An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire
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- Create Date：2021-11-04 09:51:20
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Manda Collins
- ISBN：0349428034
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Summary
The second novel in award-winning author Manda Collins' fun and flirty historical romcom series， A Lady's Guide， perfect for readers of Evie Dunmore， Julia Quinn， and Tessa Dare！
England， 1866: Miss Caroline Hardcastle has finally found purpose in her life， bringing attention to insidious crimes against women。 But her parents' unexpected return from the Continent jeopardizes Caro's hard-won freedom。 They present her with an ultimatum: marry into a title。。。 or else。 Caro is confident that no gentleman would wed an on-the-shelf journalist， no matter how large her dowry is。 But when a dear friend goes missing， Caro finds her best ally is also the nobleman she once dreamed of marrying。
Ever since a devastating heartbreak in his younger years， Lord Valentine Thorn has stayed clear of the parson's trap。 Only now， with the lineage in danger， does Val agree to find a bride—with the condition his heart remains unattached。 But when his cousin becomes entangled in the disappearance of a young actress， Val finds the only one with any answers is also the only woman he ever dreamed of marrying。 Despite their complicated history， Caro and Val reluctantly agree to an alliance， vowing to ignore the passion that still burns between them。 Yet with danger growing nearer， can they move forward from the past—before death does them part？
England， 1866: Miss Caroline Hardcastle has finally found purpose in her life， bringing attention to insidious crimes against women。 But her parents' unexpected return from the Continent jeopardizes Caro's hard-won freedom。 They present her with an ultimatum: marry into a title。。。 or else。 Caro is confident that no gentleman would wed an on-the-shelf journalist， no matter how large her dowry is。 But when a dear friend goes missing， Caro finds her best ally is also the nobleman she once dreamed of marrying。
Ever since a devastating heartbreak in his younger years， Lord Valentine Thorn has stayed clear of the parson's trap。 Only now， with the lineage in danger， does Val agree to find a bride—with the condition his heart remains unattached。 But when his cousin becomes entangled in the disappearance of a young actress， Val finds the only one with any answers is also the only woman he ever dreamed of marrying。 Despite their complicated history， Caro and Val reluctantly agree to an alliance， vowing to ignore the passion that still burns between them。 Yet with danger growing nearer， can they move forward from the past—before death does them part？
Reviews
Jenna
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Rarely does a romantic mystery marry passion and intrigue effortlessly。 An Heiress’s Guide To Deception And Desire exhibits all the qualities of a perfect who-done-it with sparks of sensuality and romance blended to perfection。 Issues relating to this period are addressed， including class difference and women’s rights; they are intertwined with the story， enriching it。Valentine Thorn， Viscount Wrackham and new heir to the Dukedom， is trying to navigate his new responsibilities with his ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Rarely does a romantic mystery marry passion and intrigue effortlessly。 An Heiress’s Guide To Deception And Desire exhibits all the qualities of a perfect who-done-it with sparks of sensuality and romance blended to perfection。 Issues relating to this period are addressed， including class difference and women’s rights; they are intertwined with the story， enriching it。Valentine Thorn， Viscount Wrackham and new heir to the Dukedom， is trying to navigate his new responsibilities with his father’s expectations。 In the past， Val had hurt Miss Caroline Hardcastle by not standing up for her when he had the chance。 Val has had his eyes opened to his family’s prejudice regarding class。 Val evolves， learning to stand up for himself and those he loves。 I enjoyed how Val owned his past mistakes and took active steps to correct them。 Caroline’s heart was broken by Val years ago， and she has vowed to remain independent and refuses to open her heart in fear of getting hurt again。 Caroline is many things， a brilliant journalist， a faithful friend， and a loving daughter。 Caroline goes against all of the rules of propriety， making her the worst choice for a bride of an aristocrat。 I loved how Caroline stood her ground， and even when she had to adhere to society’s rules， she did it on her terms。Val and Caroline must face their past when the two are thrust into solving the same mystery of a missing woman。 From their first explosive encounter， it is obvious the couple has magnetic chemistry。 Both Val and Caroline are very different people and must learn about each other all over again。 Facing a marriage of convenience， the two must learn to trust each other again while simultaneously discovering the answers to Caroline’s friend’s disappearance。 The couple’s connection is tenuous at first。 However， as they re-discover one another， their passion ignites the page。An Heiress’s Guide To Deception And Desire is the second book in A Lady’s Guide series。 Val and Caroline’s story is multifaceted and captivating。 The mystery kept me guessing until the very end， and the romance was enthralling and sublime。 The many different locales kept the plot moving well。 The secondary characters were vivid and enriched the story。 Caroline’s cat stole several scenes！ The ebb and flow of the plot was spot-on， leaving me wanting more。 Manda Collins has created a rich， decadent romance filled with intrigue and suspense。 This was a novel I couldn’t put down！I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through the publisher。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Liz Donatelli
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In AN HEIRESS'S GUIDE TO DECEPTION AND DESIRE， Manda Collins creates the perfect blend of romance， mystery。 A second chance enemies-to-lovers romance develops between Miss Caroline Hardcastle and Lord Valentine Thorn as the couple investigate the kidnapping of a popular stage actress。 Quick-witted characters and palpable suspense makes this a cross-genre must-read novel。 In AN HEIRESS'S GUIDE TO DECEPTION AND DESIRE， Manda Collins creates the perfect blend of romance， mystery。 A second chance enemies-to-lovers romance develops between Miss Caroline Hardcastle and Lord Valentine Thorn as the couple investigate the kidnapping of a popular stage actress。 Quick-witted characters and palpable suspense makes this a cross-genre must-read novel。 。。。more
kris
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rtc but i loved this！！！
Evie
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This book reminded me of Sherlock Holmes， and who doesn’t love a good mystery？ I enjoyed that Caro was an independent woman for her time。 Even though her dad was a successful businessman， she built a fortune of her own。 It was refreshing to see that she wouldn’t have to marry because of money or position， like any other girl in her position。I also liked Val， and that he stood up to his dad for what he wanted。 It was nice to see that the hero took the backseat and let Caro do what she felt was ne This book reminded me of Sherlock Holmes， and who doesn’t love a good mystery？ I enjoyed that Caro was an independent woman for her time。 Even though her dad was a successful businessman， she built a fortune of her own。 It was refreshing to see that she wouldn’t have to marry because of money or position， like any other girl in her position。I also liked Val， and that he stood up to his dad for what he wanted。 It was nice to see that the hero took the backseat and let Caro do what she felt was needed to decipher the mystery of her friend’s disappearance。 But I also have to say I didn’t feel the chemistry between Caro and Val despite their history。I would’ve liked to see more of Val’s mother relationship with Caro’s mom—I think it would’ve perhaps been fun。Overall， this was an enjoyable read and I’m actually looking forward to Duke Langham’s story coming up next。 If Caro’s friend is as feisty as she seemed， then that promises their story will be even better than Caro’s。 。。。more
Olívia
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。Thank you to Forever （Grand Central Publishing） for providing me this arc via Netgalley！This was a nice second chance romance， with tons of feminism （which I love to see in a historical romance）。 However， even though it felt like it had everything to be one of my favs， it didn't really leave an impact and it actually took me a while to get through it。 It's a fun read tho， so 3 stars。 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。Thank you to Forever （Grand Central Publishing） for providing me this arc via Netgalley！This was a nice second chance romance， with tons of feminism （which I love to see in a historical romance）。 However， even though it felt like it had everything to be one of my favs， it didn't really leave an impact and it actually took me a while to get through it。 It's a fun read tho， so 3 stars。 。。。more
Emily Lawder
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was so happy to get approved of the second in this fun mystery/romance series。I remember Caro and Val in book #1 and I was down for a second chance romance with a dash of enemies to lovers。 This one did not disappoint。I sometimes think that I don't like historical romance as much as I want to， but these are some of my favorites。 I think it doesn't constantly remind me of the misogyny of the times。 And it was cool that they had the mystery aspect in there as well。 I enjoyed how Val saw the error was so happy to get approved of the second in this fun mystery/romance series。I remember Caro and Val in book #1 and I was down for a second chance romance with a dash of enemies to lovers。 This one did not disappoint。I sometimes think that I don't like historical romance as much as I want to， but these are some of my favorites。 I think it doesn't constantly remind me of the misogyny of the times。 And it was cool that they had the mystery aspect in there as well。 I enjoyed how Val saw the error of his ways and apologized。 He had a real character arc and I think reflected on reasons he hurt Caro and really wanted forgiveness for them。 I was worried he was going to be annoying with the first couple chapters， but he was definitely a book crush in the end。 There was a second in the middle of the story where we didn't focus on the mystery enough I think。 But I did like the extra romance there。 It got a bit spicy there for a second。 。。。more
Robin
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Book 2 gives us Val & Caro and why they snipe at one another constantly。 Yes they have a past and Cato does not wish to forgive or forget。 Val， however， would like to erase his mistake but he thinks Caro will have none of it。 When her friend & his cousins’ disappear， they work together to find them。 I really loved that， although there had been a long running conflict， he steps up and they have a discussion about it and once resolved， they are good。 You get 2nd chance， fake engagement， and forced Book 2 gives us Val & Caro and why they snipe at one another constantly。 Yes they have a past and Cato does not wish to forgive or forget。 Val， however， would like to erase his mistake but he thinks Caro will have none of it。 When her friend & his cousins’ disappear， they work together to find them。 I really loved that， although there had been a long running conflict， he steps up and they have a discussion about it and once resolved， they are good。 You get 2nd chance， fake engagement， and forced proximity。 。。。more
Dot Salvagin
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Caro and Val were once betrothed but he made a mistake and she ended the betrothal。 Neither of them has got over the break up。 They are thrown together when Caro's friend Effie is kidnapped and Val's cousin Frank is injured when he tried to prevent Effie's abduction。 Caro and Val are forced into another betrothal but this time neither wishes to end it。 They work tirelessly to find Effie and those who kidnapped her。 This was a romantic read along with a terrific who-done-it。 There are some red he Caro and Val were once betrothed but he made a mistake and she ended the betrothal。 Neither of them has got over the break up。 They are thrown together when Caro's friend Effie is kidnapped and Val's cousin Frank is injured when he tried to prevent Effie's abduction。 Caro and Val are forced into another betrothal but this time neither wishes to end it。 They work tirelessly to find Effie and those who kidnapped her。 This was a romantic read along with a terrific who-done-it。 There are some red herrings along the way as well as glimpses of the villain。 I can recommend it for HR fans as well as Historical Mystery fans。 I received this book free for review from the publisher。http://ladeetdareads。wordpress。com 。。。more
Cece
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An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is a lovely tale of second chances。It weaves together into the tapestry that is this book: romance， intrigue， and mystery。 A detective story at its heart， Collins Regency Era novel takes us into the heart of London in the glittering glam of the theater。 A dear friend and actress named Effie， of the main character， Caroline Hardcastle， goes missing。 As Caroline and her bestie， Lady Katherine Bascomb， look into the whereabouts of their friend， enter Caro An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is a lovely tale of second chances。It weaves together into the tapestry that is this book: romance， intrigue， and mystery。 A detective story at its heart， Collins Regency Era novel takes us into the heart of London in the glittering glam of the theater。 A dear friend and actress named Effie， of the main character， Caroline Hardcastle， goes missing。 As Caroline and her bestie， Lady Katherine Bascomb， look into the whereabouts of their friend， enter Caroline’s broody and ex-fiancé Viscount Wrackham。What I love most about this book is the way Collins creates these women sleuths who are willing to take on a case that the local police aren’t interested in。With engaging characters， first-time readers of Collin’s novel will undoubtedly be taken by her lively plotting， jaunty wit， and flavorful banter。 If you love a headstrong protagonist who fights tooth and nail against the tons views， and a love interest who supports feistiness and peculiarity then slip this one onto your TBR。Find my full review on my blog SHEAF & INK BOOK REVIEW 。。。more
Jessica Samuelson
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London 1867Caroline Hardcastle fell in （and out） of love with Valentine Thorn four years ago。 After he broke her heart， she moved on （mostly）。 She got a cat， a job writing a newspaper column about crime， and a new best friend。 Naturally， Lady Katherine has been lifelong friends with one Valentine Thorn。 Despite their mutual friends， Caro has mostly been able to avoid Val。Meanwhile， Val has his own problems。 The unexpected death of his older brother the previous year means that Valentine Thorn is London 1867Caroline Hardcastle fell in （and out） of love with Valentine Thorn four years ago。 After he broke her heart， she moved on （mostly）。 She got a cat， a job writing a newspaper column about crime， and a new best friend。 Naturally， Lady Katherine has been lifelong friends with one Valentine Thorn。 Despite their mutual friends， Caro has mostly been able to avoid Val。Meanwhile， Val has his own problems。 The unexpected death of his older brother the previous year means that Valentine Thorn is now Viscount Wrackham， heir to the Duke of Thornfield。 With that comes expectations: martial expectations。 Unfortunately， the only woman he’s ever seen a future with is the one who left him four years ago。When popular actress Miss Effie Warrington is kidnapped， Caro and Val find themselves thrown together in their efforts to find her before it’s too late。 As they delve into the mystery of Effie’s disappearance， it isn’t long before old sparks begin to reignite。This is a cozy mystery romance book set in Victorian England。 Basically， imagine a Victorian equivalent of the podcast My Favorite Murder with a police connection and love interests。 Oh， and also a very spoiled cat。 Caro and Val have a tempestuous but affectionate relationship。 I liked the parallel between Val with his father and Caro with her mother。 I also appreciated the glimpse into what stage life was like for an actress at that time。This is the second book in the Lady’s Guide series but can be read as a standalone。 A third， untitled， book has been announced without a set publication date。 I’m excited to read about Flora and a certain peer who makes an appearance in Heiress’s Guide！ 。。。more
Jennifer Mullins
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I love a good historical romance where the genial characters tail against the patriarchy！Caroline has a controversial career as a drone writer and it once cost her a fiancée。 Val has never loved anyone but Caroline; however， he feels obligated to fulfill his duties as the new Viscount。 A missing friend and a compromising position push Val and Caroline into marriage。 As they race against time to find Caroline’s missing friend， Val abs Caro find this might be a move match after all。This is the sec I love a good historical romance where the genial characters tail against the patriarchy！Caroline has a controversial career as a drone writer and it once cost her a fiancée。 Val has never loved anyone but Caroline; however， he feels obligated to fulfill his duties as the new Viscount。 A missing friend and a compromising position push Val and Caroline into marriage。 As they race against time to find Caroline’s missing friend， Val abs Caro find this might be a move match after all。This is the second book in the series and I have not read the first one。 However， I have not read the first book and had no problem following the story。 I love that Caro is I afraid to stand up for what she believes in， even if it goes against social conventions。 I also loved how sweet Cal was and accepted Caro as she was。 There was a perfect balance of steam and mystery that kept me engaged throughout the whole story。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy！ 。。。more
marita lazarus
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I read this book in a little over a day。 It's cute， I love books where there are star-crossed lovers， who feel they have been wronged but can't stop loving each other。 A non-aristocratic Heiress and a Viscount who happens to be heir to a dukedom。 His family rejected her 4 years ago and he didn't stand up for her back then。 All that changes when they meet up again to help the Viscount's （Val） cousin find his missing fiance - a theatre star， with a massive following of male idols。I have to say， th I read this book in a little over a day。 It's cute， I love books where there are star-crossed lovers， who feel they have been wronged but can't stop loving each other。 A non-aristocratic Heiress and a Viscount who happens to be heir to a dukedom。 His family rejected her 4 years ago and he didn't stand up for her back then。 All that changes when they meet up again to help the Viscount's （Val） cousin find his missing fiance - a theatre star， with a massive following of male idols。I have to say， that I am purchasing book 1 to read the story of Lady Kate and next year， book 3。If you love regency historicals with strong female leads and happy endings - where love triumphs。 This is the book for you。My one little complaint， is that I thought Caro was sometimes just too much。 Too assertive， too domineering etc etc。。。。 but， you still come to root for her and love that she got her happy ending。 Thank you Netgalley 。。。more
Taylor
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An amazing follow-up novel for Manda Collins！ I really enjoyed the first book in this series， but the chemistry between Caro + Val was SO good。 Their verbal sparring and their journey to trusting one another was delightful to watch。 And while this whole book was a treat， I am BEYOND excited for the third book in this series！ The preview of the next protagonists in this book was divine。 I recommend reading these books in succession， and definitely check out this second installment when it release An amazing follow-up novel for Manda Collins！ I really enjoyed the first book in this series， but the chemistry between Caro + Val was SO good。 Their verbal sparring and their journey to trusting one another was delightful to watch。 And while this whole book was a treat， I am BEYOND excited for the third book in this series！ The preview of the next protagonists in this book was divine。 I recommend reading these books in succession， and definitely check out this second installment when it releases in November 2022！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Lindsey Domokur
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4。5 all the feels stars！After finishing Kate and Andrew's book and feeling all of Val and Caro's tension， I knew I had to pick this one up immediately。 I love that this book had a little bit of mystery but a whole lot of feeling。 Val and Caro are thrown together once again trying to solve a crime。 One of her friends has gone missing and his cousin is involved as well。 The two of them must work together to figure out what really happened。 Val and Caro are like two fireworks when they meet， you ca 4。5 all the feels stars！After finishing Kate and Andrew's book and feeling all of Val and Caro's tension， I knew I had to pick this one up immediately。 I love that this book had a little bit of mystery but a whole lot of feeling。 Val and Caro are thrown together once again trying to solve a crime。 One of her friends has gone missing and his cousin is involved as well。 The two of them must work together to figure out what really happened。 Val and Caro are like two fireworks when they meet， you can feel the tension rolling off them in waves。 They have a past and even though they say they have moved on， neither of them can do that。 Especially when they are still in love with one another。 Watching them work together and become more and more attached just made my heart swell。 Val knew what he had to do to keep Caro this time， and no one and nothing was going to stop him。 I just adored the two of them。Thank you to GCP， Forever， Netgalley and Manda Collins for an early copy！ 。。。more
Nicole Pelcher
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I voluntarily received an eARC of "A Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire" by Manda Collins via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。A second chance romance mixed with mystery solving！ Miss Caroline Hardcastle is not only an heiress to her fathers canned food company but also a part of a female writing duo that runs a crime column。 After having her heart broken by her first love she has concentrated on her work and running feminist organizations。 However， when one of her closests friends are ki I voluntarily received an eARC of "A Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire" by Manda Collins via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。A second chance romance mixed with mystery solving！ Miss Caroline Hardcastle is not only an heiress to her fathers canned food company but also a part of a female writing duo that runs a crime column。 After having her heart broken by her first love she has concentrated on her work and running feminist organizations。 However， when one of her closests friends are kidnapped her first love is right there to help solve the mystery。 Lord Valentine Thorn once let his family get in the way of his happiness but now that he's seen Caroline again all he can hope for is forgiveness。。。 But perhaps a marriage of convenience may speed this along？This romance is what I would call a pallette cleanser。 It is definitely sweet and the mystery isn't too over complicated。 Though it is a bit slow moving once it gets going it has some really nice enjoyable scenes。I wish there had been a bit more grovelling on the heroes end and maybe more interludes of just them reconnecting that weren't about the mystery。Overall this was an enjoyable read。 Low steam and low angst！3。5 rounded up to 4！ 。。。more
Kim
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An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is a brilliant sequel to A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder！ It’s equal parts cozy mystery and second-chance romance。 Historical mystery/adventure and romance used to be my jam - Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series was my bible - but in recent years they fell to the wayside。 This series has definitely brought them back in my favor！ This time we are following Kate and Caro as they search for their missing friend， with the help of Kate’s husband Ever An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is a brilliant sequel to A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder！ It’s equal parts cozy mystery and second-chance romance。 Historical mystery/adventure and romance used to be my jam - Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series was my bible - but in recent years they fell to the wayside。 This series has definitely brought them back in my favor！ This time we are following Kate and Caro as they search for their missing friend， with the help of Kate’s husband Eversham and their friend （and Caro’s secret former betrothed） Val。 As always， these ladies are clever and witty and manage to solve the whole crime on their own with just a little help from the men。 Kate， Caro， and their pal Flora （who I CAN。 NOT。 WAIT to see in the next book！） are the original badass boss bitches， who know how to get things done without their husbands’ help。 。。。more
Shilo Quetchenbach
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This book was。。。。 boring。 Which is unexpected for a mystery but there you go。 I wasn't interested in the characters， who all seemed rather shallow and prone to misunderstandings， or the plot， which was a bit thin， or the love story， which was annoying more than anything。 If the characters would have just talked to each other there wouldn't have been a plot I suppose。 The writing was decent at least but failed to draw me in。DNF*Thanks to NetGalley and Forever （Grand Central Publishing） for provid This book was。。。。 boring。 Which is unexpected for a mystery but there you go。 I wasn't interested in the characters， who all seemed rather shallow and prone to misunderstandings， or the plot， which was a bit thin， or the love story， which was annoying more than anything。 If the characters would have just talked to each other there wouldn't have been a plot I suppose。 The writing was decent at least but failed to draw me in。DNF*Thanks to NetGalley and Forever （Grand Central Publishing） for providing an e-arc for review。 。。。more
Eleanor Lynn
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I was so thankful that I was immediately able to read this right after finishing A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem because I NEEDED it。 That book was entertaining and fun and an all around joy to read。 I expected something similar from this one but adding a second chance romance， and I got it。 An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire was fun， thoughtful， and a freaking delight to read。 Seriously， you need to pick up both of these books and enjoy them。Loves:-Valentine goes through a lot of I was so thankful that I was immediately able to read this right after finishing A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem because I NEEDED it。 That book was entertaining and fun and an all around joy to read。 I expected something similar from this one but adding a second chance romance， and I got it。 An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire was fun， thoughtful， and a freaking delight to read。 Seriously， you need to pick up both of these books and enjoy them。Loves:-Valentine goes through a lot of development in this book and he is the sweetest。 I mean his life has completely changed in the last year and honestly I felt for him the entire book。 He was juggling so much。 His feelings and actions towards Cora the entire time was great and I really enjoyed his arc throughout the book。 Also， Val’s relationship with Andrew is my favorite thing。-The plot kept me moving along through the book when the relationship between Valentine and Cora was dragging。 The mystery in this book， I felt， was better than the first book。 It was a little more believable， the rationality was better plotted out， and the characters along the way withheld so much more information that made the whole thing better。-Cora annoyed me a little at times， but her internal dialogue was what sold me on her。 The way that she cares about her father and her tenuous relationship with Valentine was sweet。 I loved the way she stood up for herself and was on the brasher side of things the entire way through。 So lovely！Meh:-I wanted more from the relationship between Cora and Valentine。 I wish there had been more to their backstory and that the pining had been a heavier theme。 I wanted some softer moments that caused more internal conflict than what was given。 Like， I still enjoyed the ride of their relationship， but I wanted some more。 （and maybe a couple of more stolen kisses/touches/more earlier in the book;））。-I also wanted more from all relationships with Cora。 I wish there was more around her and Effie and Kate。 I wanted to see interaction between her and her father。 Her mom and her had moments， but just some more depth of Cora through those relationships would have really sealed the deal for me。Long Story Short:I found this book to be such a fun time to read and definitely recommend that you pick it up。 It’s a lovely combination between mystery and romance， plus adding the historical element to the mix also brings it up a notch。 For those who love Evie Dunmore’s A League of Extraordinary Women these books would be absolutely perfect for you。 The levels of modern feminism just feels so good in a historical romance。 I cannot wait to read the rest of the books that Manda Collins puts out！ I will definitely be waiting in great anticipation！ 。。。more
Madison
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If you’re a fan of fun， fresh historical romances than this book will be for you！ While I thought the romance was charming， and Caro made for an entertaining leading lady， I wasn’t totally swept off my feet。 I didn’t fall in love with this book because the writing style and I did not click。 But overall， it was a pleasant read！
Smuttybookreviews
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An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire by @mandacollinsauthor is the follow up to A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem。 Phew…that’s a lot of words！ Scroll way down my page for the earlier review of the first book。 Caro is a canned food heiress （aren’t we all？）。 She’s rich， pretty， smart， and independent， but as a commoner she’s pretty much society trash （again aren’t we all？）。 She was secretly engaged to Val （the son of a Duke） but the engagement ended when she overheard the Duke pissing al An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire by @mandacollinsauthor is the follow up to A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem。 Phew…that’s a lot of words！ Scroll way down my page for the earlier review of the first book。 Caro is a canned food heiress （aren’t we all？）。 She’s rich， pretty， smart， and independent， but as a commoner she’s pretty much society trash （again aren’t we all？）。 She was secretly engaged to Val （the son of a Duke） but the engagement ended when she overheard the Duke pissing all over her canned tuna heritage while Val did nothing to defend her。 Not cool， Val， not cool at all- you’d better respect that tin canned money。 A few years later Val and Caro meet again when Caro’s actress friend Effie goes missing。 Effie is engaged to Val’s cousin and the two former lovebirds are sucked into solving the case of the missing actress。 Caro’s best friend Kate and her police detective husband also help and by “help” I mean they are totally useless， particularly the police officer。 Thanks for nothing “detective”…more like defective。 Boom mic drop。 Anyway- Caro is super bitter towards Val at first but slowly starts to trust him again。 Their relationship is a fairly chaste slow burn。 I needed more yearning and burning from these two。 I would say this book is more of a crime solving mystery than a smutty romance。 I needed less amateur detective work on the streets and more undercover poking around in the sheets。 But I’m a perv。 Overall a pretty good read is you like your crime solving with a side of light romance。 。。。more
Jessica Woods
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An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is book two in the series and can be read as a standalone。 I have not read the first book and this one is easy enough to follow along。 Caroline Hardcastle is the unconventional daughter of a rich businessman and the coauthor of a crime column in the newspaper。 Way ahead of her time， Caroline is smart funny and in a love hate relationship with her ex-fiancé， Lord Valentine Thorn。 Val lost Caro when he refused to defend her to his brother for being common An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is book two in the series and can be read as a standalone。 I have not read the first book and this one is easy enough to follow along。 Caroline Hardcastle is the unconventional daughter of a rich businessman and the coauthor of a crime column in the newspaper。 Way ahead of her time， Caroline is smart funny and in a love hate relationship with her ex-fiancé， Lord Valentine Thorn。 Val lost Caro when he refused to defend her to his brother for being common born。 When Caro’s friend whose Val’s cousin’s fiancé and famous actress goes missing， Caro and Val take up the mystery of the disappearance。 Equal parts second chance romance and historical mystery， the story is interesting and fast paced with a sweet HEA that will have this reader looking for anything written by this author。 The bickering flirtation is fun， the protagonist are strong， and the mystery compelling for a must read for historical romance fans。 。。。more
The Rose Post
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My Rating: 5/5⭐️’s Publication Date: November 16th 2021 Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for giving me this eARC！ I was so happy to receive it because I read the first book in this series and loveddd it！ I’m a huge lover of historical romance because it’s so much fun and easy to read。 This book was great because it had a mixture of mystery and romance （two of my favorite genres）。 The mystery itself I thought was great， and I wasn’t exactly expecting the reveal！ I also lovedd the romanc My Rating: 5/5⭐️’s Publication Date: November 16th 2021 Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for giving me this eARC！ I was so happy to receive it because I read the first book in this series and loveddd it！ I’m a huge lover of historical romance because it’s so much fun and easy to read。 This book was great because it had a mixture of mystery and romance （two of my favorite genres）。 The mystery itself I thought was great， and I wasn’t exactly expecting the reveal！ I also lovedd the romance between the main characters。 （Second-chance romance is one of my fav tropes）。 I thought they worked so well together。 This book is also very outspoken about violence against women， and the heroine is apart of a crime column who writes about crimes against women。 I thought it was great to see in a book that was set in a time that women had little independence in their lives。 Overall this book was a great reading experience and I recommend reading this when it is published on November 16th！ Lovers of historical romance or those just getting into the genre will enjoy this book。 。。。more
Tamarae
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Manda Collins has written a brilliantly classic tale of romance in Victorian England with the added twist of a crime solvers tale led primarily by 2 female leads。 Lady Kathleen and Caroline "Caro" Hardcastle write a column for the local paper and take the lead on an investigation when their friend， and actress and lower class lady Effie Warrington goes missing。 They fear a kidnapping after Lady Kate's Scotland Yard investigator husband finds her coach has been stolen and robbed。 Effie's courter， Manda Collins has written a brilliantly classic tale of romance in Victorian England with the added twist of a crime solvers tale led primarily by 2 female leads。 Lady Kathleen and Caroline "Caro" Hardcastle write a column for the local paper and take the lead on an investigation when their friend， and actress and lower class lady Effie Warrington goes missing。 They fear a kidnapping after Lady Kate's Scotland Yard investigator husband finds her coach has been stolen and robbed。 Effie's courter， Mr Thorn the nephew of A Duke has also been injured in the kidnapping and later also kidnapped。 Lord Valentine "Val" Wrackham ends up assisting on the case and after a series of events finds himself falling for his previous love Caro。Read this adventurous， amusing， fun， romantic story to find out the ins and outs of the romances amongst the classes， fin。out who solves the kidnappings and why and who the kidnapper is。 It's a wild ride but one worth taking！！ A well written， great story with phenomenal characters！ I will be reading all of Ms。 Collins works and the Victorian period is not one of my favorites if that tells you anything！！ 。。。more
Ana
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I have received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I have never read anything by this author before and the book was a nice surprise。 However， I have yet to find a book that can be a romance and a mystery with both working。 I've seen it done marvelously by Sabrina Jeffries in her latest series but the mystery unfolds in several books。 And I've also enjoyed Penny Reid's contemporary series with Cletus and Jen （solving for pie :） ） but there I have received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 I have never read anything by this author before and the book was a nice surprise。 However， I have yet to find a book that can be a romance and a mystery with both working。 I've seen it done marvelously by Sabrina Jeffries in her latest series but the mystery unfolds in several books。 And I've also enjoyed Penny Reid's contemporary series with Cletus and Jen （solving for pie :） ） but there the romance had its own book before。 Manda Collins tried to mix the two genres and， in my opinion， that led to the book coming short on both。 Personally， I wish the focus was on the romance as the characters had great chemistry and the dialogues between them were wonderfully witty。 I also wish there was a lot more steam than the one wedding night scene but I'm not deducting stars for that， it's just my personal preference and I may not be Mrs Collins' target audience。 It's also a highly anachronistic tale so if you are a stickler for historical accuracy in comportment and language， this book might annoy you。 It doesn't bother me。 All in all a nice read， I would say it was a 3。5 for me but I'll round it up。 。。。more
flavia
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*ARC kindly provided by Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was so excited to start reading this book and get the story of what had happened to bring the present animosity between Caro and Val that we got a glimpse at in A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem， and I was not at all let down。An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is centered around Miss Caroline Hardcastle trying to find one of her friends after she has been kidnapped in broad daylight。 Bu *ARC kindly provided by Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I was so excited to start reading this book and get the story of what had happened to bring the present animosity between Caro and Val that we got a glimpse at in A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem， and I was not at all let down。An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Desire is centered around Miss Caroline Hardcastle trying to find one of her friends after she has been kidnapped in broad daylight。 But Caro finds out that her friend was engaged to be married with none other but Frank Thorn， the cousin of Lord Valentine Thorn， the new viscount Wrackham and her old betrothed。 Both Caro and Val are obliged to turn their backs to their past feelings in order to work together and find clues for the mysterious disappearance in which they found themselves reconnected。 At the same time， Caro is trying to assure her parents that she doesn’t need to marry while Val takes the opportunity of their closeness to show that he has changed。This book was such an amazing read， it had the right amount of romance and mystery once again and the addition of new characters was a great too。 I liked how we got to see the previous couple， Kate and Andrew accompanying our new protagonists in this new adventure。 And I loved to see the development that Caro and Val’s relationship went through， they were so adorable， and I liked how they got something so good out of their past。I cannot wait for the next title in the series since the author reveled the name of the couple that is going to be centered around！ 。。。more
Pat Dupuy
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This was a fun book to read！ Equal parts mystery and romance， it has a very engaging cast of characters。 The familiar tropes of second chances and enemies-to-lovers have fresh twists to them as the main couple has matured and recognized their past mistakes。 A kidnapping has brought Caro and Val back together four years after she called off their secret engagement。 Val's cousin Francis has been attacked and his actress fiancee' Effie abducted。 Effie is a member of Caro's literary salon and has be This was a fun book to read！ Equal parts mystery and romance， it has a very engaging cast of characters。 The familiar tropes of second chances and enemies-to-lovers have fresh twists to them as the main couple has matured and recognized their past mistakes。 A kidnapping has brought Caro and Val back together four years after she called off their secret engagement。 Val's cousin Francis has been attacked and his actress fiancee' Effie abducted。 Effie is a member of Caro's literary salon and has become a good friend。 Past hurts have to be put aside while Val and Caro search for Effie。 。。。more
Katharine
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Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 4/5 starsCaro and Val were such a sweet love story！ They were childhood lovers and a little friends to enemies storyline。 More misunderstanding/immature reason than real enemies。 Caro was spunky and opinionated。 I really enjoy when the MC can just own her personality and doesn’t back down。 She was witty and fun。 Val had the pressure of the dukedom on him but learned what was importan Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 4/5 starsCaro and Val were such a sweet love story！ They were childhood lovers and a little friends to enemies storyline。 More misunderstanding/immature reason than real enemies。 Caro was spunky and opinionated。 I really enjoy when the MC can just own her personality and doesn’t back down。 She was witty and fun。 Val had the pressure of the dukedom on him but learned what was important。 It was nice to see Val learn from his previous mistakes and fix them。 He didn’t make the same mistake over and over again。 And made a point of apologizing over the previous mistake。 I enjoyed that their love story was happening while trying to solve a case。 The author did a good job making sure not to take away from their love story。 Overall I enjoyed it and had no idea who had stolen their friend！ 。。。more
Kiaran Johnson-Lew
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