📖 Book Description
A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery
A cozy Victorian historical murder mystery full of wit and unforgettable characters.
Violet Manville knows everything about manners—and murder.
Violet is looking forward to taking some time away from the advice column she writes under the nom de plume Miss Hermione. She can’t wait to head off to Venice to spend some time with Eli Marsh, a mysterious, annoying, and extremely attractive American.
Little does she suspect that the specter of death will come calling at her front door in the person of Ash Kumar, a man she once knew – and loved – when she lived in India. She certainly doesn’t expect Ash to be arrested for his wife’s murder on her front door step.
As Violet tries to unravel the murder, she is pulled between between the two men. As the past and present become blurred, she soon discovers that the truth can be deadly.
📚Book Information
Of Devotion and Death by Anastasia Hastings
Publisher • Severn House (An Imprint of Joffe Books) 🔗 Website • Instagram
Publication Date • 4 August 2026
Available formats
📱 Digital Edition • ISBN: 9781448320158 • Pages: 293
📖 Paperback • ISBN: 9781448320165 • Pages: 256
📚 Hardback • ISBN: 9781448320141 • Pages: 256
Find out more
Amazon • Goodreads • The StoryGraph
🌟 Book Tour
I’m delighted to be taking part in the Virtual Book Tour for Of Devotion and Death, hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours.
The full tour schedule can be found here.
My sincere thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the opportunity to take part in this virtual book tour, and to Severn House – an imprint of Joffe Books for providing digital review copy of Of Devotion and Death. As always, my review is based solely on my own reading experience and reflects my honest opinion.
👤 About the Author
For Anastasia Hastings, there is nothing as intriguing as a fog-filled, gas-light street, the clip-clop of a horse pulling a hansom cab, and the possibility of murder and mystery around every corner!
She has been lucky enough to bring it all alive in the Dear Miss Hermione mystery series which follows the adventures of Violet Manville, Victorian England’s most famous (and enigmatic) agony aunt. Book #1, Of Manners and Murder, was a finalist for the 2024 Mary Higgins Clark Award presented by Mystery Writers of America, and The Wall Street Journal said it “evokes the shocking revelations of Wilkie Collins, the social acuity of Jane Austen and the comic melodrama of Oscar Wilde.” Book #2 of the series, Of Hoaxes and Homicide, was called “captivating” by Publishers Weekly. Under a variety of names and throughout a career than spans more than 30 years, Anastasia has published 70 novels. The Secrets of Bones, written as Kylie Logan, was recently made into a Hallmark Mystery movie.
Anastasia lives in Ohio with her husband and two dogs, an Airedale named Eliot Ness and his best friend (even if he doesn’t know it yet), Tequila Elizabeth, a Russell Terrier. She enjoys various fiber arts including knitting and spinning, as well as exploring old cemeteries and in the summer, watching the hummingbirds while she contemplates her next murder.
🔗 Connect with the Author
👩🏻💻 My Review
From the first few pages I found myself completely immersed in 1885. By the time the cast of characters had been introduced I knew I wouldn’t be moving from my chair until I’d reached the final page, and I loved every minute of the journey.
Anastasia Hastings has created a wonderfully engaging historical mystery that perfectly balances wit, intrigue and memorable characters. The Victorian setting feels beautifully authentic, with richly descriptive writing that brought every scene vividly to life. Every setting felt wonderfully atmospheric without ever slowing the story’s pace, making it effortless to become completely absorbed in Violet Manville’s world.
Violet is an absolutely delightful protagonist. Intelligent, observant and quietly determined, she makes the perfect amateur sleuth, and I thoroughly enjoyed following her investigation as old memories, dangerous secrets and present-day murder gradually became intertwined. The relationships throughout the story add another layer of intrigue, particularly as Violet finds herself caught between the past and the future.
Alongside the mystery itself, it was the atmosphere that really stood out for me. The characters felt entirely believable for the period, the dialogue had just the right amount of wit, and every twist kept me eager to discover what would happen next.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable Victorian historical cosy mystery that completely absorbed me from beginning to end. I was genuinely sorry to reach the final page and can’t wait to see what Violet Manville gets herself involved in next.
#AnastasiaHastings #OfDevotionAndDeath
#SevernHouse #JoffeBooks #ZooloosBookTours
This review may also appear on my social media channels and selected book platforms.
All links were correct at the time of publication.
DISCLOSURE: I received a review copy of this book via Zooloo’s Book Tours and NetGalley.
As always, my thoughts are honest and my own.
This review is original content.
Please credit and link back if you wish to quote.
© [2026] [MoMoBookDiary]
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