Portrait of a Nightingale: A Victorian Mystery Romance

by Manda Collins

A woman determined to find the truth. A man harboring a secret passion. A mystery that threatens to consume them both.

Miss Penelope Monckton, just returned from nursing with Florence Nightingale’s in Crimea, has come to the country estate of one of the most scandalous men in England, Lord Rickarby—nicknamed Rakerby—to collect a bequest from his late wife, her childhood friend Millie. But something about Millie’s death doesn’t sit right with Penny, and she’s determined to use this visit to learn all she can about the events leading up to her dear friend’s death.

A celebrated painter, Joss, Lord Rickarby, knows Miss Penelope Monckton only from the letters she sent to his late wife during her time nursing in a war zone. But what he knows, he greatly admires. Since Millie’s death, however, he’s been under a cloud of suspicion that only grows darker with every new tabloid story—doubtless Miss Monckton believes the worst of him too. But when he finally meets the intrepid nurse, it’s while he’s lying on the forest floor bleeding from a gunshot wound from an unknown assailant.

With the shooting having cleared Joss as a suspect, Penny is now determined to work with the all too handsome earl to find out who killed Millie. But with every clue they uncover, a different picture of the killer begins to emerge—and it’s clear that instead of Millie’s circle during her marriage, the culprit comes from the world of her childhood—a childhood spent with Penny by her side. And as the healer and the hellion grow more entangled, the body count grows. Can this unlikely pair catch the killer before he puts a permanent end to their budding romance?

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2024

About the author

Manda 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. 

Reviews

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good book, but a lot of proof reading/ editing issues in kindle edition

I did enjoy the story, but on the kindle edition there are a lot of continuity issues - reference to events that were not in the storyline (assume edited out, but not in the rest of book or the kindle edition has a chapter missing?) and the villain reveal at the end of the book, their name changed at least once, which just kept taking me outside of the story.

*low key spoiler*

Finally, the heroine does a pivot on her life plans and maybe this is to do with the missing section in the book? But I didn’t really feel the journey of feelings to get there, or feel it was a very satisfactory ending, as it was hard to picture her happy with her life day to day. It felt like she had to give up everything. Maybe an epilogue would have helped?

Overall I love the concept of the mystery and romance, and I liked the characters very much, which is why it still gets a 4* and I hope that it really was a HEA for Penny.

[Jennifer Swartz-Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book, but there's some chapters missing from the Kindle edition. There are references to the main character's father and a doll in a bedroom that have some import on the plot and those sections were missing. Not sure if that was an editing error or a Kindle error, but in either case it was distracting.

[Marie Girulat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to express my gratitude to @mandacollinsauthor and @tantoraudio for the #gifted audiobook.

This captivating mystery set in the richly atmospheric backdrop of Victorian England is truly a gem.

When Penny’s dear friend Millie dies under mysterious circumstances, suspicion falls squarely on her husband. However, after he is shot, Penny feels compelled to clear his name. In a thrilling turn of events, she joins forces with the enigmatic and handsome Earl, Joss, to unravel the secrets surrounding Millie’s death, unfolding connections from Penny’s past in the process. As their investigation deepens, so does their chemistry, but with rising tensions and more bodies surfacing, can they unearth the truth before their budding romance takes a dark and tragic turn?

The narrator delivers a stellar performance, skillfully breathing life into the characters. The sweet romance between Joss and Penny is delightful, although it develops rather quickly. The suspense shrouding Millie’s demise keeps you on the edge of your seat as Penny and Joss navigate a treacherous path to uncover the killer. I particularly enjoyed the involvement of Joss’s sister and mother, adding an extra layer to the intrigue. The unexpected twist at the end is masterfully executed.

This remarkable blend of mystery and romance is a must-read. The book is available now, and the audiobook will be released on August 5, 2025. Don't miss out!

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW

This is the first book from a new author to my reading list, and I couldn’t put it down. If only there was an audio book for it. I think I suspected everyone to be the bad guy, except the true bad guy. The settings, the interaction between all the characters confused me once I had suspected a new villain. The heat was not overdone but tastefully done. I hope we see more books with this couple as the detective team, and I hope we see more stories about Joss’ friends. Well, I’m on to Book 2 for me from this author and hope it will be as gripping as this one, although I learned my lesson, the more people you suspect, the less chance you have of guessing right, Thank you, Manda Collin’s, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but please let me proofread the next one for you before it’s released. The typos were a bit of distraction for me…

[Loretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was good. I will join the chorus of goodreads reviewers pointing out that this really needs another round of editing - I obviously can't comment on typos, but there are at least two incidents referred to (a confrontation with the MC's father, for instance) which I thought I'd missed but turns out are just not in the actual text. Oops.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. I liked this one but had a few quibbles with it. I was surprised by the first kiss & not in a good way. It seemed abrupt. The longing was a little one-sided up to that point. This is shorter so maybe that’s why it felt a little incomplete. The audiobook I listened to seemed to cut out a few times & I wondered if it was actually incomplete. I was invested in the mystery & I liked the characters. I think if it had been a little bit longer, parts of the story would feel more fleshed out.

[Sam-TRN · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had so much potential and I would have loved it if it wasn’t for the plot holes and the need for tighter editing and proofreading.

This was my first book for Manda Collins and I would try her other books, I’m going by potential and hoping for a better experience.

[Indus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I liked the main characters and their stories, enjoyed the romance, and have a lot of hopes for the secondary characters. I'm glad I got the chance to read it!

[Ryan Mackay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book desperately needed to be edited (like full on mistakes, repeated sentences etc) but the story was solid.

[Carrie ✨ The Blinging Bibliophile✨]

audio 8/5

[Dre Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some crazy leaps and gaps in the story but not terrible.