Hello Interwebs!
This is a double review for the first two books in the Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander. The first book in the series is And Only to Deceive which I read from 17 June 2020 to 22 June 2020 and I gave it a 3.5/5 stars. The second book in the series is A Poisoned Season which I read from 27 June 2020 to 29 June 2020 and I gave this one a 3.75/5 stars.
So, this is the first book in the series, and you are introduced to the heroine, Lady Emily Ashton. Emily is a proper Victorian lady living in London. She was widowed shortly after her marriage and is living in her late husband's home, still in mourning but finally her own woman in charge of her own life. In the mourning period following her husband's death Emily discovers he had a passion for Greek antiquities and begins learning what she can about it all to get to know him better. She learns he was a great patron of the British Museum and donated many priceless Greek antiquities there. When she finally makes it to his home in the country she discovers a statue that he had donated to the museum and after she has to have it repaired she learns that the one in her possession is real and the one in the museum a clever forgery. She discovers that there's many antiquities that are supposedly in the museum, but the real ones are in her late husband's personal collection. With the help of her late husband's best friend Colin and her new suitor she investigates the forgeries in the museum and the fact that her husband may be alive. But in the end, she solves the forgery case and discovers that her new suitor killed her husband to keep him quiet about the forgeries. She solves the case; her husband's best friend Colin professes his interest in her and she lives happily ever after for the moment at least.
This book was good. It's a straightforward historical mystery. I am obsessed with the Victorian era. I found and binged the PBS series Victoria on Amazon Prime and read books about Queen Victoria and documentaries on streaming services and YouTube, so I was down for this book and I liked it. My only issue with this book is there was a lot of explanation and backstory involved in this book. But once you got the meat of the story it was a good gripping mystery, even if I did figure it out before Lady Emily. It was still a fun ride.
So, the second book is called A Poisoned Season and it is the second book in the Lady Emily series.
In this novel, Lady Emily is finally
out of mourning for her late husband and is enjoying a flirtation with her late
husband's best friend Colin. Colin is a detective/agent of Queen Victoria who
is paid to investigate things that the Queen wants handled delicately and
quietly. During the season in London, a man has come into play who claims that
he is the descendant of Queen Marie Antoinette while a series of thefts of
artifacts that once belonged to the late Queen of France. After convincing an
acquaintance to report the theft of a diamond that was owned by the late Queen,
the man is murdered, and Emily promises his widow that she'll investigate it.
In the background of her investigation is a secret admirer that is sending her
letters in Ancient Greek. As with the first book Emily solves the case,
discovers the true heir to the French throne, deposes the imposter and accepts
Colin's marriage proposal. I liked this book better than the first. There was a
lot less build up to the action of the novel and Emily is a fun, intelligent
woman who is living outside the norms for her time. I love her relationship
with Colin and the fact that he will not be stifling her studies and detective
playing in the future.
I gave this book a 3.75/5 stars on goodreads and fully intend on reading the rest. These are quick reads and nice little mysteries. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants a fun time.
So, there's my review of the first two Lady Emily Mysteries both by Tasha Alexander. More reviews coming this week!
Happy Reading!
Richelle and Emma
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