A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
Series: A Lady's Guide #1
Author: Manda Collins
Published November 10th 2020 by Forever

Goodreads Synopsis
An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collins' fun and flirty historical rom-com!

England, 1865 : As one of England's most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she's determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are praying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong.

Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham's refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she's the key witness in a new crime, he's determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they'll need to catch a killer.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lady Katherine Bascomb knows what it is like to be vulnerable in the world. As a widow, she has more freedom than some, and so when a series of murders start to occur in Victorian London, she, and best friend Miss Caroline Hardcastle, use Kate's paper to create a new column, entitled 'A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem'. Writing about the murders soon find the two aggravating the Metropolitan Police, and resulting in the removal of Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham from the Commandment Killer case. Andrew is not happy to say the least, and wants Kate to stay out of the case, but when she visits friends in the Cumbrian countryside, and stumbles across a body that is seemingly linked, Andrew needs to work with Kate to discover the truth about the murders, and why they seemed to be tied so much to the estate of the late poet, Sebastian Philbrick.

As soon as I saw this book spoken about online, I knew it was one I needed to read, so when I received the email saying I was approved, I was ecstatic. A Victorian murder mystery, full of intrigue and romance, A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem was fantastic. Kate, as the main character, was a joy to read. Being the daughter of an impoverished Earl, she was forced to marry a man 20 years her senior, who was cruel, and now widowed, and in charge of her own newspaper, she is recovering. She knows that the world is a cruel place, but as a woman, she is often excluded from the nitty gritty, which does more harm than good. With Caro at her side, they work on a column that is to help all of the country, but especially the women, to understand the truth about crime and the dangers out there. When they interview a witness in the Commandment Killer case, which embarrasses the Met, they only think of helping, but for Andrew, they've cost him his position on the case, to someone who is less thorough. There's an animosity between Kate and Andrew from the get go, because of this, but there's an attraction which allows for an easy sort of partnership, that soon develops into more.

The mystery surrounding the Commandment Killer was enjoyable, though there were some times I guessed at what was happening next, and the identity of the killer. However, it was interesting to see the development, and the murders which occur later on were surprising, as were the links which tied the whole case together. I found myself devouring the second half of the book in mere hours, and was hooked from the moment we arrived at Thornfield Hall, and the action really ramped up.

What was the best part of the story, though, were the friendships and relationship which develop in the book. We see Kate and Caro meet for the first time, and grow into such a budding friendship it's as if they've known each other from childhood. They have a witty banter, and an easiness which was refreshing. Kate also has a best friend in Lord Valentine Thorn, the younger son of a nobleman, who's estate is where the majority of the action occurs. Andrew is jealous of their relationship, but they're more like brother and sister in how close they are. The funny thing, though, is that Caro and Val seem to despise each other, and there's a backstory to them that we're not too sure of, but the sequel is supposedly all about them, and I can't wait! Andrew and Kate are perfect for each other, and their intelligence and partnership makes it so much more than just lust and sexual tension. I do hope we see more of them in book 2, and can't wait to get my hands on it!

Dates Read:
October 24-25, 2020

Rating
4 Stars