Lady Harleigh

Dianne Freeman: A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder

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Lady Harleigh #6

A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder is the sixth book in Dianne Freeman’s delightful Countess of Harleigh mystery series set in London in 1900.  Frances, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, is newly married to her beloved George Hazelton.  She has found the happiness in her second marriage that she did not find in her first, to a philandering aristocrat who married her for her money and who died under mysterious circumstances in his mistress’ bed.  In the first book in the series, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, she solves the mystery of her first husband’s death, and it is this case that brings Frances and George together.  They have become partners in crime-solving as well as in life, and it is very much an equal partnership, even though George objects to accepting money from Frances’ father and that becomes a point of tension between them early in the book.  But never fear, the tension doesn’t last very long. read more

Dianne Freeman: A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder

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I knew from Dianne Freeman’s first book that this was a special series, and the subsequent books have done absolutely nothing to change my initial opinion.  In this installment, she manages to carry off the wedding of the main character without destroying the interest and tension in the novel.  I can think of other series where a wedding can prove to be a disaster for the characters and only one other historical series, Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily books, where that was not the case.  So, bravo to Ms. Freeman right off the bat, before I even got to the heart of the book (the wedding happens at the very beginning). read more

Dianne Freeman: A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder

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This novel will be published on July 27.

The sparkling fourth installment to Dianne Freeman’s insanely enjoyable Frances, Lady Harleigh series finds the intrepid Frances on the verge of marriage to her beloved George, only to discover, practically on the eve of her wedding, that George’s wife has appeared. Of course, it’s a misunderstanding, but the social damage is done.  Irena, the woman making the claim, appears not only demented but in danger, as she’s been receiving threatening letters. read more

Dianne Freeman: A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder

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This delightful series continues to enchant.  The first book introduced the widowed Frances, Lady Harleigh, rich and on the loose in 1890’s London for the first time.  By this third installment, she’s engaged, is busy with her daughter, Rose, and is supervising the wedding plans for her sister Lily, who is inconveniently pregnant.

Frances is nothing if not practical, and she and her fiancée George quickly arrange for Lily to be married from George’s family seat while George’s brother is abroad. The wedding party is smallish, but for a house party – and a pool of murder suspects – plenty big enough.  Combining the classic British house party whodunnit with a lighter, funnier version of an historical cozy, Freeman is a deft hand with both narrative and character, and she keeps things percolating. read more