I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a new author to me

I really enjoyed this and will be looking up the author's other offerings

In Julia Golding’s third Regency Secrets novel, readers reunite with detective duo actress Dora Fitz-Pennington and Doctor Jacob Sandys after they have escaped London and are en route to the Lake District for a break from danger. However, when poet William Wordsworth’s opus disappears and the disappearance is quickly followed by other disappearances and a murder, Dora and Jacob must put their holiday on pause to solve the case that threatens to destroy the Romantic poets and what they stand for. As the mystery unfolds and the plot thickens, Dora, Jacob, and the readers are on the clock for this charming and exciting new historical mystery. Entertaining and packed with great characters, readers will love seeing Dora and Jacob and their relationship continue to evolve in the latest book in this fun and enjoyable historical mystery series. The mystery itself is really interesting and will pull readers into the story, but the characters are definitely the scene-stealers in this story. The historical details really bring the Lake District and the Romantic movement to life and add a lot of complexity and entertainment value to this particularly enjoyable series. Well-written, action-packed, and entertaining, readers will love this new historical mystery novel from Julia Golding.

I received and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

Despite this being the third book in the series, it continued to hang on strong. I continue to love the main characters, and enjoyed diving into their friends and families more. The side characters were a lot, but once I could straighten out who was who, I deeply enjoyed the different personalities brought in, especially by the young characters and Dora's friend. One thing that I felt was missing was Kir and Alex's involvement, as I felt there could have been more.

The plot was interesting, and the way the two mysteries were woven together was well done. I personally have not read a ton of Wordsworth, but that didn't hinder my ability to read the story. However, I may have found it to be more clever if I knew what was referenced. The ending did a great job at having a nice twist and I found myself holding my breath for the characters.

I really enjoyed this book! I love the Regency era, and Goulding does a good job of remaining faithful to history while adding a modern twist to the relationships and sensibilities of her characters.
Again, the mystery kept me up, reading, much later than I should’ve been. I enjoyed seeing the progression of Dora and Jacob as their relationship builds, and new characters introduced by Golding added interest without overloading the plot. It was fun to encounter English Romantic poets, Wordsworth and Coleridge, as well as their families. Mystery and murder among poets was a nice change of pace from the last book, and overall I really enjoyed this next installation in the series!

The Wordsworth Key was a great read with it's Bridgerton vibes. The Regency era set in the Lake District made for a beautiful setting, it was great seeing lavish descriptions of a place I know well.
The storyline developed well and I really enjoyed it. Along with the characters this novel was a great read

I loved reading this book set in the regency era in the lake district. The story is about a doctor, the son of a viscount who sets up his own private investigation company based in London. He gets involved in an investigation of a group of young radical writers together with his partner an ex actress. Beautifully written with great descriptions of the Lake District and murder mystery. Recommended

Although involving theft, disappearances, and murder, Julia Golding’s The Wordsworth Key is a light women’s fiction mystery read, the third book in the author’s Regency Secrets series.

Actress Dora Fitz-Pennington and Dr. Jacob Sandys, an unlikely pair, are vacationing in the Lake District when caught up in the mystery of William Wordsworth’s missing manuscript, but Dora, Jacob, and readers soon discover that what appears to be a simple theft is not so simple at all. In fact, it ties to a murder in London. While someone has it in for the Romantic poets, even fellow Lake District poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s boys, Derwent and Hartley, play a role in the story with their childhood antics.

I suppose I spent too much time years ago studying Wordsworth and Coleridge to fully enjoy a Regency romance in which the poets play lesser roles that the mismatched couple whose relationship blossoms on the pages. Although I found myself craving more historical novel elements, I can see that most readers have thoroughly enjoyed this book and the other books in the series, two of which I have not read. I may not be the most appreciative reader, but each book has its target audience and finds its place in their hearts.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for an advance reader egalley.

Julia Golding has crafted a and page-turning read in The Wordsworth Key, which is set mostly in England’s Lakes District in the early nineteenth century. Although the book is third in her Regency Secrets series, you won’t need to have read the first two books to immerse yourself in this one.
The story starts with a murder which sees former actress Dora Fitz-Pennington and her lover, Dr Jacob Sandysinterrupting their holiday at his remote Cumbrian cottage to investigate. Central to the story is an unpublished manuscript purportedly by English poet William Wordsworth. The manuscript disappears as more murders pile up and a number of possible suspects make their presence felt.
With Dora and Jacob facing the disapproval of his older brother and societal expectations for him to marry well impacting on their investigations, this pair has their hands full. The story is filled with red herrings and plot twists as well as a wonderful cast of secondary characters, most notably the two sons of English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who spend the entire story camping and running wild in the Cumbrian countryside. While there is murder and attempted murder aplenty, this story is light and entertaining throughout. I’m looking forward to another one in this series.

This series gets better by the book and it can be attributed to the development of the personal and professional relationship between Dora and Jacob. There's a lot of respect, love and longing that bind them both and the external challenges in this book do not get their way.

The mystery was also as always fast paced, and had enough intrigue to keep the reader motivated.

#netgalley #TheWordsworthKey

This wasn't as good as I'd hoped and at times the story dragged for me. I enjoyed the relationship between the characters and could see how it develops. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher's for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

*Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this eARC; the review is my own.*

I've been enjoying this regency murder mystery series and was quite happy when my request for the third book was approved so I could continue on with Dora and Jacob. Although I feel all three books in the series thus far have been pretty consistent, I felt a slight dip with the second book; however, The Wordsworth Key got things right back on track, and I'm excited to see where the series goes from here.

I really do like the friendship that has developed between Dora and Jacob as they've fallen in love with each other. Even Jacob's older brother Arthur resentfully observed it at one point, contrasting it with his own marriage. Although their relationship isn't quite where I'd like it to be yet, I've hope after this book that it will get there. Both Dora and Jacob are given the extra pushes they need to admit the depth of their feelings, and Jacob lays his cards on the table without Dora expressly rejecting them as she would have in the past.

Two new characters I thoroughly enjoyed were Derwent and Hartley, the young sons of Coleridge, who were mischievous but helpful. They reminded me a bit of Kir from The Elgin Conspiracy. I was not, however, a fan of Ruby, Arthur, or Lady Alice. I could have liked Lady Alice had she not set herself up as a potential match for Jacob, but at least that spurred Dora on a little bit. Arthur irritated me because he inserted himself into Jacob's business and tried to enforce his will (thankfully Jacob wasn't a pushover). And Ruby was just selfish. I know Dora accepted it and allowed it to be one of Ruby's strangely charming traits, but I did not like it or her.

In the end, I feel like this book helped move the overall story forward a bit, especially as it pertains to Dora and Jacob's relationship (thank you). The next book, The Austen Intrigue, is set to release in November of this year, and I look forward to reading it.

This book is part of a series and although it can be read as a standalone, I would prefer to read the other books in the series prior to this one, as I feel that it would’ve enhanced my overall enjoyment of the series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Julia Golding for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Wordsworth Key coming out May 9, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve really enjoyed this series. I love the intrigue and adventure. This book didn’t quite feel like the other two books to me. I wasn’t into the story as much as I thought. I didn’t like some of the decisions being made. It felt a little too modern for a regency story. I’m not sure if this is the last book, but I’d still check out other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy in exchange for a review:

I started this series with book number 3 but I am now fully on board the Dora and Jacob train. I loved the chemistry between the two and their mystery solving abilities!

I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery and the writing was superb and I am now off to buy the first two books before re-reading this one for anything I missed the first time round

Having read the previous instalment, which left me rather underwhelmed, I approached this one with cautious optimism. While I must admit there is a slight improvement in pacing and intrigue, it still falls short of what I had hoped for.

What I truly longed for was a Regency romance imbued with suspense and clever plotting—not merely another reiteration of how scandalous it is for a woman to be independent and alone. The premise holds great potential, but the execution feels overly constrained by societal commentary, rather than driven by character or mystery.

A missed opportunity, in my view.

Historical mystery novels, especially the ones set in the Regency and Victorian era, are my favourite at the moment and I always enjoy discovering new series. The latest one is The Regency Secrets series by Julia Golding, which I easily read starting from the third book, The Wordsworth Key (I got my hands on the first two books, but I haven’t had the chance to read them, yet).

Set in 1812, the protagonists are Dora Fitz-Pennington, an illegitimate actress and forger, and Dr Jacob Sandy, the third son of a viscount and a physician, both turned into professional sleuths. Throughout the novel, not only they will have to investigate a theft and a murder, but also face their class differences and their feelings for each other.

The novel starts with Dora and Jacob taking a break from their London life and their investigations in the Lake District. However, first Jacob is called away to his family home while Dora helps a neighbour to find a manuscript that has been stolen and then, unexpected visitors keep turning up at their cottage. And when the theft is followed up by a murder, Dora and Jacob will have to say goodbye to their holiday and get deep into the investigation.

The Wordsworth Key is such a fun, delightful, and intriguing read. I liked the characters of Dora and Jacob and how their relationship develops and I love that the story features real historical figures of the times (like William Wordsworth). The mystery is well-developed and kept me guessing and there is also some family and romantic drama to keep the reader entertained. Highly recommended!

The Wordsworth Key is a fun Regency era mystery with vibrant characters who are simply made for each other (though society would think otherwise). Gentle Readers, this story is a delight. Side note: It is the 3rd in the series and I had a bit of catching up to do to follow what was happening. It has me eager to read the first two and hoping for another installment by Golding. Well done.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for the ARC.

Dora and Jacob are back with a new murder/mystery to solve .This time they have decided to take a break for London life and it's dramas and go to Jacob's cottage by Lake Windemere a place full of poets ,Wordsworth manuscript has been stolen and his sister Dorothy asks the pair to investigate before her brother finds out .A body has been found in London which may be connected .Set in 1812 this is a fast paced regency mystery with some great characters third in the series but can be read as a standalone great fun ! .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

This ramped up the romance following the previous two books, as well as the trust Dora and Jacob have in each other.

There's no rest for the wicked in this regency romantic suspense adventure after a search for a missing poem intersects with a murder and a missing person investigation. Our intrepid pair must battle against not only family expectations but those of society as a whole, whilst they do their best to solve the puzzle pieces that have so rudely disturbed their well-earnt getaway.

As with the other books, this left me wanting just a little more oomph when it came to the relationship between the pair. However, that does keep me coming back, so maybe it's just a very clever use of angst and anticipation.

The discovery of a body in the Thames comes to the attention of Alex, a member of Dora and Jacob's detective agency. The couple are holidaying in the Lake District, but when a poet's manuscript goes missing, the intrigue deepens and the couple become involved in a dangerous mystery. I like the mix of historical persons and fictional characters, the Lake District setting, and the story's menacing undercurrent. Dora and Jacob are likeable and relatable characters, and their romantic connection adds to the story. It's a complex mystery with many characters, twists and an impactful ending.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.