I very much enjoyed the first Miss Austen Investigates and was looking forward to reading A Fortune Most Fatal. Jessica Bull once again shows a great knowledge of the time period and the people and place's in Jane's life and provides Jane with some suitably witty lines. It is a fun read, while also adding in some darker elements of the social constraints and treatment of women during Jane's lifetime. It wasn't as much as a mystery as the first outing, but still has some twists and turns and secrets to uncover. I think this would be a great read for book groups as there is plenty to dissect and discuss.

Whilst I enjoyed the first book in the series this, the second in the series, was totally delightful. I was completely immersed from start to finish. Set in Kent in 1797 where Jane Austen, now 21 years old, has been sent to stay with her brother Edward ‘Neddy’ and his wife Elizabeth at Rowling Manor, to aid the latter during her confinement. Neddy left the Austen family at age 14 to live with the wealthy Knight family and now considers them his parents. As their only child he is due to inherit the Godmersham Park estate in due course.

Briefly, Elizabeth is not having an easy confinement which is exacerbated by her concern that Neddy’s future fortune is at stake. Widow Mrs. Knight has taken into her home a rather strange young woman who purports to be Eleanor, a Spanish princess. Elizabeth is convinced that she’s a charlatan who has her eye her husband‘s future inheritance. She tasks Jane with helping her convince Mrs Knight that the young woman isn’t who she says she is. However, Jane soon realises that Mrs. Knight is aware that Eleanor isn’t a Princess just someone needing help and Jane wants to help too. Meanwhile, Jane has overheard a distressing conversation that leads her to believe that her brother is a bit of a rake!

It was clear from the last book that Jane isn’t quite the detective she believes herself to be. Her imagination can often take over from the facts leading her down all sorts of torturous paths. I love the fact that there is so much based on the Austen family’s real life, the little snippets of detail about her books, that as yet were unpublished, were wonderful. Beautifully crafted I defy any Austen lover not to enjoy this, in fact anyone who loves a wonderful cosy mystery will hopefully be as mesmerised as I was. Yes I loved it. December this year will see the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and this is a fitting memorial to an incredible woman.

In the 250th anniversary year since Jane Austen’s birth, I knew I had to get my hands on this second book from Jessica Bull that sees Jane as an amateur sleuth. I adored the first book and have been waiting for this one - I wasn’t disappointed!

“Who are you, Miss Austen, but a young lady of little experience and no consequence?”

Welcome to Kent, 1797. Following many years apart, Jane Austen is set to spend the summer with her estranged brother, Neddy. As heir to wealthy widow Mrs Knight’s fortune, it is imperative that Neddy stays in his benefactor’s good graces. The financial security of Jane’s entire family depend on him.

But upon arrival at Godmersham Park, Jane quickly realises Neddy is in dire need of her help. For a mysterious young woman currently resides with Mrs Knight – a stranger who threatens to swindle the inheritance for herself.

Jane must uncover who this imposter is, to protect the fortunes – and fate – of her family. But when her investigation takes a dark and dangerous turn, can she solve the mystery – and save herself?

This book is just exceptional, so packed full of details, Jessica really knows Jane Austen and this time we go to Godmersham Park, home to her brother Neddy. Neddy was adopted when Jane was three years old and she now travels to care for his wife Elizabeth as she prepares to give birth at their house in Kent. Neddy is heir to the Knight fortune worth eight thousand a year.
Jane is writing The Sisters, which will become Sense and Sensibility and she is determined to both write and puzzle out just what is going on with Mrs Knight and her new guest.

I really loved this story, Jane is not a very good sleuth really, as we discovered in the first book, but she has a very kind heart and simply wants to uncover the truth. There are plenty of twists and turns and lots of little nods to Austen’s work.

‘your words have a way of piercing one’s soul.’

I loved the link to Princess Caraboo (see the Ladykillers podcast for more on this) and the authors own link to one of the characters. This is written with love, wit and is a joy to read. I adore this version of Jane Austen and look forward to her next adventure!

A Fortune Most Fatal is the second book in Jessica Bull's wonderful Miss Austen Investigates series, which as you can imagine is a delightful series of cozy mysteries which are solved by Jane, usually while she is dealing with several issues involving various family members. In this book Jane is visiting her brother Neddy who was adopted by a wealth family. the Knights, when he was just a boy. His wife is about to give birth and Jane is sent to help with the household and other children at their home, Godmersham Park. What should have been a pleasant visit is marred by fears that Neddy's inheritance and thus his family's security is under threat from a mysterious young woman claiming to be a Spanish princess that the widowed Mrs Knight seems to have taken under her wing. Of course Jane is determined to ferret out the truth behind her story and so chaos ensues with some interesting results.
This book is has a clever mystery at the core but with some darkness that I was not expecting. It is sensitively handled and I appreciated that the author used humour, most notably in the numerous attempts to set Jane up with a suitor, to cut through some of the heavier material. The character of Jane as written by Jessica Bull is clever and witty as you would expect but also quite an innocent in the ways of the world, as would be common for a woman of her class in that time period, and the author uses this to her advantage. It says a lot for an author's ability to develop a character that I found myself quite fond of the fraudulent princess by the end of the book. The pace of the book is gentle and unhurried but I was still engaged enough to keep turning pages.
A worthy successor to Miss Austen Investigates , one that many readers will enjoy and I hope that the series continues to go from strength to strength.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the author, all opinions are my own.

A fortune most fatal by Jessica Bull for publication on 27 March 2025

I loved the first in this series and the second delighted me even more.

Jane Austen goes to stay with her sister in law Elizabeth who is about to give birth. Whilst there Jane gets entangled in the mysterious house guest staying with Neddy's mother. A houseguest who looks like a fraud out to con Neddy's mother out of her fortune and usurp Neddy in his mother's affections.

Jane manages to read too much into part comversations with hilarious results. Put together her sister in law's attempts to marry Jane off and an unputdownable funny story emerges.

A fantastic read and roll on number 3.

Thanks to Netgalley for a pre publication copy.

‘A Fortune Most Fatal’ is a wonderful sequel to ‘Miss Austen Investigates’ and continues various threads from the first book in the most delightful and witty way.
We are soon introduced to the intriguing – and possible dangerous – character of the Princess. All is most definitely not what it seems and Jane has her work cut out getting to the bottom of the mystery. I particularly love the idea that Jane, because she is a writer, might have a special insight into the difficulties faced by the ‘Princess’. No spoilers...you will have to read the book to fully understand that!
A fabulous, 5 star read. Can’t wait for the next one!

'A Fortune Most Fatal' by Jessica Bull.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was looking forward to this because I was a big fan of the first one. This book didn't disappoint. I love the mysterious character that is residing with Mrs Knight, I don't want to give too much away by talking about the guest. But I feel your mind will change quite frequently about them. If you're a fan of cozy crime and Jane Austen then this book is perfect. Give it a read.

Welcome to Kent, 1797. Following many years apart, Jane Austen is set to spend the summer with her estranged brother, Neddy. As heir to wealthy widow Mrs Knight’s fortune, it is imperative that Neddy stays in his benefactor’s good graces. The financial security of Jane’s entire family depend on him.

But upon arrival at Godmersham Park, Jane quickly realises Neddy is in dire need of her help. For a mysterious young woman currently resides with Mrs Knight – a stranger who threatens to swindle the inheritance for herself.

Jane must uncover who this imposter is, to protect the fortunes – and fate – of her family. But when her investigation takes a dark and dangerous turn, can she solve the mystery – and save herself?

Thanks to NetGallery UK, the publishers and the author for letting me read a copy in return for an honest review.

Just such fun to read, a genuine delight from beginning to end. Jane Austen as drawn by Jessica Bull is as witty as you'd expect, but she's not perfect. She is prone to making snap judgements that send her down the wrong path at times, but she is there to save the day at the end. Some darker subject matter in parts than expected - Austen's time wasn't a kind place to girls and women who didn't have her advantages, and her eyes were opened to this.
I'm very much looking forward to the next of the series - long may it continue!

Another wonderful glimpse into the world of Jane Austen from the pen of Jessica Bull. I loved the way Jane has developed from the previous story. Aware that she is inclined to make assumptions about the people she meets, she is determined not to make the same mistakes again. A visit to her brother, Neddy's house to help her sister-in-law with her lying in, promises to be a dull affair, until Jane is made aware of the presence of a mysterious Spanish Princess who threatens her brother's inheritance. Determined to save her family's fortunes, Jane attempts to discover the true identity of the Princess, making all manner of assuimptions in the process, until finally, she unravels the truth. Absorbing from the first page to the last, I have no difficulty in awarding this book the 5 stars it deserves.

A great read. Interesting and clever. I enjoyed the slow pace of this story as it matched the era that the book was written in. An author I'll be looking out for in the future. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A wonderful sequel. An enchanting mystery with huge heart. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Another fantastic read from the author. I was totally engrossed in Miss Austen Investigates and so jumped at the chance to read this. And I was not disappointed.

The authors knowledge and love of Jane Austen and her time comes through in every page of this book. I love the character she has created, the way this Jane goes against tradition, her keen interest in seeking justice and working out the mystery of the plot.

This one, like her precious novel, see Jane investigating a series of events surrounding a smuggler, a mystery women who is not all dhe seems and her families involvement.

This was a page turning read, captivating, enthralling and brilliantly written.

If you love Cosy mysteries, Jane Aiusten vibes or just a well written work of fiction with a brilliant FMC then I highly recommend this author.

I absolutely adored Jessica's previous book, Miss Austen Investigates, and have been looking forward to the sequel ever since and so I am thrilled to receive an early digital copy. It got bumped right up to the top of my list.

I love how Jessica seamlessly blends fact with fiction. You can identify Jane Austen as what she was, but there's a spark that comes with making her this wonderful sleuth.

You can tell Jessica is passionate about Jane Austen. Only so much can come from research and books; the rest you have to feel.

It's different than the first one. Whilst the first one deals with murder, this one deals with inheritance and shady characters. It's no less a wonderful story, and whilst it still has the elements I enjoyed frrom the first book, by changing the key plot point adds more excitement. It stops it being repetitive. I will admit I preferred the whodunnit aspect of the first book more, but that's because I'm a fan of murder (reading, not doing) but that's a tiny point, because I still loved what was in this book.

We've got some old characters and some new, giving it an air of familiarity but also keeping it fresh and exciting. Jane is more assured of herself in this book. She knows what she's capable of and won't take any prisoners. It just seems so natural that Jane would be doing these kind of things in reality.

I love reading books where women go above the social position they are expected to be. This is set in the 1700s, where women were meant to be subservient and do what they're told and not interfere and get married and have a family. And here we have a young lady, unmarried, wants to be a writer, and who wants to be right in the middle of the action.

I had just devoured a really long heavy fantasy book and so I was concerned my brain wouldn't be able to get into this as quickly but I read it in a day. And it was a day where I was feeling quite low, was in a low of paint, and so I wasn't feeling my best, but this really helped lift my spirits.

I won't quote the sentence in case it doesn't end up in the final book but just in case Jessica is reading this. At about 20% through, Jane is having a conversation with a clergyman who mentions his views on women and novels and propriety which made me laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. How I am glad to be a woman in this century, for all the novels I read.

I don't know how long Jessica plans to make this series but I can see it being long, almost like the Poirot of Miss Marple series. And dare I say it, I can see this being as popular and have as much longevity as Agatha Christie did before her.

There's always that second book nervousness that arises when a debut like the authors first book is loved so dearly. I am thrilled to report that those nerves were absolutely not necessary as the second book is just as intriguing, authentic and delightful as the first. I felt immediately transported back into Jane's world with the family dynamics, latest dramas and to-dos and the next part of her adventure.

Just like book 1, this author did her research and the letters from Jane to her sister Cassandra are for me the highlight of the novel, they are chefs kiss and I forgot at times I wasn't reading real letters from the real Jane. I do not say this lightly!

A wonderful and classy read.

Another excellent read, with meticulous research and attention to historical detail, artistic licence is employed to keep the story progressing whilst being true to the period. I truly believe that this is the true nature of Jane Austen and look forward to reading much more

This was an enjoyable read. Jane is staying with her brother and his family. While she is there, she is trying to discover if a warm staying with the brother’s adopted mother is a real princess. They are concerned that money and land that should come to her brother might be given to this ‘princess’. Jane is struggling without her sister, Cassandra and also finding her sister in law quite difficult. In a rather convoluting way, Janet tries to discover the truth. Of course, she faces the usual prejudice against women who can think for themselves. But nothing stops Jane when she is on a mission. This book did capture the ideas and practices of the time. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Took me a little while to get into the story, because of the considerable overlap between the names of this novel's characters and the names of the real Jane Austen's characters (in P&P and S&S ). Not the author's fault, just Jane Austin used a lot of family names. Once I got my head around the issue, I could and did enjoy the Jessica Bulls riff on Jane Austin, the pressure to wed and support one's family at all costs. The story line was good if rather gritty for actual regency tastes. The modern reader will of course realise that such horrors could and did occur throughout history..

This was a most anticipated follow up and I really enjoyed the mix of fact and fiction. The pressure on Jane to find a husband was obvious, as was her determination to simply write. A thoroughly enjoyable read

Jessica Bull has done it again. What a wonderful follow up to her debut novel. She gives voice to a young Jane Austen in a way that captivates and entertains while also dealing with heavier topics. I cannot recommend this book enough!

3.5
A slow start meant I struggled to get into this to start with but the pace picked up in second half and I really enjoyed Jane's antics. A Fortune Most Fatal dealt with some dark themes but combined with Jane's witticisms this was a solid read.