Reviews

Pride, Prejudice, and Peril is the debut book in author Katie Oliver's Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery series. It is clear from this book, and other romance novels written by this author, that she is a fan of Jane Austen. The main character, Phaedra Brighton, is a well-respected college English professor whose expertise is Jane Austen. This is apparent in the way she dresses for her lectures and her criteria for a significant other. When Phaedra is asked to serve as a consultant on a new reality dating series, Who Wants to Marry Mr. Darcy, things go wrong when her close friend's new husband is murdered and the police set their sites on the friend as the prime suspect. I really wanted to like Phaedra and for the most part, there is nothing overly objectionable about her character. Most of the time I just felt ambivalent about her. Her sleuthing skills are not strong and her questions to potential suspects are brusque and lacked finesse. I did feel there were some parts to the story where Phaedra is a bit judgemental and out of touch based upon her upbringing.

The book was an easy read and I liked the mystery. The pace felt a little slow at times but not so much that it detracted from the book. The author does provide the reader with a number of other viable suspects to consider as they comb through the clues. I was surprised by the killer's identity and this person was not on my radar. The motive made sense once it was revealed.

I would love to see the author make some tweaks to Phaedra's personality to make her a bit more likable. There is also a potential for two love interests for Phaedra and for me that is a turn-off if the love triangle goes on too long. I think the series has potential with some tweaks and additional thought given to the characters and pacing.

I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy of this book provided to me by the publisher, Berkley, through a NetGalley widget. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are in no way impacted by the manner in which I received this book.