Dangerous to Know

Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
Minotaur Books, 2010
306 pages
Mystery; Historical; Romance
3/5 stars

Source: Library

I think I'm done with this series.  When I started it, I enjoyed the lightness, Lady Emily's independent streak, and her flirtation with Colin. While this book began promisingly, it went downhill in a confusion of identities, motivations, and vastly different characterizations.

First off Emily is supposed to be so independent and smart and yet I find little actual evidence of that.  It is not enough for me to just be told that she is those things.  Additionally I hate Sebastian and his weird flirtation with her and Colin has become decidedly less appealing to me as he seems very vague.  I felt his personality much more in the first books.  This saddens me because I really liked Colin and one would think their marriage would allow him to be developed more and yet it does not.  In some ways, I think their relationship is supposed to be a bit like Amelia Peabody and Emerson's but I find it much less charming and amusing.  I mostly enjoyed the character of her mother-in-law who finds Emily lacking as I largely agree; I also enjoyed her journal entries about every three chapters.

Then there was the mystery which had plenty of suspects; I fingered three potentials and one of them actually ended up being the murderer.  However there is a decided element of the paranormal as Lady Emily thinks she sees the ghost of a little girl looking for a mother.  I hate that in a historical mystery so that was another part that displeased me.  I also found the plot a bit confusing although I was not giving the book my full attention, hoping instead just to get through it and find something more pleasurable to read.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than Tears of Pearl and despite what I said above, I may give the sixth book, A Crimson Warning, a shot, because as it's set in London, my beloved butler Davis should make an appearance; he has been sorely missed (Dang, I sure like commas!)

Tears of Pearl

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander
Minotaur Books, 2009
307 pages
Mystery; Historical; Romance
3/5 stars

Source: Library

I've mostly enjoyed the Lady Emily series but this one fell a bit flat for me.  It took me almost a week to read, which is a sure sign that I'm uninterested.  I kept pushing because I really did like the first books but this was a definite disappointment for me.

First Emily and Colin are married! Now I love their relationship and I was rooting for them but I enjoyed their relationship more during the flirtation and without the references to them enjoying their honeymoon phase.  Additionally Emily was incredibly unprepared for the possibility of a child despite frequent acts that lead to a child.  The way she handled that seemed out of character for her; I thought she was more pragmatic.

Second the setting is Turkey, which is not my favorite place to read about.  I missed England and my beloved butler Davis; I also missed Emily's best friend Ivy, who is on bedrest facing a difficult childbirth.  The new characters did not grab my attention and while the murderer(s)'s motivation was clear, the way it unfolded seemed a bit unfocused and confused.  I did not solve the mystery but I also wasn't paying close attention as I kept trying to figure out how many pages were left.

Overall: A bit of a disappointment; however I have my review of the next book Dangerous to Know scheduled for later, which was a bit of an improvement.

A Fatal Waltz

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander
William Morrow, 2008
294 pages
Mystery; Historical; Romance
Third book in the Lady Emily Ashton Series
3.5/5 series

See my reviews of And Only to Deceive and A Poisoned Season.

Source: Library

I've never found the Lady Emily series to have excellent mysteries however I've enjoyed the historical and romantic elements; this book continues that trend.  While I was emotionally invested in the mystery being unraveled, I did not think much of it.  Lord Fortescue, the most powerful man in Queen Victoria's government is found shot and Robert Brandon, husband to Lady Emily's best friend, is accused of the crime.  I like Robert; There is plenty of menace, probably the most that's appeared in the novels yet with a man called Mr. Harrison, deeply involved in the government and immensely threatening to Emily.  I also think this book has the most deaths so far.

The historical elements were my favorite part as Emily travels to Vienna, meeting Empress Elisabeth or Sisi, grieving over the death of her son Rudolf in the Mayerling Incident.  Additionally tensions are growing in Europe, tensions that will eventually explode in to World War I twenty years later.  Besides the political atmosphere, Emily spends a lot of time in the apparently thriving coffee shop scene of Vienna and meets the artist Gustav Klimt.

The romance between Emily and her fiance Colin continues to sizzle but with the complication of a former lover of his, Kristiana, who desires Colin no matter his engagement or her own marriage.  She makes Emily feel young and naive.  While I understand Emily's jealousy, I thought she dwelt on it to much and I wanted her to trust Colin and move forward with her life.

Overall: Another enjoyable outing with Lady Emily; do not read for an outstanding mystery puzzle.

Cover: I don't like that dress although I sort of like the color and I like the separation of title and picture.

A Poisoned Season

A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

William Morrow, 2007

306 pages

Mystery; Historical

2nd in Series

Summary: While the big gossip of the season is surrounding the purported heir to the French throne, Lady Emily Ashton is still attracting attention. She is still studying Greek, still refusing to remarry, still drinking port, and still intent on being her own person even as she faces society's censure, troubles with her best friend, multiple proposals, a dashing thief, and a murderer.

My Thoughts: The characters are the most important part of this story so I will start with them (I'm afraid that I'm assuming you've read the first book and are familiar with them.) Emily is still lovely and Colin still sounds hot. He is very determined to marry her and a bet around that emerges. My personal favorite character is Davis, her butler. I love him and am very jealous of that French tart Odette who captures his attention. Cecile is not in this book as much but Ivy and her marital problems move closer to the front. On to the mystery.

Throughout the story Emily is threatened by some very bad people. First there is Charles Berry, claiming to be the heir to the French throne, who believes he is irresistible to women. Then there is a mysterious thief who brazenly breaks in to her house and follows her. I did not quite unravel the threads of the mystery. There is involvement by a person who I did not suspect because I am far too trusting of fictional characters. I felt it was more substantial than the mystery of the first book though.

Overall: 4 out of 5. Very good. I'm hoping to read the rest of the series over the summer!

Review of first book: And Only to Deceive

And Only to Deceive

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

HarperCollins, 2005;

310 pages

Summary: Lady Emily Ashton did not love her husband when she married him and did not mourn him when he died. Toward the end of her mourning period, she discovers his journals where he revealed an interest in antiquities and a love for her. She seeks to learn more about him, uncovering an antiquity scam along the way and maybe just maybe falling in love for real.

Why I Read: I had heard good things about this novel and I wanted to try some different mysteries and give Agatha Christie a break.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the characters of this, especially Lady Emily who was a lot of fun as well as her friends, Ivy and Cecile. I also enjoyed her suitors Andrew and Colin. I even liked the villain(s) of the piece. But I was expecting more of a mystery and this falls far short in that department. I felt like at least half of the book had no suspense and the mystery was not particularly engaging (and I kind of figured it out so you know it can't have been very hard!) Regardless I still enjoyed immersing myself in this Victorian novel and look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Overall: 4/5 for a pretty lame mystery but thoroughly enjoyable main character and her companions. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Cover: I don't really like this cover; the version I checked out from the library is purple with a horse and carriage and I'm not really a fan of it either.

Recommendations: I also have Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn which I've heard is similar but better (although I didn't know that when I was reading this). Have you read both? Or other similar series that you would recommend