I’m always excited to see a new Manda Collins book! This new series is sure to be as good or better than her last! I really enjoyed the twists and turns this mystery took the main characters on and I was left guessing until the very end!

I loved the Ladies Most Scandalous Series and this spin off is off to a great start! I enjoyed the cameos of Eversham (especially since he is the cousin of the main character) but as always, I would've loved more from other characters in the first series. I do think rereading the final book in the first series would've given good context to some elements of this book but it is fully readable without having read any of the original series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun historical romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

This first book in A Wallflower's Guide series was a cozy sunsgine, grumpy, spinster, viscount, historical murder mystery romance. It is full of drama, intrigue, adventure, mystery, and many twists and turns that kept me very entertained. I enjoyed the humor, banter, wit, and romance that was very engaging. The surprise ending surprise identity of the villain was interesting. I highly recommend reading!

After the murder of his father, William, Viscount Gilford left England to grieve and has stayed away for years, but his sojourn comes to a swift end when his friend, American Benjamin Woodward to give him a message from Gilford’s man of business, informing him that his estate steward embezzled his fortune, and he is needed back in England. Once home, he learns that the situation is worse than he thought, and he will have to marry an heiress immediately. He meets his sister’s friend Lucy Penhallow almost immediately and despite his need to find a bride, he finds himself drawn to Lucy. He knows that he should be looking elsewhere for a bride, but soon finds himself immersed in mystery, mayhem and murder and falling in love with the one woman he should not be pursuing.

Heiress Lucy Penhallow and her friends are wallflowers by choice and members of the Mischief and Mayhem book club (aka The Ems), when one of the members, Miss Vera Blackwell, an American heiress is abducted during a ball, Lucy and William are witnesses and join together to find her. But finding a missing heiress quickly turns into a dangerous endeavor, for both her heart and her life.

What a great read! This book was everything I had hoped it would be and more! Lucy and William are wonderful characters, both are easy to like and have an undeniable chemistry. Ms. Collins did a great job with both the mystery and the world building of this story, giving her readers an intriguing start to the new series. The book has betrayal, friendship, great secondary characters, danger, a little heartache, a lot of mystery, a dash of spice and finally a very hard-won HEA. This is the first book in a new series and a story I am happy to recommend to my fellow HR & Historical Mystery readers!

4.5 Stars

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

A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice is delightfully fun and romantic. It is related to Collins’s previous series, Ladies Most Scandalous, with multiple characters from those books included in this one. Lucy and Will continue the line of smart, witty, curious, adventurous and romantic main characters with an interesting mystery and a lovely romance. It was a great balm for a reading slump I’ve endured, which is a high compliment from me. I hope we get to see more of these characters sometime in the future.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. All opinions are solely my own.

I wanted to love this book. I love historical romance/mystery combinations! This should have been right up my alley. However, I struggled through it.

For the first half of the book, many characters are mentioned in passing. I am usually an observant reader, but I had trouble keeping up with who was who and why they were important. It turns out, many of the characters mentioned were calls back to previous books in a different series. I am sure that is fun for readers of that series, however this book was billed as a new series. So that felt not entirely true when a lot of crossover characters were involved/mentioned.

Once I sorted out the characters (not usually a problem for me), I felt the pacing a bit slow until the end. I enjoyed the romance, but again felt misled by the initial description of the book. The tag line says - "A sunshine spinster and a grumpy viscount use their fake engagement to solve a murder mystery in the first book of a new series". Truthfully, the FMC Lucy did not seem like much of a spinster (just someone who was busy doing other things besides finding a husband), the Viscount wasn't that grumpy, and their engagement never was fake? I won't add any spoilers, but I was very confused as I read how one could describe the engagement as fake. While reading, I did a double take when one plot point directly contradicted something that happened earlier in the book...I am hoping this is an editing error and will be sorted by the time it is published. I even went back to reread a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining things!

That being said, when the plot finally did wrap up and the mystery was solved and the lovers were together, it was satisfying! I honestly will probably go back and read more works by Manda Collins, as her writing style is enjoyable, but this one (at least the ARC) seemed a bit of a mess. And a miss.

3.2 Stars
One Liner: Fast-paced and light

Wealthy Lucy Penhollow is a wallflower by choice. She would rather spend time with her friends and read about grisly murders than make small talk with the gentlemen. However, when Lucy and her best friend’s brother witness a criminal act, she is determined to use her amateur sleuthing skills. After all, the kidnapped woman is also a friend!
Viscount William Gilford finally realizes that his decision to escape the grief of his father’s murder left his family estate in losses. He has to rectify the issue fast. Marrying an heiress sounds like a good plan. However, his sister’s friend is strictly off-limits, no matter how quickly he seems to fall for her.
With a killer on the hunt, the couple has to fight for their lives before they can fight for their love!
The story comes in Lucy and William’s third-person POVs.

My Thoughts:
While this is the first book in a new series, it has characters from the previous series, Ladies Most Scandalous. I haven’t read those books, but something about the way the characters were introduced hints at their prior existence in the fictional world. A quick search confirmed the same. Though this is a standalone, I wondered if I missed any details.
The book tries to balance romance and mystery. It’s predominantly a light-hearted book (you can guess from the cover), so everything is pretty surface-level. Not a bad thing, IMO, since it works as a great palate cleanser or a breather between heavy reads.
For a 320-page book, it has a terrific page. The narration just keeps going. While I saved a day thanks to this, I also couldn’t linger on any cute moments. The connection between the main characters or their chemistry, the new developments in the case, and the drama; everything happens quickly, maybe too quickly.
There’s some spice and an open-door scene, but like the rest, this, too, has a fast pace. In a way, it works since lingering on details here would have been odd. But this is also a lost opportunity to deepen the connection between the leads.
The mystery is decent and has a few twists and red herrings. I could guess what it possibly could be and was right to an extent. There’s some death and danger, but nothing too bad.
There’s a short epilogue as well. We have a couple of potential couples, so likely that the next book will have one of them as the lead pair.

To summarize, A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice is a lighthearted and quick read with some dangers and romance. Though nothing stands out, it does entertain to an extent.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a lite cozy read with a tad bit of spice. I felt like the plot moved quick, the characters were likable and it had plenty of surprises. I found the ending very surprising. It’s a good book during these stressful times. I total escape from the real world. Will definitely recommend. Thanks NetGalley all views are my own.

A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice by Manda Collins

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 1/5 🌶️

Thank you to Forever, Grand Central Publishing, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lucy Penhallow, the FMC, is a witty, intelligent wallflower who is passionate about solving mysteries, and Will Gilford, the MMC, is a Viscount looking to find a heiress after his family’s fortune is gone. When Lucy’s friend goes missing, the two of them join forces to solve the mystery. All the while, sparks fly between them and they begin to realize that there may be something meaningful between them.

Lucy and Will’s dynamic is absolutely wonderful. Their transition from friends to lovers was so sweet and the author excellently established their relationship. Their chemistry is great and makes their connection feel genuine. The slow burn and tension was so good. There was plenty of impeccable banter and heartfelt moments.

When it comes to the mystery component of the story, it was full of plot twists and intriguing moments. The author excellently navigated the mystery and investigation, along with the tension between Lucy and Will. There was really good character development as well. Lucy’s determination is absolutely inspiring and Will’s personal journey adds depth.

Overall, this was such a great read full of awesome moments that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, a sweet romance, and adventure. The perfect read for fans of historical romance and mystery!

Tropes:
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Historical romance
- Slow burn
- Friends to lovers

I've read other Manda Collins before which I've really enjoyed, so I was excited to give this one a read. I was pleasantly surprised that it was in the same universe as the other books I've read. This title was slower and a bit boring in places compared to other books by her, however it was still very fun. I liked getting to know the characters and even though this was historical fiction I felt like the main characters had their own unique personalities and problems to solve. I will definitely recommend this book to fans of the genre/author.

Set in 1874 London, Viscount Gilford (Will) comes home from Paris after learning of his thieving steward with plans to marry for wealth. Heiress Lucy Penhallow is best friends with his sister Meg, with both currently leaders of the the Mischief & Mayhem Book Club (the Em's). When Lucy's friend Vera Blackwood is kidnapped, the two team up to investigate. Sparks fly as Will and Lucy race against time to solve the mystery.

I love Manda Collin's ability to build a romance set against a mystery. This book is no exception! For fans of her previous series, we get to see several prior characters show up, which was a delight. There are also a few interactions that make me suspect who may be next in this series, and I cannot wait!

Things I enjoyed:
❤ Victorian Romance
❤ Grumpy/Sunshine
❤ Sister's Best Friend
❤ No Third Act Breakup
❤ Heiress x Titled Lord who needs funds
❤ Wallflower by choice
❤ Suspense (that twist!)

Open door / low spice

4.5 / 5 stars

Thank you to Manda Collins, Forever, and Netgalley for this eARC!

“A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice” by Manda Collins was a type of passing of the baton from the first generation of Murder, Mischief and Mayhem ladies to the slightly younger (in most circumstances)friend group that is now the focus of the series. Lucy is tired of being sought out for her fortune. At a ball, she witnesses the abduction of a dear friend and fellow book club member while she is with her other friend’s brother, Will. Will just found out that his estate is being embezzled and has come home to marry a rich lady. He feels drawn to Lucy and begins to help her investigate her friend’s disappearance all while they both start falling in love. Will must show Lucy that it is not just her fortune he wants while racing to find the kidnapped friend.

I really liked the premise of the plot-line and found the story moved quickly enough to keep me hooked. I liked how Lucy and Will interacted and how their relationship developed over time. They had pretty good chemistry but sometimes it felt like it erred a bit more in the friend zone than romantic interest. The secondary characters were a lot of fun and the writing style had a really good flow, descriptive but not overly so. A great read and I will definitely continue to read this series if more books are released.

This book was a cute read, but, to me (subjective opinion here), this book was neither a ‘real’ romance or mystery. It just fell a little flat in both areas. I enjoyed the portrayal of the FMC as a forward thinking feminist.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the opportunity to read this book!

If you like Enola Holmes or your romance with a dash of mystery, this one’s for you! Neither the romance or the mystery were particularly well done for me, and the characters were hard to keep track of at times, especially because I didn’t read the author’s previous series. I enjoyed her writing though and will likely continue with the series, as the random chapter from Meg’s POV has me intrigued.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice, and as a longtime fan of historical romance (especially ones with a bit of mystery!), this one hit a lot of the right notes for me.

Lucy Penhallow is such a relatable heroine—smart, observant, and refreshingly uninterested in playing by society’s rules. Her dynamic with Viscount Gilford, the grumpy, duty-bound love interest, had a great slow-burn tension that made their fake engagement all the more fun to watch unfold. I really enjoyed how their relationship developed through the course of the investigation, with plenty of sparks, banter, and a few unexpectedly tender moments.

The mystery plot added a solid layer of intrigue without overwhelming the romance, and I liked that Lucy was actively involved in solving it rather than just being swept along. It was refreshing to see a heroine who isn’t afraid to take risks, even if that means putting herself in the crosshairs of some very real danger.

If you enjoy wallflower heroines, fake engagements, and a touch of scandal wrapped in charm and wit, I definitely recommend picking this one up when it’s out.

This is such a fun, entertaining read! Part romance and part mystery.
When Lucy, a wealthy spinster, and her best friend's brother Will, Viscount Gilford witness one of Lucy's friends being kidnapped while at a ball, she wants to investigate, but Will won't allow her to do it alone.
I loved the grumpy/sunshine trope of the story, the way the relationship unfolded between Lucy and Will, all the twists and turns, and the wonderful cast of secondary characters.
This book will keep you guessing until the very end.
I can't wait for the next book in the series!

This was such a cute and fun read! The FMC Lucy Penhallow is a sharp-witted wallflower with a passion for solving crimes, and Will Gilford, the MMC is a charming Viscount that is on a mission to find an heiress after his family’s fortune is depleted. When Lucy’s friend Vera is kidnapped, these two unlikely partners join forces to solve the mystery, all while sparks fly between them!
Lucy and Will have such a delightful dynamic, transitioning from friends to lovers in the most sweet and gradual way. Their chemistry builds wonderfully as they work together, making their connection feel real and heartfelt. 💕
The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat, with twists and turns that are unpredictable (I love when a book keeps me guessing!). The author masterfully weaves together the investigation, the growing tension between Lucy and Will, and some great character development. Lucy’s determination to make a difference in a world that limits women is inspiring, and Will’s emotional journey adds depth to his character, making him even more swoon-worthy. 😍
If you love historical romance with a mix of mystery, this one's for you!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞:
✨ Historical Romance
✨ Sunshine FMC
✨ Grumpy MMC
✨ Murder Mystery
✨ Fake Engagement

This is a new author to me and I was leary because so many authors have been using crass language in their stories. (IE the f-bomb). I am so thrilled to see this author was able to put together a wonderful ‘who-done-it” novel full of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout, without the awful language. I REALLY enjoyed this story. Will is a man who reluctantly returns to take up the mantle of his estate, only to find he is almost destitute. Lucy is a bookish heiress who refuses to play the ton’s game. It is action-packed, romantic, slightly spicy, and worth every minute reading. Her style of writing was perfect for me as it had some description, but played more to the action and conversations between the characters. Watching Lucy and Will bloom in their relationship was adorable and the author did a fine job of making them real. The climax was exceptional and the villain was a true surprise . Did not see that coming! I WILL be reading more of her material! (I am hoping Meg gets her story soon!)

I received this story for free and these are my own opinion.

I love this series by Manda Collins - the perfect blend of romance and intrigue. This book might be my favorite of the series so far! I loved the dynamic between Lucy and Will.

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review.