A Scandalous Deception: A Regency Cozy
Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries, Book 2
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A Scandalous Deception: A Regency Cozy
Narrated by:
Jill Smith
Buy Now for £14.99
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Narrated by:
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Jill Smith
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By:
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Lynn Messina
About this listen
As much as Beatrice Hyde-Clare relished the challenge of figuring out who murdered a fellow guest during a house party in the Lake District, she certainly does not consider herself an amateur investigator. So when a London dandy falls dead at her feet in the entryway of a London Daily Gazette, she feels no compulsion to investigate. It was a newspaper office, after all, and reporters are already on the case as are the authorities. She has her own problems to deal with anyway - such as extricating herself from a seemingly harmless little fib that has somehow grown in into a ridiculously large fiction.
Truly, she has no interest at all. Except the dagger that killed the poor earl seemed disconcertingly familiar....
And so Bea is off to the British Museum because she cannot rest until she confirms her suspicion, while trying to allay her family’s concerns and comprehend the Duke of Kesgrave’s compulsion. For the handsome lord has no reason to waste his time solving a mystery alongside a shy spinster. And yet he turns up everywhere she goes.
©2018, 2019 Lynn Messina (P)2019 Lynn MessinaListeners also enjoyed...
But, persevering from that, this was a delightful cozy mystery and the ending brought a smile to my face! You will enjoy this very much!
Fabulous, Fabulous Ending!
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In order to salve the fears of her adoptive family, she had invented a suitor, but with their interest now in overdrive, she realizes she needs to dispose of this mythical man, determining that the best way to do this is to place an obituary notice in the newspaper, which she does, only to have another man literally fall dead at her feet. He had been stabbed. And the dagger in his back looked rather familiar ...
So begins this delightful tale of murder, mystery and manners in Regency society and the reuniting of Bea and Kesgrave in pursuit of the truth. With echoes of Jane Austen, the socially mismatched couple follow clues, make sweeping deductions and further their friendship to Bea's growing confusion. A nice, gentle who-dun-it? within the turbulence of Regency manners and amusing dialogue. As narrator, Jill Smith's Crystal clear presentation adds sparkle to the text as she also gives different voice to the numerous characters. The whole is a delight.
My thanks to the rights holder of A Scandalous Deception, second book in this series by author Lynn Messina. At my request via Audiobook Boom, I was very fortunate in being freely gifted a complimentary copy. Thank you. My not having read book one in no way diminished my enjoyment of this one and I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys light historical murder mysteries with the hint of romance in the air.
A moment of evil intent.
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Narrator Jill Smith struggled a little with some of the trickier aspects of an upper-class British accent in the first book and was caught out by the pronunciation of Regency terms and phrases, but it is clear that she has worked hard to address them this time. Her performance appeared much less forced, and this natural delivery in turn helped Bea's character feel more authentic and allowed for a far easier connection between the listener and the lady.
Although there were still a few mispronunciations (such as 'Grecian', 'chaise longue', and 'passages'), Smith seemed much more confident, and in this book the narration stood out for its charm, not its faults. I was impressed by the improvement from the previous audiobook, and actually enjoyed the narration this time. I still believe that the Duke of Kesgrave's voice made him sound a little older than his years but it remained consistent with our introduction to the character in book one, as did all the other voices.
As I settled into A Scandalous Deception, I did feel that rather too much time was spent summarising the previous book. The first fifteen minutes of this audiobook were almost exclusively devoted to recapping prior events, but some explanation was necessary to make this a stand-alone novel and it is difficult to supply the listener with that information without indulging in a little exposition.
As in A Brazen Curiosity, Beatrice once more reminded me of Alexia Tarrabotti in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series (which is now available from Audible UK once more, after disappearing for a while). There's no higher compliment I can pay an intelligent, forthright female in a historical novel than to compare her to one of my favourites, and whilst it did feel as if some of the misunderstandings between Bea and Kesgrave became a little too contrived, I do very much enjoy their interactions and verbal sparring, much as I loved Alexia's early jousts with Conall in Soulless.
I was very glad to hear Kesgrave's wry humour return in full force in this book, and laughed aloud at more than one of his sardonic comments. The similarities to Georgette Heyer's The Corinthian were undeniable this time, not only because of Bea's masculine disguise but due to the Duke - somewhat affectionately - calling her "Brat". As The Corinthian is one of my favourite Heyer's, I was not disappointed to note that little nod to it. In fact, I was not disappointed by any of it, really, and as with the first book - and every other that I enjoy - I found myself stretching out my listening once I realised I was halfway through and that my time with Bea and the Duke would soon end. A Scandalous Deception built on a cast of engaging characters and drew me even further into their lives. I hope the wait for the next book is not terribly long, as I am already looking forward to finding out what they get up to next.
I'd gladly recommend this book to listeners who enjoyed, A Brazen Curiosity and anyone who likes cozy mysteries and Regency romance. Whilst the will-they-won't-they romance is somewhat secondary to the mystery, the book does not shy from the Regency era's societal preoccupation with making a good match, and is a nice way to explore that world from a slightly different perspective.
*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
A welcome chance to catch up with Kesgrave & Clare
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It isn't as good as the Hoyden series but it's still well worth a credit.
Excellent
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Listener received this title free
I loved it!
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