Antonia Townley, Oxford doctoral student discovers the body of Siddley Hall's librarian, Ellerton. When she pulls out the killing weapon she obviously becomes the main suspect. But had Ellerton discovered the location of the missing monstrance.
Didn't really care much for the main characters in the story which is a problem for me, and would have preferred more of a mystery than a romance mystery story
( )

Well, it started OK....

But it really didn't go anywhere. Ms Bolen hinted at chemistry but Frederick was borderline cheating and when an opportunity arose to break it off with the other woman he didn't. That's when I put the book down. The mystery was slow moving with much unnecessary musings. She is a know it all and he is bland, uncommitted and weak. Glad that some have liked it but I really couldn't finish it. ( )

I received Falling for Frederick as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

In the midst of making a major breakthrough in her dissertation research, history graduate student Antonia Townsley finds the curator/librarian/historian of the Siddley estate (where she is working) stabbed, ultimately fatally. With the help of the lord of the manor, Frederick Percy, and her adviser Simon, Antonia suspects the murder is connected to the Percy Monstrance, the that held the Eucharistic host for the secretly Catholic Percy family during the reign of Henry VIII and an object of priceless value. Along the way, she (as the title suggests) finds herself attracted to the handsome bachelor Frederick despite fleeting suspicions that he and/or Simon are connected to the crime.

Unlike some other readers, I got to read the book straight through (I was initially confused by the "Episode" titles, which remain in the full-length novel, but which now make more sense). I'm a lot like Antonia--history buff, especially of the medieval/Renaissance period, with a soft spot for British history and literature. The story was entertaining and I particularly liked how, unlike other romance-oriented novels, Antonia didn't try to deny her attraction to Frederick. It's a romance novel, I know it's a romance novel, just get on with it.

If there was one cliche that annoyed me, it was the "beautiful smart amazing American who literally has every poor British sop under her spell." Such was Antonia. Young, gorgeous, knower of all facts large and small...I didn't mind reading from her POV, but reading others' fawning over her got to be a bit much.

A solid 3.5 star book and a fun read for those who love their mystery-romance tinged with British history. Recommended. ( )