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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.
Source: ARC generously provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
I've just read my first Manda Collins novel and I am in love! A Lady's Guide was everything I wanted to read at the time -- a sharp-minded, independent woman meets disciplined, meticulous detective. It has the wise cracks, the mystery and the burgeoning romance, plus the setting of 1865 London is fun.
Lady Katherine now runs a well-known London newspaper after her husband passed. It's rare for a woman to own much less run a business but she relishes having autonomy over her own livelihood. London is currently gripped by fear with the unsolved murders making the headlines. Feeling that the detectives are missing a woman's perspective, Lady Katherine decides to do her own investigative work. All looks promising after her first column leads to an arrest and all of London sighs in relief. However, Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham isn't convinced. He thinks Lady Katherine's column was irresponsible but more pertinently, he believes the wrong person was arrested. When she comes across another murder in the country that resembles the London murders, she and Andrew team up together - okay, he was definitely talked in to the partnership by a persuasive Lady Katherine - to find the true killer before more any more lives are lost.
The mystery sucked me in immediately. Not only was the concept interesting, there were also enough fascinating characters for them all to be touched by suspicion. All the pieces for the mystery were well played out. What cinched it for me, though was the marvelous chemistry between Katherine and Andrew. There was some verbal sparring and slight annoyances but we know they delighted in it. Lady Katherine's astute observations coupled with Andrew's expertise make for a powerful combination and they were simply effective together. And it was refreshing that Andrew never thought to underestimate Katherine or put her in her place. Once past the sting of that column, Andrew developed an appreciation for her wit and knew she was just as resolute as he was about bringing the actual killer to face justice. Of course, he wanted to protect her and keep her out of harm's way but he also knew her defiant spirit would have none of that. To put it succinctly, he respected her. Watching two very capable people in action is so rewarding. They're so perfectly matched to go head-to-head, to challenge each other which translates so naturally into that delicious sexual tension between them.
I love reading mysteries and I've grown fond of historical romances lately so the two combined together was a blast for me. A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is a scintillating mystery and Lady Katherine and Andrew will charm your socks off!
~ Bel
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