Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The sleepy village of Buncombe-upon-Woolly is no stranger to murders. With a slew of murders within the past year successfully solved by amateur detective, Miss Georgiana Radcliffe, it’s no wonder that the latest death fall under a suspicious light. With the local police force useless, Georgie writes to a famous detective London detective. To her dismay he sends his loyal secretary, the flirtatious Sebastian Fletcher-Floyd. Immune to his charms, this grumpy sunshine duo set about solving the murder of the council chairman. With a delightful cast of characters and an idyllic setting, this is a cozy mystery novel with a hint of romance.

This was a cute, funny story with an intrepid heroine, a lovable hero, and lovely side characters. I loved the Scooby Do gang element of the story as the group go about solving the mystery. Both main characters are likable, though I was worried for a bit that Sebastian would be one dimensional. Ms. Waters nipped that in the bud by providing lovely moments between Georgie and Sebastian where he was able to let his guard down. Sebastian brings levity to Georgie’s gruff personality and she grounds him. They complement each other well, and you can’t help but root for them. Overall, a fun and cozy novel.

A delightful cozy romantic mystery!
Georgie has solved several murders in the past year in her small Cotswold village, but begins to wonder just why there have been so many murders. She writes to a famous London detective for help and he sends his assistant to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, loving send-up of classic golden age mysteries. It’s set in a quaint and decidedly quirky 1930'sCotswold village. The dialogue was funny, the romance sweet, and the mystery a bit bizarre. I also really liked some of the side characters- Georgie's family and the murder tourists in particular.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for the review copy.

Thank you so much to Atria and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was exactly what I needed to read this week! Georgie is a young woman living in a village in the Cotswolds which has seen its fair share of murders. When another suspicious death occurs, Georgie thinks it shouldn't be brushed off so quickly. She and her friend, Arthur, who writes for the local newspaper, write to a famed detective in London who sends his charming and extroverted assistant in his place. Georgie and Sebastian, in a lovely grumpy x sunshine pairing, attempt to solve the murder while realizing that maybe the case is not the only thing developing in town.

Martha Waters' writing is just the perfect balm. I love reading cozy mysteries, and while I feel like this leaned more slice-of-life, small-town romance with a mystery, this was still an enjoyable story nonetheless.

I love this book! It feels like it was written exactly for me, a romance reader who loves cozy PBS mystery series set in tiny British villages. Martha Waters perfectly balances romance, humor, and mystery in this book, and the result is such a fun read! I love the relationship between Georgie and Sebastian, all of the side characters, and the Murder Tourists. The mystery plot is fun and not too serious, so an avid mystery reader might be disappointed by its lack of complexity, but a reader like me will be happy. This is such a fun deviation from Martha Waters’s regency works, and I hope she writes more cozy romance mystery in the future!

As someone who has read the entire Regency Vow series, I was very excited to get early access to the authors next work.

The premise sounded interesting and different from what I would normally read, but unfortunately it ended up missing the mark for me a bit.

I don't think this is badly written or anything at all, it's just not really the type of story that I enjoy, but I can absolutely see fans of classic cozy murder mystery type stories loving.

I did enjoy the cute small village vibes and the cast of characters. The representation with Arthur was lovely especially considering the time period this is set in.

Overall this wasn't my favorite of her books she's written but if she ever returned to regency era romances I would absolutely read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher as always for the eARC!

The editor’s note in my ARC of the book called this “if Agatha Christie wrote a rom com” and that feels very apt! I absolutely loved Georgie and Sebastian, and the whole cast of characters. My only complaint is I wanted more of the side characters! Maybe a sequel??

I have adored all of Waters' novels, and I was so excited to receive an ARC of And Then There Was The One. This is a real departure for Waters, as I'm used to romance from her, and this novel was a mystery with a subplot of romance. The gist is: Buncombe-upon-Woolly is a cute small town in the Cotswolds that happens to have been the scene of several murders in the past year. Georgie Radcliffe is convinced that the most recent death in the village wasn't due to a heart attack, as the doctor ruled, but a murder. She calls in the support of a famous detective who sends his man-about-town secretary, Sebastian Fletcher-Ford, in his place. Georgie and Sebastian race against the clock to get to the bottom of things. I can't wait to read what comes next for Waters, I can see this being the first in a series!

And Then There Was The One is Martha Waters' return to the historical romance world, with a detective/murder mystery plot. I love Martha Waters' writing - there's always shenanigans and cheeky one-liners. I really enjoyed Georgie and Sebastian getting wrapped up in trying to figure out the latest of a series of suspicious deaths in Georgie's little town.

Time of DNF: 26%

unfortunately i’m in a season of dnfing, otherwise i’m certain i could’ve finished this book since it was a pretty short & quick read but I didn’t really feel gripped by the story or its characters, and a lot of the mystery novel references felt like just that and didnt really touch me personally (perhaps i’m not enough of a fan of agatha christie or other classic mystery authors) so I had to sadly make the call but I loved the cover and I just wish the premise would’ve worked a bit better for me

it was my first time reading this author’s work and though I didn’t fall in love, I would definitely check out more of her regency romances bc those might be closer to the vibe I like


thank you so much to netgalley and atria books for this arc to review!

Loved! Like drinking a warm cup of tea. Martha's dialogue is so unique and funny. It reminded me a bit of Nancy Drew, but set in the Cotswolds.

So fun!! How the mystery played out genuinely surprised me. Adored Sebastian, a flirty himbo but actually maybe not, who was down-bad for Georgie from the start.

This was very cute. It was a fun, and a quick read. Very cosy. I feel a little disappointed by it though, I think the mystery could have been more fleshed out. I also found the characters to be a little one dimensional. By the end I didn't really feel the build up of Georgie and Sebastian's romance worked, it felt convenient and rushed.

As someone who has read a lot of Agatha Christie and is a sucker for Historical Romance - I am the target audience for And Then There Was The One. This story was so cute and cozy and sweet, it was exactly what I hoped it would be! I definitely recommend this book to fans of other cozy mysteries and fans of historical romance.

I loved Georgie and Sebastian and the motley crew of characters that make up this exceedingly quaint village. It helped to flesh out the setting and story as a whole to have so many characters all with their own quirks and motivations. I especially loved Georgie’s beagle named Egg! Gotta love a dog with a silly name, especially in a mystery novel.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this story is how self-aware it was. The author makes a point of playing on and calling out classic mystery tropes in a way that made me giggle every time I caught one! This book was a really fun time and I hope it is the start of a series!

A delightful cozy mystery and romance rolled into one! Waters expands her talents into both a sendup and a loving homage to the genre

Sebastian and Georgie are a hilarious and lovely combination. Whilst I originally thought Sebastian to be shallow and a womanizer, over the course of the book he grew on me and I could see that Georgie had finally met her true match. Being an English woman who moved to Canada at a young age, whose family lived not far from the Cotswolds, the village storyline was cozy and nostalgic to me. Whilst I felt that they rather stumbled on the outcome of the culprit rather than made the determination for themselves, clever detective work did ultimately lead them to the right place. Quite a sweet little book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a fun read in a stressful time. Thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the narrative and the characters. Great humor and just enough romance !

And Then There Was The One is a perfectly endearing and cozy historical mystery that's set in the quaint village of Buncombe-upon-Woolly in the Cotswolds.

Georgie is an "accidental" amateur detective who has helped solve four murders in the past year. When the council chairman dies, she reaches out to a famous London detective for help, believing the chairman is actually a fifth victim and that her small town will soon be overrun by crime. (It isn't. But it has already been infested with Murder Tourists, those with a morbid fascination and curiosity with murder, which is almost just as bad.) However, the famous detective is apparently too busy to come himself. So what does he do? He sends his young, handsome, flirtatious as all hell assistant, Sebastian Fletcher-Ford in his stead.

No-nonsense Georgie isn't happy about this. Because of course she isn't.

After giving Sebastian a week to help her investigate and solve the mystery, the two of them set off into town armed with nothing but banter, a trail of breadcrumb scones, and a flurry of Murder Tourists everywhere they look.

As much as I loved Martha Water's Regency Vows Series, I think I enjoyed her newest just a trifle more. Not only were the quirky small town vibes immaculate, with laugh out loud details like sheep congregating in the town square, but Georgie and Sebastian were so much fun together. She's the epitome of a Serious All Business Investigator whereas he's the Constantly Snacking Charmer and Flirt who can't help but rib her every chance he gets. It's impossible not to invest in them as the case progresses and they learn more about each other.

The homage paid to Agatha Christie was perfect, too. Both in title and in text. There were a couple moments of slight meta-ness where the author broke the fourth wall to comment on the cozy mystery genre as a whole that I found to be sweet and entertaining as well. So adorable! I'm hopeful this is bound to become a longer running series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

And Then There Was The One is a fun and clever mix of mystery and romance set in a quirky English village in the 1930s. Georgiana Radcliffe is a relatable and smart main character who’s accidentally gotten a reputation for solving murders, so when yet another suspicious death happens, she decides to investigate. The mystery is interesting, but it’s really the characters that make this book shine. Georgie’s awkward partnership with Sebastian, a fancy secretary sent by a famous detective, adds lots of laughs and great banter. Their back-and-forth is charming, and the slow build of their connection makes the story extra fun to follow.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of And Then There Was The One by Martha Waters

I enjoyed this novel and hope it’s the start of a new series! Based on the description, I thought this would lean toward cozy mystery with a side of romance/romance-com. It’s definitely more focused on Georgie and Sebastian than solving murders—not a negative, just not what I expected! Would recommend.

And Then There Was One is exactly the kind of mystery I didn’t know I needed—sharp, clever, and delightfully self-aware. Martha Waters blends the charm of a classic whodunnit with the humor and pacing of a modern rom-com, and the result is an irresistibly fun read that still manages to deliver on suspense.

The premise is a nod to Agatha Christie—a group of people stuck together in an isolated setting, secrets simmering just under the surface, and a killer picking them off one by one—but Waters plays with the tropes in such a smart, playful way. The setup may be familiar, but the tone is fresh, snarky, and surprisingly heartfelt.

What really made the book for me was the voice. The protagonist is witty, observant, and refreshingly relatable, especially as she tries to make sense of the escalating chaos around her. The banter between characters is pitch-perfect, and the tension is balanced beautifully with moments of levity. It’s the kind of book that made me genuinely laugh out loud in one chapter and then flip pages furiously the next to see who was going to end up dead.

Waters also sneaks in some thoughtful commentary—about friendship, ambition, and the masks people wear when they think no one’s watching—without ever losing the fun. The mystery itself is satisfyingly twisty, and while I thought I had it figured out halfway through, I was pleasantly wrong (and impressed by how neatly it all came together).