Tag: Dianne Freeman

A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #5)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery
Publication Date: 6/28/22
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: Audiobook

Poor Frances (Countess Harleigh) has spent a miserable last four months. Her mother came over from America to plan her sister’s wedding – and then stayed on to plan Frances’s wedding to George. Frances’s mother is best taken in small doses – but so is all of her family. Ah! But tomorrow she and George will be wed, and while they are off in the south of France for their wedding trip, Frances’s family will head back to America.

Sigh – those best-laid plans . . . The wedding was wonderful with so much love and joy, then on to the wedding breakfast at her brother-in-law’s house. Frances and George were giddy with happiness – until . . . Yes, Frances’s brother Alonzo was arrested for murder. It seems that Alonza was murdering the neighbor next door while everyone else was celebrating Frances and George. Or was he?

So, there goes their lovely trip because they absolutely must stay and help Alonzo. They don’t believe, even for a second, that Alonzo murdered Mr. Cooper – even if he was found standing over the body with a knife in his hand. It seems Alonzo was very interested in courting Mr. Cooper’s daughter, but the nasty, scheming, Mr. Cooper wanted a title in the family. When another body is added to the count everybody is looking for motives, connections, and murderers.

This was an excellently written, well-plotted, and well-delivered mystery accompanied by a lovely romance between two bright, intelligent, witty people you just have to love. The only reason I didn’t rate this book a 5-star read is that one of the characters was heir to a title and he was threatened with being disinherited and having the title passed to one of his other brothers. You CANNOT do that and it annoys me when an author tries to use that ploy. Two minutes of research would tell you that the laws of primogeniture don’t work that way and it couldn’t be done. He could be disinherited and all of the non-entailed monies could go to his brothers, but the title, entailed properties, and entailed monies would go to the firstborn legitimate son. Anyway, it is a well-done story other than that and I do definitely recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator, Sarah Zimmerman. Her voice was very pleasant, and you could hear the humor coming through. I could just picture my version of Frances with that exact voice. Her range of voices for the characters was well done and I loved how George’s frustration at not having any alone time with Frances came right through the voice.

I definitely recommend this book – and this audio version. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery #4)Barbara’s Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery #4
Publication Date: 7/27/21
Period: Victorian London – 1899
Number of Pages: 304

Goodness Gracious Me – I do believe I’ve become addicted to Countess of Harleigh and George Hazelton! Each book in the series seems to get better than the last and I come to appreciate the intrepid duo and their cast of friends more and more. I had hoped we’d have a wedding in this one, but we fell just a tad short in our timing, so, surely the next book will either contain the wedding or it will have already happened and we’ll be off on – perhaps an adventurous honeymoon. Who knows? Either way, I can’t wait.

Things are all abuzz in London with the visit of Duke Michael Mikhailovich and his wife, Sophie, Countess de Torby who are members of the ruling Romanov family of Russia. While it isn’t a state visit – since Mikhailovich is exiled from Russia – Prince Albert still wants to fete them. So, it was with a heavy heart that Frances, Countess Harleigh, canceled her trip to Paris to purchase a gown for her engagement ball. Still, she’ll have a lovely Parisian gown, but it will be chosen by her 8-year-old daughter and her mother who is still making the trip.

Frances has hardly seen her mother and daughter off when Inspector Delaney shows up at her door with a young woman, Irena Teskey, in tow. This young woman insists she is the wife of George Hazelton. OMGoodness! Frances doesn’t believe it for a minute and can’t wait for George to arrive and straighten it all out. Too bad the whole thing is witnessed by Alicia Stoke-Whitney. Will the woman keep it quiet? This could be a huge scandal because gossip spreads like wildfire among the ton – whether it is true or not.

When George denies it, the young woman keeps insisting it is true. She also insists someone has sent her threatening letters and someone has been following her. Oh! And by the way, she is under arrest for throwing a rock at the Russian duke. Yes, Irena is quite a piece of work. She’s spoiled, immature, petulant, whiny, and maybe just a tad barmy as well. Yet, when she turns up dead – In Frances’s garden – perhaps there was something to her story after all.

Now, Frances and George not only have to prove George wasn’t married to Irena – they have to prove he didn’t murder her. Putting all of the pieces together and solving the puzzle of Irena’s background and who murdered her will not be easily done. Even if George can convince everyone he wasn’t married to Irena – he really can’t convince anyone he didn’t murder her.

There are suspects aplenty because it seems everybody who encountered the young woman was soon ready to strangle her. There are many red herrings, false trails, and questionable characters, but through it all, Frances’s belief in George never wavers. She’s willing to face down the ton and any gossip in support of George. She’s steadfast and unwavering. What a great female lead character.

While there is a serious murder mystery to be solved and a heart-fluttering romance, there are also some light moments. One of my favorite lighter moments was Frances’s first ride in a motor car. The descriptions are delightful and her reactions are priceless. Her verdict is, of course, that those things will never replace a horse and buggy.

I can definitely recommend this book because it is a wonderfully well-written, perfectly paced, and well-delivered story. The characters are delightful and you will come to like them more and more each time you meet them. Of course, the villain is unexpected and the motive, while not totally unexpected, is still a surprise. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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