The Matter of the Secret Bride

A Useful Woman Mystery, Book 3

By: Darcie Wilde

Narrated by: Kitty Kelly

King George IV is petitioning Parliament for a divorce from his queen on the grounds of her adultery. But rumor has it that the king secretly married Maria Fitzherbert—long before he married the queen. Now Mrs. Fitzherbert has been robbed—and she's frantically calling on Rosalind for help.

Because what those thieves took is proof that she and King George did really marry. That single piece of paper could destroy Mrs. Fitzherbert and her family—or it could prove the king guilty of bigamy.

Rosalind races to investigate. With her is ex-Bow Street officer, Adam Harkness, with whom Rosalind shares a complex and rapidly intensifying bond. But a case of theft soon turns to murder . . .

Josiah Poole, a disreputable attorney specializing in helping debtors—and who was seen entering Mrs. Fitzherbert's house—is found brutally murdered. Mrs. Fitzherbert has debts. Could she have staged the theft, and employed Mr. Poole to sell the marriage certificate? Or is the truth even more complicated?

With suspicious coincidences mounting, and more danger encroaching, Rosalind and Adam must move quickly to unravel a history-making mystery that might just lead them straight to the palace itself . . .

©2025 Sarah Zettel (P)2024 Highbridge Audio

True love

Loved this book. The characters were so great. Rosalind ,Adam; Alice and. George.why I had read all her books. Also ; when Adam was at Bow street loved to read about them.

5 stars

Matter of the Second Bride is a well-written and intriguing cozy mystery with a complicated plot with many twist and turns and engaging characters. I look forward to the next book.

Complex characters, interesting plot.

A bit too long, otherwise compelling characters, complex plot, interesting mystery and satisfying ending. I look forward to reading the next one.

Better than the last installment

Plot for this novel was more typical for the series, so that was a pleasant surprise. Still not a fan of the narrator; words still mispronounced, inflections still odd.

Fun to listen to

Good narrator! And once again Darcie Wilde does not disappoint! I enjoyed Alice Littlefields chapters and how she narrated her life in her own head, now that she’s an author, cute addition!

“A White Man”

I like this series set in 1820s upper society London a lot. The need in this latest book to stop the narration and introduce each new male character as “a white man” was both dumb and irritating, PC run amok.

the depth of the characters and the beauty of the story

I really liked the way her main character weaves her way around the society of the time.

Character development

Storyline and characters are developing well. One looks forward to the next steps. Well written, historical atmosphere feels authentic.

Enjoyable until the finale

This latest installment of Darcie Wilde's useful woman series was made more interesting because it is based on a true historical situation. However, the unconvincing ending and one key point that was not cleared up made for a rather disappointing conclusion. I hope the next installment will be less contrived and more believable.