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Ladies Most Scandalous #3
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lady in danger must be in need of rescue, but whether she
wants
to be rescued is up for debate—for fans of Evie Dunmore and Netflix's
Bridgerton
from the bestselling author of
A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
!
England, 1867: Miss Poppy Delamare is living a lie. To escape an odious betrothal, she fled to London where she’s been hiding as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. However, when her beloved sister is accused of murder, Poppy cannot leave her to the wolves. Only a most unexpected—and unwelcome—collision interrupts her journey home . . .
Despite a rather dismal first meeting, Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, has no intention of abandoning a lady in need. But he’s not above asking a favor. A fake betrothal will give Poppy and her sister the power of the dukedom and protect Langham from the society misses intent on becoming his duchess.
Yet the longer the ruse goes on, the more Poppy and Langham realize how false their first impressions were—and the less pretend their engagement feels. But before Langham can propose in truth, their search reveals a tangled web of lies and betrayals. With time running out, can Poppy and Langham find the real culprit—before Poppy becomes the next victim?
England, 1867: Miss Poppy Delamare is living a lie. To escape an odious betrothal, she fled to London where she’s been hiding as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. However, when her beloved sister is accused of murder, Poppy cannot leave her to the wolves. Only a most unexpected—and unwelcome—collision interrupts her journey home . . .
Despite a rather dismal first meeting, Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, has no intention of abandoning a lady in need. But he’s not above asking a favor. A fake betrothal will give Poppy and her sister the power of the dukedom and protect Langham from the society misses intent on becoming his duchess.
Yet the longer the ruse goes on, the more Poppy and Langham realize how false their first impressions were—and the less pretend their engagement feels. But before Langham can propose in truth, their search reveals a tangled web of lies and betrayals. With time running out, can Poppy and Langham find the real culprit—before Poppy becomes the next victim?
8 pages, Audible Audio
First published March 28, 2023
201 people are currently reading
11624 people want to read
About the author
Manda Collins
37 books1,561 followersManda Collins grew up on a combination of Nancy Drew books and Jane Austen novels, and her own brand of Regency romantic suspense is the result. A former academic librarian, she holds advanced degrees in English Lit and Librarianship. Her books have been favorably reviewed in Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, Bookpage, and USA Today. A native of Alabama, she lives on the Gulf Coast with a very stubborn cat and more books than are strictly necessary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 864 reviews
October 16, 2022
It's ok I guess.
April 9, 2023
A Spinster’s Guide to Danger & Dukes by Manda Collins
#3 of the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Historical romantic mystery. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Poppy Delamare finds out her sister is suspected of killing her husband and heads home to help investigate. Poppy’s purse is stolen at the train station and she ends up agreeing to accompany
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, back to his estate which is in the same area as her stepfather’s home. Faking an engagement to the Duke helps get rid of matchmakers and helps her have some authority to ask the questions on behalf of her sister. Poppy and Langham spend time together and grow close.
The mystery gets deeper as they find a secret society, a knife and the sister unavailable and accused by the stepfather. The upside is that the Duke’s family is super nice and accommodating and welcoming to Poppy.
A lot of unfamiliar wording (for me) that would have been the formal language at the time.
Excerpts for the tone and content of the story:
“Oh, do not don a hair shirt and flog yourself in remorse, I beg you,” he said blithely. “Though I must say ladies do not usually have such a strong negative reaction to the prospect of bedding me.”
“He looked into her wide blue eyes and tried to read her thoughts. But apparently sexual congress did not imbue you with omniscience.”
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
#3 of the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Historical romantic mystery. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Poppy Delamare finds out her sister is suspected of killing her husband and heads home to help investigate. Poppy’s purse is stolen at the train station and she ends up agreeing to accompany
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, back to his estate which is in the same area as her stepfather’s home. Faking an engagement to the Duke helps get rid of matchmakers and helps her have some authority to ask the questions on behalf of her sister. Poppy and Langham spend time together and grow close.
The mystery gets deeper as they find a secret society, a knife and the sister unavailable and accused by the stepfather. The upside is that the Duke’s family is super nice and accommodating and welcoming to Poppy.
A lot of unfamiliar wording (for me) that would have been the formal language at the time.
Excerpts for the tone and content of the story:
“Oh, do not don a hair shirt and flog yourself in remorse, I beg you,” he said blithely. “Though I must say ladies do not usually have such a strong negative reaction to the prospect of bedding me.”
“He looked into her wide blue eyes and tried to read her thoughts. But apparently sexual congress did not imbue you with omniscience.”
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
December 19, 2022
I never thought I'd be so into a historical romance with a central murder mystery but Manda Collins showed me my place. I finished this book in one sitting (my insomnia knows no bounds) and it was worth it.
This was SUCH a fun read! It his all the things I love about romantic comedies and more. Like Oprah blessing everyone that one particular day with everything they've ever wanted... you get:
- Fake Dating/Engagement
- Banter
- Headstrong FMC
- Down bad for his girl MMC
- Romance born from actual connection and conversations
- Mutual respect
- Dislike to love
- The murder of a crusty man
- Interesting side characters
- Spice (2 🌶🌶/5)
From that moment Poppy and Joshua meet things get mysterious, steamy and absolutely chaotic.
Let me set the scene:
They meet on a train, she's getting robbed;
he says, "you know what you - let me give you a ride back home and you can even send your location pins out i get it sis",
she says, "f*ck off you capitalist prig",
and he says, "i'll help you solve your murder problem shit and also actually i'm a really great guy",
and she says, "tf you're actually nice? respectful? and a big ol hottie? maybe i won't die alone."
And from there they spend so much time together that they get to learn a lot about each other within a short amount of time. THEY HAD CHEMISTRY and the scenes that are tense oof you definitely feel it. Bless you Manda Collins for that. We love a couple that has actual growth and chemistry and the ability to talk to each other because they actually LIKE EACH OTHER.
Poppy learns how wonderful of a person Joshua is and Joshua gets to see Poppy truly for this outstanding and fierce woman that she is.
On top of all that - the pacing of this book was fantastic. It was fast-paced in that so much happens plot-wise and relationship development-wise in such a short amount of time and yet it never felt rushed. It develops so naturally that when Poppy and Joshua inevitably feel a fierce desire for the other it makes absolutely perfect sense that they would.
This story felt like a row of dominoes falling perfectly one after another.
They mystery itself was so interested and paced so well. There are moments you can tell what's the likely answer and it happens. Then there are moments where you have an inkling where it might be going but Manda Collins subverts that and leads to a bigger, more scandalous reveal.
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes was a fun, fresh and easy read that I think anyone can enjoy. The language isn't too taxing even for people who aren't familiar with historical fiction and the chemistry of the leading characters is top tier besties.
Thank you so much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for giving me to the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
This was SUCH a fun read! It his all the things I love about romantic comedies and more. Like Oprah blessing everyone that one particular day with everything they've ever wanted... you get:
- Fake Dating/Engagement
- Banter
- Headstrong FMC
- Down bad for his girl MMC
- Romance born from actual connection and conversations
- Mutual respect
- Dislike to love
- The murder of a crusty man
- Interesting side characters
- Spice (2 🌶🌶/5)
From that moment Poppy and Joshua meet things get mysterious, steamy and absolutely chaotic.
Let me set the scene:
They meet on a train, she's getting robbed;
he says, "you know what you - let me give you a ride back home and you can even send your location pins out i get it sis",
she says, "f*ck off you capitalist prig",
and he says, "i'll help you solve your murder problem shit and also actually i'm a really great guy",
and she says, "tf you're actually nice? respectful? and a big ol hottie? maybe i won't die alone."
And from there they spend so much time together that they get to learn a lot about each other within a short amount of time. THEY HAD CHEMISTRY and the scenes that are tense oof you definitely feel it. Bless you Manda Collins for that. We love a couple that has actual growth and chemistry and the ability to talk to each other because they actually LIKE EACH OTHER.
Poppy learns how wonderful of a person Joshua is and Joshua gets to see Poppy truly for this outstanding and fierce woman that she is.
On top of all that - the pacing of this book was fantastic. It was fast-paced in that so much happens plot-wise and relationship development-wise in such a short amount of time and yet it never felt rushed. It develops so naturally that when Poppy and Joshua inevitably feel a fierce desire for the other it makes absolutely perfect sense that they would.
This story felt like a row of dominoes falling perfectly one after another.
They mystery itself was so interested and paced so well. There are moments you can tell what's the likely answer and it happens. Then there are moments where you have an inkling where it might be going but Manda Collins subverts that and leads to a bigger, more scandalous reveal.
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes was a fun, fresh and easy read that I think anyone can enjoy. The language isn't too taxing even for people who aren't familiar with historical fiction and the chemistry of the leading characters is top tier besties.
Thank you so much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for giving me to the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
October 30, 2022
I’ve had such a fun time rereading this series and the momentum didn’t stop with book three!! This has to be my favorite of the series simply because Poppy is such a queen!!! She had a bit of a temper and wasn’t one to be cowed into silence or intimidated. There were unsavory characters that threatened to dull the plot (I was worried for a second) but a diamond’s gotta SHINE. I love her so much.
The pacing was quick and lively, and I really loved the chemistry between Joshua and Poppy. Their dynamic was vibrant and he absolutely fell first >>> However, they had sex only after like two kisses and nothing else very intimate so it felt a bit like whiplash. The book was pretty short and such a quick read that I do think an extra chapter or two that delved just a bit deeper into their relationship would’ve been appreciated. Even another sex scene that wasn’t so frenzied—don’t misunderstand me though, I LOVE the frenzy—because the romance didn’t feel all that complete with just that one scene.
**Vague spoilers that don’t reveal the whodunnit but just some context** I had a very good time with the murder-mystery part of the plot. I didn’t know who the culprit was until the end and I think appropriate punishments were meted out. The cult addition was definitely random but it kept me guessing and it was morbidly fascinating. I’ve a read a few other series with these plot lines too so it wasn’t that absurd, but I could definitely some being like??? I was engaged with the mystery the entire time and was sad when it was over.
Overall, what a good time. I had started this book a while ago and got distracted with another series, but once I sat down last night to officially begin, I couldn’t stop!! I was like okay this is the last chapter and then kept on reading into the next one without even realizing I was in another chapter.
The couples from the previous books made cameos and I can’t wait for the next book!!! I knew as soon as each character was introduced that they’d be important to the series in some way. While this is a summer time book (I think at least), the series will always have the fall atmosphere I crave in October and November. If you’ve loved the previous two in the series, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time with this one. I definitely still could’ve read this without the other two, but I liked the context so I’d read in order.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶.75/5
Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
The pacing was quick and lively, and I really loved the chemistry between Joshua and Poppy. Their dynamic was vibrant and he absolutely fell first >>> However, they had sex only after like two kisses and nothing else very intimate so it felt a bit like whiplash. The book was pretty short and such a quick read that I do think an extra chapter or two that delved just a bit deeper into their relationship would’ve been appreciated. Even another sex scene that wasn’t so frenzied—don’t misunderstand me though, I LOVE the frenzy—because the romance didn’t feel all that complete with just that one scene.
**Vague spoilers that don’t reveal the whodunnit but just some context** I had a very good time with the murder-mystery part of the plot. I didn’t know who the culprit was until the end and I think appropriate punishments were meted out. The cult addition was definitely random but it kept me guessing and it was morbidly fascinating. I’ve a read a few other series with these plot lines too so it wasn’t that absurd, but I could definitely some being like??? I was engaged with the mystery the entire time and was sad when it was over.
Overall, what a good time. I had started this book a while ago and got distracted with another series, but once I sat down last night to officially begin, I couldn’t stop!! I was like okay this is the last chapter and then kept on reading into the next one without even realizing I was in another chapter.
The couples from the previous books made cameos and I can’t wait for the next book!!! I knew as soon as each character was introduced that they’d be important to the series in some way. While this is a summer time book (I think at least), the series will always have the fall atmosphere I crave in October and November. If you’ve loved the previous two in the series, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time with this one. I definitely still could’ve read this without the other two, but I liked the context so I’d read in order.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶.75/5
Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
August 4, 2023
No I don’t think you understand. I’m 🤌🏻obsessed🤌🏻
March 24, 2023
Historical romance + mystery is a perfect combo, and Manda Collins is really stepping up to the plate. The third entry in the Ladies Most Scandalous series focuses on Poppy and Joshua. Poppy Delamare (aka Flora Deaver) ran away from home two years ago when she was about to be married off to her stepfather's secretary. When she left, her younger sister was married to him in her place. Now, he's dead, so Poppy's headed back home to clear her name.
Joshua, the Duke of Langham, is also headed to the same small village. In his case, he's attending a house party put together by his grandmother. In true HR fashion, Poppy and Langham come up with the perfect excuse for a fake relationship: as his fiancee, she'll benefit from his influence as she investigates her sister's case, while he will be free from all of the matchmaking schemes his grandmother has put together for him.
The mystery and romance work in tandem, and neither feels like it overpowers the other. Note that this mystery involves murder, blackmail, confidence tricks, infidelity, and even a satanic cult, so it could have been easy to focus on the mystery to the detriment of the romance. Instead it feels like there's just enough sexual tension and emotional resonance for us to feel invested in Poppy and Langham's relationship.
47-Word Summaries:
Laine: Poppy flees the new life and identity she's built when she learns her sister is accused of murder. A fortuitous encounter with her hot nemesis en route gives her a place to stay and an ally. He's hot, smells good, and is less influential than he thinks.
Meg: There comes a time when even independent ladies must admit they’re in need of assistance. For Poppy, that moment is when her little sister is under house arrest for the murder of her husband. Luckily Poppy can recompense her ducal ally…by posing as his fiancee, obvs.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Joshua, the Duke of Langham, is also headed to the same small village. In his case, he's attending a house party put together by his grandmother. In true HR fashion, Poppy and Langham come up with the perfect excuse for a fake relationship: as his fiancee, she'll benefit from his influence as she investigates her sister's case, while he will be free from all of the matchmaking schemes his grandmother has put together for him.
The mystery and romance work in tandem, and neither feels like it overpowers the other. Note that this mystery involves murder, blackmail, confidence tricks, infidelity, and even a satanic cult, so it could have been easy to focus on the mystery to the detriment of the romance. Instead it feels like there's just enough sexual tension and emotional resonance for us to feel invested in Poppy and Langham's relationship.
47-Word Summaries:
Laine: Poppy flees the new life and identity she's built when she learns her sister is accused of murder. A fortuitous encounter with her hot nemesis en route gives her a place to stay and an ally. He's hot, smells good, and is less influential than he thinks.
Meg: There comes a time when even independent ladies must admit they’re in need of assistance. For Poppy, that moment is when her little sister is under house arrest for the murder of her husband. Luckily Poppy can recompense her ducal ally…by posing as his fiancee, obvs.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
January 20, 2023
2.5 stars
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“A friend? I don’t believe a duke can ever be friends with an impecunious spinster, Your Grace.”
Third in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, this stars two characters that were introduced in the previous two books. An assistant to the other books heroines, Flora, and Duke of Langham, a friend to the other two heroes. Right away we learn that Flora is actually Poppy Delamare and she is on her way back home, the home she ran away from two years ago and changed her name to avoid a betrothal that her step-father had engaged her in. Poppy read in the paper that her step-sister Violet has been accused of murder, the murder of her husband and the man Poppy was supposed to marry. Feeling guilty that Violet had to marry the man in her place, Poppy wants to save Violet and prove that she didn't commit the murder. At the train station, she gets pick-pocketed and trying to chase the man down, runs into Langham, a man she's had a contentious relationship with. After losing her money, Langham, on the way home to his grandmother's birthday party, decides to help Poppy with the murder investigation, if she'll pose as his fiancee, saving him from the debutantes he knows his grandmother invited to her party.
One of the reasons he was so amused by Miss Deaver, he realized, was that she didn’t treat him like he pissed gold. She gave him a hard time of it, and it was refreshing.
I started the series here and didn't have a problem, there's obvious some emotional groundwork done already between Poppy and Langham in the previous two books but their courting and friendship is done here. Their situation is set-up in the first ten percent with them sharing confidences of how they're in the situations they need help in, basically the cards are on the table. This leaves room and time for them to simply be their true selves in each other's company. I liked this and thought this had the general tone of a Grace Burrowes, sweet babbling brook tone and pace, but I thought the murder mystery would have them actively Sherlock-ing more than they were. It took until around forty percent before the case actually gets going and we start to get sides of story of what happened and a couple clues in the tellings. Poppy's sister Violet is being kept away or disappeared for a lot of the story to keep some of the true story of what happened to her husband in the dark and there were some interesting red-herrings but I was missing Poppy and Langham more actively searching for clues. We do get one big scene of them trapped in cave and a, close to gruesome, danger element from a Lucifer's Society (think Hellfire Club) that could be involved in the murder.
This arrangement with the duke wasn’t a game; it was a necessity for gaining her sister’s freedom, and she would do well to remember it.
Our leads were given plot elements of family issues, Langham not as close to his younger brother as he'd like and Poppy's dislike of her step-father and how that affects her relationship with her mother and the obvious worry over her sister Violet but they didn't spend enough time with those characters or flesh out the issues to give those elements depth and thus, add layers to the characters for me. Poppy and Langham also had a more sweet friendship to growing love relationship for the majority of the story, so when they had their open (cave) door sex scene I didn't feel the passion between them as much as I would have liked; it felt a bit abrupt after how physically calm things were between them prior.
There were, he realized suddenly, few things he wouldn’t do in order to make Poppy happy.
The later last bit ramps things up with Violet appearing and revealing some information that eliminates and shines a brighter spotlight on some characters in regards to their guiltiness. We also get the previous two main couples making an appearance that I'm sure series readers will enjoy and a danger scene that has both Poppy and Langham realizing that time is too short not to go for the one you love. I thought the story took a while to get going, I wanted more Sherlock-ing, and the characters and elements had kind of a nothing new here feel but the friendship tone between Poppy and Langham was sweet.
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“A friend? I don’t believe a duke can ever be friends with an impecunious spinster, Your Grace.”
Third in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, this stars two characters that were introduced in the previous two books. An assistant to the other books heroines, Flora, and Duke of Langham, a friend to the other two heroes. Right away we learn that Flora is actually Poppy Delamare and she is on her way back home, the home she ran away from two years ago and changed her name to avoid a betrothal that her step-father had engaged her in. Poppy read in the paper that her step-sister Violet has been accused of murder, the murder of her husband and the man Poppy was supposed to marry. Feeling guilty that Violet had to marry the man in her place, Poppy wants to save Violet and prove that she didn't commit the murder. At the train station, she gets pick-pocketed and trying to chase the man down, runs into Langham, a man she's had a contentious relationship with. After losing her money, Langham, on the way home to his grandmother's birthday party, decides to help Poppy with the murder investigation, if she'll pose as his fiancee, saving him from the debutantes he knows his grandmother invited to her party.
One of the reasons he was so amused by Miss Deaver, he realized, was that she didn’t treat him like he pissed gold. She gave him a hard time of it, and it was refreshing.
I started the series here and didn't have a problem, there's obvious some emotional groundwork done already between Poppy and Langham in the previous two books but their courting and friendship is done here. Their situation is set-up in the first ten percent with them sharing confidences of how they're in the situations they need help in, basically the cards are on the table. This leaves room and time for them to simply be their true selves in each other's company. I liked this and thought this had the general tone of a Grace Burrowes, sweet babbling brook tone and pace, but I thought the murder mystery would have them actively Sherlock-ing more than they were. It took until around forty percent before the case actually gets going and we start to get sides of story of what happened and a couple clues in the tellings. Poppy's sister Violet is being kept away or disappeared for a lot of the story to keep some of the true story of what happened to her husband in the dark and there were some interesting red-herrings but I was missing Poppy and Langham more actively searching for clues. We do get one big scene of them trapped in cave and a, close to gruesome, danger element from a Lucifer's Society (think Hellfire Club) that could be involved in the murder.
This arrangement with the duke wasn’t a game; it was a necessity for gaining her sister’s freedom, and she would do well to remember it.
Our leads were given plot elements of family issues, Langham not as close to his younger brother as he'd like and Poppy's dislike of her step-father and how that affects her relationship with her mother and the obvious worry over her sister Violet but they didn't spend enough time with those characters or flesh out the issues to give those elements depth and thus, add layers to the characters for me. Poppy and Langham also had a more sweet friendship to growing love relationship for the majority of the story, so when they had their open (cave) door sex scene I didn't feel the passion between them as much as I would have liked; it felt a bit abrupt after how physically calm things were between them prior.
There were, he realized suddenly, few things he wouldn’t do in order to make Poppy happy.
The later last bit ramps things up with Violet appearing and revealing some information that eliminates and shines a brighter spotlight on some characters in regards to their guiltiness. We also get the previous two main couples making an appearance that I'm sure series readers will enjoy and a danger scene that has both Poppy and Langham realizing that time is too short not to go for the one you love. I thought the story took a while to get going, I wanted more Sherlock-ing, and the characters and elements had kind of a nothing new here feel but the friendship tone between Poppy and Langham was sweet.
January 13, 2023
I haven't read the other books in this series but this can be read as a standalone and I really enjoyed it! The romance was fun and I liked the mystery element as well. This book has so many tropes that I absolutely love from forced proximity to fake engagement to regency romance and it all just worked really well for me.
This was a really easy and fun read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was a really easy and fun read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
March 31, 2023
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit especially with their banter
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: The last chapter takes place 1 month in the future
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
It’s not totally necessary but I would suggest yes. You come into this story with the mains knowing each other and I felt like I was missing out a bit on their relationship from prior books.
Basic plot:
Poppy escaped her home years ago to avoid an unpleasant marriage, but upon hearing her sister is being accused of murder she returns to help prove her innocence. She runs into Joshua at the station and he agrees to help her if she pretends to be his bride-to-be to get his grandmother off his back.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian (1867)
- Buckinghamshire setting
- mystery to solve
- Duke hero
- secret identity (plays a small part)
- fake betrothal
- hero suffers from claustrophobia
- touch of class difference
- lower steam lovers – 1 full scene
Ages:
- Heroine is 25, didn’t catch hero but it was pointed out to me as a guess he'd be mid 30's as he was 10 years older than his brother who worked for the Foreign Office (thanks, Dawn!)
First line:
Violence, regrettably, was out of the question.
My thoughts:
I ended up really enjoying this mystery. Mysteries aren’t usually my favorite in romance because I want my characters focused on each other instead of something else – but in this one they did that! And spent almost all their time together which I really appreciated.
Collins’s writing really pulled me in on this one and I found this book a pleasure to read. Joshua and Poppy’s banter was endearing and funny. I liked that Poppy had a bit a of a prickly personality – I wouldn’t say it was sunshine and grump necessarily but it gave me a touch of those vibes – Joshua maybe enhanced Poppy’s grumpiness sometimes haha but them together just really felt like perfection.
I was a bit sad I didn’t read the first two books, only because it seemed like these characters already had their minds made up about each other from page 1 and I didn’t get to experience that. (I’m unsure how much page time they actually have together in the prior books)
I could have used a touch more steam, but I recall from reading her prior that I wasn’t going to get hot and heavy. The scene was lovely, but a touch light on explicitness and not super long.
Overall though I really enjoyed the story and writing, the characters were a delight, and it does make me want to try the first two books in this series!
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit especially with their banter
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: The last chapter takes place 1 month in the future
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
It’s not totally necessary but I would suggest yes. You come into this story with the mains knowing each other and I felt like I was missing out a bit on their relationship from prior books.
Basic plot:
Poppy escaped her home years ago to avoid an unpleasant marriage, but upon hearing her sister is being accused of murder she returns to help prove her innocence. She runs into Joshua at the station and he agrees to help her if she pretends to be his bride-to-be to get his grandmother off his back.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian (1867)
- Buckinghamshire setting
- mystery to solve
- Duke hero
- secret identity (plays a small part)
- fake betrothal
- hero suffers from claustrophobia
- touch of class difference
- lower steam lovers – 1 full scene
Ages:
- Heroine is 25, didn’t catch hero but it was pointed out to me as a guess he'd be mid 30's as he was 10 years older than his brother who worked for the Foreign Office (thanks, Dawn!)
First line:
Violence, regrettably, was out of the question.
My thoughts:
I ended up really enjoying this mystery. Mysteries aren’t usually my favorite in romance because I want my characters focused on each other instead of something else – but in this one they did that! And spent almost all their time together which I really appreciated.
Collins’s writing really pulled me in on this one and I found this book a pleasure to read. Joshua and Poppy’s banter was endearing and funny. I liked that Poppy had a bit a of a prickly personality – I wouldn’t say it was sunshine and grump necessarily but it gave me a touch of those vibes – Joshua maybe enhanced Poppy’s grumpiness sometimes haha but them together just really felt like perfection.
I was a bit sad I didn’t read the first two books, only because it seemed like these characters already had their minds made up about each other from page 1 and I didn’t get to experience that. (I’m unsure how much page time they actually have together in the prior books)
I could have used a touch more steam, but I recall from reading her prior that I wasn’t going to get hot and heavy. The scene was lovely, but a touch light on explicitness and not super long.
Overall though I really enjoyed the story and writing, the characters were a delight, and it does make me want to try the first two books in this series!
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
November 4, 2024
This was such a fun and quick read.
The chemistry between the main characters in addition to the fake dating trope made this read even more fun.
I also really liked the character of Poppy as she seemed like a strong character for a heroine in a historical romance as she was very much set in her ways. Additionally, Langham valued that in her character and didn't seem to limit her because of it.
As much as this book is part of a series (and would spoil you for the romances in those earlier novels), this book could easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
The chemistry between the main characters in addition to the fake dating trope made this read even more fun.
I also really liked the character of Poppy as she seemed like a strong character for a heroine in a historical romance as she was very much set in her ways. Additionally, Langham valued that in her character and didn't seem to limit her because of it.
As much as this book is part of a series (and would spoil you for the romances in those earlier novels), this book could easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
March 31, 2023
This was a fun opposites attract, fake dating historical romance with dual POV and a murder mystery thrown in. Great on audio narrated by Mary Jane Wells and perfect for fans of Elizabeth Everett, India Holton or Martha Waters. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
May 12, 2023
The other two books set up this one perfectly! This was such a good mix of victorian-era romance and the (soft) thriller vibes! The characters were darlings and the plot flowed really well!
June 29, 2023
This is the third book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series, and I have enjoyed them all. I love that each book has a mystery at its core without losing the feel of a true romance. It seems rare to find books that hit on each so well. These are really up my alley.
It absolutely had everything I could want from a mystery and a romance. A smart and independent heroine, a swoon worthy Duke, the always reliable fake betrothal trope, spice, and an intriguing mystery.
Manda Collins does a fantastic job combining all of these elements into a great story. She has become a must-read author for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
It absolutely had everything I could want from a mystery and a romance. A smart and independent heroine, a swoon worthy Duke, the always reliable fake betrothal trope, spice, and an intriguing mystery.
Manda Collins does a fantastic job combining all of these elements into a great story. She has become a must-read author for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 10, 2023
Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins is the third book in her popular historical mystery series, Ladies Most Scandalous, and can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Story Recap:
Miss Poppy Delamare left home to start a new life in London two years ago in order to escape a betrothal to an odious man. Now, two years later, her sister is accused of murdering that same man. Poppy now runs home to the small town of Little Kidding, to save her sister from the gallows.
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham is also on his way to Little Kidding to return to his family's estate to attend his grandmother’s, the dowager Duchess of Langham’s annual birthday house party. When he runs into Poppy at the London train station, upon seeing her distress after she was robbed of her train fare, he invites her to travel with him in his coach. After they get to know each other they form an alliance to be fake engaged. Joshua wants to prevent his grandmother from setting him up at her house party, and Poppy wants the Duke’s help in helping her sister.
My Thoughts:
I was excited to be back in Manda Collin’s world and visit with her characters in this series. I love this combination of romance, mystery, and family dynamics, all set in Victorian England. The characters of this series are intertwined, but each book can be read as a stand-alone.
This book has a good balance of romance, to mystery and I loved both aspects of the story. The setting of Victorian England was well described and adds to the atmosphere of the mystery. The romance between Poppy and Langham is based on friendship first and includes both witty banter and sweet talk. The mystery is complex and fascinating to follow. Poppy makes a great detective and she doesn’t shy away from danger.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins is the third book in her popular historical mystery series, Ladies Most Scandalous, and can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Story Recap:
Miss Poppy Delamare left home to start a new life in London two years ago in order to escape a betrothal to an odious man. Now, two years later, her sister is accused of murdering that same man. Poppy now runs home to the small town of Little Kidding, to save her sister from the gallows.
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham is also on his way to Little Kidding to return to his family's estate to attend his grandmother’s, the dowager Duchess of Langham’s annual birthday house party. When he runs into Poppy at the London train station, upon seeing her distress after she was robbed of her train fare, he invites her to travel with him in his coach. After they get to know each other they form an alliance to be fake engaged. Joshua wants to prevent his grandmother from setting him up at her house party, and Poppy wants the Duke’s help in helping her sister.
My Thoughts:
I was excited to be back in Manda Collin’s world and visit with her characters in this series. I love this combination of romance, mystery, and family dynamics, all set in Victorian England. The characters of this series are intertwined, but each book can be read as a stand-alone.
This book has a good balance of romance, to mystery and I loved both aspects of the story. The setting of Victorian England was well described and adds to the atmosphere of the mystery. The romance between Poppy and Langham is based on friendship first and includes both witty banter and sweet talk. The mystery is complex and fascinating to follow. Poppy makes a great detective and she doesn’t shy away from danger.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
March 31, 2023
i think langham and poppy met in the previous book and they didn't get along well. seems to me once again fmc unnecessarily dislike hero while he wants to bed her 🥱
when poppy's sister accused of murdering her husband poppy comes back home after 2 years (there's drama). langham also go to his hometown for his grandma's birthday(we didn't actually see the bday party😔) and because he doesn't want alllll the ladies to fall in love with him he tells poppy that he can help with sister's case if she acts as his betrothed 🤭
nobody believes this betrothel (more drama) and everybody in this book was flat out rude to her at first and she has to defend herself constantly. this was like %80 murder mystery %19 her defending herself and %1 fake dating(i don't like it when we don't see more fake dating)
in case you're wondering why is my rating high since it's obvious i didn't enjoy the couple that much, murder mystery plot was very enjoyable???? (more drama) i wasn't waiting that outcome
as usual h was virgin and H wasn't 😒 they have one steamy scene and it's happened in cave so it was nice 👀 there wasn't ow/om drama or third act break-up
when poppy's sister accused of murdering her husband poppy comes back home after 2 years (there's drama). langham also go to his hometown for his grandma's birthday(we didn't actually see the bday party😔) and because he doesn't want alllll the ladies to fall in love with him he tells poppy that he can help with sister's case if she acts as his betrothed 🤭
nobody believes this betrothel (more drama) and everybody in this book was flat out rude to her at first and she has to defend herself constantly. this was like %80 murder mystery %19 her defending herself and %1 fake dating(i don't like it when we don't see more fake dating)
in case you're wondering why is my rating high since it's obvious i didn't enjoy the couple that much, murder mystery plot was very enjoyable???? (more drama) i wasn't waiting that outcome
as usual h was virgin and H wasn't 😒 they have one steamy scene and it's happened in cave so it was nice 👀 there wasn't ow/om drama or third act break-up
March 28, 2023
Ugh I just love this series so much!! Pick this up for:
-cozy mystery + historical romance
-fake engagement shenanigans
-hate (really more like strong dislike?) to love
-class difference
-mystery
-mayhem
-blackmail
-sex in caves
-Satanic cults???
-oh did I mention the murder part
CW: Murder, domestic abuse, blackmail, confinement, sexual content
I work for the publisher; opinions my own
-cozy mystery + historical romance
-fake engagement shenanigans
-hate (really more like strong dislike?) to love
-class difference
-mystery
-mayhem
-blackmail
-sex in caves
-Satanic cults???
-oh did I mention the murder part
CW: Murder, domestic abuse, blackmail, confinement, sexual content
I work for the publisher; opinions my own
December 4, 2022
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.
I have a habit of reading Manda Collins books out of order. I don't mean to, but it just happens; it happened with two of her other series too. So I did not read the first two of the series, even though they are on my TBR list and in my library - life just gets in the way.
But on with it. Spinster Poppy Delamere has been hiding her identity as Flora Deaver, the employee and friend to Lady Katherine, and Caroline Hardcastle, in London. This was to escape an unwanted match arranged by her hated stepfather. What she did not know was that he would turn around and marry his own daughter, Poppy's half sister Violet to this man instead. A couple of years after her escape, Poppy is in a rush to leave London after finding out that Violet has been accused of murdering her husband. Poppy is desperate to get to her and help her, feeling guilt that Violet was forced to suffer because of Poppy's actions, when she ran away.
At the train station, Poppy is robbed of her reticule and most of her cash, and when trying to stop the cutpurse from escaping with her funds, slams into Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. They are not friends, despite their shared friends having wed. Poppy, an intelligent, independent working woman, and daughter of a vicar, seems to have a strong distrust/dislike of men, the aristocracy, and dislike of Langham in particular as they have not appeared to have had pleasant interactions in the past (and here is where I wish I read the other books first...).
Langham, despite being a duke, is not as cold, pompous, etc as others may think. While he may not have been complimentary in the past, he seems to appreciate Poppy's intelligence, independence, honesty, and forthrightness. When he finds out Poppy's story, wants to help her, but also perceives a reciprocal gain for himself, as they are both going to the same place, as his ducal estate is part of the town where Poppy's family is now living. He is joining a house party where his grandmother will be playing matchmaker, and he wants to protect himself from the hopeful marriage minded singles invited by his family to the event by parading Poppy as his betrothed. In return, he would use his ducal power to help Poppy and her sister, as Poppy is convinced that Violet would not have killed her husband.
This was a rather light murder mystery, romance. Langham and Poppy, in the pretense of a love match learn to see beyond the surface and appreciate each other; being open and sharing their secrets and vulnerabilities. Poppy discovers that Langham is a warm, caring, generous friend and lover, and Langham grows to realize that Poppy would be an ideal duchess, despite being of a different class, and that she is loyal, intelligent, strong willed, and honest with him, appreciating him as more than a rich Duke. It was an easy, fun read and quite enjoyable.
3.75 stars out of 5
I have a habit of reading Manda Collins books out of order. I don't mean to, but it just happens; it happened with two of her other series too. So I did not read the first two of the series, even though they are on my TBR list and in my library - life just gets in the way.
But on with it. Spinster Poppy Delamere has been hiding her identity as Flora Deaver, the employee and friend to Lady Katherine, and Caroline Hardcastle, in London. This was to escape an unwanted match arranged by her hated stepfather. What she did not know was that he would turn around and marry his own daughter, Poppy's half sister Violet to this man instead. A couple of years after her escape, Poppy is in a rush to leave London after finding out that Violet has been accused of murdering her husband. Poppy is desperate to get to her and help her, feeling guilt that Violet was forced to suffer because of Poppy's actions, when she ran away.
At the train station, Poppy is robbed of her reticule and most of her cash, and when trying to stop the cutpurse from escaping with her funds, slams into Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. They are not friends, despite their shared friends having wed. Poppy, an intelligent, independent working woman, and daughter of a vicar, seems to have a strong distrust/dislike of men, the aristocracy, and dislike of Langham in particular as they have not appeared to have had pleasant interactions in the past (and here is where I wish I read the other books first...).
Langham, despite being a duke, is not as cold, pompous, etc as others may think. While he may not have been complimentary in the past, he seems to appreciate Poppy's intelligence, independence, honesty, and forthrightness. When he finds out Poppy's story, wants to help her, but also perceives a reciprocal gain for himself, as they are both going to the same place, as his ducal estate is part of the town where Poppy's family is now living. He is joining a house party where his grandmother will be playing matchmaker, and he wants to protect himself from the hopeful marriage minded singles invited by his family to the event by parading Poppy as his betrothed. In return, he would use his ducal power to help Poppy and her sister, as Poppy is convinced that Violet would not have killed her husband.
This was a rather light murder mystery, romance. Langham and Poppy, in the pretense of a love match learn to see beyond the surface and appreciate each other; being open and sharing their secrets and vulnerabilities. Poppy discovers that Langham is a warm, caring, generous friend and lover, and Langham grows to realize that Poppy would be an ideal duchess, despite being of a different class, and that she is loyal, intelligent, strong willed, and honest with him, appreciating him as more than a rich Duke. It was an easy, fun read and quite enjoyable.
3.75 stars out of 5
March 13, 2023
This series is so much fun, and I’m loving the swoon-worthy romances! The third book in the series, A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes follows Poppy and Langham and their frenemies-to-lovers romance as they work together to solve a murder.
The story takes place in the English countryside, which is a nice change from the first two books. It’s an interesting contrast since one wouldn’t expect the idyllic setting to be riddled with danger, murder, secrets, and more. Between the setting, the compelling and well-developed characters, the mystery and suspense, and the swoon-worthy romance, it’s entertaining and engrossing from beginning to end.
We’ve seen Poppy in the previous books since she is Caro and Kate’s assistant, and I was so excited to learn more about her and her backstory. Poppy is fantastic! She’s smart and independent, and she’s not afraid to assert herself. A self-proclaimed spinster at age 25, Poppy has a bit of independence, so when her sister is accused of murdering her husband, Poppy immediately rushes to her to prove her innocence. I love how she is unapologetically herself. She never tries to change or conform, and she remains true to herself. And Langham appreciates that about her. Langham is great too! He makes an arrangement with Poppy to help her with her sister if she fakes an engagement with him. He’s trying to avoid the pressure of marrying, but it’s pretty clear he has feelings for his frenemy even before he realizes it.
Langham and Poppy have so much chemistry, and their banter is the best! They make a good team, and I liked their verbal sparring as much as their electric connection. Some of their conversations are so funny, and others are sweet and sexy. It’s a nice mix. I enjoyed seeing the couple grow closer and trust each other more as they investigated the murder together and maneuvered through social events.
The mystery is really interesting too and much more complex than the pair originally thought. Luckily for her sister, Poppy isn’t daunted by the dangerous murmurings she hears, and neither is Langham. I think the suspense and intrigue add to the tension between Poppy and Langham, and the high-stakes situations bring them together pretty quickly.
I loved the story. It’s fun and funny, adventurous and romantic, and the mystery is intriguing. Of course, you can never go wrong with a historical romance by Manda Collins! Thanks so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The story takes place in the English countryside, which is a nice change from the first two books. It’s an interesting contrast since one wouldn’t expect the idyllic setting to be riddled with danger, murder, secrets, and more. Between the setting, the compelling and well-developed characters, the mystery and suspense, and the swoon-worthy romance, it’s entertaining and engrossing from beginning to end.
We’ve seen Poppy in the previous books since she is Caro and Kate’s assistant, and I was so excited to learn more about her and her backstory. Poppy is fantastic! She’s smart and independent, and she’s not afraid to assert herself. A self-proclaimed spinster at age 25, Poppy has a bit of independence, so when her sister is accused of murdering her husband, Poppy immediately rushes to her to prove her innocence. I love how she is unapologetically herself. She never tries to change or conform, and she remains true to herself. And Langham appreciates that about her. Langham is great too! He makes an arrangement with Poppy to help her with her sister if she fakes an engagement with him. He’s trying to avoid the pressure of marrying, but it’s pretty clear he has feelings for his frenemy even before he realizes it.
Langham and Poppy have so much chemistry, and their banter is the best! They make a good team, and I liked their verbal sparring as much as their electric connection. Some of their conversations are so funny, and others are sweet and sexy. It’s a nice mix. I enjoyed seeing the couple grow closer and trust each other more as they investigated the murder together and maneuvered through social events.
The mystery is really interesting too and much more complex than the pair originally thought. Luckily for her sister, Poppy isn’t daunted by the dangerous murmurings she hears, and neither is Langham. I think the suspense and intrigue add to the tension between Poppy and Langham, and the high-stakes situations bring them together pretty quickly.
I loved the story. It’s fun and funny, adventurous and romantic, and the mystery is intriguing. Of course, you can never go wrong with a historical romance by Manda Collins! Thanks so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
March 8, 2023
Miss Poppy Delamere, formerly known to readers as Flora Deaver, secretary to Lady Katherine Eversham, is frantic. After two years of hiding from her stepfather, Poppy has no choice but to return to her family so she can save her sister Violet from being convicted of murder! To Poppy’s utter shock, she learns that when she refused to marry her stepfather’s secretary and ran away, he forced his daughter Violet to marry the man – but now he is dead and Violet has been accused of his murder, by non-other but her father! It is an injustice that Poppy cannot ignore, so without a word of why, she sets out for Little Kidding, but almost immediately her plans are in jeopardy when a pickpocket steals her money. She goes after the man but loses him when she literally runs into Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham. A man she wants nothing to do with, but now that she is without funds, she agrees to travel with him, as he too is on his way to Little Kidding. As they talk on the train, she explains why she is going and he offers to help her clear her sister’s name, and suggests that she could repay him by pretending to be his betrothed for the duration of their visit. As much as she would like to refuse, it is a perfect solution to her problem, and having a duke on her side will open more doors than she could manage alone. And so begins their partnership…
Joshua isn’t sure why he asked her to pose as his betrothed when he had just reconciled himself to considering the ladies his grandmother undoubtedly gathered for his perusal. He is surprised to learn that Poppy has been keeping secrets from everyone and admires her desire to help her half-sister, she is definitely not who he thought she was, but he likes her all the more for it! Once they arrive in Little Kidding, he is surprised to be greeted by his sister and many of the house guests from his grandmother’s house party – immediately he finds himself defending Poppy, who really doesn’t need his help. And when he introduces her to his grandmother, she proves once again that she can hold her own and he finds himself liking her even more! As they start to dig into the murder, he knows he is in trouble, because the more time he spends with Poppy, the more he wants to make their faux engagement real – can he convince her that they are perfect for each other or will she walk away with his heart once her sister is cleared?
OMG – this is without a doubt the crown jewel of this amazing series. I felt the chemistry between Poppy and Joshua from the beginning and I loved how protective he was of her, even before his feelings were engaged. Add to that a very well-plotted mystery, wonderful secondary characters, nasty baddies who get what they deserve, cameos from previous couples, a slow-burn romance, steamyish love scenes, and an edge-of-your-seat ending that leads to HEA. My only complaint was that I wish there had been an epilogue, but even without one, this story is a must-read. Loved, loved, loved it – this is the third book in the series, but you could easily read it as a standalone title, but really, do yourself a favor and read the entire series in order – it is so good! Now we wait and wonder if Joshua’s brother will get his own book because he should – but, one can only hope and drop not-so-subtle, wishful hints to the author in their review😊
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
Joshua isn’t sure why he asked her to pose as his betrothed when he had just reconciled himself to considering the ladies his grandmother undoubtedly gathered for his perusal. He is surprised to learn that Poppy has been keeping secrets from everyone and admires her desire to help her half-sister, she is definitely not who he thought she was, but he likes her all the more for it! Once they arrive in Little Kidding, he is surprised to be greeted by his sister and many of the house guests from his grandmother’s house party – immediately he finds himself defending Poppy, who really doesn’t need his help. And when he introduces her to his grandmother, she proves once again that she can hold her own and he finds himself liking her even more! As they start to dig into the murder, he knows he is in trouble, because the more time he spends with Poppy, the more he wants to make their faux engagement real – can he convince her that they are perfect for each other or will she walk away with his heart once her sister is cleared?
OMG – this is without a doubt the crown jewel of this amazing series. I felt the chemistry between Poppy and Joshua from the beginning and I loved how protective he was of her, even before his feelings were engaged. Add to that a very well-plotted mystery, wonderful secondary characters, nasty baddies who get what they deserve, cameos from previous couples, a slow-burn romance, steamyish love scenes, and an edge-of-your-seat ending that leads to HEA. My only complaint was that I wish there had been an epilogue, but even without one, this story is a must-read. Loved, loved, loved it – this is the third book in the series, but you could easily read it as a standalone title, but really, do yourself a favor and read the entire series in order – it is so good! Now we wait and wonder if Joshua’s brother will get his own book because he should – but, one can only hope and drop not-so-subtle, wishful hints to the author in their review😊
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
April 12, 2023
Miss Poppy Delamere has been living a fabricated life for the past two years since she fled her family and established herself in London as secretary Flora Deaver. But now her younger sister has been accused of murder and Poppy must return to help her. Unfortunately, an unexpected and unwelcome interference threatens to derail her travels.
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, knows Poppy doesn’t particularly like him but he won’t abandon her when she so clearly needs help. Seeing that they could help one another he proposes that they present themselves as a betrothed couple. This will lend Poppy and her sister the weight of the dukedom and give Langham some protection from the eager young misses his grandmother has lined up for him as marriage prospects.
But as their act continues, Poppy and Joshua both begin to see one another for who they truly are, and their engagement doesn’t feel like pretending. Before Joshua can propose a genuine alliance, their investigation into the murder reveals much more than they’d anticipated and forces them to set their feelings aside until they’ve apprehended the true villain.
I’ve had a rather long streak of three-star reads this month, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself so thoroughly enjoying this one. It was a real breath of fresh air for me. Poppy did give me pause at first with her snappishness towards the duke but given the stress she was under her reactions were understandable and she rapidly made up for them. I had forgotten just how much I love the fake relationship trope and it was well-utilized here. Poppy and Joshua are seemingly opposites, but they made the perfect couple, and I loved seeing them realize that as they came to know one another better. Poppy was able to really think about what she wanted and realized she wasn’t willing to give up love for the sake of independence and that Joshua would never stifle her that way, anyway. I loved that she recognized just how good of a man he was and finally gave him the credit for it that it seemed his family often failed to do. I loved seeing their feelings develop for one another as they worked to solve the mystery and clear Poppy’s sister’s name. This is probably my favorite story of this series and I look forward to perhaps another installment featuring Joshua’s brother, Adrian, and the governess.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, knows Poppy doesn’t particularly like him but he won’t abandon her when she so clearly needs help. Seeing that they could help one another he proposes that they present themselves as a betrothed couple. This will lend Poppy and her sister the weight of the dukedom and give Langham some protection from the eager young misses his grandmother has lined up for him as marriage prospects.
But as their act continues, Poppy and Joshua both begin to see one another for who they truly are, and their engagement doesn’t feel like pretending. Before Joshua can propose a genuine alliance, their investigation into the murder reveals much more than they’d anticipated and forces them to set their feelings aside until they’ve apprehended the true villain.
I’ve had a rather long streak of three-star reads this month, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself so thoroughly enjoying this one. It was a real breath of fresh air for me. Poppy did give me pause at first with her snappishness towards the duke but given the stress she was under her reactions were understandable and she rapidly made up for them. I had forgotten just how much I love the fake relationship trope and it was well-utilized here. Poppy and Joshua are seemingly opposites, but they made the perfect couple, and I loved seeing them realize that as they came to know one another better. Poppy was able to really think about what she wanted and realized she wasn’t willing to give up love for the sake of independence and that Joshua would never stifle her that way, anyway. I loved that she recognized just how good of a man he was and finally gave him the credit for it that it seemed his family often failed to do. I loved seeing their feelings develop for one another as they worked to solve the mystery and clear Poppy’s sister’s name. This is probably my favorite story of this series and I look forward to perhaps another installment featuring Joshua’s brother, Adrian, and the governess.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
January 9, 2023
4/5 stars
I enjoy watching murder mystery films or tv show and ever since I started watching Miss Scarlet and the Duke I wanted to try out historical romances with a murder mystery twist and I have to be honest this is quite a good combination.
This book hooked me in from the start, I was very intrigued by the characters and the story. Also I am a sucker for ulterior motives relationships/ fake dating so that was another win for me.
When I read the first book I remember feeling a little bit unsatisfied with the romance portion of the book because I felt it wasn’t enough, but in this third instalment the balance between romance and the rest of the plot was perfect.
The murder mystery plot was actually engaging and I have to be honest I had absolutely no idea how the mystery was going to wrap up.
I feel like this book is perfect to read on a rainy afternoon while enjoying a cup of tea because also the country setting gives a very distinct cozy vibe.
ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley
I enjoy watching murder mystery films or tv show and ever since I started watching Miss Scarlet and the Duke I wanted to try out historical romances with a murder mystery twist and I have to be honest this is quite a good combination.
This book hooked me in from the start, I was very intrigued by the characters and the story. Also I am a sucker for ulterior motives relationships/ fake dating so that was another win for me.
When I read the first book I remember feeling a little bit unsatisfied with the romance portion of the book because I felt it wasn’t enough, but in this third instalment the balance between romance and the rest of the plot was perfect.
The murder mystery plot was actually engaging and I have to be honest I had absolutely no idea how the mystery was going to wrap up.
I feel like this book is perfect to read on a rainy afternoon while enjoying a cup of tea because also the country setting gives a very distinct cozy vibe.
ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley
March 25, 2023
4⭐️
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes was a fun time. It had banter, a strong female lead, a brewing romance, and fake dating (betrothal?)!!
I loved Poppy, she was quick witted, knew what needed to get done, and was fiercely loyal to her sister. Despite odds being against her favour, she did whatever she could to clear her sister's name.
Langham was fun too, it was nice to see him support Poppy, and the way he fell for her was so sweet. The two of them together were definitely a power couple, and while the ending was a tad cliché, I was glad for it. This mystery kept me on my toes; I did not know how it would unravel till they figured it out!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes was a fun time. It had banter, a strong female lead, a brewing romance, and fake dating (betrothal?)!!
I loved Poppy, she was quick witted, knew what needed to get done, and was fiercely loyal to her sister. Despite odds being against her favour, she did whatever she could to clear her sister's name.
Langham was fun too, it was nice to see him support Poppy, and the way he fell for her was so sweet. The two of them together were definitely a power couple, and while the ending was a tad cliché, I was glad for it. This mystery kept me on my toes; I did not know how it would unravel till they figured it out!
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 25, 2024
I think cozy murder with a dash of historical romance is my newest obsession
October 18, 2023
How they fell for each other felt natural to me, so I liked that part the most. The mystery was a big part of the book.
August 15, 2025
This one was just not for me. The premise was unrealistic, and I did not enjoy the story as I have the previous two entries in this series. Not even Mary Jane Wells could save this story for me. Interestingly, the author commented that she considered this novel to be (if I read her comment correctly; apologies if I did not take her meaning the right way) "okay, I guess," and I have to agree with her. If the author wasn't overly excited about this last installment, calling it just okay, then it isn't such a surprise that I felt the same way.
SPOILERS BELOW: read at your own risk
The best part of the story came when the troops (Kate and Andrew, Caro and Val) and Langham's brother, Adrian arrived to help Langham and Poppy - quite honestly, they are the only things that made this story bearable for me. And regrettably, there was not enough of them to salvage this novel.
SPOILERS BELOW: read at your own risk
The best part of the story came when the troops (Kate and Andrew, Caro and Val) and Langham's brother, Adrian arrived to help Langham and Poppy - quite honestly, they are the only things that made this story bearable for me. And regrettably, there was not enough of them to salvage this novel.
Read
September 11, 2024god this was a hard read.
In all these 2020s books that I am reading, I am thinking about the label of "wallpaper" and how it fits or doesn't fit, is or is not useful in describing the experience of reading the book. Collins, based on her author's note and some of the world building we get here, did do original research of the setting. Generally, I think of wallpapers as lacking this, instead relying on other historical romances as the model. So while this book has both a title and a cover that really signals 2020s Wallpaper to me, I think what is actually happening is much worse, a quality that often runs parallel to wallpapers, but something that is harder to pin down, more subjective and readers are more reticent to point out.
It's bad, clunky writing.
As a histrom reader who prefers older historical romance (say, pre-2010), I do feel like I see a correlation with wallpaper romance and clunkier writing. I'll admit that when authors work harder to take on the style of language from the 18th and 19th century, a trait I associate with weightier non-wallpapers, that it is easier to hide some of that clunky writing in the language and grammar that I associate with 19th century masterworks. So I will cop that I am more critical of books where authors decide to use more modern language! But ultimately, the trend of using the setting as a set dressing like a wallpaper and ugly prose is just that: a trend. One does not necessitate the other.
So here we have a book that is attempting not to be a wallpaper, with Collins' attempt to ground the plot in researched world building. But it is marred by bizarre choices of information sharing to the reader that took me out constantly.
Here's an example: They're on the train together, going to Little Kidding, the village where her family is and where his title's seat is. Poppy has never put two and two together, that the man she has been verbally sparring with, presumably for the last two books (I haven't read them, but this book makes it clear there is a history), has the title that is attached to the big manor that is supposedly near a village that she has some familial connection. But they are travelling together because they meet at Paddington Station and Poppy's purse gets stolen and Langham realizes that they are going to the same place after he offers to buy her ticket. Once on the train, her memory is jogging and she says "I hadn't made the connection with Langham Abbey, but it's near Little Kidding, isn't it?"
We're in his POV and he thinks: "He didn’t question how she knew the location of his primary estate. Anyone with a copy of Debrett’s or a passing familiarity with the London gossip sheets would know."
What a weird aside! For two sentences, there are so many things that confuse me about what we're supposed to be thinking about any of this information.
"He didn't question how she knew the location of his primary estate:" she literally just said her mother and sister are in the village, presumably she has some passing knowledge of the nearby estates. There actually are reasons that Poppy is less familiar with the geography of the village than one might think, that get explained later, but Langham doesn't know this yet. And though it is not necessary that the primary estate of a dukedom would match a duke's title, in this case, it does! She admits to missing the connection between Langham Abbey and the Duke of Langham and he's already told her was going in the direction of the village.
And then we get the reference to Debrett's and gossip sheets. But Langham "didn't question" her knowledge. So is he thinking "oh she knows my house's name. But that's not a surprise. It would be in Debrett's?" It's a weird, in-the-negative way of conveying information in a close 3rd person POV. I get why Collins' is referencing Debrett's to the reader, but it is a lazy way of communication world building information because I don't know why Langham is thinking of Debrett's at that moment. If he wasn't surprised by people knowing the name of his house, he would just not be surprised! Not think about *why* he isn't surprised. Again: the house and his title are the same and the person speaking has some passing knowledge of the village near his estate--it wouldn't even take Debrett's or the gossip sheets to guess at a connection?
I know this seems like nitpicking, but so much of the non-dialogue prose is like this, where I just stuttered over the asides of character and world-building, wondering "why is she including this information now, in this shape?"
One more example, again early on, from the next chapter.
We're in Poppy's POV and their bantering about the offered help getting to her destination (where she is going to try and prove her sister's innocence in a murder trial) and the dukes says "I sense, Miss Delamere, that when it comes to accepting assistance you have difficulty conceding gracefully. Especially when it comes to your…ah…person and emotions." The Duke had tried to give her advice about working herself up in distress over her emotions and Poppy has rebuffed him, stating she would only effectively accept his practical help, not his emotional help. After the quoted ducal retort, Poppy thinks "She's always had an independent streak—even as a child, when she’d resented even her nursemaid’s attempts to help her perform daily tasks."
Again! That piece of information about her childhood difficulty in accepting help doesn't feel like information that someone thinks about themselves. It actually sounds that something could be revealing piece of dialogue to another person, but Langham and Poppy are not that point in their intimate relationship yet, where she would reveal information about what she was like as a child, so we're left with the reader getting this information early, but not in a way that actually makes sense. The resulting experience is a jarring push and pull distance between reader and the point of view of the narrative.
The bizarre thing is that this book is partly sold as a mystery! A genre that I think of being hyper aware of how information is shared and who is sharing it. I think Collins' earlier series doesn't include the mystery element in the romance plots and I would interested to see what her writing is like without that consideration. Maybe the romance structure is waylaid by having to think about how the mystery is solved?
Where Collins excels is characters' interior thought about the romance--moments where Langham is developing affection for Poppy or vice versa felt organic and meaningful, as they think to themselves about the other in new budding terms. This sort of development is classic romance novel stuff, the reader connecting the dots of the depth of the characters' emotions before they do. That tension and anticipation worked well, which just made the other moments of revelation stick out so so badly.
In all these 2020s books that I am reading, I am thinking about the label of "wallpaper" and how it fits or doesn't fit, is or is not useful in describing the experience of reading the book. Collins, based on her author's note and some of the world building we get here, did do original research of the setting. Generally, I think of wallpapers as lacking this, instead relying on other historical romances as the model. So while this book has both a title and a cover that really signals 2020s Wallpaper to me, I think what is actually happening is much worse, a quality that often runs parallel to wallpapers, but something that is harder to pin down, more subjective and readers are more reticent to point out.
It's bad, clunky writing.
As a histrom reader who prefers older historical romance (say, pre-2010), I do feel like I see a correlation with wallpaper romance and clunkier writing. I'll admit that when authors work harder to take on the style of language from the 18th and 19th century, a trait I associate with weightier non-wallpapers, that it is easier to hide some of that clunky writing in the language and grammar that I associate with 19th century masterworks. So I will cop that I am more critical of books where authors decide to use more modern language! But ultimately, the trend of using the setting as a set dressing like a wallpaper and ugly prose is just that: a trend. One does not necessitate the other.
So here we have a book that is attempting not to be a wallpaper, with Collins' attempt to ground the plot in researched world building. But it is marred by bizarre choices of information sharing to the reader that took me out constantly.
Here's an example: They're on the train together, going to Little Kidding, the village where her family is and where his title's seat is. Poppy has never put two and two together, that the man she has been verbally sparring with, presumably for the last two books (I haven't read them, but this book makes it clear there is a history), has the title that is attached to the big manor that is supposedly near a village that she has some familial connection. But they are travelling together because they meet at Paddington Station and Poppy's purse gets stolen and Langham realizes that they are going to the same place after he offers to buy her ticket. Once on the train, her memory is jogging and she says "I hadn't made the connection with Langham Abbey, but it's near Little Kidding, isn't it?"
We're in his POV and he thinks: "He didn’t question how she knew the location of his primary estate. Anyone with a copy of Debrett’s or a passing familiarity with the London gossip sheets would know."
What a weird aside! For two sentences, there are so many things that confuse me about what we're supposed to be thinking about any of this information.
"He didn't question how she knew the location of his primary estate:" she literally just said her mother and sister are in the village, presumably she has some passing knowledge of the nearby estates. There actually are reasons that Poppy is less familiar with the geography of the village than one might think, that get explained later, but Langham doesn't know this yet. And though it is not necessary that the primary estate of a dukedom would match a duke's title, in this case, it does! She admits to missing the connection between Langham Abbey and the Duke of Langham and he's already told her was going in the direction of the village.
And then we get the reference to Debrett's and gossip sheets. But Langham "didn't question" her knowledge. So is he thinking "oh she knows my house's name. But that's not a surprise. It would be in Debrett's?" It's a weird, in-the-negative way of conveying information in a close 3rd person POV. I get why Collins' is referencing Debrett's to the reader, but it is a lazy way of communication world building information because I don't know why Langham is thinking of Debrett's at that moment. If he wasn't surprised by people knowing the name of his house, he would just not be surprised! Not think about *why* he isn't surprised. Again: the house and his title are the same and the person speaking has some passing knowledge of the village near his estate--it wouldn't even take Debrett's or the gossip sheets to guess at a connection?
I know this seems like nitpicking, but so much of the non-dialogue prose is like this, where I just stuttered over the asides of character and world-building, wondering "why is she including this information now, in this shape?"
One more example, again early on, from the next chapter.
We're in Poppy's POV and their bantering about the offered help getting to her destination (where she is going to try and prove her sister's innocence in a murder trial) and the dukes says "I sense, Miss Delamere, that when it comes to accepting assistance you have difficulty conceding gracefully. Especially when it comes to your…ah…person and emotions." The Duke had tried to give her advice about working herself up in distress over her emotions and Poppy has rebuffed him, stating she would only effectively accept his practical help, not his emotional help. After the quoted ducal retort, Poppy thinks "She's always had an independent streak—even as a child, when she’d resented even her nursemaid’s attempts to help her perform daily tasks."
Again! That piece of information about her childhood difficulty in accepting help doesn't feel like information that someone thinks about themselves. It actually sounds that something could be revealing piece of dialogue to another person, but Langham and Poppy are not that point in their intimate relationship yet, where she would reveal information about what she was like as a child, so we're left with the reader getting this information early, but not in a way that actually makes sense. The resulting experience is a jarring push and pull distance between reader and the point of view of the narrative.
The bizarre thing is that this book is partly sold as a mystery! A genre that I think of being hyper aware of how information is shared and who is sharing it. I think Collins' earlier series doesn't include the mystery element in the romance plots and I would interested to see what her writing is like without that consideration. Maybe the romance structure is waylaid by having to think about how the mystery is solved?
Where Collins excels is characters' interior thought about the romance--moments where Langham is developing affection for Poppy or vice versa felt organic and meaningful, as they think to themselves about the other in new budding terms. This sort of development is classic romance novel stuff, the reader connecting the dots of the depth of the characters' emotions before they do. That tension and anticipation worked well, which just made the other moments of revelation stick out so so badly.
June 14, 2024
“My dear Miss Delamere,” Langham said. “I should hope that I am not just any man. Because I have known from the moment we met that you are not just any woman.”
4.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This one had all the catnip *yum* Collins got all the right pieces together for this one. Both lead characters had depth and their own distinct personalities. Although the book equation was similar -> a mystery, bad first impressions, sleuthing, then mutual pining -> these two made me feel a connection with them both. I adored seeing them together and with their friends. There were also a lot of laughs and extra swooning moments when the Duke refused to let anyone bully Poppy.
Bottom line just know that this book is worth it.
March 18, 2023
This is the third in Manda Collins’ “Ladies Most Scandalous” series. These are historical (1867) mystery romances and I’ve read the previous two books. This begins with Poppy Delamare trying to catch a train to the country. She has been living the last two year under an assumed name and working as a secretary for Katherine and Caroline who were the MC’s in the previous books. They are firmly in the ton but write an infamous crime column.
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham assists Poppy letting her ride in his private car as they are heading to the same place. They know each other as he is friends with the now spouses of Katherine and Caro. She tells him about her past and the fact that her half sister has been accused of killing her spouse. Poppy fled her stepfathers home two years before because he was going to force her to marry the man whom her sister wed. Langham offers to help Poppy investigate the crime and use his influence to protect his sister. In exchange he asks her to pose as his betrothed. He is on his way to a week long house party put on by his grandmother that will be packed full of eligible woman. He wants to avoid their attentions. I love that Poppy can hold her own with his family and the house guests.
The friendship between the Poppy and Langham is the first thing that stands out. They aren’t strangers which helps pull off their charade. The mystery is more convoluted. You know who the bad characters but it isn’t as clear who to trust. I’d say this has a bit more romance than the previous books but it is still primarily a mystery. Katherine, Caro and their spouse make appearances in the story but this can be read on its own.
I enjoyed this book and the entire series. But the mystery is the driving force of the books with the romances on the side. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review.
Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham assists Poppy letting her ride in his private car as they are heading to the same place. They know each other as he is friends with the now spouses of Katherine and Caro. She tells him about her past and the fact that her half sister has been accused of killing her spouse. Poppy fled her stepfathers home two years before because he was going to force her to marry the man whom her sister wed. Langham offers to help Poppy investigate the crime and use his influence to protect his sister. In exchange he asks her to pose as his betrothed. He is on his way to a week long house party put on by his grandmother that will be packed full of eligible woman. He wants to avoid their attentions. I love that Poppy can hold her own with his family and the house guests.
The friendship between the Poppy and Langham is the first thing that stands out. They aren’t strangers which helps pull off their charade. The mystery is more convoluted. You know who the bad characters but it isn’t as clear who to trust. I’d say this has a bit more romance than the previous books but it is still primarily a mystery. Katherine, Caro and their spouse make appearances in the story but this can be read on its own.
I enjoyed this book and the entire series. But the mystery is the driving force of the books with the romances on the side. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review.
November 11, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC!
🌟🌟🌟💫
This is the third book in Manda Collin’s “A Lady’s Guide” series. I found this instalment to be a nice continuation, with a similar combination of fun light historical romance and some bonkers mystery-related hijinks.
Poppy has been in London for two years under a pseudonym, working for Kate and Caro and assisting in their newspaper column and investigations. Her step-father wanted her to marry his private secretary, and Poppy ran away to avoid that fate. Unfortunately, her step-father forced her sister into that marriage, and now the private secretary has been murdered and Poppy’s sister is the prime suspect.
Poppy decides to make her way to the town where they live to help her sister, and ends up getting into a fake engagement with the stuffy Duke of Langham, with whom she had prior run-ins.
I loved the classic fake engagement trope in this book, and the way Poppy and Langham develop a friendship as their attraction deepens. There’s some fun banter and good side characters. The mystery element had some elements that were a bit extra bonkers, but I was able to roll with it. A fun read.
🌟🌟🌟💫
This is the third book in Manda Collin’s “A Lady’s Guide” series. I found this instalment to be a nice continuation, with a similar combination of fun light historical romance and some bonkers mystery-related hijinks.
Poppy has been in London for two years under a pseudonym, working for Kate and Caro and assisting in their newspaper column and investigations. Her step-father wanted her to marry his private secretary, and Poppy ran away to avoid that fate. Unfortunately, her step-father forced her sister into that marriage, and now the private secretary has been murdered and Poppy’s sister is the prime suspect.
Poppy decides to make her way to the town where they live to help her sister, and ends up getting into a fake engagement with the stuffy Duke of Langham, with whom she had prior run-ins.
I loved the classic fake engagement trope in this book, and the way Poppy and Langham develop a friendship as their attraction deepens. There’s some fun banter and good side characters. The mystery element had some elements that were a bit extra bonkers, but I was able to roll with it. A fun read.
March 27, 2023
I flew through this. I haven’t read a historical romance in ages, and to find one that has a murder mystery in it? I stumbled upon this and didn’t realize it was the third in the series, but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it at all. Now I just have two more books to read 😂 I didn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. Add in some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and fake engagement. I can’t wait to dive back into this world with the first two books!
Poppy is leaving London in a rush because she saw an article that said her sister was under suspicion for murdering her husband. As she’s waiting to buy her train ticket, her purse is snatched. As she is chasing him down, none other than the insufferable Duke of Langham stops her. He buys her ticket and is heading in the same direction. On the way he has a bargain for her. He will help her clear her sister’s name if she pretends to be his betrothed so he can dodge all the women his grandmother will be trying to set him up with. And she will do anything to help her sister.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy to review
Poppy is leaving London in a rush because she saw an article that said her sister was under suspicion for murdering her husband. As she’s waiting to buy her train ticket, her purse is snatched. As she is chasing him down, none other than the insufferable Duke of Langham stops her. He buys her ticket and is heading in the same direction. On the way he has a bargain for her. He will help her clear her sister’s name if she pretends to be his betrothed so he can dodge all the women his grandmother will be trying to set him up with. And she will do anything to help her sister.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy to review
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