I adored meeting Beatrice Steele in her first adventure, "A Most Agreeable Murder" and was so sad when the book ended! My pleas for more were answered when Julia Seales announced she was writing a new Beatrice Steele mystery!
Having left Swampshire behind, this installment finds Beatrice in London partnering up with Inspector Drake in their own detective agency! But fear not, this part of London is just as charmingly bizarre what with its flying squirrels and mimes on every corner.
I love the details Seales adds to her stories, not only are her mysteries unputdownable, but they are filled with interesting characters and unique challenges! I wholeheartedly recommend these books to everyone!

I thought it was lovely still, reminded me of India Holton books. I was going to give it 4 stars… However, here is why I went with 5🌟

I genuinely enjoyed reading this one. There’s regency elements galore, atmosphere is perfect. What was making me not such a fan was how I found myself lost a bit with the characters at times. But.. I don’t read much mysteries/thrillers and perhaps dealing with more characters is something I’m not used to, plus this is an established series so perhaps people that remember more from book one do better. Def read book one first!!!

A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales is a delightfully sharp and witty mystery that blends Regency charm with biting humor. This is the second novel in the Beatrice Steele series, and you must start with A Most Agreeable Murder in order to understand what exactly is going on in this novel. With eccentric characters, clever twists, and brisk pacing, Seales delivers a murder mystery that’s both laugh-out-loud funny and satisfyingly suspenseful. A must-read for fans of cozy whodunits with a satirical edge.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House of this digital e-arc.*

Beatrice Steele and Vivek Drake are back to solve a mystery in high London society (and maybe snag a partner on the marriage mart while they're at it). They're hired via third party to prove the innocence of famed thespian accused of murder. Meanwhile, The Neighborhood Association of Gentlemen Sweetbriarians (NAGS for short), is hell bent on turning back society's clock and banning all art. Beatrice must rely on her partnership with Vivek, her new friends in London, and her chaperone Miss Bolton to survive the season and build her business. Julia Seales's writing is wonderful and funny, and the characters say the name of the book IN the book. I haven't read the first novel preceding this one (you don't need to, this can be read as a standalone) but I immediately added it to my library loans upon finishing this one.

This was a cute and lighthearted read, blending cozy mystery elements with charming characters and witty dialogue. Julia Seales does a great job creating an engaging setting and atmosphere that fans of cozy mysteries will likely enjoy. However, I found myself having a bit of difficulty staying fully engaged at times, mainly due to the large cast of characters. With so many people involved, it was occasionally hard to keep track of who was who, which made it harder to stay fully immersed in the story. Still, if you enjoy quirky mysteries with a touch of humor and don’t mind juggling a bigger character list, this could be an enjoyable read for you.

This series is quickly becoming my favorite historical mysteries! I adore Beatrice and Drake, their banter, and of course how they work together to solve some...Terribly Nasty Business! If you are looking for a mystery with a hint of romance, and a bit of a satirical sense of humor set in the regency ere, Julia Seales is your gal. Cannot wait for the next one!

Beatrice, London’s newest detective, struggles to balance her career, social expectations, and a new murder case that exposes a city-wide scandal, threatening her partnership and her life.

This is the second book in a series that’s best read in order (this book contains spoilers for the first one). It’s a cute and fun read with a story that kept me guessing. The tone is satiric with the occasional whimsical tangent.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

“A Terribly Nasty Business” is a delight, abounding with mystery and humor. I love a cozy mystery with a regency era London setting, and all the matchmaking necessary for a lady at that time. Beatrice has settled into London life with her chaperone, and she must join the “season” to find a suitor at her mother’s request. Her true motives are to partner with Drake in his crime-solving business. Once murders begin to occur, they must rival famous detective Sir Huxley. I really enjoyed this story, just as I did the first, and I cannot wait to see what Julia Seales writes next!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I enjoyed the creativity of the first book in this series (A Most Agreeable Murder) immensely with the locked manor mystery, the plot being written basically within one night, the satirical humor, the on-the-nose names of characters, and especially the FMC's personality. However, this second installment in this series is lacking much of what I enjoyed. Anything on-the-nose felt glaringly obvious (such as which characters were villains) and predictable (such as the outcome). The social change aspects of the plot didn't feel high enough stakes for all the murders that were happening. I do still love Miss Bolton's quirky character but everyone else just felt awkward and muted.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the e-ARC.

A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Terribly Nasty Business is an absolutely delightful cozy Regency mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout every chapter with its clever plot. Also the wit and humor are great. Such a charming read overall! This book is entertaining right from the start. It is full of humor, cozy mystery, charm, and fun.

A Terribly Nasty Business is the second book in the Beatrice Steele series, a historical fiction/cozy mystery set in Regency England. It follows Beatrice and her partner who begin investigating a string of London murders. That ends up putting them in the center of a scandal involving the neighborhood's wealthy residents and the arts community. As they go on a bewildering, hilarious, entertaining, and chaotic adventure, Beatrice faces lots of drama and threats. She must solve the case before it’s too late!

With plenty of twists and turns, Seales has created a mystery that excellently navigates a multitude of suspects, a variety of clues, and tons of red herrings that leave the reader wondering who did it until the very end. A wonderful read with likable characters, humor, and a little bit of magic!

I couldn’t stop laughing (and swooning)! A Terribly Nasty Business is a hilarious and ridiculously charming Regency murder mystery romp that will tickle your funny bone and keep you on the edge of your seat through every clever plot twist and turn. I fell in love with the characters and with Julia Seales’s witty, irreverent writing style and can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Admittedly, a cozy murder mystery isn’t something I’ve read before, but after reading this one, I think I may have to start.

This book was so charming! Just the right amount of funny and sweet, with a really good mystery that keeps you on your toes.

Beatrice is such a fun character to follow, although Diana Vane was my personal favourite.

I kept trying to figure out who had committed the murders throughout the book and when the murderer was revealed in the end, it wasn’t one of my guesses - which I was really thankful for!

I had a really fun time reading this one, and would love to read another one!

Thank you as always to NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Julia Seales for my digital copy of A Terribly Nasty Business!

This book was just so much fun, especially right from the beginning. It had the same sharp humor, cozy mystery charm, and delightful absurdity I loved in the first book—which is exactly what I was hoping for going into this one. I really, really enjoyed A Most Agreeable Murder when I read it last year and gave it four stars, so I was excited to return to this magical little world.

All the satire, humor, and wit are still here, along with such lovable characters and hysterical social commentary. It’s a fun, different, slightly magical setting you get to escape into, and that’s exactly what I needed this week. I’ve been going through a lot personally, and reading this honestly felt like being transported somewhere joyful.

That said, one criticism I have is that the story definitely dragged around the middle—much more than I remember in the first book. The pacing felt off, and things slowed down to the point where I had trouble staying excited or even fully following what was happening. With so many characters in play, it also became a little hard to track who was who and what role they were playing in the various parts of the mystery. That might be more about my attention span than the book itself, but it’s something I noticed.

I gave book one four stars, but it's hard to compare directly—I read that before I had as many titles under my belt, so I may have rated it higher back then than I would now. Still, I remember loving the experience of discovering that world for the first time. What I really appreciated here is that, since the world was already established, this sequel starts off with a fast, exciting, and charming bang. If it had kept that momentum all the way through, this could’ve easily been a five-star read.

Overall, I would absolutely still recommend this if you enjoy cozy mysteries—especially those with a touch of fantasy, razor-sharp social satire, and a bit of ridiculous fun. It’s unique, it’s witty, and it’s a great time.

Super enjoyable, maybe even moreso than the first one. Just enough romance, some intrigue. Not the greatest mystery, but that's not why I enjoy this series.

DNF at 31%. I enjoyed the first book, but this one frustrated me. The various footnoted asides (that format terribly in the ARC) and the snippets of articles and letters that break off from the main narrative made the book a chore to read.

I loved A Terribly Nasty Business, the second in the Beatrice Steele series by Julia Seales. It has just the right amount of humor and mystery with a wee bit of magic that sparkles throughout the book. Beatrice is now in London working with Inspector Drake in the neighborhood of Sweetbriar. The world that Seales creates while also making a well plotted mystery is stupendous and I can't get enough. If you love humor and mystery, I highly recommend adding this series to your want to read list!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Reading this book gave me the same feelings that watching the scooby doo or inspector gadget cartoons did as a kid. A fun little murder mystery with a historical twist. I will be describing this series as female inspector gadget meets Bridgerton. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I am not on the hunt for other lighthearted historical mystery series to fill the void until the next installment. Read this if you are a fan of a good time and a witty pun.

I am incredibly thankful the the author, the publisher, and to NetGalley for the chance to read an e-arc of this book because I fear I might have never picked it up otherwise.

👍 I absolutely loved this cozy mystery and binged it in about 24 hours. I loved that our FMC has gained some friends in this sequel and come into her own. The author even introduced a love triangle which normally I hate, but it works here. This book kept up the hilarious banter and hijinks a la Wisteria Society so bravo 👏 I simply CANNOT wait for book three after that ending sentence 🙃

It was such a pleasure to revisit Beatrice Steele, Inspector Drake, and the rest of the quirky characters from Swampshire and London. I loved “ A Most Agreeable Murder” and Julia Seales did not disappoint with the sequel. A Terribly Nasty Business brings us to London where Beatrice is now partners with Inspector Drake while simultaneously trying to find her match in this season of parties and balls. But of course, it wouldn’t be Beatrice unless there’s also a murderer lurking wherever she seems to be.

While I thought A Most Agreeable Murder had more humor and lightheartedness than this sequel, it was still full of humorous elements and surprises. Seales does a brilliant job of marrying murder mystery with Regency era London. I look forward to a third installment of this series!

I loved <i>A Most Agreeable Murder</i> and couldn’t wait for a sequel, so was DELIGHTED when Netgalley gave me an electronic copy prior to publication (for an honest review).

Now in London instead of Swampshire, Beatrice has a beau to find, friends to make, and a family to help. But in spite of these pressures, Seales made me laugh out loud, especially at a meta joke about how sequels are <i>never</i> as good as the original. I have my fingers crossed that joke stays in for final publication! Meta jokes are my LOVE. LANGUAGE.

Instead of luminescent frogs and squelch holes, we now have flying squirrels and a group trying to take down the arts. Plus my boy Drake. So basically, I was IN.

Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!