A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder
Ratings2
Average rating4
15
Ratings2
Average rating4
Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, returns in Dianne Freeman’s charming, lighthearted mystery series set in Victorian England, and finds her wedding day overshadowed by murder . . . On the eve of her marriage to George Hazelton, Frances has a great deal more on her mind than flowers and seating arrangements. The Connors and the Bainbridges, two families of American robber barons, have taken up residence in London, and their bitter rivalry is spilling over into the highest social circles. At the request of her brother, Alonzo, who is quite taken with Miss Madeline Connor, Frances has invited the Connor family to her wedding. Meanwhile, Frances’s mother has invited Mr. Bainbridge, and Frances fears the wedding may end up being newspaper-worthy for all the wrong reasons. On the day itself, Frances is relieved to note that Madeline’s father is not among the guests assembled at the church. The reason for his absence, however, turns out to be most unfortunate: Mr. Connor is found murdered in his home. More shocking still, Alonzo is caught at the scene, holding the murder weapon. Powerful and ruthless, Connor appears to have amassed a wealth of enemies alongside his fortune. Frances and George agree to put their wedding trip on hold to try and clear Alonzo’s name. But there are secrets to sift through, not just in the Bainbridge and Connor families, but also in their own. And with a killer determined to evade discovery at any cost—even if it means taking another life—Frances’s first days as a newlywed will be perilous indeed . . .
Featured Series
7 primary booksCountess of Harleigh Mystery is a 7-book series with 7 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Dianne Freeman. The next book is scheduled for release on 6/24/2025.
Reviews with the most likes.
A Bride's Guide to Marriage Murder takes place around Frances and George's wedding. Their honeymoon is interrupted by news that their neighbor has been murdered, and the main suspect is Frances' brother. Frances and George together try to figure out who the real murderer is, but there might be more murders before they can.
I quite enjoyed this book! It was a fast-paced, fun mystery and the characters were loveable. Filled with humor and a great cast of whimsical characters, this was a wonderful historical cozy mystery.
Even though this is book #5 in a series I haven't read before, I didn't find it to be an issue at all. The book does a great job of filling the blanks without making it seem like an info dump. Definitely safe to read as a standalone.
The mystery itself was quite fun, and while I figured out the details of the murder, I still enjoyed the journey, and it was never obvious enough to make me think, “Come on, get there already!” In fact, I really enjoyed the way the mystery was woven together and then revealed, it didn't drag its feet, and everything made sense.
Even though this book is not a romance, I quite enjoyed the romance between Frances and George. I loved the respect and trust they have in each other, and the way George embraces Frances fully.
The relationships and dialogue between the many characters seemed very genuine, I'm sure it helps that this is now the 5th book and all these are well established characters, but the familiarity, love and care most of the people had for each other was heart warming. I also loved all the various family relationships they had in the book. There was real love among the family members, even if sometimes they got on each others' nerves.
Overall this was a delightful and fun mystery that had me turning the pages to see what happens to the characters as much as to figure out the murderer.
Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the eARC for this fun mystery!
