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agrippinaes's review
4.0
Rating: 4 stars
What I Liked: I love this series so much. This wasn’t my favourite instalment in the series so far, but there was a lot I loved about it. The writing is still really strong; Messina’s turn of phrase is lovely, and her little asides and one-liners are really funny.
The main thing, as ever, is the relationship between Bea and Kesgrave, which is possibly my favourite in all of the romance books I’ve ever read. They just love each other so much; even the smallest scene between them makes me sigh. The casual affection in this is so good: I love where their relationship has gone since they first met, and the complete and utter trust they have in each other. A big highlight was the part near the end:
I wish there had been more of their relationship in the book, of course, but I know that it isn’t the focus of the story. It’s also interesting to me, as these are closed-door books, and I think that adds another layer of sexual tension between the characters that I really enjoy.
I enjoyed the side characters, too - Flora continues to be really entertaining and I found her bits really funny. I like Nuneaton, too.His respect for Bea and her intelligence is really nice to see - I’d be so happy if he got his own book at some point.
I enjoyed the murder mystery party concept, that was good fun; the scenes at the party were good, with the bickering and hte general chaos swirling around as Bea was trying to solve things. I also enjoyedseeing them realise that Bea wasn’t going to back down from solving the crime - and that Kesgrave was absolutely going to support her to the hilt.
What I Didn’t: I have to say I found the actual murder mystery aspect of this book a little bit muddled - I lost track of a few things as it went on and found the ending a little bit hard to follow. I also thought the actual ending was incredibly blunt - it just sort of finished. It would have been nice for it to be a bit more well-rounded.
Another small complaint - I think I’ve found this a problem in some of the other books before, but I do wish that some of the characters were named a bit more carefully. I personally found having two surnames of suspects beginning with ‘B’ a bit confusing, especially early on, as I lost track a few times of who was meant to be who.
Overall: This was a nice instalment to the series, with some really nice ideas in it. I loved seeing Bea and Kesgrave a little bit more settled into married life and their scenes together were lovely.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you want a well-written, fun, regency cosy mystery romance, but I would say you have to read the other books in the series first.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes, absolutely.
Content Warnings:
What I Liked: I love this series so much. This wasn’t my favourite instalment in the series so far, but there was a lot I loved about it. The writing is still really strong; Messina’s turn of phrase is lovely, and her little asides and one-liners are really funny.
The main thing, as ever, is the relationship between Bea and Kesgrave, which is possibly my favourite in all of the romance books I’ve ever read. They just love each other so much; even the smallest scene between them makes me sigh. The casual affection in this is so good:
Spoiler
the little kisses on shoulders and foreheads and necks and temples and touching each other to make sure they’re okay, it’s so adorable and romantic.Spoiler
after Bea has fought off a would-be killer, Kesgrave lists all the different training she’s going to do to make sure she can protect herself in future, and tells her: “You will learn how to protect yourself, Bea. If you insist on continuing with this insanity, then you will acquire the skills necessary to ensure your welfare. You will not die on me.” Bea then reflects on this: “Any other husband in England - no, on the planet - would have used this near-deadly incident as an excuse to demand an end to all investigative activities. But not the Duke of Kesgrave. Oh, no, his solution to unfathomable mortal danger was to provide her with more power, not less.” I loved this sentiment and it summed up why I enjoy the relationship between the pair of them so well. Kesgrave loves her so much, and he wants her to be happy, and he wants her to be able to look after herself, and understands that he can’t always be the one to be by her side. I love it.I wish there had been more of their relationship in the book, of course, but I know that it isn’t the focus of the story. It’s also interesting to me, as these are closed-door books, and I think that adds another layer of sexual tension between the characters that I really enjoy.
I enjoyed the side characters, too - Flora continues to be really entertaining and I found her bits really funny. I like Nuneaton, too.
I enjoyed the murder mystery party concept, that was good fun; the scenes at the party were good, with the bickering and hte general chaos swirling around as Bea was trying to solve things. I also enjoyed
What I Didn’t: I have to say I found the actual murder mystery aspect of this book a little bit muddled - I lost track of a few things as it went on and found the ending a little bit hard to follow. I also thought the actual ending was incredibly blunt - it just sort of finished. It would have been nice for it to be a bit more well-rounded.
Another small complaint - I think I’ve found this a problem in some of the other books before, but I do wish that some of the characters were named a bit more carefully. I personally found having two surnames of suspects beginning with ‘B’ a bit confusing, especially early on, as I lost track a few times of who was meant to be who.
Overall: This was a nice instalment to the series, with some really nice ideas in it. I loved seeing Bea and Kesgrave a little bit more settled into married life and their scenes together were lovely.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you want a well-written, fun, regency cosy mystery romance, but I would say you have to read the other books in the series first.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes, absolutely.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
Murder, violence, gore, injuries involving eyeballs.jjohans3's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
notbeforebreakfast's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Much better than the previous book, but I found the ending to be too hastily wrapped up. The overall pacing was somewhat off, but I did enjoy the twist. I still love the leads and their chemistry, but it’s a shame there wasn’t enough of it in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
thatnatiam's review against another edition
4.0
All the characters were a little hard to keep straight, but I enjoyed the story even so.
mllecath's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
anaidelawless's review against another edition
4.0
Bea taking society by a storm that is what I am here for.
dawn_marie's review against another edition
3.0
[b:A Ghastly Spectacle|56263972|A Ghastly Spectacle (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries, #8)|Lynn Messina|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607824771l/56263972._SY75_.jpg|87647726] is the latest installment in [a:Lynn Messina|42550|Lynn Messina|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419305089p2/42550.jpg]'s delightful Beatrice Hyde-Clare series - an entertaining set of Regency Era, cozy mysteries.
In this installment, Lady Abercrombie's plans hosts a murder mystery part to showcase Bea's cleverness to the ton goes awry, as is wont to happen in all things Bea, she stumbles across a real murder.
In typical fashion, Bea investigates the clues and susses out the murderer's identity . . . only after enduring the horrific behavior of the most tedious guests at the world's worst dinner party. (I really could have done with a lot less of the ping-ponging accusations and bickering amongst the guests).
Some how I missed the fact the Flora engaged in her own murder investigation, fortunately Ms. Messina very nicely summarized the events of her own adventure as well as the pertinent information from earlier installments (still I highly recommend reading the previous books).
This was a fast paced, delightful, if somewhat formulaic, novel. Although it is my least favorite (mostly due to the extended bickering amongst the guests) offering, it is still an entertaining and fun read.
In this installment, Lady Abercrombie's plans hosts a murder mystery part to showcase Bea's cleverness to the ton goes awry, as is wont to happen in all things Bea, she stumbles across a real murder.
In typical fashion, Bea investigates the clues and susses out the murderer's identity . . . only after enduring the horrific behavior of the most tedious guests at the world's worst dinner party. (I really could have done with a lot less of the ping-ponging accusations and bickering amongst the guests).
Some how I missed the fact the Flora engaged in her own murder investigation, fortunately Ms. Messina very nicely summarized the events of her own adventure as well as the pertinent information from earlier installments (still I highly recommend reading the previous books).
This was a fast paced, delightful, if somewhat formulaic, novel. Although it is my least favorite (mostly due to the extended bickering amongst the guests) offering, it is still an entertaining and fun read.
emilybordelovewrites's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
gaderianne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.25
I’ve been enjoying reading this series, but this one dragged and missed the mark for me. All of the books are light-hearted, bordering on absurd. But this one just dragged on and I found that what I have liked about the series turned on me and I didn’t. Perhaps it was the clue-like locked house mystery, but the plot dragged on without moving forward. Plus I’d like to see more of Bea and her Duke. I may give this series a pause for now.