. Murderer was a
complete surprise.
#ALethalEngagement #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

Fantastic! Tense, kept me on my toes and the historical setting was perfect for the mystery element.

1890

An airship bound for London is thrown off course by a murder on the first night of its transatlantic voyage in this locked-room historical mystery debut.

American heiress, Cora Beaumont is celebrating her engagement to Terrance Tristan, the second son of a duke. Their union will solidify Cora’s place in British society and her put in a rare position of power, but as they embark on the Lady Air’s maiden voyage to England, Cora soon finds that not everyone in society is accepting of her recent engagement and tensions fly high as the airship. When a body is discovered on the first night on the ship with a calling card for Cora on the victim, she is determined to find the killer among the passengers.

A Lethal Engagement kept me entertained from the beginning to the very end. It was contained to the airship and the fact that I didn’t get a good sense of the airship was a bit of a letdown for me because it could been a good part of the plotline quite well, otherwise, I did enjoy all the characters. Cora and Nicholas made a good team at solving the murder, and I do have to admit I was surprised at who the murderer was. The red herrings offered did have the desired effect on me.

My gratitude to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are mine and honest.

I am a big fan of historical mysteries so this book immediately caught my attention. A Lethal Engagement takes place entirely on an airship flight from America to England in 1890. Such an intriguing setting!

I really enjoyed the alternating chapter perspectives of main characters Cora and Nicholas. The mystery kept me intrigued and guessing until the final reveal. Be sure to add this to your TBR if you’re looking for something fun and unique!


Many thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of the book! All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Good to Know:
Descriptions of dead bodies