Welcome to Litsy!

This was completely ridiculous! I have to admit I initially expected a more serious/straightforward Jane Austen-inspired murder mystery (I don‘t know why—the book blurb tells us that eligible bachelor “Edmund Croaksworth” is the murder victim…). Early on I was put off by the more ridiculous/anachronistic elements of the story and dialogue, but once I let myself sink into the silliness, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me a LOT of ⤵️

“She pulled a pair of opera glasses from within her hat. ‘I will not forgo my duties as your chaperone. I can use these to watch from a safe distance, and then there is no need for me to go down into some hellish secret room.‘

‘Very well,‘ Beatrice said, and descended eagerly into the hellish secret room.”

😂 This book is utterly ridiculous and I am enjoying it immensely. #AuldLangSpine

I love posting the 12 books of Christmas every year!

January was an excellent reading month for me, but no 5-star reads. This one came close, though. It was hilarious and the perfect balance between Regency and mystery. I‘ve recommended it to non-Littens to read, a sign to me that it is a worthy book! #12BooksOf2024

Highly entertaining for an easy, 8-hour airplane ride, read, but honestly without much substance.

“In the English countryside there was a small township called Swampshire, comprised of several lovely mansions and one disgusting swamp.” Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie meets Once Upon a Mattress. It‘s a silly, fun romp through not-quite-Regency England. A perfect cozy, palate cleanser, or Austen-inspired quick read. I‘ll definitely be picking up the sequel.

Happy Friday!

1. The library‘s adult summer reading showcase. I “only” added six books to my TBR, and by chance I picked one rec from each staff member.
2. More porch reading with morning coffee.
3. My friend in Colorado called me because she heard my wedding song on the radio.
4. Strawberry shortcake!
5. Sometimes there‘s joy in not decluttering. Our bathroom nightlight went kaput, so I pulled my mom‘s old one from the donation box.
#5joysfriday

This one was also a bit silly. There is a guidebook that this little town follows that makes a lady proper. If she doesn‘t follow the guidelines, the girls get shunned. All Beatrice wants is to be a detective and solve murders. Her family gets invited to a ball where a murder happens. She has to be a proper lady but solve the crime as well. A fun, silly read.

Ok

Beatrice‘s obsessed w/ crime solving, but she has to keep it a secret b/c it‘s deemed inappropriate for a lady. When wealthy bachelor, Edmund, is murdered at a ball, she takes it upon herself to solve the mystery.

This 1 was really extremely for me up until the last 50 pgs. The comedy was a little cringy. I only liked one character & they weren‘t an MC. The murderer was obvious. The ending was ok, there was kind of a happy ending for everyone.

As many authors have commented, this novel is indeed a cross between Jane Austen & Agatha Christie. I enjoyed all its wit,(at times snarky)twists,simmering romance, locked room mystery trope. The Lady‘s Guide to Swampshire,Vol.I,encapsulates the strangling code of the areas rules for women.
The author states:”This book combines a few of my favorite things:mayhem,manners,and murder…I love ornate, over-the-top, costumes-required them party.”#cozy

Started this library book tonight. Laugh out loud funny.

Hilarious! Murder mystery set in the Regency era, laced with humor and a tiny bit of magical realism…Beatrice Steele has a secret, one that is unladylike and would banish her from her community. Yet, when murder happens at the ball she attends, she can let her secret detective ambitions come to light to help solve the case.

I loved this - it‘s screwball comedy & over the top, but in a good way! Great choice, @LiteraryinLawrence ! #AuldLangSpine

This has made for delightful lunch/break reading lately, although I'm constantly reminding myself that it was not published as a) YA or b) a take-off on Pride and Prejudice, as it kinda feels like both of those things.

I found this really amusing and fun to read. I listened to the first 2/3 as an audio book and the narration was excellent. I really chuckled at all the silliness and nods to Jane Austen. Beatrice was a great character!

I definitely picked this at the Ky Book Fair because of the cover & title. A little bit of Jane Austen, with some Agatha Christie & maybe some Sherlock thrown in. A humorous, closed-door mystery set during a ball. I enjoyed the mystery & characters (except one who may be worse than Mr. Collins). #pemberlittens would love this. Think there will be a sequel.

Beatrice Steele is supposed to be focused on finding a husband, but is much more interested in nurturing her true crime obsession. When a wealthy eligible bachelor drops dead, Beatrice finds herself, much to her delight, thrust into the role of investigator. I wanted to love this but found the over-the-top sarcasm to be distracting. Thanks to NetGalley & Random House for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine Pride & Prejudice if Lizzie was obsessed with true crime, Mary had lupine tendencies, & Jane/Lydia were morphed into one. (There‘s no Kitty, but what was the point of Kitty anyway?)

Oh & then a “locked room” murder situation unfolds at the ball…

Described as a bit Austen, a bit Christie, & a bit “The Princess Bride,” I‘d say the latter‘s more ridiculous elements overpowered other influences in the end.

‘Twas fun though.

Murder, gothic elements, a parody of Regency-era's decorum, a feisty heroine, and a handsome inspector all came together to create a fun, humorous adventure. I'm definitely looking forward to whatever the author writes in the future.

Started this audiobook this morning on my way to work: When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder. It already has me laughing, so that's a good sign.

I kept hearing about this book and every time I did, I thought “oh, that sounds fun” and would go to put it on hold at the library and discover I already had.

All that to say, this did live up to the hype. It was fine but it was a little much. Too many quirky characters, too many jokes, too many weird things that didn‘t seem to tie in to the story (I still don‘t understand the frogs.)

Themes: Regency Era, Tongue in cheek humor, Murder Mystery

Anything described as, “Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie meets The Princess Bride” and “Clue set in Regency era England” sets my expectations very high, and this delivered! This was a quirky read that had the perfect blend of silliness and mayhem. All of the characters were great, Miss Bolton is my favorite though 😊 I‘d definitely recommend reading with tea and perfectly moist scones.

So silly & fun, this murder mystery is one parts Jane Austen, one part Agatha Christie, and one part Princess Bride. The snarky humor made it for me. It was predictable, but in a good way. A ball is thrown when a wealthy gentleman comes to town. Soon there‘s a murder & everyone‘s secrets come spilling out. I liked all the main characters, especially Inspector Drake, even if the plot was a bit ridiculous. Just enjoy the ride & laugh along the way.

I liked this, didn‘t love it. It was a bit hard to get into because is is so silly but when I started thinking of it as a Victorian Clue, that helped me relax into it and just enjoy the ride. A fun debut with a unique voice, I will definitely read more from this author. #arc #netgalleygroup #NGGsummersmashup @AllDebooks #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Reading while walking, it is still over 90 degrees at 9pm tonight, just too hot for a walk outside. This is a quirky one, still finding my way.

This was quite a fun parody of the regency era and Jane Austin and I highly recommend it. It has all your classic tropes and characters and was very tongue in cheek.

“When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder.”

FULL SPOTLIGHT: https://tinyurl.com/ysc4th9h

4.5/5

Beatrice Steele is a young woman living in the very proper town of Swampshire, but good manners begin to fall aside as a local ball is the setting of a terrible murder. Beatrice must work together with Inspector Drake to figure out who among her friends and family is a murderer.

It's a very tongue in cheek take on classic regency characters and tropes. It's a fun read for anyone who enjoys regency novels.

What do you get when you cross Agatha Christie with Jane Austen and add laughs? This book! Y'all it comes out this month (June) and I can't recommend it enough. Fast, fun light mystery summer read. #ARC

This debut novel is a riot…literally. With hints of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie, it is a parody of satire at its best…and most over-the-top. Beatrice Steele is a young woman who yearns to break free of the strict code of conduct for ladies (and yes, there is a large guidebook for this) in her Swampshire village (where luminescent frogs, squelch holes and violent hail storms abound). She finds herself obsessed with the true crime stories she 🔻

1. Read 7 out of the 13 ARCs I currently have coming out in June or July. (Tagged is the first on the list)
2. Read 5 ARCs that have already been published
3. Bring feedback ratio up 1% from May.

The feedback ratio might be a little ambitious. I have only managed to bring the ratio up instead of down 1 month this year and that was only by 0.33%.

#NGGSummerSmashUp #netgalleygroup @AllDebooks

My college roommate wrote a book! Add this comedy of manners and murder on goodreads or pre-order it now to get ahead on your 2023 reading list!