Boldwood are re-publishing this series – the opening book was originally called Secrets at St Brides – with gorgeous new art work and a new book in the series coming soon.

If, like me, you grew up reading boarding school stories and wishing you could go to Mallory Towers, you will enjoy this.

To be honest, the deeds are not that dastardly, but there is lot of fun to be had as Genma finds her feet in the slightly eccentric world of the English country boarding school.

The girls are rich, often obscenely so, but the school is impoverished and is making the pupils where thermals to save money on heating. (With energy prices the way they are I can actually see this happening across the country 🙈)

Gemma is newly qualified and takes the job as Head of English in a department of one because it also comes with a small flat and she can escape her controlling boyfriend.

There are mysteries abound though in the quirky world of St Brides.

Who is the mysterious Caroline she has been warned about? What is Mavis doing in the library? And what is going on with Jocelyn the PE teacher.

This is a really fun book. It’s silly and lighthearted. This is quite a short book so it’s a fast read – perfect for a gloomy autumn Sunday afternoon snuggled up in a blanket.

Thank you to Boldwood and Netgalley for my gifted digital copy of Dastardly Deeds At St Brides

Billed as a cozy mystery, there was no murder! But actually that didn't matter. A nu e easy read which took no time at all to get through. The characters are quirky and likeable and there are plenty of secrets to get to the bottom of. I will be reading the next in the series.

My thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author

Thank you so much to NetGalley an the publisher for this copy.

Here's my review:

This book was so fun to read. I was definitely excited when I saw what it was about. I felt like I was hiding in my closet with a flashlight while I was reading.

I felt like this book was the main character's attempt to begin again. She wanted to get away from a controlling and toxic relationship and lands at this boarding school. Once she gets to the school, she realizes that everybody is up to something/ hiding something. It sort of made me feel like the main character was Serena Van Der Woodsen from Gossip Girl when she left to boarding school without letting anybody know to escape her life in the Upper East Side except that Serena was a student and Gemma is a teacher but you get the reference.

I love how everybody is hiding something and the story focuses on the teachers and not the students. I love the eccentric personality of the characters and the working environment they seemed to have. I thought this was a very different read for me. I was expecting mystery but I really don't see it as mystery necessarily. The English setting seems to die for and I would just love to be there and be part of the staff. I definitely want to know what happens next.

This book was not at all what I expected. It was listed as a cozy mystery so I was expecting something along the lines of the typical cozy mysteries with a murder and an amateur sleuth uncovering the killer. I was definitely wrong in that count, there was no murder and I don’t really know where the mystery was. With that said, it was a well written book that was a fast read. I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters, but I did like how everything wrapped up at the end and tied together nicely. Overall it was a decent book, just not at all what I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC or this book!

This is billed as a cozy mystery, although there is no murder and little mystery. It is clever, with amusing characters and situations but not memorable.

The action takes place at an elite girls' school in the British countryside. Fledgling teacher Gemma Lamb is hiding out from the boyfriend she left behind -- a controlling and somewhat abusive bully. So she is happy to be off the beaten path with a gorgeous room in a beautiful old mansion.

The cast is nicely drawn -- the other teachers include a sleek beauty looking for a rich husband, a male PE teacher masquerading as a woman, and an acerbic and impoverished geography teacher. And then there's the headmistress. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

NOTE: The copy I read was titled "Dastardly Deeds at St. Bride's" but I believe it's the same book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this lovely book! I was attracted by the cover and the synopsis but this was my first ever Debbie Young book. I enjoyed it so much I immediately pre-ordered the next book in the series.

Gemma is running away from a bad - very bad - relationship and applies for a job as an English teacher at St Bride’s; a boarding school in the Cotswalds for girls. This started as a fun story, towards the end there was some mystery but I would not call it a cozy mystery to be honest.
It is a story about a young woman in a great working environment, finding out what she’s worth.

Definitely recommend this!

This was a wonderful, humorous cozy mystery. The quirky characters both engaged and brought the school to life. I was captivated from the start and quick devoured the tale. The books follows Gemma Lamb as she embarks on a new career at an imposing English boarding school. However all the staff are not quite what they seem.
Being set in the Cotswolds, the stunning scenery is captured in the well crafted writing, but it is the characters that truly made me smile and enjoy this book.

For me this is a fabulous book about a girls boarding school. It had me totally hooked from page one with its quirky characters, intriguing storyline and beautiful setting. Gemma Lamb leaves her controlling boyfriend and starts her first teaching job in the unique school known as St Brides. What happens in the school is certainly not straightforward with everyone having secrets and their own reasons for being there. It was refreshing to read a book about a school that focused on the staff and not the students. This was a quick read for me because I didn’t want to put it down!
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Witty, Engaging, Entertaining…
A boarding school tale for grown ups! Gemma Lamb takes a job at an English boarding school for girls. Is this the answer to her desired escape from a controlling partner? Perhaps. Gemma knows that the school is slightly eccentric but what she doesn’t know is that most of the staff are hiding secrets of their own and they may well be rather sinister. Witty, engaging and entertaining with a nicely crafted cast of characters and a great setting.

To get away from her overbearing boyfriend, Gemma Lamb takes a gig at a boarding school. She soon finds out everyone there has a secret…maybe it’s not the best gig, but she’s going to give it her all to become an independent woman.

This book is full of lots of quirky characters and scenarios. It’s almost as much fun to figure out who’s hiding what as it is to read. I really enjoyed it.

Dastardly Deeds at St Bride's is definitely. the book for all those who spent a childhood ensconced with a good boarding school book. Sadly, there is no lacrosse, as the main characters here are all the teachers, but it is a charming story of our main character's desire to start her life over again following an abusive relationship. There are a few mysteries to solve for her and a lovely cast of supporting characters, who all have their quirky sides, as does the boarding school itself.

I can't wait to read book 2.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This is a quick, pleasant read for fans of relationship drama/romance. The characters are quirky, off-the-wall types that lead lives filled with secrets. They are fun and colorful, but not terribly memorable….yet. If Young has plans to develop this into a series, she’s laid a solid footing for more stories about the teachers, staff, and students at St. Brides. There are so many stories I’d like to see fleshed out - Oriana’s “origin” story, Joe’s international embarrassment, and whatever Max’s background might be!

The tone here reminded me a bit of the Agatha Raisin series, without the murder.

Overall I found this a good read with good characters, not exactly gripping but what I would call a cosy book which I can thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

When Gemma Lamb takes a job at a quirky English girls’ boarding school, she believes she’s found the perfect escape route from her controlling boyfriend until she discovers the rest of the staff are hiding sinister secrets:
Hairnet, the eccentric headmistress who doesn't hold with academic qualifications
Oriana Bliss, Head of Maths and master of disguise
Joscelyn Spryke, the suspiciously rugged Head of PE
Geography teacher Mavis Brook, surreptitiously selling off the library books
creepy night watchman Max Security, with his network of hidden tunnels

Even McPhee, the school cat, is leading a double life.
Tucked away in the school’s beautiful private estate in the Cotswolds, can Gemma stay safe and build a new independent future, or will past secrets catch up with her and the rest of the staff?
With a little help from her new friends, including some wise pupils, she's going to give it her best shot...

Wow totally gripping I couldn’t put it down really enjoyed this book can’t wait for the next book in the series
Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books
I just reviewed Dastardly Deeds at St Bride's by Debbie Young. #DastardlyDeedsatStBrides #NetGalley