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I have done a lot of exploring new series in the recent past and I am excited to say that this is my first adventure into the world of Frances Wynn and the Countess of Harleigh mystery series! I love a good cozy mystery with a historical backdrop. Since this is the third book in the series, there had been significant character development in earlier books, but I didn’t find that I felt lost. I felt that the author provided enough information for me to jump right in with this as a standalone. Of course, I would encourage anyone to begin with the first book to fully appreciate the characters and world, but jumping in here would be perfectly acceptable.
As a long-time fan of the juxtaposition between the ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ in the Victorian era, I found this book to be exceedingly interesting with the plot developing in both settings. Though Frances is of the upstairs crowd, she has just as much respect for the downstairs tragedies as those that take place in her world. I found this compassion to be a central point in the story. The reader will pick up on and appreciate the detailed research the author surely undertook to ensure that the book had an air of historical accuracy. There were no out of place elements and the language used by the characters was fantastically period accurate!
Some novels can fall into the category of having so much danger that it seems highly unrealistic, but I found this book to have the right balance between ‘accidents’, danger, and realistic events that would probably have occurred if this had happened at a real Victorian era estate. This can oftentimes be a fine line to walk, but this author has done that beautifully! This is the perfect book to open on a rainy day with a nice cup of tea and a biscuit! Clocking in at around 300 pages, it was a fairly fast paced book with plenty of intrigue to keep the reader hooked. I loved the mystery and the plot development throughout!
I would recommend this to fans of cozy mysteries and those who enjoy a good historical mystery novel as well! A healthy dose of whodunit mixed with a strong female lead make this book a must read historical mystery! Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, the publisher, and Dianne Freeman for having me along for this tour and providing a copy for me to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own! Looking forward to more from the Countess of Harleigh!
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Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, August 3 Review & Excerpt at Probably at the Library Tuesday, August 4 Interview at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals Wednesday, August 5 Review at Books, Cooks, Looks Thursday, August 6 Feature at The Lit Bitch Friday, August 7 Review at Bookish Rantings Monday, August 10 Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective Tuesday, August 11 Review at Bookworlder Feature at The Book Junkie Reads Wednesday, August 12 Review at Hallie Reads Thursday, August 13 Review at Book Bustle Friday, August 14 Review & Excerpt at Gwendalyn’s Books Monday, August 17 Review & Interview at Jorie Loves A Story Tuesday, August 18 Review at YA, It’s Lit Wednesday, August 19 Review at Books and Zebras Thursday, August 20 Feature at I’m Into Books Friday, August 21 Review at A Darn Good Read Review at Passages to the PastGiveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder + a $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on August 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter. Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for being on the tour!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours
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