A book that covers a good length of time, giving Mary and Tre time to grow closer and to test out their affection. Lady Mary is great, feisty and trying to do good with her life. She helps, she investigates and is loyal to those she cares for. Tre is more closed and struggles with headaches and spells. We follow them both as time goes on and they work out whether they want to get married at a,k, whether they will lose themselves in a relationship and what the future might bring. Some great supporting characters and a very astute mum and aunt.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I must admit I requested this out of curiosity
Its ok
No more than that really - If I'd bought this myself I might have felt a bit hard done by

However, it was a quick read which was a plus for me

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the copy. What a gorgeous book! The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people but created with a charming lightness of touch. Thanks to a great author we have warmth, wisdom and emotional intelligence, this book was a huge pleasure to read!
I will read more by Sarah in the future.

This is the first book by Sarah Ferguson I have read, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it. It is effortless to read a romance, but also has a lot of fascinating historical facts. The settings, the era, and the plot all combined to make a great read.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Thoroughly enjoyed it but not sure if I read the first book in the series so not sure if they are separate stories. Historical Fiction at its best

A Most Intriguing Lady
by Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York

Lady Mary the youngest daughter of the Duke And Duchess of Buccleuch who is shy and unassuming often overlooked who discovers she has a talent for amateur sleuthing within her circles due to her talent for blending in and being being iv wet looked . Her life changes when Colonel Trefusis comes to visit her father to persuade him to give his support in set up a secret intelligence department- he is currently a spy and thinks there should be a department specialising in national security.

A reasonably well written book although it is very hard going as the author gives far too much background information that isn’t really needed which is rather unfortunate as the later part of the book really does gather momentum and really flows. It does Have potential if you have the patience to stick with the story. 3.5/5

Well written historical romance by someone who knows all about opulence and luxury, true escapism. A truly enjoyable read and beautifully presented.

I loved the first book of this author's so entered with a nervousness about the second. I needn't have worried as this was entrancing from the very first few pages.
Mary is a superb heroine. She breaks the norms, speaks her mind, is bold and brave. Tre was also noble, thoughtful and quite sensitive at times.
Great storyline thats more than a romance with some surprises along the way.
Mary is indeed a most intriguing lady and one I won't forget in a hurry,

4.5 stars

This story is steeped in the mores and cultural restrictions of the aristocratic victorian age. Mary is the daughter of a duke, shy and frightened that her controlling father will orchestrate a marriage for her. Her mother, the duchess has taken over many of the practical aspects of running the dukedom to allow her dominating husband to work with Victoria and the politics of the time.
Mary helps to solve three puzzles; a lost brooch, embezzeled funds, and stolen foreign papers. I thought the last puzzle was leading us down a strange Charlie's Angel type avenue, which if i'm honest I found a bit less believeable.. The romance wth Tre aka Colnel Walter Trefusis is a very slow burn with a few kisses. I wonder if the author didn't do the great passionate scenes because these characters were real people. The author adds great fascinating historic details at the end of the book.

I've enjoyed both books in this series. They can be read alone. IMO this story flows better than the first and I enjoyed all the descriptions especially Mary , Charlotte & Louisa's experiences in the Spa. It reminded me of my own time at Shrub;land hall ;) The stories deal with lots of important themes and for that reason I think these books are very grown up romances.

I heartily recommend this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How beautiful are the new illustrated covers of this series??

To be completely honest, I picked up the first book in this series (Her Heart for a Compass) to see what a Mills & Boon written by Sarah Ferguson would be like. For me, that one was quite meh. But this one I requested because it sounded genuinely exciting!

Lady Mary, the youngest daughter of Buccleuch family, is feeling lost and without purpose when she discovers a hidden talent - solving domestic crimes with subtlety. During her first case, she meets Colonel Walter Trefusis who is convincing her Father (the Duke) to back his new department of secret intelligence (he is a SPY!!). An unlikely friendship forms which, through each new encounter, begins to become something more...

I think you need to set your expectations correctly to enjoy this book - this isn't a true Mills & Boon, and it isn't really a romance. There is a lot of focus on the plot surrounding the hero and heroine, rather than their relationship with each other. However, I still had a really good time reading this! The crime solving was interesting, as was the plot line surrounding Mary's mother.

I liked Mary and Tre as characters, and believed they were well suited for each other. I do wish there was more of a focus on their romance. It felt a bit like we were being told they were in love rather than being shown it.

Overall though, I had a fun time reading this, and would recommend you pick it up when it is released on 30th March 2023.

Thank you to Net Galley, Mills & Boon and Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) for the free e-arc. All opinions are my own.

I couldn’t get into this. The descriptions seemed rather excessive and wooden, and the whole story felt as though it was written by a new author finding their feet in the genre, which thus made it rather clunky and distracting, so that it was hard for the reader to immerse themselves in the story