Solving Sophronia (The Blue Orchid Society Book 1)

“A gentleman needs to be rescued by a lady every now and then.”I've found my new favorite regency romance series!! The Blue Orchid Society is everything you love - smart, strong women fighting the patriarchy, tension and chemistry, swoon worthy book boyfriends! Sophie is smart but wants to be known for more than her family name and money. Jonathon is a smart hardworking detective. I immensely enjoyed both of these characters!! Add in a little murder mystery and I couldn't put this down!!"Perhaps the real mystery wasn’t the murders but the man solving them."The writing is just superb! The characters are well fleshed out and interesting. They're relatable and authentic!! I love the Blue Orchid Society and the friendships they develop. It's so refreshing to have women supporting women instead of jealousy and backstabbing. I can't wait to read each of their stories!!! I highly recommend picking this series up!!

Lady Sophronia writes a society column for the Illustrated London News but wishes to become a real news reporter. She has an amazing talent for detailed drawings. When she stumbles upon a murder scene, she decides to use the opportunity to try some real investigating. If only Detective Jonathan Graham will acknowledge her ability to contribute.This is a fun story. The characters are wonderful. The mystery is satisfactory. The clues are given at a good pace. It’s pretty easily solvable, but I still enjoyed it.The highlight of this story, in my opinion, is definitely the Blue Orchid Society itself. I love the idea of the Blue Orchid Society. I love how it began. I love how these ladies support each other. I look forward to reading more about them.

SOLVING SOPHRONIA is the beginning of a series about a group of women who start as acquaintances, but become friends when they form the Blue Orchid Society. They each have their own dreams and find society in general, particularly men, are not approving of such, but they decide to set goals to achieve their dreams regardless. This first story focuses on Sophronia and her desire to become a news journalist. She curiously becomes involved in a murder investigation against the lead detective's wishes, but they find that they work well together. There is some wonderful banter, a slowly-building romance, a contrast of classes, and a murder mystery all rolled into this delightfully entertaining story!After reading Emmeline, the prequel novella, I wasn't sure what to expect from this story. It definitely was a bit different, and I expect each of these stories will be in this series because they each will focus on a different woman in the society who each have their own personalities, talents, and challenges. I also want to note that you don't need to have read Emmeline to enjoy this story. I think they will each stand well on their own.I loved Sophie! She was intelligent, kind, and talented in so many ways. I also loved Jonathan! He was just a great guy who put his life on the line as a police detective every day. I appreciated the author not ignoring the difference in class between them and how they both had their own vulnerabilities. It made them human and relatable. I loved seeing Sophie and Jonathan clash at the beginning, but how their relationship changed to one of respect and friendship, and then to love. They're surrounded by a great group of characters and I felt like not one of them came across flat. The story moved at the perfect pace, with a mystery weaved throughout, and a slightly insane villain to bring the story to a climax. I also loved the very sweet ending.In the end, was it what I wished for? This was a marvelously executed story with lovable characters, sweet romance, and an entertaining plot. Highly recommended if you enjoy sweet Victorian romantic suspense! I'm very much looking forward to finding out more about each of the ladies in Sophie's group in subsequent books!Content: Some violence, but clean.Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Let me just say I am LOVING the Blue Orchid Society Series! After reading and loving Inventing Vivian I had to read the first book!This series can be read in any order, but there are some spoilers if you read the second one first. Nothing crazy but I think the series is most enjoyable when read in order.Lady Sophronia is a very talented artist who writes a society column for the London Illustrated News, but she aspires to be a real journalist who writes about current events and things that really matter. In an attempt to prove to her editor that she is capable she goes looking for a story.Detective Jonathan Graham works for the police on the very impoverished side of town and is less than enthusiastic when Sophie unabashedly arrives at the scene of a recent murder and insists on helping him solve the crime. With the detective’s experience in murder investigations and Sophie’s social connections the two are able to solve an otherwise unsolvable case.This book has the perfect balance of romance and mystery. I love that Sophie shows Jonathan that women, even women of high society, are intelligent, capable, and compassionate. I also love how throughout the investigation Jonathan shows Sophie respect and gives her opportunities to contribute. I just love that they support, encourage, and respect each other whether they are in a ballroom or at a crime scene.I loved everything about this book! The character development, the depth to the characters, the mystery, the side characters, the pacing of the story, was all amazing! I’m beyond excited for the rest of the Blue Orchid Society series!If you love Victorian romance, mystery, strong female characters, and handsome police officers this is the book for you!!