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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I devoured this entire series in a matter of days. I loved Beatrice’s journey as a character from book 1 to book 3. Highly recommended along with Messina’s Love Takes Root series!
A piece of fun and fluff with so many twisted speeches by so many pretentious characters that discovery of the murderer becomes tangential. Bea, the 26-year-old heroine orphaned at age five, is delightful in her interactions with her stuffy aunt and even stuffier Duke Kesgrave. Bea holds her own in a world that values the appearance of propriety above all else. The plot is so flimsy that no real lover of mysteries can take it seriously, but this is a book to laugh through and escape these days of the coronavirus for a few hours.
Lynn Messina is the reincarnation of Jane Austen, with a clever mystery plot to keep you guessing. Loved it!
As light and frothy as a soufle. Lots of red herrings and some pretty sparkling dialogue between Bea, the put-upon, seemingly dull orphaned young lady who is the MC and the know-it-all love interest, Kesgrave.
How she appears to her companions and her internal monologue are wildly different, and that makes the situation both funny and interesting for future books.
I like the way Lyn Messina writes, although this did seem to be more stream-of-consciousness than I remember from other books. For me, it added to the charm of the character, but it may grate on other readers.
Enjoyed it, and finished it very quickly once I started reading, which is always a good sign. 🙂
This series is the perfect de-stress-er at the end of the day- can’t put them down!
Absorbing and often amusing, this book has all the elements of a wonderful mystery to be solved. A much put-upon orphan, Miss Beatrice Hyde-Clare, who is constantly reminded of her status, catches the interest of a duke during a house party where a murder occurs. This happens when she begins to follow clues toward solving the crime in very intelligent manner. She and the duke soon form an unlikely alliance. Mutual attraction deepens into love…
I enjoyed the characters very much and have the entire series.
This engaged my attention right away and I blazed through the whole series and have the upcoming book on preorder. The heroine is delightful, the supporting characters are entertaining, and the mysteries are fun to solve along with the oft underestimated heroine.
I wish the author didn’t delve soooo deeply into the way the characters make decisions. There is a few words exchanged then 2 paragraphs extrapolating what the character thought. The action could be better or the character could be more succinct. I do however like the characters and the timeline and even the mystery. I do wish the author would arrive at conclusions with less filler.
Loved it! Beatrice & her desire to throw food at the Duke had me laughing out loud!
More, please!
Great read. Refreshing who done it. I found the Aunt character to be a bit too annoying. Thereby, I assume, the author created a successful character! I will definitely read the rest of the trilogy.
I wish I could give six stars, what a great read! The dialogue was so witty and clever, the characters were so diverse and interesting and the mystery spot on. I’m off to read more of Lynn Messina’s work immediately!
I am loving this series! Well plotted and written. A 26 year old spinster faces her own prejudices and strengths as she faces off with a duke in victorian england. Full of interesting period detail, a murder mystery, fabulous complex humor and intellegence. Truly a gem of a book.
Interesting book. I liked it enough that I have continued to read the next 4 books in the series.
Quite an amusing read. I look forward to others in the series.
Occasionally the phrasing of a sentence made it difficult to understand. More careful placement of adjectives would avoid the “man with a wooden leg named Joe” effect.
A Brazen Curiosity (Beatrice Hyde-Clare #1) by Lynn Messina is a Regency mystery. Who killed Mr. Otley in the library with the candlestick? A repressed heroine and a pompous Duke reluctantly decide to join forces to find out. Filled with witty dialog and laugh out loud humor this was an enjoyable read.
This introduction to Beatrice Hyde-Clare and the Duke of Kesgrave was not only a great whodunnit, suspenseful mystery but also so charmingly witty, I couldn’t put it down. Lost a lot of sleep on this one and the rest in the series, as well. After finishing books 1-4, I later re-read them as I impatiently awaited the release of book 5. I even talked my husband, who never reads fiction, into letting me read A Brazen Curiosity aloud to him.
I AGREE WITH THE CRITICS ON THIS ONE. I WANT OT READ MORE OF THIS AUTHOR’S BOOKS. PERFECT FOR A COOL, RAINY AFTERNOON!
Enjoyed the books very much waiting for the 3rd book. The writing and plots are very good.
An intelligent cozy mystery. I binged the entire series.