Historical drama featuring some familiar characters. A twisted tale of blackmail and revenge. I would have given this book four stars of there as been less time spent on Bea's contemplations.

I continue to be a fan of the Beatrice Hyde-Clare and the Verity Lark mystery series and in this newest instalment, which sees Beatrice and Verity come face to face, consequently, really uniting both series.

In this book, Verity has been arrested and charged with the murder of the woman who ran the orphanage where she grew up. Locked up. in the infamous Newgate Prison, Beatrice goes to visit Verity there after learning about the arrest in order to help exonerate Verity. What commences is an investigation that exposes blackmail, corruption, and some awful medical experiments. Of course, Beatrice being Beatrice slowly unravels the truth and the murderer is revealed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book but any recommendation to read this book comes with the caveat that the previous books in the series, along with the Verity Lark series, should be read. The level of detail in the book, the requirement to know the background of the characters, and the references to events in previous books ensures that A Vicious Machination is not a standalone and could present a challenge to anyone for whom this book is the first introduction to the Hyde-Clare/Lark universe.

I continue to enjoy the growing relationship between Beatrice and her husband, the Duke of Kesgrave, along with their banter. We continue to see Beatrice growing into her role of Duchess, albeit with some apprehension about being able to manage the country estate that they will be heading to in the near future (and possibly the location of some future murders for Beatrice to solve??).

Very enjoyable book for fans of the series and I'm excited to see what comes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, bringing together two strong female characters from separate series, but I think I was expecting them to spend a bit more time together. I was prepared for them to form an uneasy alliance that ends up terrifying everyone around them, and I think that would have been really fun. However, this is an investigation run by Bea as usual, with Verity at the center of it but also very much off-stage for the majority of the book. Will we in future see them operating together? Maybe so, but this volume isn't where it happens.
There were some chuckle-worthy moments, and the book was fairly fast-paced. If you are a Beatrice Hyde-Clare fan you will enjoy this latest volume. A knowledge of prior books in the series is vital.

"A Vicious Machination" is the twelfth book in Beatrice Hyde-Clare series by Lynn Messina. Set in Regency England, it features former spinster Beatrice Hyde-Clare, now the Duchess of Kesgrave, her husband Damien, the Duke, and Verity Lark, recently discovered to be Damien's illegitimate half-sister. Verity is a newspaper reporter who was raised in an orphanage and has recently published an expose of the cruelty of the headmistress, Agnes Wraithe, and the corruption of the orphanage's board members. When Wraithe is murdered, Verity is accused and ends up in Newgate prison. Beatrice and Damien work to free her with the help of Damien's grandmother, the Dowager Duchess and Verity's good friend, Lord Colton.. There are a number of twists and turns on the way to a solution.

I really enjoyed the plot and characters. The book is best read after either the previous book in the series, "A Murderous Tryst," or books in the separate spinoff series of Verity Lark books, all of which I recommend.

The book is scheduled for publication on June 28, 2024. My review is based on an advance review copy received through NetGalley and BookFunnel.

“A Vicious Machination “ was a pleasure to read. It has plenty of twists and turns and the final denouement was thrilling. It has wit, romance and a great supporting cast. Bea, The heroine/protagonist, is still feeling her way in her new life as a Duchess, and a pregnant one at that. After months of being lampooned as Her Outrageousness, there has been a lull, and Bea believes it is due to the intercession of Verity Lark, a newly discovered half-sister of her beloved husband.
She, and her husband’s grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, decide to visit Verity to thank her. Upon arriving, the household is in an uproar as Verity has been arrested for murder. Bea has come by her title of Her Outrageousness due to her penchant for discovering dead bodies and/or being involved in solving murders. Verity’s staff appeal to her to prove her innocent.
And so it begins with a visit to Newgate to visit Verity and gather info. The murder victim was the former headmistress of an orphanage who had been exposed for nefarious deeds and corruption and was now living in disgrace, as were other members of the orphanage board of directors. And that board appears to be the place to start. The Duke, is as involved in solving the crimes as she is.

Bea is not a cardboard character. The suffering of the orphans hits her hard as that could have been her lot, if not for family taking her in after her parents were murdered, She struggles with imposter syndrome-she was a plain spinster who had a perfect specimen of a duke fall in love with her. Her husband is wealthy and has large estates that she overwhelm her.

While I have read previous installments, I am not up to date so it took me a while to figure out the most recent backstory..

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I am a HUGE Lynn Messina fan. She is great.

I have been reading this series since the beginning and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’m highly recommend starting with the first book and working your way to this book.

Very well written.

I just reviewed A Vicious Machination by Lynn Messina. #AViciousMachination #NetGalley

Huge thanks to Lynn Messina and Netgalley for the ARC. Now on to the review. As a Beatrice Hyde-Clare fan and a casual Verity Lark reader, I love the intermingling of not only the plots but of the characters. I've loved how Bea, after living most of her life unwanted and ignored, has created her version of a little family with Kesgrave, the Dowager, the Countess of Abercrombie, and now Verity. I am excited to see what kind of shenanigans Bea comes up with to bring the siblings together. While both Kesgrave and Verity have very clear boundaries drawn in the sand regarding their new found acquaintance, I don't see how they can remain strangers now that Bea has been brought into the loop.

Like always, the mystery was beautifully developed and Bea's internal ramblings and witticisms remain a highlight ove every book. My one and only complaint is that I'M DESPERATE TO MEET THE CHERUB!! I've always loved how each book seems to roll into the next, but for once I'd love a large enough time jump to speed up the introduction of the cherub.

How does Lynn Messina do it? Lynn Messina writes twisty murder mysteries that keep you guessing until the very end and still manages to pepper every scene with humor. I imagine her cracking up as she writes, even though some of the subject matter in these books is heavy.

In A Vicious Machination, the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series continues to overlap with the Verity Lark series. Verity Lark, the reporter who has excoriated Beatrice in the past in a gossip column who also happens to be the half-sister of Bea's husband, is in jail for murder. Bea feels she and her husband, Damen, Duke of Kesgrave, must investigate and prove her innocent. Though Damien and Verity have met in a past book, Bea meets Verity for the first time in Newgate Prison.

The murder victim ran the orphanage where Verity grew up. She had been selling children into slavery and blackmailing members of the orphanage's board of directors as well. Verity exposed the scheme and ruined everyone involved, so suspects for the murder are numerous. Over the course of two days, Bea and Damien interview suspects and hone in on the guilty party. The finale is an action scene where Damien and Verity's beau (is that the right term?) play major roles.

In addition to the fascinating investigation, we see Bea continue to deal with discomfort over her new roles as Duchess and impending motherhood,. These scenes are both sweet and funny with secondary characters like Bea's Aunt Vera and Lady Abercrombie appearing briefly. There's a hint that action will move to the Kesgrave country estate soon.

As always, the pace is fast. Though this installment is under 300 pages, it is packed!

A new mystery for Bea to solve but this time it is Verity Lark that has been accused of murder!

After the revelation that Verity is Kesgrave's half sister, Bea is curios to get to know her but unfortunately it is under dire circumstances.

As with all the books by Lynn Messina I loved the mystery component of the story and the characters are perfectly designed.

The dowager could have played a bigger role but I was happy to get more of Lord Colson.

As usual, I cannot wait for the next book in this series and in Verity Lark's.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I would recommend all readers to read the books of this series in order. This is is the first one that I read, and I struggled in the first few chapters to make sense of the characters and the back story that was being discussed. Having said that, I must commend the writer on doing a brilliant job with the plot and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the amazing relationship between the Duke and the Duchess. The writing kept me hooked till the end.

3.5

I have to admit that I did not make any previous research when I stumbled upon this book and started reading it. I realised soon enough that it was part of a series (a very lengthy one, in fact) that I had never read, unfortunately. Despite this, I found the book enjoyable and fun, and although I clearly lacked a myriad of backstory it only made me more keen to read the previous releases.
Bea is witty and smart and this is the perfect book (and saga, please do not repeat my mistakes and start from the beginning!!) for those who want a little bit more mystery and adventure from their period romances.