A Boldly Daring Scheme

A Regency Cozy (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries, Book 7)

By: Lynn Messina

Narrated by: Jill Smith

Finally, Flora Hyde-Clare has wrest the narrative from Beatrice by finding her own compelling murder mystery to solve.

Well, it’s not entirely her own because the victim is her cousin’s former beau Mr. Theodore Davies, whose father cruelly separated the young lovers (though not so cruelly, for it left the door open for Bea to woo the duke of Kesgrave). Bea insists, of course, that the law clerk’s death was merely an accident. If only he had not been in the path of that wretched carriage!

Oh, but Flora knows that evasive look on her cousin’s face. Bea is hiding something. Clearly, Davies had gotten himself entangled in some nefarious business, and Flora is determined to discover the truth despite the danger it puts her in.

Or is that because it puts her in danger? After all, any heroine worth her salt must be willing to take on a great deal of personal risk. And Flora has her mind set on being a heroine of the highest order.

©2020 Lynn Messina (P)2021 Lynn Messina

Started skeptical but finished loving the book

I started off very skeptical - Flora didn't seem to have the capacity for investigation in the previous books, but that's because Beatrice wasn't able to see her cousin's thoughts.

I enjoyed this story immensely. You might think investigating the murder of a fictitious man wouldn't lead very far but you'll be quite surprised.

To those of you on the fence about the change in protagonist, I say give this book a listen!

New characters

Enjoyed seeing the relationships from the other side It was an interesting contrast to see or hear I mean

Fiona steals the spotlight…

I think Fiona, Beatrice's cousin, has always been one of my favorite support characters, but I can quite honestly say that I never saw her getting her own book in the series. I'm very glad it ended the way it did, but I didn't think this one nearly as amusing as the originals. Apparently large amounts of Fiona irritate me after a while. Who knew? I certainly didn't, at least not until I read this book. Most of it also seemed highly implausible, which I'm sure added to the irritation. Overall it was the ending that made it all worth it. A good ending can cover a multitude of book sins.

I'm not done yet BUT

I agree that Flora's voice is best in small doses, but since she is the narrator the way around this--and this is a super helpful tips I got from someone else--is to decrease the speed of the narration. I find that 0.8 is the maximum speed that makes it bearable.
So far I think the aspect I enjoy is her growing emphathy for Bea, and for anyone other than herself ! There is a poignancy in realizing that she is just as much a victim of the ton's ridiculous code, because she is also only judged by her looks and is not expected (in fact is discouraged) from having any kind of individuality or personality. She starts to realize that this is not what she actually might want out of her life, at least that is what it seems.
That being said, I doubt it's possible for her story to replace Bea's in terms of where my preference lies, but I still think it will be a worthwhile read.

Disappointed

I loved the previous books in this series, but this one was a disappointment due to the change of the main character from smart, funny, likable Bea to silly, whiny, self-centered Flora. I kept hoping to like Flora by the end, but I did not. I hope future books resume Bea’s story!

Another Delightful Story

I didn't notice until partway through the story that it wasn't a Beatrice story... but would be almost entirely a Flora based story. The writing and plot line are just as good and the narrator is as talented as ever, except the voice for Flora has always been my least favorite. As a minor character it isn't too much, but as the main character - it was harder to enjoy the tale.

Pleasantly Surprised, after the negative reviews!

So, I'm the type that reads the summary and the reviews before I buy a book... and the reviews weren't very promising for this one, and I have absolutely loved the series. I'm glad I took a chance on it! It is a bit of a change up with Flora being the main character, and yes she can be a bit annoying at times but I really liked getting to know her better as a character and seeing her grow. This is a series my 14 year old daughter and I have listened to together and she felt the same that it was a great story, kept us engaged and needing to see where the investigation ends up. The narrator is fantastic as always and the voice for Flora both fit her and we didn't find it to be off putting like others said. We are looking forward to more of Bea but wouldn't be opposed to more from Flora too, she is quite fun in a very different... more snobbish way without meaning to.

Much better than I expected!

If you're like me, you read the reviews and anticipated this addition to the series to be a bit of a disappointment, Well, I'm happy to report that I think the bad reviews have it wrong! I really enjoyed this fresh perspective on the series, and welcomed the new characters and voices it brought to the foreground. It was fun to see how Flora differs from Bea in her thinking, and I thought it was refreshing to experience a slightly less apt protagonist. If you enjoy the series, I think this book is worth your time.

Stay with it

I’ve enjoyed the first books about Beatrice, but was less certain about a book featuring her flighty cousin. At first, I was slightly irritated with this character’s seemingly shallow mindset, although understanding she was acting as one might expect from a very young woman in this time period and society, I kept with it. Fortunately, with deft writing, lively characters and an interesting plot, the story and characters became more intriguing. One I made it past the first few chapters, I truly enjoyed this light mystery and budding romance.

LOVED IT

Another excellent Lynn Messina story with twists and turns as Flora is determined to find Mr Davies killer. Entertaining and intriguing. Bea and Kesgrave show up at the very end but is it what Flora expects? These characters feel like family that one wants to gather in the sitting room to get all the details of their adventures. Sigh.
On to the next book.