A historical romance set in 1930s England, with murder, mystery, and romance? Sign me up!

Georgiana has become an amateur sleuth after she’s the only one asking questions in her village after a set of murders occur. After the council chairman dies from what she believes is not natural causes, she reaches out to a famous detective for help, only to have him send his assistant instead. Sebastian Fletcher-Ford is way too handsome and flirty in Georgie’s eyes to solve murders. Only to find out after a couple hours that Sebastian is the famed detective’s secretary, not assistant. Georgie agrees to give Sebastian one week to help her.

I laughed so many times during this novel, what a breath of fresh air in this genre! This was so fun; loved this village and all the side characters. And Georgie and Sebastian were just adorable.

Hopefully this is the start of a new series!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars – Murder, Mayhem, and Mildly Inconvenient Romance

First things first: thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of And Then There Was the One! As a longtime fan of Martha Waters’s Regency Vows series, I was all in the moment I read “1930s England” and “murder mystery twist.” Add a quaint village called Buncombe-upon-Woolly (yes, really), and I was practically packing my bags for a cozy literary getaway.

Georgiana Radcliffe—former debutante turned village sleuth—is as dryly funny as she is determined, and her string of solved murders has earned her an unwanted side hustle as Buncombe-upon-Woolly’s resident Miss Marple. When the village council chairman drops dead and everyone insists it was “just a heart attack,” Georgie smells something fishy—and it’s not the smoked haddock at the pub.

Enter Sebastian Fletcher-Ford: a posh, insufferable, secretly charming distraction sent by a too-busy London detective. He’s not exactly thrilled to be stuck among murder groupies and jam competitions, and Georgie is equally unimpressed by his breezy arrogance and pocket squares. Sparks fly, naturally, but in a very reluctantly-sharing-a-teapot-and-having-an-emotional-breakthrough kind of way.

Waters blends her trademark wit with Golden Age mystery vibes in a novel that reads like Only Murders in the Cotswolds, with tea-stained maps, crumbling manor houses, and a cast of delightfully odd villagers who might all be suspects—or amateur detectives themselves. It’s charming, clever, and often hilarious.

That said, the pacing wobbles a bit in the middle—less “whodunnit” and more “who’s making scones this chapter?”—and while I loved Georgie and Sebastian’s reluctant partnership, the romance sometimes took a backseat to the logistical chaos of small-town murder mania. Still, Waters’s banter and voice carried the day, and I wouldn’t mind a return trip to Buncombe-upon-Woolly (if the murder rate doesn’t spike again, that is).

Perfect for fans of Carola Dunn, the Veronica Speedwell series, and any romance reader who prefers their kissing with a side of clue-hunting.

Charming, cheeky, and just dangerous enough to keep things interesting.

3.5 stars, and one suspiciously buttery scone.

I love a historical romance and I have loved the regency vows series so when I learned that there was a new series I was intrigued. It being set in the 1930s was different than I was used to be still so good! I love a murder mystery and the bantering and it was just a fun book!

I enjoyed this overall but found the mystery a little slow and the story not as romance heavy as I thought it would be.

Thank you, SS Atria and NetGalley, for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy novel. The vibes were perfect for curling up with a good chai on an overcast day. Buncombe-upon-Woolly, with two hyphens, is such a charming setting, it felt like I was being pulled along with Georgie on her quest to solve the suspicious death of the chairman. I adored the banter between Sebastian and Georgie and their eventual relationship. I give this a five out of five stars! I cannot wait to read more of Martha Waters' works in the future!

Okay, first things first, the fictional Cotswolds town where this story takes place is Buncombe-upon-Woolly, our main character is Georgina aka Georgie, and one of the first murder victims is Mr. Marbles. The names!!!! This is SUCH a cute historical mystery with a twist of romance, set in 1930’s England. There are a lot of people dropping dead in good old Buncombe-upon-Woolly and Georgie is certain there is something sinister going on. Georgie sends away for an actual detective who ends up sending his secretary, Sebastian, who becomes Georgie’s love interest. This was just a fun, light, easy read to end the month. I don’t read a ton of romance and I find that the romance I do try doesn’t typically hit with me. But I was pleasantly surprised with this! I think having a murder mystery subplot helped greatly in my enjoyment. I’ve not read Martha Waters previously, so I can’t say if this aligns with her previous novels, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open for whatever she writes in the future.

Completely and utterly delightful! Georgie has been investigating a few murders I. Her small English village, when she decides that they need some outside assistance. Instead of the famous detective she asked, instead she got his secretary. Sebastian was so charming, I loved him. Georgie and Sebastian’s chemistry and banter was amazing. They had me smiling so much. The village, the people, the side characters, and even Egg were all great characters. This was a cozy mystery but it was also a romance with some comedic moments. Chef’s kiss.