A Knightsbridge Scandal by Anita Davison is the third book in The Flora Maguire Mystery series. We are swept back to the Edwardian era (1903) in this novel. Flora Harrington is visiting her biological father in London. Flora discovered William Osborne was her birth father only a year ago. Flora and her maid, Sally are staying with William in his apartment at the Prince Albert Mansions. The first evening they have dinner and attend the theater. They return home to find the police in the alley next to the apartment building. A woman had been killed near The Grenadier (a pub). The victim turns out to be Evangeline Lange, who was involved in the suffrage movement. Flora’s curiosity is aroused because she had witnessed a scene between Ms. Lange and a resident of Prince Albert Mansions. While William is away at work each day (secretary to the foreign office), Flora (along with her outspoken maid, Sally) starts nosing into Ms. Lange’s life. Flora tries to share her findings with Detective Inspector Maddox, the lead investigator, but he does not appreciate her help (mostly because she is a woman). Clues lead toward the foreign office and issues abroad. What was Ms. Lange involved in? Flora is determined to unveil the killer, but what happens when she finds herself in a sticky situation?

A Knightsbridge Scandal is written during one of my favorite eras—The Edwardian. That is my favorite part of the book. The author did a wonderful job at portraying the scenery of London, the clothing, conveyances, and people’s attitudes. I found the pace of the story to be slow (plodding) and the dialogue stilted (awkward). I wish the author had provided all the background on Flora in this book. I have not had the opportunity to read the first two books in The Flora Maguire Mystery series (nor will I), and I was missing some details. I was especially curious as to why Flora’s husband is called Bunny and why Flora was attracted to him (and why would she marry Bunny after meeting his mother). The missing information did not affect the story or my view of the book. The novel would have been better without Flora’s husband and mother-in-law (especially her). If those people were in my life, I would want to escape to London (I probably would never go back home). The only reason Flora was investigating the crime is curiosity and boredom (I could understand being bored in that time period). I give A Knightsbridge Scandal 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). Flora was not a character I enjoyed. I like her curiosity, but not her acerbic comments (some of which did not help her relationship with her birth father) or her recklessness. Detective Inspector Maddox was a pompous, blowhard. His attitude, unfortunately, was in line with the time period. Most men would not appreciate a women’s interference (thankfully, some men were more enlightened). The mystery seemed complicated, but I could identify the killer long before the reveal. A Knightsbridge Scandal was not the right historical, mystery for me.

Amelia Grey kicks off The Rakes of St James series with a passionate tale of secrets, scandals and seduction: Last Night With The Duke!

Benedict Mercer, The Fourth Duke of Griffin, is not in the best of moods when he steps through the doors of Miss Mamie Fortescue’s Employment Agency. With rumours circulating all around the Ton that his twin sisters will end up bearing the brunt of his past follies and indiscretions – not to mention the fact that he has just received word from his aunt that she would be unable to chaperone the twins as she’s been taken ill, Benedict is at his wits’ end. To make matters worse, nobody seems to be willing to help him at Miss Fortescue’s Employment Agency – until he claps eyes on Miss Esmeralda Swift. Eagle-eyed and armed with a no nonsense attitude and a take no prisoners approach that makes grown men quake in their boots, Esmeralda has all the credentials Griffin requires for the perfect chaperone for his sisters. However, Benedict had not counted on developing an infatuation for his new employee…

Esmeralda is far too sensible to fall in love with a rake like the Duke of Griffin. A man whose reputation is tainted by scandal and has a list of indiscretions as long as her arm would never make a suitable husband and besides, a duke could never possibly contemplate a future with somebody like her…or could he? While his offer of employment is way too good to resist, Esmeralda vows to keep her relationship with the duke strictly professional. However, she soon finds herself falling for his devilish charm and charismatic personality and common sense and practicality soon fly out the window!

Passion soon ignites between Esmeralda and Griffin, but with so many obstacles standing in their way, does their love stand any chance of surviving when they are divided by a vast social chasm? Or is their relationship simply not meant to be?

Amelia Grey certainly knows how to tell a good story and I was charmed and completely engrossed by the first delightful installment of The Rakes of St James, Last Night with the Duke. An enjoyable and delightful read that sizzles with humour, passion and emotion, Last Night with the Duke captured my intention from the very first pages with its beguiling blend of well drawn characters, delicious wit, sparkling dialogue and enthralling romance

I thought Esmeralda was a fantastic heroine and her sparring with the sinfully seductive Griffin were an absolute joy to read!

Although I would have liked more attention to be given to the historical era which the book takes place in with regards to the attitudes of the characters and their behaviour, on the whole I found Last Night with the Duke to be a fun and entertaining romantic read that fans of Sarah Maclean and Tessa Dare will simply lap up!

I was really looking forward to starting Anita Davison's latest novel, A Knightsbridge Scandal, as she was a brand new author for me to sink my teeth into in regards to her work. I had heard of her, well, seen her books on Amazon, but my love for historical fiction wasn't as deep back then as it is now.

Set in 1903, London; A Knightsbridge Scandal brought to light the issues that women were up against back in the day;  such as the suffragette movement.  The movement was only just beginning to get the word out about their organisation and their beliefs; and, as this storyline shows, A LOT of people (mainly males) were completely against the entire thing. Because of that, women's safety became a rather touchy subject and also rather dangerous. Again, just like this storyline describes, there is always a scandal when you least expect it. Especially if, like Flora, you're meant to be having a little city break and the definition of 'seeing the sights' is completely different to what you originally thought....

Recently I have been reading a lot more historical fiction novels than ever before as I am a HUGE history buff (not many people know that), which meant my excitement for this novel was at a high. Early 1900's, London and a lot of history, what's not to like?
I need to be honest. It took me a little while to be able to get into this storyline and find something to sink my teeth into to keep me interested. The first couple of chapters seemed to ponder along at their own pace with a couple of sparklers alongside them, instead of a firework moment. Does that make sense? I struggled to find 'the thing' at first, and I so badly wanted to! I'm not usually one to give up on a book for a trivial reason, so I kept reading with my fingers crossed.

Did someone say SCANDAL?! Why helllooooooo there! The little 'something' I needed to reel me into the storyline properly, arrived with glittery paper and a huge bow (well, not really but you know what I mean). Flora was SUCH an inquisitive soul, completely unable to keep her nose out of things that didn't concern her. But you know what? I'm SOOOO glad that she was like that because I got to follow her journey of investigation, as well as learning more about an early 1900's London. From that moment I just knew that the book and I would be A-Okay.

Flora's mother in law, SHEEEEEESH!!!! What WAS that woman on? Both Bunny and his mother got on my nerves something chronic, no wonder Flora wanted to get a bit of excitement into a life and what a way to do it! Of course she managed to land herself in a bit of hot water, Flora was delving into a situation that she really should be steering clear of. That said, it was an exciting read with my detective skills failing me once again!

Anita Davison filled the storyline with one of my most favourite historical moments, The Suffragette Movement, and her brilliant descriptions made the movement come to life before my very own eyes.

Even though I was slightly unsure of the novel at the beginning, Anita's delightful writing style, historical knowledge and infectious bouts of excitement throughout, really did change my mind. It was as though something in the storyline just clicked.

Entertaining, secretive and incredibly interesting, A Knightsbridge Scandal is an ideal read to lounge on the sofa and step back in time with.

Thank you Aria.

1903 London and Flora has come to visit her father where she gets embroiled in a murder investigation which involves robbery, spies, and Serbian gangs.
A very enjoyable historical mystery story with some very likeable characters.
A NetGalley Book

Form wouldnot accept this information - (Also posted on Barnes and Noble by Vesper1931 and Amazon - https://www.amazon.ca/review/R1R28LTNLGRVX0/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N41BAR8&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=2972705011&store=digital-text - Vesper )

This was my first book by Antita Davison, but I will definitely keep an eye out for her future work. This book was a fun caper, with an intriguing plot and a wonderful setting and a likeable heroine. If this becomes a series, I will be curious to know what happens next!

I loved this book, it follows Flora - who's circumstances have changed for the better since we first met her. This is an old style murder mystery which brings alive London - the lovely and the not-so-nice. It's a cosy crime read that will keep you guessing!

The third installment in this series continues to build on the good character development and detailed plot we've come to expect from this series. Flora travels to London to visit and get to know her recently discovered father. A woman is murdered and Flora can not leave any stones uncovered to discover the culprit. Flora travels take to various places that give us a deeper look into the lives of the women of the day, their struggles and dreams. Twists and turns abound in this installment, and it was a satisfying read. I continue to enjoy this series and look forward to the next installment.

1903 is a good period. A period of great change particularly for women with the beginning of the suffragette movement though it still had a long way to go. Attitudes of men were also changing albeit slowly.

Flora our heroine has come to London seeking out her father whom she has never met nor been acknowledged by upto this time. All along she thought herself the daughter of the butler, a governess by profession and was looked at condescendingly by all including her mother in law. Her husband thank goodness is a perfectly decent man.

Flora is as her wont goes slap bang into a murder and a mystery which will take her to the very highest in the land. The ramifications of a murder which was thought first to be a robbery gone wrong, then linked to the victims connections to the suffragette movement move steadily upwards to a Serbian gang operating in London right under the eye of the very highest.

Very descriptive of not just the mystery and the murder it was, but also of the life and times of the period and London in particular, this was a very good piece of writing and one I enjoyed tremendously.

Goodreads review up on 14/2/2017. Reviews not permitted on Amazon. Review on my blog mid June 2017.

This book is very entertaining and one is quickly drawn into the mystery. It is well written and consequently easy to read. One might get even more from it if one had read earlier books in the series and therefore could appreciate the characters sooner. I recommend this book - nice easy holiday read.

While I'm not usually into mystery novels, I found all the historical references of A Knightsbridge Scandal really interesting. Our amateur sleuth, Flora Harrington, has solved cases in the past, but unfortunately I haven't had the chance to read them yet. In this novel, Former governess Flora is married to a lawyer, Ptolomey "Bunny" Harrington, and in the book she discovers she is also expecting her first child. She is visiting her newly discovered father, William, and staying with him at his home in the fashionable Knightsbridge area of London.

Her maid Sally is an important character too, being less constrained by the social niceties and able to go places her mistress can't. The two of them begin by first trying to find out who murdered a young suffragette, Evangeline Lange, who's body was found near to Flora's father's apartment building. From there, they eventually find themselves caught up in political intrigue in the form of Serbian spies and plots of regicide..

It plods along a bit in parts, but the last few chapters have you turning the pages as quick as you can read them as each piece of the puzzle comes to light. Very enjoyable read and perfect for curling up with on a dull Winter day.

"A Knightsbridge Scandal" is a mystery set in 1903 in England. It's the third book in a series, but you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one. However, the characters referred to events in the previous novels and partly spoiled previous mysteries.

The characters were interesting, especially Flora's maid. Flora now seems to feel she's better at detective work than she actually is, which gets her into trouble. Flora still walks into dangerous situations, but in this book, she ends up passively waiting for someone to notice she's missing and rescue her.

Historical details (like politics, technology, etc.) were woven into the story and played a role in the mystery. Flora and her maid asked questions and uncovered clues. I strongly suspected whodunit as being the murderer from early on, and I had a fair idea of what was going on before Flora did. There was enough complexity to the mystery to keep it interesting, though.

There were no sex scenes. There was a very minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery novel.