• A Brazen Curiosity: A Regency Cozy

  • Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries, Book 1
  • By: Lynn Messina
  • Narrated by: Jill Smith
  • Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,294 ratings)

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A Brazen Curiosity: A Regency Cozy  By  cover art

A Brazen Curiosity: A Regency Cozy

By: Lynn Messina
Narrated by: Jill Smith
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Publisher's summary

Twenty-six-year-old Beatrice Hyde-Clare is far too shy to investigate the suspicious death of a fellow guest in the Lake District. A spinster who lives on the sufferance of her relatives, she would certainly not presume to search the rooms of her host's son and his friend looking for evidence. Reared in the twin virtues of deference and docility, she would absolutely never think to question the imperious Duke of Kesgrave about anything, let alone how he chose to represent the incident to the local constable.

And yet when she stumbles upon the bludgeoned corpse of poor Mr. Otley in the deserted library of the Skeffingtons' country house, that's exactly what she does.

©2018 Lynn Messina (P)2018 Lynn Messina

What listeners say about A Brazen Curiosity: A Regency Cozy

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I ought to have loved this...but I didn't

At first glance, this looked like just the sort of thing I should have loved: Regency! Romance! Mystery! Yes, please!

So, what went wrong? I'm sorry to say I just couldn't like the characters. The hero is the type of fellow who corrects others' conversation at the dinner table (yeah, we all love to sit near that guy. Not.), and I heard way too many times about how Beatrice was a poor orphan, dependent on the whims of her aunt and uncle. I could almost forgive her for fantasizing about throwing food at the duke during dinner--if I had to sit near him, I'd probably be thinking the same thing--but while this was mildly amusing the first time it was mentioned, the joke dragged on l-o-n-g past the point where it was funny. To make it worse, at the end of the book Beatrice finds that she no longer dreams of throwing food at him (yes, she's still harping on it), because his correcting others isn't boorish behavior at all; it's just proof of his exacting attention to detail! So it's an admirable trait, really! No, Beatrice. No, it's not.

Clearly, many people enjoy this series, so I'm apparently the outlier here. Maybe it gets better as it goes along, but I doubt I'll follow the series long enough to find out. There are too many other books/series I'd rather spend my credits on.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

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73 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set-up is very good: lots of characters with mixed motivations kept me guessing. The narrator achieves just the right tone throughout, which really enhanced the experience. Anxiously awaiting Beatrice's next investigation!

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52 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

It left me with a smile

This story is absolutely delightful. The mystery isn't too complicated, the regency setting is well researched (I appreciate nice historic details) and characters are distinctive and funny. I especially like how the investigation changed Beatrice.

Jill Smith was a wonderful choice to read this book. Her narration is flawless. Great listen.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you, Lynn!

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42 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An absolute treasure!!!

There is one spoken line in this book that captures the tone and tenor perfectly - 'Now that's the bland, easy to overlook young lady your uncle and I know and kindly tolerate.' And it is from that world that Bea, our brazen curiosity seeker, came from. I could not wait for her to find her voice, figuratively and literally.

I loved the mystery and seriously loved the interplay between Bea and the Duke. I didn't care much for the ending but since there is a book two, I can live with that.

The narrator was excellent! She portrayed a timid girl, a verbose duke, and a mindless aunt with such exacting measures that I wanted to smack them all.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Decent, not excellent historical mystery

This book has good ideas, and the culminating scene is excellent. Most of the characters are exaggerated caricatures, however. Throughout most of the book the author uses 10 words when 2 would do, bogging down the book and leaving me with the impression the main character is the opposite of the clever heroine she’s claiming to be. The triumphant reveal is very clever. And the author shows some deft touches in nonverbal interaction.

To be fair, I had just finished listening to a Georgette Heyer mystery, and was looking for something in that caliber. This isn’t that. (I recommend Julia Quinn as a writer with similar cleverness, humor and mastery of dialogue.) But I did finish listening to it, and enjoyed chunks of it, so I gave it 3 stars.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A feisty heroine hiding behind a mousy facade.....

A Brazen Curiosity is a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series featuring Beatrice Hyde-Claire and takes place in Regency England. Bea is a 26 year old spinster living at the sufferance of her aunt and uncle after her parents died when she was a child. I struggled with the beginning of the book because I thought Bea was a doormat, always allowing her family and associates to belittle her. However, I quickly realized that under this wallflower guise, Bea was a sharp witted, brave young lady willing to put her safety and reputation at stake to right what she saw as an injustice. This led to all sorts of fun and dangerous adventures with her unwilling sidekick, Duke of Kesgrave, as they try to find the solution to the mysterious death of a guest at the house party they are all attending. I was taken completely by surprise when the murder's identity and motive were revealed, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Beatrice's sense of self worth blossom with each clue she uncovered.

Jill Smith's narration is perfection. She has a lovely British accent, and she uses it with great skill to emphasize the very proper British setting and time of the story. Hopefully, the terrific combination of Messina's writing and Smith's narration will lead to many more audiobooks in this series in the near future.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Did not Finish!!

Let me start by saying this is my first review. The narrator is fine, but the author decided to over-explain EVERYTHING. Every action, every second, and every conversation is explicitly described. Show not tell! If the main character said or did anything, the author made you listen to WHY she said it, AND why she chose not to say something differently. It was incredibly dull. The author attempts to be witty, but if you have to describe the joke or phrase every time, it ceases to be wit. Don't waste your time. Was excited about this one and sorely disappointed.

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18 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A most promising new series

This book convincingly starts with a mousy, down-trodden poor relation who happens to have a logical mind, and a great deal of undiscovered courage. A midnight chance trip to the library of the manor in which she is weekending brings new life to her stultifying existence. My wish is that Lynn Messina pen the next book quickly - very quickly.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Well-written

Great insight into the class system in England. Liked the proper sexual tension in the main characters.

Jill Smith gave a good narration. Great diction.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A mix of historical romance with a Cozy Mystery

I really loved this book. I have not read or listened to anything by this author but I did like the description of the book and wanted to give it a go. I had no expectation at all. The author really surprised me with this book. It had all the ingrediants that I like in a story. A little romance, some humour, mystery and it was set in regency England.
I gave it four stars because I did feel the main character did go on with her thoughts and for me this slowed the book down and there were a few things the characters did that does not happen in Regency England but other then this it was a great listen.
I loved it so much I ended up getting the next two books in the series.
I would highly recommend it to those who love clean historical romance with a cozy mystery.

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7 people found this helpful