A Boldly Daring Scheme

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

By: Lynn Messina

Narrated by: Jill Smith

Length: 7 hrs

Publisher's Summary

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

Hard to listen, not for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first 6 books of the series, was elated to see the new one coming out. But after less than 5 minutes into listening, I realized this book was not about Bea and her dashing duke at all, rather than the annoying cousin Flora. Made me feel like a bait and switch. I love the narrator who narrated all the books in the series. I understand why she used her ‘little girl’ voice in this book since it’s from Flora's point of view. But there was only that much a person could take listening to a squeaking voice. After kept telling myself be patient for a few time, all I craved for was silence. Really disappointed!

Disappointed

I don’t care for the character. I believe Jill Smith read the character correctly. I just found Flo’s “wool gathering” silly.
However, I do hope a book with Beatrice is coming out soon.

A change of pace, but entertaining

At first I was a little dismayed that this book featured Flora, that I pictured to be a silly debutant who would grow up to be like her mother. But I found it was enjoyable. Her rambling thoughts were humorous and I liked Holcroft who helped her. I liked that the narrator, Jill Smith did Flora's voice similar to what was in the previous books. I would not have liked her to sound the same as Bea. It was an interesting story that evolved from looking for Bea's fictitious beau. I would recommend reading it after you've read the previous books, since there are many references to them. So I will look forward to maybe Flora and Holcroft helping out Beatrice in the future, and seeing Flora mature.

A fun and clever story

The narrator really shone in this book. You could tell she found the humor in the concept and the character. She ran with it. It was a fresh entry into this series and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one. Will the story be from both points of view? Very delightful!

Not my favorite

it was a struggle to get into this book. All her thoughts and musings were tedious. To me, that caused the beginning to move so slowly that I gave up on the book.

Very disappointed

I adore Beatrice, Fiona is a spoiled TOO CHATTY substitute. This would have worked as a short story but was too drawn out with ridiculous repeats of the story of Bea’s lost love and how Fiona feels at any moment.

Also I didn’t like the narrator’s voicing of Fiona, too high pitched. I actually slowed it down to be able to listen comfortably.

Hoping that Bea returns.

Disappointed

Not as good as the first 6. Flo is no Beatrice! This book was like a 7 hour monologue. I hope the series goes back to Bea and Kesgrave.

Disappointing

I enjoyed the previous stories by Lynn Messina, but this was annoying to listen to. Jill Smith portrayed the character of Bea’s cousin to perfection, even so, the overall effect was disappointing. I hope that she will not have a prominent part in future novels.

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.

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.