{"id":16639,"date":"2026-07-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=16639"},"modified":"2026-06-21T21:12:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T01:12:57","slug":"review-ladys-guide-gossip-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-ladys-guide-gossip-murder\/","title":{"rendered":"Review – A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Dianne Freeman<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Book<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Series:\u00a0<\/strong>Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #2
Genres:<\/strong> Mystery, Historical Fiction
Release Date:<\/strong> June 25, 2019
Pages:<\/strong> 306
Get from:<\/strong> Library<\/a> | Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Barnes & Noble<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/a>
My Rating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2bea<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

NOTE: This review is based on an eBook I borrowed from my local public library system<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are **SPOILERS** in this review, especially if you haven’t read book one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Freeman’s second entry in the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series may actually be better than the first. This time, I felt I was moving at about the same pace as the characters with regard to the mystery, rather than waiting for them to catch up at any point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The storyline was interesting, the supporting characters were woven in excellently \u2014 I didn’t suspect them of being integral to the plot when introduced \u2014 and the mystery kept me guessing right to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m sorry Alicia Stoke-Whitney was not in this installment. I’m curious to see if she’ll show up again later, or if she was just for book one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Hazelton, of course, continues to play a large roll, and has finally managed to convince Frances that his interest is real. Based on the ending of A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder<\/em>, I think they’ll be engaged in book 3, but maybe it’s just a tease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspector Delaney is much nicer in this entry. I suppose it helps that Frances is not a suspect this time. He goes so far as to tell her, “Lady Harleigh, I\u2019ve come to enjoy working with you in this unofficial capacity.” I wonder if he’ll continue to warm to her, or if his acceptance this time was because she was unofficially sanctioned to work on the case by Mr. Hazelton’s involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aunt Hetty is back, playing a vital role in this mystery as well. Her page time, though, is about the same, or perhaps less, than in book one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Lily played almost no part in this book. She was \u2014 somewhat understandably \u2014rather petulant about Frances spending so much time on the case while she, herself, was planning an engagement party. Instead, we see quite a bit of Lottie Deaver, Lily’s friend from New York, who makes herself surprisingly useful to the investigation. I can’t help but wonder if she’s going to disappear from the series as well, like Alicia from book 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder<\/em> is fabulous, and I eagerly anticipate reading future entries in this series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Notable Quote<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 15: \u201cThere are bound to be disasters.\u201d
She sniffed. \u201cNot if I plan properly.\u201d
I shushed her. \u201cNo matter how well you plan. Disasters are a fact of life. Just accept it. Yes, you can and should plan carefully, but you are dealing with humans and they all have their own lives, plans, and needs. There\u2019s no telling what can happen when you gather a group of them together. The important thing to remember is when disaster strikes you must face it with aplomb. You cannot fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Have you read A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder<\/em>? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog<\/a> or follow me on Instagram<\/a> so you don\u2019t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cMs. Freeman’s second entry in [this] series may actually be better than the first.\u201d Check out my review of *A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder* by Dianne Freeman.<\/p>\n

Keep ReadingReview – A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[115],"tags":[483,105,71,39,139,69,162],"class_list":["post-16639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-4-5-stars","tag-adult","tag-book-review","tag-books","tag-mystery","tag-spoilers","tag-victorian","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BookReviewGeneric-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-4kn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16631,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-ladys-guide-etiquette-murder\/","url_meta":{"origin":16639,"position":0},"title":"Review – A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder","author":"Rachel","date":"May 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI definitely recommend it and look forward to reading more.\u201d Check out my review of *A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder* by Dianne Freeman.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"book cover: A lady's guide to etiquette and murder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/algteam.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3861,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-ladys-reputation\/","url_meta":{"origin":16639,"position":1},"title":"Review – A Lady’s Reputation","author":"Rachel","date":"February 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my review for A Lady's Reputation by Amy D'Orazio.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Lady's Reputation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/alr.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16453,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-queens-crime\/","url_meta":{"origin":16639,"position":2},"title":"Review – The Queens of Crime","author":"Rachel","date":"April 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI think [it] is an excellent addition to the mystery genre.\u201d Check out my review of *The Queens of Crime* by Marie Benedict.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Book Cover - The Queens of Crime","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/theQueensOfCrime.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8937,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-unmentionable\/","url_meta":{"origin":16639,"position":3},"title":"Review – Unmentionable","author":"Rachel","date":"January 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"A hilarious trip through the most ridiculous parts of Victorian America\" Check out my review of *Unmentionable* by Therese Oneill.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BookReviewGeneric-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":843,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-kwsmh\/","url_meta":{"origin":16639,"position":4},"title":"Review – Knights Who Stole My Heart","author":"Rachel","date":"February 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Continuing with my book blogger posts, I was offered the opportunity to receive an ARC of Knights Who Stole My Heart (Book 2 in the Knights Series) by Sonya Jesus. Having enjoyed Knights After My Heart (Book 1), I happily accepted the offer. Feel free to skip past the book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of Knights Who Stole My Heart","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/38595749-187x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3869,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-fitzwilliam-darcy-elopes\/","url_meta":{"origin":16639,"position":5},"title":"Review – Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes","author":"Rachel","date":"February 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my review for Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes by Beth Wood.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Blogger"","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/fde.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16639"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16913,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16639\/revisions\/16913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}