I described this to someone as a romance with a sudden side step into a country house murder mystery. It wasn't particularly a surprise about the murder -- it was clearly indicated in the synopsis, and even more clearly indicated in the text that this was going to happen. There was little to no surprise when it did happen, although the sheer number of reasons that people might have had for murdering the deceased possibly put an average Christie to shame.

I found the main romance beautifully done, although very much in the joke of lesbians and moving in together on the second date. I was less convinced by some of the secondary pairings, although that has a lot to do with the fact that the author lavishes detail on the main pair, and much less on the others -- and that this has a lot to do with a very narrow POV and a very focused viewpoint character.

There was a narrow escape from farce in a couple of scenes; I'm beginning to think that this is characteristic of Charles' work. ( )

I found the main characters perfectly likable, but I didn't adore them as I often do with K.J.'s characters. And the mystery was also fine but not spectacular. ( )

Pat is going to her friend, Jimmy's, estate to hunt partridge with the men. She does not want to be stuck with a bunch of women so is happy knowing it will be only the men. Unfortunately, the house party has expanded to Jimmy's fiancée, his sister and brother-in-law, and his mother's goddaughter. As they all get to know one another, the women are more comfortable when the men are not around since Jimmy's brother-in-law is nasty to everyone. Pat also discovers Jimmy's fiancée is a lovely young woman who she is attracted to and which he does not seem to notice. Secrets come out during the house party as does murder. Will the truth come out though?

I enjoyed this story. I liked Fen, Jimmy's fiancée, and Pat. They are a good match. Pat shows Fen things about herself that Fen downplays while Fen does the same to Pat. Fen starts out as flighty but we see her show her true colors with Pat's encouragement. I appreciated Pat and her brother Bill being honest with each other also. I think it will make life easier for both of them.

I figured who the murder victim was early. The murderer took me longer, almost needed the explanation as the end. I had someone else pegged as the murderer. I'll never be a detective.

I look forward to more in this series. ( )

This was fun and well-written. While I'm not really a fan of mysteries, the quality of the book as a whole was enough to make me quite enjoy it. That and the lesbians of course. Good characterization and tight plotting made this a solid read. ( )

The characters in Proper English are fun and endearing, and the main romance works well. Pat and Fenella frequently take the position of the only well-adjusted people in the room, and which makes their dynamic with the other, considerably more troubled characters interesting.
They're also relatively detached from the drama of the mystery in terms of character motivation and backstory. While this puts them in a good position to solve the mystery in-story, it also lessens the dramatic tension. Since the inciting incident for the mystery doesn't occur until two-thirds of the way through the book, it's rather rushed and difficult to follow, and the conclusion is not particularly surprising. The first half of the book is mostly romance, the second half is mostly mystery, and there's not much tying the two together.
I'm giving this book four stars because I still enjoyed it. It's great if you're looking for a cute lesbian romance; if you're looking for a thrilling mystery, not so much. ( )