The Matter of the Secret Bride by Darcie Wilde Published by Kensington Books on December 24, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 448
Format: ARC
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Amazon
Set in Regency London, this charming Jane Austen-inspired mystery series features Rosalind Thorne, a resourceful young woman with a talent for helping ladies of the ton with their most delicate and pressing predicaments. But now she’s faced with a task of royal proportions. Literally.
KingGeorge IV is petitioning Parliament for a divorce from his queen on the grounds of her adultery. But rumor has it that the king secretly married Maria Fitzherbert—long before he married the queen. Now Mrs. Fitzherbert has been robbed—and she’s frantically calling on Rosalind for help.
Because what those thieves took is proof that she and King George did really marry. That single piece of paper could destroy Mrs. Fitzherbert and her family—or it could prove the king guilty of bigamy.
Rosalind races to investigate. With her is ex-Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness, with whom Rosalind shares a complex and rapidly intensifying bond. But a case of theft soon turns to murder . . .
Josiah Poole, a disreputable attorney specializing in helping debtors—and who was seen entering Mrs. Fitzherbert’s house—is found brutally murdered. Mrs. Fitzherbert has debts. Could she have staged the theft, and employed Mr. Poole to sell the marriage certificate? Or is the truth even more complicated? Mrs. Fitzherbert’s daughters have secrets of their own. And Poole himself had no shortage of enemies.
With suspicious coincidences mounting, and more danger encroaching, Rosalind and Adam must move quickly to unravel a history-making mystery that might just lead them straight to the palace itself . . .
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Darcie Wilde is a new author to me, but I was excited to get back into a good Regency mystery with romantic elements. This is the third novel in a series, but worked okay as a standalone, although I think I would get more out of it starting with the first in the series, as the first few chapters were a bit confusing to me.
The primary mystery is surrounding Prinny’s secret marriage to Mrs. Fitzherbert, and the marriage certificate has gone missing/been stolen. I have never been very interested in royals and royal intrigue, so the mystery itself was not as captivating for me as I hoped, although there is some murder involved in the plot. There are lots of twists and turns, attention to detail, and some romantic elements that make this a good read for mystery lovers but the layered elements may also turn off other readers. This includes jumping into secondary character POVs, which was interesting for me but may also be too much for some readers.
I didn’t really find similarities with Fleabag or Jane Austen, so that was a misleading pitch that disappointed me. The book was also long, with a lot of extra info dumping about political aspects that some readers will enjoy but I found dampened momentum as a reader.
There is mature subject matter, some violence, and sexual themes so while on the cozier side of mysteries probably not appropriate for readers who like it “sweet”.
I will give the first in the series a go and then maybe retry this one. For now, I would say great for readers who love the royal history, political intrigue, and light romance.
