More in the Countess of Harleigh Series

I've been reading this series since the first book was a Cozy Mystery Book Club pick earlier this year, and it's become one of my favorites! I was excited to get the two newest installments through my library's Libby account.

George and Frances Roll the Dice by Dianne Freeman. This was a good novella to satisfy the “honeymoon” need for George and Frances without devoting a whole book to it. I understand it was a novella but everything felt a little flat and rushed to me; however, that could be because I just read book 8 and was kind of rewinding to read this, so I already knew some bits that came next, and the rest was like fitting puzzle pieces into things I had seen in book 8.

A Daughter's Guide to Mothers and Murder by Dianne Freeman. I love this series and read the first seven installments earlier this year. I was looking forward to this one, even though I skipped the novella that came before it (but read it after). Thankfully, it all stands on its own, and it was nice to revisit these characters. However, I didn’t find the mystery too compelling - I think the characters involved with the murder were too much on the periphery, so the stakes felt too low. Still a quick, cozy read, though, and I’ll continue on with the series.

Here are my other reviews of the series.

Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series by Diane Freeman

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder

Read for Cozy Mystery Book Club and really drawn in by the sassy, independent heroine. I’m picky about historical fiction and wasn’t sure how this one was going to hit me but I think the historical elements were just enough to keep the story in a specific place in time while letting the characters and mystery shine. Looking forward to reading more of this series.

A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder

I read the first book in this series for Cozy Mystery Book Club and was hooked! I’m picky about historical fiction, but this is… very gently historical, I would say. It’s so easy to slip into the past and join Frances in this world. I thought this was a great second installment with a very interesting case and loved seeing how Frances rose to the challenges.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder

Book three was a bit slow for me at the start, but the last fourth was fascinating. In my opinion, there were too many minor characters introduced in passing that ended up being suspects. Because of this, it was hard to keep them straight and try to figure out what was going on re: the crime. However, it didn't really matter because there was no way the reader could have solved the crime along with Frances, which was kind of disappointing because that's my favorite part of cozy mysteries. However, the ending was good enough that I'll definitely keep reading the series and hope this was a lull.

A Fiancee's Guide to First Wives and Murder

After a lackluster third installment, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the progression of the relationship between George and Frances, and liked seeing more of Aunt Hetty. It was also nice that Alicia Stoke-Whitney made a reappearance and developed her character a bit more. I got a bit of Irena’s backstory and family confused throughout the first part of the book, but overall it was a good story and great mystery.

A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder

This might have been my favorite book in the series yet! I love seeing more of Frances’s family - they’re all really unique characters. After some of the suspects blending together in the previous two books, this crime and everyone involved really stood out and had me hooked. There were lots of potential suspects yet the reader was able to solve things along with Frances and George.

A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder

I like that Frances and George are growing together and I like seeing how they work together, but this book was a miss for me. I think all the side characters being a previously unknown family made it harder for me to feel invested in the mystery. I did like how Aunt Hetty stepped up again - she's possibly my favorite character!

An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder

This book was so fun! Frances and George finally get to go to France... but not for the wedding trip they expected. I loved getting more of George's family involved and thought the case and its surrounding drama was probably the best yet in this series. I can't wait for the next installment since this book will most likely change a lot of what happens in the future.