Nothing ruins a lovely house party like bloody murder.
At the decrepit old age of six-and-twenty, Miss Beatrice Hyde-Clare has virtually no hope of landing a husband. An orphan living off her relatives’ charity, her job is to sit with her needlework and to keep her thoughts to herself.
When Bea receives an invitation to an elegant country party, she intends to do just that. Not even the … that. Not even the presence of the aggravatingly handsome Duke of Kesgrave could lead this young lady to scandal. True, she might wish to pour her bowl of turtle soup on his aristocratic head – however, she would never actually do it. But a lady can fantasize.
But, when she stumbles upon the dead body of another houseguest, all Bea’s good intentions fly out the well-appointed window. Although the magistrate declares it a suicide, she knows better.
Time for some very unladylike behavior.
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Readers are enthralled with A Brazen Curiosity!
“A Brazen Curiosity” is a delightful concoction of cozy mystery, social satire, witty banter, and Regency-style food fights. – Rebekah, Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Truly this was one of the most charming, laugh-out-loud funny books I’ve yet read (or listened to)! – Pat, Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This had everything I enjoy reading in an historical setting….an interesting mystery, a touch of romance and a sprinkle of humor that often caught me off-guard laughing. – Myereading, Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well written, witty, tongue-in-cheek, suspenseful, satirical, pastiche-like, characters who could be straight out of Jane Austin… – Maureen, Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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A murder mystery wrapped in a comedy of manners
I loved this book. The reason I loved it was because of the characters whom I felt I knew, they were portrayed by this author in a realistic, sometimes humorous light. Bea has been a delight to get to know; watching her grow as a person and come into her own. I felt the same about the Duke of Kesgrave. I loved how he was drawn to Bea and how their relationship developed from acquaintances drawn together by a murder to friendship to …but I don’t want to give it away! (I’ve read all the Beatrice Hyde-Clare mysteries) And did I mention the plot of the story was a well written murder mystery. I didn’t guess who the murderer was until revealed in the end.
I enjoy the main characters: Bea, her Aunt, the cousins and of course the Duke. It is a good read. It is fun to read about the intellectual batter between Bea and the Duke.
Wonderful Book, wonderful series!! Kept reading through to the end. Write more about Bea & the Duke.
H
Jane Austin meets Dorothy Sayer. Love it!
Beatrice Hyde-Clare was orphaned at the young age of five, when both parents passed tragically in a boating accident. Her aunt and uncle reluctantly took her in to raise alongside her two younger cousins, Flora and Russell. As a poor relation in the family’s home, Beatrice has perfected the art of being solicitous and yet unobtrusive to the family’s needs.
But when she stumbles across fellow guest, Mr. Otley’s lifeless body while searching for some late night reading material. She cannot simply remain in the shadows, as she has always done, while his death is ruled a suicide and his wife and daughter’s life are ruined. Bea takes it upon herself to find the truth and justice, to find Mr. Otley’s murderer.
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I’m a sucker for some banter and this book brought the banter. Bea certainly has a weird obsession for throwing food though and it got to be a little tedious, but her general exhasperation for his apparent perfection was a real treat.
A lot of this book is spent narrating Bea’s thoughts so it does occasionally slow down a bit as you read Bea’s thought process as she tries to work her way through clues. But I think it’s worth it: she’s amusing and I wanted to investigate alongside her. Plus it’s a real quick read(~170 pages) without a super obvious villain, I only was able to deduce who the murderer was shortly before the reveal.
If you like mystery series such as Lady Darby by Anna Lee Huber or Veronica Speedwell by Deanna Raybourn then I would recommend this book to you, although this is a bit more of a cozy mystery vibe obviously. I’m looking forard to continuing with this series and seeing more of Bea at work.
Lightweight Cozy
Recommended for teen – adult
No sex
No harsh language
No gory violence
Beatrice, the main character is among the guests at a house party. Unable to sleep and bored with her current reading material, she literally stumbles onto a corpse in the library. It is clearly murder, but for some reason the Duke of Kesgrave who has simultaneously stumbled upon him, though coming from the other direction, insists it is suicide. Beatrice cannot believe his assertion. How ridiculous! Who bludgeons themselves over the back of the head, and how would the feat be accomplished anyway?
Against the Duke’s wishes, the normally shy and obedient Bea continues to investigate anyway.
No spoiler – The Duke is investigating too. Since she will not drop the matter, they join forces to unveil the villain.
Other reviewers mention being annoyed by Bea’s initial reactions to the Duke at dinner; she imagines him being pelted with various fruits, vegetables, and side dishes. I would agree. While this was amusing at first, it got a little tiresome after awhile. Good news. She stops fantasizing about these attacks as he gains her respect.
Furthermore the author redeems herself by correcting the misquote: “Money is the root of all evil,” by sharing the original Biblical version: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
I digress.
The plot is well-developed, including a few good twists. Humor (besides flying food) is cleverly interjected.
When I finished, and not being in the mood to start the thriller I’d originally picked for my next read, I decided to get the sequel. I’m hoping I’ll find it equally diverting
If you like a good cozy. I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one.
This is my new favorite read of 2019, and I wholeheartedly give it 5 stars without any reservations, which is rare for me! From the first pages, I found myself utterly delighted with the sparkling prose and crackling wit captured within. The exchange of sarcasm between Beatrice and the Duke of Kesgrave left me in stitches. I found myself LAUGHING OUT LOUD and giggling with glee at some of their dialogue – which I realize is NOT the proper decorum for a well-bred regency woman. But I couldn’t help myself as I got lost within their diatribes and jabs. I found their biting repartee simply marvelous and amusing.
When shy spinster Beatrice discovers the insufferable Duke of Kesgrave standing over a dead body, she opts to confront him and mayhem ensues. She chooses her own path, determined to find the murderer, and she and the Duke continue to cross paths as they strive for the truth. I found it highly enjoyable.
I would highly recommend this book. I’ve already downloaded the 2nd book in this series of 5 and am eager to spend more time with Beatrice Hyde-Clare and the Duke of Kesgrave.
I enjoyed the Harlow series and just recently found this. OK, not much romance in here, but reading the blurbs for the following books it seems it will develop.
In this first of the series it’s a bit of a battle of barbs and sarcasm between Bea and the duke. Very entertaining as I love sharp dialogue. And the who-dun-it was well crafted. (Except why was there no mention of Bea washing her hands after handling the murder weapon?)
Will be reading the rest of this series.
A good mystery with lots of interesting events. Beatrice and Kesgrave have good chemistry with just enough distrust to give their relationship more depth.
Can’t get enough of the badinage between an “old maid” of 26 and the Duke. Some of the funniest and most entertaining dialog I’ve ever come across. Seriously. Honestly. I don’t know Lynn Messina at all and I’m a best selling author myself. I bought the entire series and pre-ordered the next one.
Just what one would hope for in a book of this description: a light-hearted, witty entertainment.
Bea is a spinster, and a self-effacing one at that, hiding her clever, shrewdly observant mind. But then a murder occurs, and she begins to find out just how observant and clever she truly is.
Her development never transgresses believablility — no sudden shifts from one persona to another. While she takes risks, she is also true to what life at that time expected of a lady. We can enjoy her ability to circumvent, with utmost apparent propriety, the restrictions placed on her. Far more accurate to the times than many other books with “feisty” heroines, Bea’s character remains believably Regency, not a modern woman in a costume-drama. The humor of her observations about others, juxtaposed with her proper outward demeanor, enlivens the story.
Highly recommended as an intelligent, humorous read.
Surprising. I was reading along enjoying most everything. Her self talk/narration did get me to eye roll a couple times. All in all this is a fun book and then about when it is wrapping up you are shocked/surprised at a couple of things. One is that Bea was trying to figure out who killed the victim and then she is accused and the facts do look convincing from a certain point of view. Secondly, who actually “dunnit” is totally surprising. It was brilliant.
the characters are clever, good dialogue and plot. Kept my interest the whole book and i didn’t even roll my eyes once!
Very witty with great banter between the leads. About a plain girl and a handsome man with an ego for which she has no respect. Quite delightful.
This was a fun read as there was humor in it as well as romance. I felt Bea was a little too strong while the duke was a little too willing to let her solve everything. He came across as dense and stupid at times. It would could have been better if they were both equally intelligent. However, There was a type of balance in that the duke lent his status (shame that is all he ever had to offer) and Bea her schemes. I would recommend this book for entertainment but not for historical significance. Little disappointed that modern day profanity and swearing were also included. When researching for a “historial novel” there needs to be more attention paid to the language of the day.
Predictable
The first book of a series, A BRAZEN CURIOSITY, was so much fun! (I’m reading book 2, A SCANDALOUS DECEPTION, at the moment). The third-person (close) voice that follows the thoughts and machinations of Beatrice Hyde-Clare is what makes this so entertaining. The humor is sometimes overt and other times subtle in a double-take sort of way.
The protagonist is not your standard trope of beauty and intelligence – rather, there is a tug-of-war between her inner life/perceptions and what others see of her: “…she was stunned to realize the depth of her insipidness, for in her own head she was quite interesting: clever, decisive, adroit. The difference between who she perceived herself to be and who she actually was was vast, and if she had any fight left in her, she would resent how easily she’d succumbed to everyone’s low expectations, including her own.”
When she stops “succumbing” to those expectations and surprises the heck out of the people who think they know her as the quiet, drab woman approaching spinsterhood (and it requires a murder for this to start happening, bwahaha), the results are quite enjoyable.