Susan's Review of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

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. 

The connection between strong willed newspaper owner and columnist Lady Katherine and the serious, determined detective Andrew Eversham drew me into A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem immediately. Katherine authored an article about the “Commandments Killer” citing new information. This article contained an interview with a witness that the police overlooked. The newpaper article ruined the lead detective, Andrew Eversham's career. Andrew and Katherine meet at a crowded assembly announcing that the Commandments Killer had been caught. Andrew rescues her from the crush and sees her to safety.

I adored this delightful whodunit which takes place at a house party at a country estate. The storyline reminded me of Clue, one of my favorite board games. The cast of characters was fabulous! The guest list includes an American businessman and his daughter, an ex-prize fighter, the Earl and Countess of Eggleston and Reeve Thompson. Lots of different personalities that added to my enjoyment of the novel.

Andrew and Katherine are reunited when a murder occurs at the house party. Loved the initial conflict between these two characters and how their relationship changed as they learned to work together to solve the murders. The attraction between Andrew and Katherine intensified with every murder and the author crafted fabulous dialogue for them—witty, serious and passionate.

The focus of the storyline was solving the mystery— which appealed to me. Enjoyed that the author added in several red herring clues which added intrigue and a sense of uneasiness to the novel. I loved trying to figure out the killer’s identity and when he or she might strike again.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is well written, the romance between Andrew and Katherine is engaging and the unmasking of the killer totally surprised me!

Well done Manda Collins--I fell for one of the red herring clues and believed another character was the murderer!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the Publisher

Axel by Grace Burrowes ( Jaded Gentlemen Series)

Axel Belmont has been summoned from his warm and cozy greenhouse during a cold January evening because his neighbor has been murdered. He is the local magistrate and is required to investigate the case. Axel needs to ascertain if Colonel Stoneleigh committed suicide, if his death was an accident or if he was killed. After observing the body and crime scene in Colonel Stoneleigh’s study, Axel is certain that the colonel was murdered. However, he suspects that something is amiss with the colonel’s widow Abigail.

The first chapter of Axel outlines the story and provides insight into the main characters of Axel Belmont and Abigail Stoneleigh. Grace Burrowes does a fabulous job of weaving murder, mystery and romance in this novel. There are several concurrent minor plot threads in the novel which are effortlessly intertwined with the main characters actions. Axel has a different feel than the other books in the Jaded Gentlemen series because the element of suspense is felt throughout the entire book. As a reader, I needed to focus on each word in each scene so I would not miss a nuance or clue. Axel approached solving the murder using his observation skills and scientific knowledge. His expertise helped Axel sort out which clues would lead to the identity of Sir Gregory’s murderer. 

There are several villains in this suspenseful drama. Sir Gregory’s true nature is disclosed as Axel investigates his murder. The author does a fabulous job revealing Sir Gregory’s character and motivation as the investigation unfolds. Enjoyed the conversations between Nicholas Haddonfield, Matthew Belmont, Abigail and Axel which take place at the breakfast table and in the study. Matthew provides Axel with advice on how to approach interviewing the Stoneleigh servants. The discussions between Matthew and Axel provide the reader with insight into Axel’s first marriage, the importance of Axel’s work in his greenhouse and Axel’s desire for the Oxford fellowship. Nicholas (my favorite Grace Burrowes hero) flirts with Abigail. The banter between the two motivate Axel to come to terms with his feelings towards Abigail and allows the author to add the element of romance to the story. 

The attraction between the characters evolves as the murder investigation continues. Axel is one of the author’s longer novels. The longer length enabled the author to provide a story which perfectly blends the elements of romance, mystery and suspense. I enjoyed this book very much and am hoping the author will write another romantic suspense novel very soon! 

Reviewed By Susan Gorman 

Edited By Brian McGee 

Book purchased via Amazon