Book 2 in the Buccleuch Family series by Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson continues from the first book, this time focusing on Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott. She is the youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. She loves books and is a very sharp woman-smart, discerning and attentive to all that goes on around her. She has a knack for figuring things out, and her unassuming personality allows her to blend in the periphery. Her "crime solving" skills prove useful when a piece of jewelry goes missing during a gathering at her home. One of the visitors, Colonel Walter Trefusis, a veteran soldier, teams up with her to solve the puzzle. It turns out that he now works for the British Intelligence Agency and their pairing could not be more perfect. But crime solving isn't all they work well on. Their attraction is undeniable, leading them to a partnership of both the intellectual and physical kind.

I loved that this was a Victorian romance with a mystery angle to add intrigue to the story. I truly enjoyed the first book in this series, and this was a entertaining continuation of the story. I love when historical romance has interesting plots that really help drive the romance along, and this one has just that. You are kept guessing not only about the mystery aspect, but the will they/won't they keeps the pages turning as well. And the slow burn payoff is worth it!

couldn’t give it 0 so i gave it a 1

Mary is cut from a different cloth to the other women in society - she wants a purpose beyond matrimony and motherhood. She is an endearing, ballsy, vulnerable and endlessly likeable. Her character's development was wonderful to watch, and felt totally plausible given the passage of time covered in the book.
Tre is struggling with an illness he finds shameful and keeping it, and many other things, secret. He is stoic, charming, commanding and gentle. I really enjoyed the dynamic that he had with Mary throughout the story, but I particularly enjoyed seeing how their relationship with each other developed over the span of the several years that the story covered.
The real touches of historical accuracy added depth to the story and were clearly very well researched. They helped me to completely immerse myself in the world that the author created.
The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that it felt a little slow to start for me; to the point where I read the first 10% and then went off and read something else before revisiting the rest of the story.

I picked this book up because none of my library holds were available, and it was on the library's list of ready to borrow. It seemed interesting from the description, and I thought it might be funny to see what Sarah's ghost writer would do.

The first part of the story was engaging and fun, but the book got worse and more and more unbelievable. It eventually devolved into a bodice-ripper. Give me a break. If I hadn't been so close to the end I would have quit listening.

And then it turns out that all the characters were real people?! In imaginary situations, of course. Why bother making fiction of real people?

I received an advanced copy of A Most Intriguing Lady from a Good Reads giveaway.

For staters, I immensely enjoyed this book. Mary, the heroine, is charming and her character is well developed.

I appreciate a story of a strong female lead, particularly set in the Victorian era when women were expected to only be wives and mothers.

The book follows Mary, a youngest daughter of landed gentry, and the various roles she plays as daughter, spy, and woman. She is confined by her role as a daughter, and the story follows her from the dutiful child to a confident and capable woman.

This is a great and engaging book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

4.5 ⭐️

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I can’t believe it’s been a year since I reviewed the Duchess of York’s first historical fiction novel, #HerHeartForACompass. I thoroughly enjoyed the Victorian era book and was happy to see another book in the same vein being released.

Mills and Boon books are not my normal sort of books, but I do enjoy a good Victorian story. Lady Mary is the youngest and much forgotten daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. All previous attempts to marry her off have failed, and being a woman of modern sensibilities, she’s not sure she wants to get tied down to a man.

Mary discovers she’s good at solving mysteries in a subtle way. And she’s found a love interest, although given the style of the book, there’s no ripping bodice scenes, that’s for sure. Rather, what we have here is a book set during the Victorian period, written in the manner of Victorian novels of the day, but with modern sensibilities. I have a tendency to like books written in this style, and thoroughly enjoyed this light mystery/romance. The thorough notes afterward were very helpful disseminating fact from fiction.