Publishers Weekly
01/22/2024
A governess reunites with her former crush in Collins’s addictive fourth Ladies Most Scandalous Victorian romance (after A Spinster’s Guide to Danger and Dukes). Following her father’s untimely death, Jane Halliwell is forced to take a job as governess to the daughter of Viscount and Lady Gilford. When the viscount is murdered while hosting a symposium for diplomats at his London townhouse, Lord Adrian Fielding, an agent of the Foreign Office and a man Jane adored in her youth, works to find the killer. Sparks fly between Adrian and Jane as her puppy love turns into a much more adult attraction. Though Adrian wants to keep Jane safe from the killer, she is determined to help in the investigation—especially when they learn her father may have been murdered by the same criminal they’re chasing. Collins adeptly balances suspense and passion as she steadily amps up both. The result is a genuine page-turner. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
"A fast-paced, run romp."—Library Journal
"Collins creatively fashions another beguiling historical romance."—Booklist
“The mystery unfolds effortlessly, delivering a slew of suspects, tantalizing clues, and danger around every corner without ever overshadowing the love story. This sensual romance will have pages flying.” —Publisher's Weekly on A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes
“Compelling, evenly paced, and delightfully fun.” —Kirkus on A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes
“Collins keeps the heat smoldering between the well-drawn main characters in this installment, and the mystery keeps the pace moving nicely . . . [for] fans of Julia Quinn and Evie Dunmore.” —Library Journal on A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes
"Another fetching mix of sprightly wit, nimble plotting, and engaging characters that is certain to endear her to fans of historical romances and cozier historical mysteries."—Booklist on An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire
"The mystery drives the action while the romance provides the heartbeat of the story, and the two weave together to create a well-plotted, entertaining tale for fans of both genres. Expectations and prejudice based on class and gender are scrutinized throughout, while the leads are witty, fierce, bighearted, and easy to love. . . . A successful and thoroughly enjoyable mix of mystery and romance." —Kirkus on An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire
"A delectable mystery that reads like Victorian Moonlighting (with a good heaping of Nancy Drew's gumption). Collins writes with a brisk whimsy, her diverting characters popping off the page . . . adroitly threading the needle of her darkly amusing sense of humor, genuine suspense, and a deep sense of connection. . . . A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem is wickedly smart, so engrossing it'd be a crime not to read it immediately."—Entertainment Weekly on A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem, A-
"Smartly plotted, superbly executed, and splendidly witty."—Booklist on A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
"When I pick up a Manda Collins book, I know I'm in for a treat."—Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author
"[Manda] Collins is a delight! I read A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem waaay past my bedtime, absorbed by its spot-on period detail, the well-crafted characters, and of course the intriguing mystery. Brava!"—Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author
"With wicked smart dialogue and incredibly strong characters, Manda Collins reminds me why I love historical romance so much. Witty, intelligent, and hard to put down, you'll love A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem."—Rachel Van Dyken, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Mystery, romance and an indomitable heroine make for a brisk, compelling read."—Madeline Hunter, New York Times bestselling author
Library Journal
01/01/2024
Living in reduced circumstances, Miss Jane Halliwell is governess to Viscount and Lady Guilford's 16-year-old daughter. Jane's fall from society was preceded by the death of her father and the loss of her dowry due to his gambling debts. Jane, refusing to play the poor relation, works on a novel in hopes of becoming self-sufficient. When the viscount hosts a secretive meeting with international attendees on behalf of the Foreign Office, Jane and her charge are intrigued by the arrival of handsome Lord Adrian Fielding—the same man who was working alongside Jane's father in Italy when he died and who seemed all too eager to flee to his next assignment to avoid the embarrassment of their connection. When Jane discovers the viscount dead in his study, she is asked to act as hostess while the police and Adrian investigate who could have killed him. Adrian, unaware of Jane's perception of his Italian departure, is determined to keep her safe during the summit while finding the viscount's murderer. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Evie Dunmore, Collins's fourth "Ladies Most Scandalous" book (after A Spinster's Guide to Danger and Dukes) is a fast-paced, fun romp.—Nicole J. Suarez
APRIL 2024 - AudioFile
Mary Jane Wells's eloquent voice captivates the listener as she delivers this historical romantic suspense. Jane Halliwell once had dreams of owning her own home. However, due to her father's death, those dreams never materialized. Now working as a governess to make ends meet, she finds her life turned upside down when her employer is murdered. To solve the crime, Jane must work with Lord Adrian Fielding, who once broke her heart. Narrating in the third person, Wells delivers nuance, fluidity, and charm while immersing listeners in every aspect of the story. Her dialogue showcases various accents, and her tone is always appropriate. Listeners will be rooting for Jane and Adrian to identify the murderer and find happiness together. J.J.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2024-01-20
Collins adds another heroine to her Ladies Most Scandalous Series, featuring a coterie of free-thinking Regency ladies who are dedicated criminologists.
Jane Halliwell’s father, a British ambassador to Rome, died by suicide, and the Foreign Office hushed it up. Mr. Halliwell, it seemed, had lost a fortune at the gaming tables. His wife and daughter, disgraced and penniless, were forced to leave Italy. Mrs. Halliwell was taken in by a Scottish cousin, who had room only for one, so Jane became a governess to the family of her father’s old colleague Viscount Gilford. In the guise of a weeklong international symposium to study advances in horticulture, Gilford has invited the future ruler of Roskovia—from whom the British hope to buy a cutting-edge communications machine—to stay at his home in London and planned a formal dinner. In a satisfying literary device, a reluctant Jane is ordered to leave the schoolroom when a guest sends her regrets and Lady Gilford requires an extra woman to keep an even count at table. Also attending is “breathtakingly handsome” Lord Adrian Fielding, who was Jane’s girlhood crush when he was a young diplomat in Rome. He notices she is no longer a girl, and she learns how deeply he regrets having had to leave her family at their time of need. After dinner, asked to fetch a shawl for Lady Gilford, Jane finds the viscount in his study with a knife through his chest. Scotland Yard DI Eversham (whose wife is co-author of the newspaper column “A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem”) tells Jane and Adrian that Gilford was found with a quotation from Machiavelli’s The Prince in his pocket, along with a pressed rose. Jane suddenly remembers that her father was also found with Machiavelli and a pressed rose among his belongings—which means that her father did not die by suicide. The sleuths discover that another diplomat who was in Rome at the same time also died mysteriously with a similar quotation and flower. The pair’s passion for uncovering the identity of the serial killer charges and embraces their deepening passion for each other.
Collins’ crime/romance combination continues to be a fun and successful formula.
