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thoughtsfromapage's review against another edition
4.0
A Purely Private Matter continues the crime-solving adventures of Rosalind Thorne. The story takes place in the early portion of the 1800’s where Rosalind’s family has fallen on hard times, and she is tenuously holding onto her position in London society as a “useful woman”, meaning she extricates respectable women from less-than-savory situations. In A Purely Private Matter, Rosalind is approached by Margaretta Seymore regarding threatening notes Margaretta has been receiving. What starts out as a seemingly straightforward request quickly morphs into a much more complicated matter that Rosalind much work to resolve without creating a stain on her own reputation.
Darcie Wilde captures the essence of the time period beautifully – food, manners, the streets of London, and the position of women. She also creates clever and sympathetic characters and provides them with snappy and witty dialogue. This series is a ton of fun to read, and I look forward to the next book.
Darcie Wilde captures the essence of the time period beautifully – food, manners, the streets of London, and the position of women. She also creates clever and sympathetic characters and provides them with snappy and witty dialogue. This series is a ton of fun to read, and I look forward to the next book.
bhavani's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book but I read it without reading the first book in the series, A Useful Woman, which may have provided context to understand the principal characters and their relationships better.
tamarama's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
broomesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
I'm a fan of historical fiction and to combine it with a cozy mystery vibe? Even better.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and the modern attitudes of the main character Rosalind Thorne and her friend Alice. The characters were authentic, fun and at times frustrating (which was entirely the point).
The beginning and the end were excellent in plot and progression wise. The middle dragged a bit with pointless detail but once you hit a groove it was easy to get lost in what you're reading.
I'm a fan of historical fiction and to combine it with a cozy mystery vibe? Even better.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and the modern attitudes of the main character Rosalind Thorne and her friend Alice. The characters were authentic, fun and at times frustrating (which was entirely the point).
The beginning and the end were excellent in plot and progression wise. The middle dragged a bit with pointless detail but once you hit a groove it was easy to get lost in what you're reading.
krisrid's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this second book in the Rosalind Thorne mystery series, but not quite as much as I did the first book.
I still love the character of Rosalind, and her capability to make a life for herself within a social structure that is mean, petty, judgmental and self-important. Rosalind, through no fault of her own was changed overnight from a proper lady within the "ton" to a penniless nobody with nothing, and she managed to build a new life without becoming a whore or marrying some horrid nasty man just to survive. That makes for an interesting, likable character. The fact that Rosalind uses her intelligence and her connections from her previous life to help other women survive problems offers plenty of fodder for a good story.
I think the reason I didn't love this book as much as the first is the subject-matter of the mystery. It drifted into the maudlin for me by the end, and the hyper-dramatics of the relationship matters of this era are not of particular interest to me. It was still a good, well-written story, and Rosalind was given plenty of opportunity to show her intelligence and ability to find things out and get things done. I was just a little less interested in the matters on which she was putting her skills to use this time around.
I love the series, this world, and Rosalind, and will definitely read a next book in this series [I hope there will be one although I realize it may be a while until that would happen given this one is only recently published].
I still love the character of Rosalind, and her capability to make a life for herself within a social structure that is mean, petty, judgmental and self-important. Rosalind, through no fault of her own was changed overnight from a proper lady within the "ton" to a penniless nobody with nothing, and she managed to build a new life without becoming a whore or marrying some horrid nasty man just to survive. That makes for an interesting, likable character. The fact that Rosalind uses her intelligence and her connections from her previous life to help other women survive problems offers plenty of fodder for a good story.
I think the reason I didn't love this book as much as the first is the subject-matter of the mystery. It drifted into the maudlin for me by the end, and the hyper-dramatics of the relationship matters of this era are not of particular interest to me. It was still a good, well-written story, and Rosalind was given plenty of opportunity to show her intelligence and ability to find things out and get things done. I was just a little less interested in the matters on which she was putting her skills to use this time around.
I love the series, this world, and Rosalind, and will definitely read a next book in this series [I hope there will be one although I realize it may be a while until that would happen given this one is only recently published].
cynpra1520's review against another edition
4.0
I had a difficult time starting this as I didn't find the characters likable but eventually got caught up in the mystery and a great mystery it was. (Confess that I have also done the unforgivable and started a series by reading the second book first). This book is definitely a mystery foremost and a look at life in the regency era but not a romance.
pavedwithbookss's review against another edition
5.0
With A Useful Woman, Rosalind Thorne became one of my favourite lady detectives in literature. So when A Purely Private Matter came out, my expectations for it were off the chart. Thankfully, it rose to the challenge. The mystery was delightful in its twists and turns, but it was the characters that, once again, won me over.
The best thing about the cast of A Purely Private Matter is how alive they all are. Pretty much all of the characters seem to have a history and motivation, even if they only show up for a handful of pages and we never know what their full story is. This is also true for the ones we're meant to care about. We learn a little more about Rosalind's history in this book, particularly the sister who disappeared in the series of events that had Rosalind going from a lady of sufficient means and respectable family to where she is now - carefully budgeting and living on the fringes of the haute ton. I liked knowing more about a character's family, and in this case, I felt that meeting her sister sheds some more light on Rosalind's character.
The mystery admittedly at times felt like a soap opera. (Murder, secret pasts, and love affairs, oh my!) Given that the murder victim is an actor, however, it all felt fitting. The title is also perfect considering the nature of the mystery. Many aspects of the mystery should be a purely private matter, but they can't remain so in light of the murder. Plus, I enjoyed how it read like celebrity scandals (where private matters are often forced to become public), but in a historical setting.
I enjoyed that Adam Harkness had a more active role both in the story and the investigation. Rosalind is clever and resourceful, but unfortunately there are places that a lady can't go in that time period. I liked their interactions together, and would love to see them collaborate some more. In fact, I almost think they'd be a more interesting pair if there wasn't any hint of possible romance between them. Almost. Her attraction to him and her old suitor does add to that sense that Rosalind is caught in the middle - not between two suitors, but rather two worlds - but I'm still not sold on the love triangle.
Overall, this is still a series that I would recommend to fans of historical cosy mysteries. I'm looking forward to the next installment already!
(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinions of the book.)
The best thing about the cast of A Purely Private Matter is how alive they all are. Pretty much all of the characters seem to have a history and motivation, even if they only show up for a handful of pages and we never know what their full story is. This is also true for the ones we're meant to care about. We learn a little more about Rosalind's history in this book, particularly the sister who disappeared in the series of events that had Rosalind going from a lady of sufficient means and respectable family to where she is now - carefully budgeting and living on the fringes of the haute ton. I liked knowing more about a character's family, and in this case, I felt that meeting her sister sheds some more light on Rosalind's character.
The mystery admittedly at times felt like a soap opera. (Murder, secret pasts, and love affairs, oh my!) Given that the murder victim is an actor, however, it all felt fitting. The title is also perfect considering the nature of the mystery. Many aspects of the mystery should be a purely private matter, but they can't remain so in light of the murder. Plus, I enjoyed how it read like celebrity scandals (where private matters are often forced to become public), but in a historical setting.
I enjoyed that Adam Harkness had a more active role both in the story and the investigation. Rosalind is clever and resourceful, but unfortunately there are places that a lady can't go in that time period. I liked their interactions together, and would love to see them collaborate some more. In fact, I almost think they'd be a more interesting pair if there wasn't any hint of possible romance between them. Almost. Her attraction to him and her old suitor does add to that sense that Rosalind is caught in the middle - not between two suitors, but rather two worlds - but I'm still not sold on the love triangle.
Overall, this is still a series that I would recommend to fans of historical cosy mysteries. I'm looking forward to the next installment already!
(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinions of the book.)
shelbanuadh's review against another edition
4.0
This one took a bit more to get into than the first one, but all the twists and turns made for a very interesting ending.
mochababy712's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0