Thank you, Net Galley and Kensington Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this book, we follow recently engaged Viscount Lyndhurst “Lyndy” and his fiance Stella who must follow social protocols. When Lord Fairbrother’s horse wins best in breed again, the town is outraged. While out for a morning fishing trip, Stella and Lyndy discover his body floating in the river. And they decide to try and solve what happened.

This is a fast-paced read that immerses you in the 1900s, it was very reminiscent of Downtown Abbey. At times the author relied heavily on the phrase ‘Stella’s eyes popped open.’ It was repeated many times throughout the text. What would have made this book have a higher rating would be if Stella had more agency. She lacked depth and came across as superficial. It would have been interesting to see more of how Stella felt about the murder and having to balance her life with pleasing Lyndy’s mother and aunt. I think this is a good set up for the series, and I haven’t read the first book, and I wasn’t lost at all. I think if there was more character development, it would have elevated this book more.