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Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries #1
And Only to Deceive
From gifted new writer Tasha Alexander comes a stunning novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England, meticulously researched and with a twisty plot that involves stolen antiquities, betrayal, and murder
And Only to Deceive
For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek.
Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.
And Only to Deceive
For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek.
Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.
321 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
1006 people are currently reading
16627 people want to read
About the author
Tasha Alexander
39books2,517followersThe daughter of two philosophy professors, I grew up surrounded by books. I was convinced from an early age that I was born in the wrong century and spent much of my childhood under the dining room table pretending it was a covered wagon. Even there, I was never without a book in hand and loved reading and history more than anything. I studied English Literature and Medieval History at the University of Notre Dame. Writing is a natural offshoot of reading, and my first novel, And Only to Deceive, was published in 2005. I'm the author of the long-running Lady Emily Series as well as the novel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. One of the best parts of being an author is seeing your books translated, and I'm currently in love with the Japanese editions of the Emily books.
I played nomad for a long time, living in Indiana, Amsterdam, London, Wyoming, Vermont, Connecticut, and Tennessee before settling down. My husband, the brilliant British novelist Andrew Grant (I may be biased but that doesn't mean I'm wrong) and I live in southeastern Wyoming. I still don't have a covered wagon, but a log house goes a long way toward fulfilling my pioneer fantasies. Andrew makes sure I get my English characters right, and I make sure his American ones sound American.
I played nomad for a long time, living in Indiana, Amsterdam, London, Wyoming, Vermont, Connecticut, and Tennessee before settling down. My husband, the brilliant British novelist Andrew Grant (I may be biased but that doesn't mean I'm wrong) and I live in southeastern Wyoming. I still don't have a covered wagon, but a log house goes a long way toward fulfilling my pioneer fantasies. Andrew makes sure I get my English characters right, and I make sure his American ones sound American.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,364 reviews
August 21, 2014
"Don't fall in love with your dead husband, Kallista. It can bring you no joy."There are few emotions more painful than regret, more specifically, the regret of finally realizing that you love someone, only after they've left---or after they've died. How horrible must it be to realize that you can't tell someone you love them. To come face to face with your own self-absorbance, your own youthful folly, your inability to see beyond yourself to a great love that could have been? A great love that never was.
This series features a great main character, interesting mysteries, all that good shit, but for me, this book is memorable because it's one of the few that's ever made me cry.
To give you an idea of the premise, this is about a very young widow, Lady Emily, in the late Victorian Era. She was married very young to a viscount, whom she didn't exactly love. She liked him, sure, but she didn't love him. He died young, when we initially meet Emily, she is already a widow. While not exactly a merry widow, Emily doesn't exactly mourn her late husband's death either.
She entered the marriage mainly to escape her overbearing mother. She was sad about her husband's death, but right now, Emily is just enjoying her newfound freedom as a young widow.
All is well and dandy, until she discovers her late husband's diaries. And man, were they a revelation.
Slowly, Emily begins to discover that, unlike her, her husband was deeply in love with his wife. Her indifference came to light in stark contrast to his reactions to her. An initial meeting, briefly brushed aside by Emily, was perceived by her husband to be a delight, a joy.
She saw her husband as rather dull. They shared few interests. She never bothered to find out more about him. Emily only learned about his hidden depths, far too late.
"I assumed him to be transparent, like most people I meet in society. Now instead I find that he was a scholar of sorts, a patron of museums, and a friend to artists. I thought he was a stupid hunter."Philip saw in her a phantom of delight. He was madly in love. He was wildly happy with their marriage, in the brief time that they were married. Emily hardly noticed. She hardly cared. She never knew.
I thought I would go mad with desire when she presented that perfect ivory cheek for me to kiss. Had her blasted mother the courtesy to leave us alone for even a moment, I would have taken the opportunity to fully explore every inch of her rosebud lips. For that, I am afraid, I shall have to wait.Call it the time of night, say that I was particularly susceptible and emotional, call it what you will, but I cried like a baby. It was 3 AM. I was going through some of my own relationship troubles, and this one passage made me sob. I put down my ebook, crawled underneath the covers, stifled my face with a pillow, and sobbed my heart out for a good 5 minutes. (It's still better than Forbidden, that book made me cry for at least 15.)
The incriminating passage?
I closed the book and placed it on the table beside me. For a moment it felt as if I had been reading a particularly satisfactory novel in which the heroine had won the love of her hero. But I was the heroine, and the hero was dead, dead before I had even the remotest interest in him. I started to cry, softly at first, then with all-consuming sobs that I could hardly control.Emily wasn't the only one sobbing her heart out that night.
April 23, 2023
London 1890: Lady Emily Ashton war nur kurze Zeit mit ihrem Gatten Philip verheiratet, als er in Afrika an einem Fieber starb. Nun ist sie Witwe und hat ihren Mann eigentlich kaum gekannt. Doch mit der Zeit kommen immer mehr Geheimnisse über Philip ans Licht, und sie sieht ihn bald mit ganz anderen Augen. War Philip möglicherweise auch in Kunstfälschungen verwickelt?
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Wer Historische Romane mag, die in Adelskreisen spielen, wird diese Geschichte sicherlich mögen. Die vielen ungeschriebenen Regeln, wie man sich zu verhalten und zu benehmen hat, sind immer wieder Thema in diesem Roman. Die Protagonistin Emily wünscht sich ein freies Leben ohne diese Regeln und die Unterdrückung durch ihre Mutter und Ehemann. Ich konnte mich hier gut in sie hineinversetzen.
Die Geschichte an sich hat mir auch gut gefallen. Ein bisschen seicht zwar, aber gerade richtig zum Entspannen. Und Spannung war durchaus auch vorhanden, denn als Leser ist man schon neugierig, was mit Philip passiert ist und was die Männer in Emilys Umfeld mit den Kunstfälschungen zu tun haben.
Der Schreibstil ist sehr flüssig, einfach und unkompliziert. Ich habe das Buch gerne gelesen und würde mich freuen, wenn die weiteren Teile der Reihe auch noch ins Deutsche übersetzt werden würden.
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Wer Historische Romane mag, die in Adelskreisen spielen, wird diese Geschichte sicherlich mögen. Die vielen ungeschriebenen Regeln, wie man sich zu verhalten und zu benehmen hat, sind immer wieder Thema in diesem Roman. Die Protagonistin Emily wünscht sich ein freies Leben ohne diese Regeln und die Unterdrückung durch ihre Mutter und Ehemann. Ich konnte mich hier gut in sie hineinversetzen.
Die Geschichte an sich hat mir auch gut gefallen. Ein bisschen seicht zwar, aber gerade richtig zum Entspannen. Und Spannung war durchaus auch vorhanden, denn als Leser ist man schon neugierig, was mit Philip passiert ist und was die Männer in Emilys Umfeld mit den Kunstfälschungen zu tun haben.
Der Schreibstil ist sehr flüssig, einfach und unkompliziert. Ich habe das Buch gerne gelesen und würde mich freuen, wenn die weiteren Teile der Reihe auch noch ins Deutsche übersetzt werden würden.
February 1, 2013
This book? It was not my thing.
It was certainly readable enough -- nice and popcorny and fun -- but the thing about popcorn reading is that suspension of disbelief with regard to anachronisms kind of relies on a certain kind of lightheartedness, at least for me.
So when the narrator started going on and on about how she was now Free From The Bounds Of Society, my disbelief went crashing to the ground. Sure, I wouldn't want to have lived back then, but I feel like there's a way to do this kind of thing a little more subtly, whereas the narrator acts kind of like a stereotypical teenager, rebelling for the sake of rebelling. She goes around shouting "HA, LOOK AT ME, I AM DRINKING PORT, HOW DARING!" apparently without experiencing any of the doubt or worries of a woman experiencing a sudden feminist awakening in a profoundly patriarchal society.
We are also given to understand that she did not have much of an interest in obtaining a wealthy husband before her marriage, and that her overwhelming passion for ancient Greek literature and art developed only after her husband's death. Both of these I could easily believe. But what on earth were her interests before her engagement? Before her husband's death? There's some mention of Silly Novel-Reading, which is of course something I enjoy too, but that's really it. Most of what we know about is what Emily isn't interested in: Society, girly things, her husband, etc. It all seems very hollow. So I was just not sold on her character at all, neither in her interactions with society nor her hobbies and interests.
And then there's her husband. He goes on and on about how beautiful his wife is, yet she fails to notice anything about his interests or life until he is dead? And she finds this incredibly romantic of him? No. No, if I found out someone I barely knew, who barely knew me, was madly in love with me, I would be a little freaked out. Even if it was my husband. His love of Emily's "innocence" was, though period-appropriate, very creepy to me, and it made it much, much harder to sympathize with her as she fell for him.
And now I am going to get very petty: I feel like for all the book talks about the Iliad as if it is a BIG IMPORTANT THING, it was treated very shallowly in the text. Now, I am more of an Odyssey fan, and love Greek mythology generally, so I was kind of disappointed that Emily apparently doesn't realize there is more to Classical Greek literature than the Iliad (or even Homer) but the book's characters seem to reduce the Iliad to Team Achilles versus Team Hector, which is kind of horribly simplistic, to me, and was yet another obstacle to me liking any of the characters in this book.
It was certainly readable enough -- nice and popcorny and fun -- but the thing about popcorn reading is that suspension of disbelief with regard to anachronisms kind of relies on a certain kind of lightheartedness, at least for me.
So when the narrator started going on and on about how she was now Free From The Bounds Of Society, my disbelief went crashing to the ground. Sure, I wouldn't want to have lived back then, but I feel like there's a way to do this kind of thing a little more subtly, whereas the narrator acts kind of like a stereotypical teenager, rebelling for the sake of rebelling. She goes around shouting "HA, LOOK AT ME, I AM DRINKING PORT, HOW DARING!" apparently without experiencing any of the doubt or worries of a woman experiencing a sudden feminist awakening in a profoundly patriarchal society.
We are also given to understand that she did not have much of an interest in obtaining a wealthy husband before her marriage, and that her overwhelming passion for ancient Greek literature and art developed only after her husband's death. Both of these I could easily believe. But what on earth were her interests before her engagement? Before her husband's death? There's some mention of Silly Novel-Reading, which is of course something I enjoy too, but that's really it. Most of what we know about is what Emily isn't interested in: Society, girly things, her husband, etc. It all seems very hollow. So I was just not sold on her character at all, neither in her interactions with society nor her hobbies and interests.
And then there's her husband. He goes on and on about how beautiful his wife is, yet she fails to notice anything about his interests or life until he is dead? And she finds this incredibly romantic of him? No. No, if I found out someone I barely knew, who barely knew me, was madly in love with me, I would be a little freaked out. Even if it was my husband. His love of Emily's "innocence" was, though period-appropriate, very creepy to me, and it made it much, much harder to sympathize with her as she fell for him.
And now I am going to get very petty: I feel like for all the book talks about the Iliad as if it is a BIG IMPORTANT THING, it was treated very shallowly in the text. Now, I am more of an Odyssey fan, and love Greek mythology generally, so I was kind of disappointed that Emily apparently doesn't realize there is more to Classical Greek literature than the Iliad (or even Homer) but the book's characters seem to reduce the Iliad to Team Achilles versus Team Hector, which is kind of horribly simplistic, to me, and was yet another obstacle to me liking any of the characters in this book.
January 31, 2012
★★★★� I enjoyed this historical mystery very much and will definitely continue with the series. I’m glad I did this as a “buddy read,� as we were able to “dig� for clues together � making it all that more enjoyable. It connects with the Iliad and Greek artifacts in an engaging way, turning this novel into sophisticated fun for the mystery or suspense fan, with a touch of romance that is strictly “one foot on the floor.� Pictures pertaining to the book, that I found helpful, are below.
Some of the artists and art work.
calyx-krater shaped Greek vase (Musée du Louvre - 500 B.C.)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting of On the Terrace (1881)
ʰ澱ٱ� statue of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus (4th century BC)
Hotel Le Meurice, Paris - Called "The Hotel of Kings" - founded in 1815.
Pont Neuf (the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France) at Sunset.
Daru Staircase with the winged Nike Victory of Samothrace, Denon wing, Louvre Museum.
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From Wiki: The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a 2nd century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.
Santorini - or officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα [ˈθira]), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea.
Some of the artists and art work.
calyx-krater shaped Greek vase (Musée du Louvre - 500 B.C.)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting of On the Terrace (1881)
ʰ澱ٱ� statue of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus (4th century BC)
Hotel Le Meurice, Paris - Called "The Hotel of Kings" - founded in 1815.
Pont Neuf (the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France) at Sunset.
Daru Staircase with the winged Nike Victory of Samothrace, Denon wing, Louvre Museum.
From Wiki: The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a 2nd century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.
Santorini - or officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα [ˈθira]), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea.
January 23, 2009
And Only to Deceive is billed as a novel of suspense set in the 1880s (though mostly I’m in suspense as to whether the heroine will do some other wildly anachronistic thing!) Emily Ashton marries Philip Ashton solely to escape her mother’s nagging; he dies in a hunting accident shortly after their marriage and its only after his death that she realizes he was a man of hidden depths, which she begins to explore. There’s a mystery involving forgeries and stolen antiquities from Greece and a budding romance with Philip’s best friend, but mostly we follow Emily on her rounds through various European cities.
Since I found this in the laundry room of my building and didn't spend any money on it, I feel a little bad being quite as harsh as I am, but ... This book really had very little to recommend it - the plot was not particularly interesting; the characterization was poor - I couldn't keep some of the characters differentiated because they seemed so similar to others; and the writing (especially the dialogue) was mediocre.
First of all, I find it completely unbelievable that Emily hasn’t even got a passing acquaintance with the myths enshrined in the Iliad - Bulfinch’s mythology came out in the mid-1850s and this story is supposedly taking place in the 1880s. So I’m expected to believe that someone who is characterized as very bright is completely ignorant of the story of Helen of Troy? That’s a bit much! Of course, I find it equally implausible that her deceased husband was so in love with her as we are told he was! She doesn't seem any more interesting - at least at first - than any other woman whom Philip encounters!
Moreover, Alexander falls into the standard trap of historical fiction which is that she plops characters who think and feel exactly like 21st century people into the nineteenth century with a few descriptions of clothes so that we know they’re really in the nineteenth century. But there’s nothing Emily does or says that sounds remotely like she was raised in the 1880s � and even more bizarrely, the only people who seemed perturbed by her unconventionality are her mother and some fussy older lady friends of her mothers. Moreover, I see no evidence of Emily’s vaunted intelligence - she actually seems quite remarkably thick about people, though she is apparently so beautiful that everyone around her falls madly in love with her.
Lastly, there's the anachronistic language. At one point, one of the servants tells Emily that everyone below stairs was "rooting for" her in a conflict with her family. Now, first of all, I highly doubt that any kind of trained staff would have been that forward with their mistress; and secondly, "rooting for" something is totally anachronistic if they mean "cheering for" Emily. Has Ms. Alexander ever read a 19th century novel? (This was just one egregious example - there are many others!)
I won't be reading any more of what is apparently a series!
Since I found this in the laundry room of my building and didn't spend any money on it, I feel a little bad being quite as harsh as I am, but ... This book really had very little to recommend it - the plot was not particularly interesting; the characterization was poor - I couldn't keep some of the characters differentiated because they seemed so similar to others; and the writing (especially the dialogue) was mediocre.
First of all, I find it completely unbelievable that Emily hasn’t even got a passing acquaintance with the myths enshrined in the Iliad - Bulfinch’s mythology came out in the mid-1850s and this story is supposedly taking place in the 1880s. So I’m expected to believe that someone who is characterized as very bright is completely ignorant of the story of Helen of Troy? That’s a bit much! Of course, I find it equally implausible that her deceased husband was so in love with her as we are told he was! She doesn't seem any more interesting - at least at first - than any other woman whom Philip encounters!
Moreover, Alexander falls into the standard trap of historical fiction which is that she plops characters who think and feel exactly like 21st century people into the nineteenth century with a few descriptions of clothes so that we know they’re really in the nineteenth century. But there’s nothing Emily does or says that sounds remotely like she was raised in the 1880s � and even more bizarrely, the only people who seemed perturbed by her unconventionality are her mother and some fussy older lady friends of her mothers. Moreover, I see no evidence of Emily’s vaunted intelligence - she actually seems quite remarkably thick about people, though she is apparently so beautiful that everyone around her falls madly in love with her.
Lastly, there's the anachronistic language. At one point, one of the servants tells Emily that everyone below stairs was "rooting for" her in a conflict with her family. Now, first of all, I highly doubt that any kind of trained staff would have been that forward with their mistress; and secondly, "rooting for" something is totally anachronistic if they mean "cheering for" Emily. Has Ms. Alexander ever read a 19th century novel? (This was just one egregious example - there are many others!)
I won't be reading any more of what is apparently a series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2019
.
Title: And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily Mysteries, Book 1) Kindle Edition
Author: Tasha Alexander
Narrator: Kate Reading
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
Pages: 336 pages of CLEAN entertainment
Genre: Historical Romance, European Regency, Mystery and Suspense
Book Type: Audible (through Hoopla)
I listened to this audiobook through Hoopla via my local public library. The narrator was Kate Reading. It is often difficult to determine if disappointment in a book is a direct result of the delivery from the narrator, Kate Reading, or from the actual writing itself. And that is my dilemma in this circumstance. Tasha Alexander delivers a Regency based novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England. I admire her tenacity to research her work so thoroughly. However, this book was overpowering by the excessive amount of Greek references that are not common knowledge.
This book opens with Lady Emily Ashton in mourning for her late husband, Unfortunately, she had only spent six months with him, before he left for Africa and never returned. As a wealthy widow, she became most grateful for the freedom and independence she was afforded as a widow that she could never have experienced as a married woman. There are still those who attempt to steer her toward adhering to societal rules. Through conversations with friends, acquaintances, husband's personal journals, and family members, she becomes infatuated with the man she married.
Consequently, she uses her resources and freedom to begin a socially unorthodox pursuit of her interest in the field of academia. She begins reviewing the ancient Greek art antiquities collection her husband was obsessed with acquiring. She has an insatiable appetite learning as much as possible about Greek literature and antiquities. This leads her to discover that the basis of much of her acquired wealth may have been obtained illegally. She struggles with discovering the truth, not wanting to tarnish her husband's reputation. By now, she has fallen in love with the husband she barely knew.
There are numerous twists and turns that reveal stolen antiquities, betrayal, and murder. It is told by pov of the main character, a recent widow, Emily, that barely knew her departed husband, Philip, the Viscount Ashton. She actually experienced little grief, since she barely knew the man, due to her single-minded reason for accepting his proposal was that she longed to escape her mother's control over her life. In her new role, she becomes more strong-minded and assertive in ways she never had before.
The premise for this book was interesting and the characters were mostly proper, sometimes charming, and self-thinking individuals (including some women). The plot was murky and not well--grounded. All in all, it lacked the intrigue I expected from this book. Other reviewers have suggested that you start with previous books that star Emily in them, in order to allow you to appreciate Emily much more!
Many books are so compelling, engrossing the reader's full attention, and you hope they will never end. However, this book does not qualify for that type of experience. The content and execution were tedious and tended to exhaust me as I pushed myself to reach the conclusion. The storyline just moved too slowly, the disjointed topics tended to distract and bog down with the extraneous details concerning the artwork. It compares to daily life without any significant ups and downs - which is interesting, but not captivating. She helps uncover the mystery, but there are questions left unanswered that I'm sure will continue on to the next book.
So I liked getting acquainted with the characters and watching them grow, but not captivated with the excruciatingly, overwhelming Greek and antiquities described in such intimate detail. After listening to the next two books, I revised my rating on this one. If I ignore the narrator's shortcomings, I find it is worth more.
Title: And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily Mysteries, Book 1) Kindle Edition
Author: Tasha Alexander
Narrator: Kate Reading
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
Pages: 336 pages of CLEAN entertainment
Genre: Historical Romance, European Regency, Mystery and Suspense
Book Type: Audible (through Hoopla)
I listened to this audiobook through Hoopla via my local public library. The narrator was Kate Reading. It is often difficult to determine if disappointment in a book is a direct result of the delivery from the narrator, Kate Reading, or from the actual writing itself. And that is my dilemma in this circumstance. Tasha Alexander delivers a Regency based novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England. I admire her tenacity to research her work so thoroughly. However, this book was overpowering by the excessive amount of Greek references that are not common knowledge.
This book opens with Lady Emily Ashton in mourning for her late husband, Unfortunately, she had only spent six months with him, before he left for Africa and never returned. As a wealthy widow, she became most grateful for the freedom and independence she was afforded as a widow that she could never have experienced as a married woman. There are still those who attempt to steer her toward adhering to societal rules. Through conversations with friends, acquaintances, husband's personal journals, and family members, she becomes infatuated with the man she married.
Consequently, she uses her resources and freedom to begin a socially unorthodox pursuit of her interest in the field of academia. She begins reviewing the ancient Greek art antiquities collection her husband was obsessed with acquiring. She has an insatiable appetite learning as much as possible about Greek literature and antiquities. This leads her to discover that the basis of much of her acquired wealth may have been obtained illegally. She struggles with discovering the truth, not wanting to tarnish her husband's reputation. By now, she has fallen in love with the husband she barely knew.
There are numerous twists and turns that reveal stolen antiquities, betrayal, and murder. It is told by pov of the main character, a recent widow, Emily, that barely knew her departed husband, Philip, the Viscount Ashton. She actually experienced little grief, since she barely knew the man, due to her single-minded reason for accepting his proposal was that she longed to escape her mother's control over her life. In her new role, she becomes more strong-minded and assertive in ways she never had before.
The premise for this book was interesting and the characters were mostly proper, sometimes charming, and self-thinking individuals (including some women). The plot was murky and not well--grounded. All in all, it lacked the intrigue I expected from this book. Other reviewers have suggested that you start with previous books that star Emily in them, in order to allow you to appreciate Emily much more!
Many books are so compelling, engrossing the reader's full attention, and you hope they will never end. However, this book does not qualify for that type of experience. The content and execution were tedious and tended to exhaust me as I pushed myself to reach the conclusion. The storyline just moved too slowly, the disjointed topics tended to distract and bog down with the extraneous details concerning the artwork. It compares to daily life without any significant ups and downs - which is interesting, but not captivating. She helps uncover the mystery, but there are questions left unanswered that I'm sure will continue on to the next book.
So I liked getting acquainted with the characters and watching them grow, but not captivated with the excruciatingly, overwhelming Greek and antiquities described in such intimate detail. After listening to the next two books, I revised my rating on this one. If I ignore the narrator's shortcomings, I find it is worth more.
February 6, 2017
I’ve read all kind of books: there are those that made me cry, while with others I laughed; books that made me think and wonder or amuse me as I read them just for the kick of it. ’s made me reflect, for it was different from the average historical fiction books I read recently. That is evident from its first paragraph:
It is a book not only I enjoyed but lived along with the protagonist, as I could imagine myself sometimes in her place, even if Emily was a Victorian woman. I think it was the perfect time for her to exist, she married Philip in 1888, probably at the time when women’s role started to change in Europe (the women’s suffrage only became a national movement in 1872 in the UK, however, concrete results would only be seen after WWI).
After a slow start, I was conquered by Lady Emily’s story. A widow just after her wedding trip, Emily slowly begins to discover and explore her identity. From the diary of her deceased husband, she not only notices the world of ancient Greece, classical antiquities but decides to learn Greek and take pleasure in Homer. She also falls in love with him! Her friend Cecile cautions her: "Don't fall in love with your dead husband, Kallista. It can bring you no joy." But she could not help herself.
In that, it was a unique and poignant story. Just to imagine you could have loved and been loved in return. Nonetheless, she enjoys being independent and won’t give it up easily: ‘…I still had no intention of marrying; I did not want to relinquish control of my life to anyone.� To the utter consternation of her mother. She tries to conciliate society's conventions with her new impetus for more freedom. But Lady Emily is set on her new ways, and some occasions startle or even displeases her acquaintances (not only the men!).
Despite the fact that I usually dislike and avoid stories penned in the ‘fist-person,' here it felt right; probably because it’s focused on one person and her road of self-discovery. Of course, there is some romance, friendships, a mystery to be solved and briefly angst. I loved Emily’s French friend Cecile, she is an essential character as she becomes Emily’s best friend despite the age difference; and Colin Hargreaves, who was Philip’s best friend, always sounds secretive but, from the beginning, I had the impression he was fascinated by her. However, their relationship is not always easy or without conflict. I enjoyed her ramblings about Homer, the Illiad and how she far preferred Hector to Achilles! But then Emily discovers that her opinion did not always coincide with Philip's:
I also relished the atmosphere of the places she visits. Oh, how I love Paris and Santorini seems heavenly! But it was not a perfect novel if that exists. The rhythm is somewhat uneven, but probably a necessity of the plot. The secondary characters appear not fully explored, but could it be different since Emily tells the story and we get only her point of view? I’m curious to see how Ms. Alexander continues Lady Emily’s tale in the next books of the series.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, but sometimes enjoy a new outlook in your books, read And Only to Deceive and enjoy!
‘Few people would look kindly on my reasons for marrying Philip; neither love nor money nor his title induced me to accept his proposal. Yet, as I look across the spans of the Aegean Sea filling the view from my villa’s balcony, I cannot doubt that it was a surprisingly good decision.�
It is a book not only I enjoyed but lived along with the protagonist, as I could imagine myself sometimes in her place, even if Emily was a Victorian woman. I think it was the perfect time for her to exist, she married Philip in 1888, probably at the time when women’s role started to change in Europe (the women’s suffrage only became a national movement in 1872 in the UK, however, concrete results would only be seen after WWI).
After a slow start, I was conquered by Lady Emily’s story. A widow just after her wedding trip, Emily slowly begins to discover and explore her identity. From the diary of her deceased husband, she not only notices the world of ancient Greece, classical antiquities but decides to learn Greek and take pleasure in Homer. She also falls in love with him! Her friend Cecile cautions her: "Don't fall in love with your dead husband, Kallista. It can bring you no joy." But she could not help herself.
In that, it was a unique and poignant story. Just to imagine you could have loved and been loved in return. Nonetheless, she enjoys being independent and won’t give it up easily: ‘…I still had no intention of marrying; I did not want to relinquish control of my life to anyone.� To the utter consternation of her mother. She tries to conciliate society's conventions with her new impetus for more freedom. But Lady Emily is set on her new ways, and some occasions startle or even displeases her acquaintances (not only the men!).
Despite the fact that I usually dislike and avoid stories penned in the ‘fist-person,' here it felt right; probably because it’s focused on one person and her road of self-discovery. Of course, there is some romance, friendships, a mystery to be solved and briefly angst. I loved Emily’s French friend Cecile, she is an essential character as she becomes Emily’s best friend despite the age difference; and Colin Hargreaves, who was Philip’s best friend, always sounds secretive but, from the beginning, I had the impression he was fascinated by her. However, their relationship is not always easy or without conflict. I enjoyed her ramblings about Homer, the Illiad and how she far preferred Hector to Achilles! But then Emily discovers that her opinion did not always coincide with Philip's:
‘I armed myself with …Philip’s journal, resolved that a lively exchange of ideas about ancient Greece could be adequately replaced with reading my dear husband’s thoughts on the subject. …I sighted, flipping through pages until I came across a draft of an essay of sorts that he had written about the Iliad.
In it I found no mention of the things I loved about the poem: its humanity, its energy, the heroic ideals of its characters. Most unsettling to me was his excessive praise of Achilles. And in all pages of writing, Philip never once mentioned Hector, except as Achilles� enemy. How could he have overlooked Homer’s most human character?
…As I sat there, I slowly began to realize that my own opinions were quite different from those of my husband.�
I also relished the atmosphere of the places she visits. Oh, how I love Paris and Santorini seems heavenly! But it was not a perfect novel if that exists. The rhythm is somewhat uneven, but probably a necessity of the plot. The secondary characters appear not fully explored, but could it be different since Emily tells the story and we get only her point of view? I’m curious to see how Ms. Alexander continues Lady Emily’s tale in the next books of the series.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, but sometimes enjoy a new outlook in your books, read And Only to Deceive and enjoy!
January 26, 2015
I must confess. I feel a little bad about my relationship with Lady Emily Ashton. I came across her adventures in the wake of Lady Julia Grey's escapades and I fear I won't be able to do Emily justice, that she will always be overshadowed by Julia. And, um, Brisbane. Do not mistake me. I like Colin Hargreaves very much. He is a delight and I hope Emily never throws him over. But he's not....well. He's not Brisbane. There. I've said it. We can move on. If you haven't guessed by now, AND ONLY TO DECEIVE is the first in 's series of Victorian mysteries featuring Lady Emily Ashton. A series that has a fair bit in common with 's Julia Grey novels.
Emily, like Julia, is made a young and rather sudden widow at the start of the story. The thing is, she never much cared for poor, dead Philip. He was simply a way of escaping her overbearing mother. To the cynical Emily, he represented the lesser of all the evils courting her. After his death, however, Emily is shocked to discover her husband was wildly, irrevocably in love with her and she had no idea. Through his journals, letters, and stories told by his closest friends, she comes to know and love her late husband. As she embarks on a study of ancient Greek language and sculpture (in memory of Philip who was something of an afficionado), Emily becomes involved in a ring of forgeries leading back to Philip and his friends. It seems she has a few more things left to learn about the man she married.
The best thing about AND ONLY TO DECEIVE is the wonderful immersion in all things Greek. I was instantly taken back to my history of civ classes and what a wonderful experience I had reading for the first time. Emily, too, had the good sense to prefer Hector to Achilles. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Emily fall in love with her husband and struggle with the fact of coming to know him secondhand and all too late. I loved the way she embraced the life of the scholar as a tribute to him and how she tried to move on despite the ever-constricting mourning requirements imposed on all sides. Unfortunately, her loyal love for her husband soon becomes a bit ridiculous as it is clear he is dead and was not, perhaps, the capital fellow his friends made him out to be. Emily also suffers a few TSTL moments with regards to the merits of her two suitors as well as her endeavors to unmask the villain. As a result, I grew a bit impatient on the whole. Not enough to deter me from the next installment, as I did enjoy many things about this light and charming mystery. Here's hoping things pick up a bit in the next one.
Emily, like Julia, is made a young and rather sudden widow at the start of the story. The thing is, she never much cared for poor, dead Philip. He was simply a way of escaping her overbearing mother. To the cynical Emily, he represented the lesser of all the evils courting her. After his death, however, Emily is shocked to discover her husband was wildly, irrevocably in love with her and she had no idea. Through his journals, letters, and stories told by his closest friends, she comes to know and love her late husband. As she embarks on a study of ancient Greek language and sculpture (in memory of Philip who was something of an afficionado), Emily becomes involved in a ring of forgeries leading back to Philip and his friends. It seems she has a few more things left to learn about the man she married.
The best thing about AND ONLY TO DECEIVE is the wonderful immersion in all things Greek. I was instantly taken back to my history of civ classes and what a wonderful experience I had reading for the first time. Emily, too, had the good sense to prefer Hector to Achilles. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Emily fall in love with her husband and struggle with the fact of coming to know him secondhand and all too late. I loved the way she embraced the life of the scholar as a tribute to him and how she tried to move on despite the ever-constricting mourning requirements imposed on all sides. Unfortunately, her loyal love for her husband soon becomes a bit ridiculous as it is clear he is dead and was not, perhaps, the capital fellow his friends made him out to be. Emily also suffers a few TSTL moments with regards to the merits of her two suitors as well as her endeavors to unmask the villain. As a result, I grew a bit impatient on the whole. Not enough to deter me from the next installment, as I did enjoy many things about this light and charming mystery. Here's hoping things pick up a bit in the next one.
July 3, 2008
This book started out very promising. As historical fiction, the author gets it right - enough detail for interest but not so much to bog down the story. She does not take too many liberties with the time period or setting. As a "novel of suspense" it is an engaging story... not really a page turner but enough suspense to keep me anxious to read on.
Where this book suffers most is with its heroine, Lady Emily Ashton. She is a young widow, a social station which makes her believe herself to be more worldly than she really is, which of course drives much of the conflict in the novel. I won't hold this character flaw against her, but the result of it in the novel is a sort of whiny nascent feminism and a rebelliousness that seems designed to make the character have more appeal to a modern audience.
As the book progresses, the formulaic plot wears a bit thin, and by the end it seems clear the author is setting us up for a series of novels featuring a plucky heroine, willing to defy society's conventions in search of adventure and her own sense of self-fulfillment. Of course she is independently wealthy as well and, as a widow, holds a station in society which allows her more freedom than many women. In the "back story" section at the end of the book, the author even admits that she made her character a widow for precisely that reason. This is a song I've heard many times before, and I was disappointed to find this the direction Ms Alexander is headed.
Despite these flaws I did enjoy the book, but because of them I am not likely to seek out further adventures of Lady Emily Ashton.
Where this book suffers most is with its heroine, Lady Emily Ashton. She is a young widow, a social station which makes her believe herself to be more worldly than she really is, which of course drives much of the conflict in the novel. I won't hold this character flaw against her, but the result of it in the novel is a sort of whiny nascent feminism and a rebelliousness that seems designed to make the character have more appeal to a modern audience.
As the book progresses, the formulaic plot wears a bit thin, and by the end it seems clear the author is setting us up for a series of novels featuring a plucky heroine, willing to defy society's conventions in search of adventure and her own sense of self-fulfillment. Of course she is independently wealthy as well and, as a widow, holds a station in society which allows her more freedom than many women. In the "back story" section at the end of the book, the author even admits that she made her character a widow for precisely that reason. This is a song I've heard many times before, and I was disappointed to find this the direction Ms Alexander is headed.
Despite these flaws I did enjoy the book, but because of them I am not likely to seek out further adventures of Lady Emily Ashton.
July 16, 2016
Sometimes, a book just doesn't work for me no matter how much I want to enjoy it. And Only to Deceive have everything that I should like, interesting characters, a mystery and a tragic love story. However, somewhere along the way the story just lost my interest and unfortunately I never found it as interesting as it was, in the beginning, to read.
So, what went wrong? Why did this book not appeal to me? I think the biggest problem for me was that the plot, Emily's hunt for the truth about Philips involvement in the forgery of art, or rather the whole forgery plot was so simple to figure out that it took away the enjoyment to read the book. Since this book is bit old now and several new books have been published was it easy to cross one person of the list as suspects and that made the list of people that could be involved pretty small. And, a book that started off interesting just lost its spark along the way.
I did find Emily's newfound love for Philip tragic and sweet, but alas even that went a bit boring after a while. She discovered new things about him and she realized that the man she married was a different man than she had imagined and suddenly she fell in love with him. With the problem that he is dead. Like the forgery part that also lost its spark after a while.
However, I do want to continue with the series. I did like Emily enough to want to read more about her. I just hope the stories in the rest of the books are better and that the mysteries will be much more interesting to read about. Also, I'm not really that fond of Colin, and I hope that I will grow to like him.
So, what went wrong? Why did this book not appeal to me? I think the biggest problem for me was that the plot, Emily's hunt for the truth about Philips involvement in the forgery of art, or rather the whole forgery plot was so simple to figure out that it took away the enjoyment to read the book. Since this book is bit old now and several new books have been published was it easy to cross one person of the list as suspects and that made the list of people that could be involved pretty small. And, a book that started off interesting just lost its spark along the way.
I did find Emily's newfound love for Philip tragic and sweet, but alas even that went a bit boring after a while. She discovered new things about him and she realized that the man she married was a different man than she had imagined and suddenly she fell in love with him. With the problem that he is dead. Like the forgery part that also lost its spark after a while.
However, I do want to continue with the series. I did like Emily enough to want to read more about her. I just hope the stories in the rest of the books are better and that the mysteries will be much more interesting to read about. Also, I'm not really that fond of Colin, and I hope that I will grow to like him.
May 27, 2009
I didn't enjoy this book as much as Deanna Raybourn's "Silent" series, but it was entertaining. I couldn't help but compare the two as the protagonists have very similar setup: Rich, widowed, Victorian era, mystery about husband's death. This book seemed to dance around the story quite a bit, went off on tangents and had frequent periods of stalling in the middle. I enjoyed it, and will read the next though, as the setting is very interesting.
April 6, 2018
2.5 stars. This wasn't bad, but I found it dull. I kept reading hoping for more excitement, especially when, around page 200, they were going to but they never even did that. A letdown.
August 25, 2016
GR has recommends this book to me for at least a year. I chanced upon it at a used book sale and thought, "what the hell?" I'm ever so glad I did! The only downfall to the plot is that the heroine doesn't enjoy coffee!?!??!! Of course, she is a Victorian lady, so it's tea for her, but she is so spunky that taking a glass of port after dinner with the gentlemen is quite acceptable. The plot left me questioning until the very end. I really didn't know who to blame for the crimes committed and was quite saddened for the heroine when one previously unknown crime came to light. I think that's what I enjoyed most about this book. I actually really LIKED Emily. I wanted to be her friend.
August 26, 2014
This was a fun and an unexpectedly touching story featuring a woman who falls in love with her husband after he is dead. That central feature lends the book more weight, more poignancy, more engagement than it probably deserves. Not that Emily isn't engaging on her own. I particularly like her growing intellectual interests and determination to educate herself in areas that catch her attention. Attending lectures at university and hiring tutors for ancient language and art lessons just fit her so well and made sense as she pursues her husband's interests as she gets to know the man she had been married to for so short a time.
But the central plot/mystery was only barely serviceable and the villains didn't really cohere very well and it wasn't that hard to tell who everybody was and what their motivations were. This left Emily a little boringly predictable in pursuit of an investigation that was boringly predictable.
So I was charmed, but I wonder if the series can maintain the interest
I waffled a bit on the rating. I foresee problems and have to acknowledge that this book has weaknesses that would normally put it in a firm, though hopeful, three-star rating. But the exploration of a relationship built on regret for what might have been was poignant and deeply engaging and very well done. I hope Alexander lives up to that promise and that she improves the elements that felt a little flat... Not least because she won't have the Emily's relationship with Philip to exploit any longer.
But the central plot/mystery was only barely serviceable and the villains didn't really cohere very well and it wasn't that hard to tell who everybody was and what their motivations were. This left Emily a little boringly predictable in pursuit of an investigation that was boringly predictable.
So I was charmed, but I wonder if the series can maintain the interest
I waffled a bit on the rating. I foresee problems and have to acknowledge that this book has weaknesses that would normally put it in a firm, though hopeful, three-star rating. But the exploration of a relationship built on regret for what might have been was poignant and deeply engaging and very well done. I hope Alexander lives up to that promise and that she improves the elements that felt a little flat... Not least because she won't have the Emily's relationship with Philip to exploit any longer.
February 16, 2020
As the novel opens, Lady Emily Ashton is horrified. She's a recent (and young) widow, and her period of half-mourning is not yet over. She's entered the stage where it's acceptable to participate in limited social events, and her mother plans to use these occasions to relaunch Emily into the marriage market. Emily had chosen to marry her husband to get away from her mother's matchmaking; apparently, even her status as a widow is not enough to protect her from her mother, now.
Her husband died when on a safari, and after one of his companions visits to offer his condolences, she becomes curious about the man she had married but had barely known. Her curiosity leads her to the British Museum and to the study of Greek artifacts. Emily never knew that her husband was an avid scholar and collector of antiquities; she had thought his only hobby was the rather repellent hunting.
As Emily digs deeper into her husband's life, she learns that he loved her dearly, and she comes to love him as well. She also finds herself in danger from his secrets . . . and those that fear she may uncover them.
I liked this book for about the first half. That section of the novel deals with Emily's desire to educate herself and understand her new identity. After that point, when the mystery kicks in, the book lost my interest. I could see the number of places where Emily was making bad decisions, and it annoyed me. Instead of making her a flawed character (and therefore interesting), her bad decisions seemed designed only to move the plot forward.
Also, does every man in the empire think that she's the most beautiful women he's ever seen?
Her husband died when on a safari, and after one of his companions visits to offer his condolences, she becomes curious about the man she had married but had barely known. Her curiosity leads her to the British Museum and to the study of Greek artifacts. Emily never knew that her husband was an avid scholar and collector of antiquities; she had thought his only hobby was the rather repellent hunting.
As Emily digs deeper into her husband's life, she learns that he loved her dearly, and she comes to love him as well. She also finds herself in danger from his secrets . . . and those that fear she may uncover them.
I liked this book for about the first half. That section of the novel deals with Emily's desire to educate herself and understand her new identity. After that point, when the mystery kicks in, the book lost my interest. I could see the number of places where Emily was making bad decisions, and it annoyed me. Instead of making her a flawed character (and therefore interesting), her bad decisions seemed designed only to move the plot forward.
Also, does every man in the empire think that she's the most beautiful women he's ever seen?
July 2, 2023
When I first started reading this book I was surprised by the tone employed to drive the plot forward. To delve into historical fiction that doubles as a mystery enticed me. When the premise was revealed to be the dealing of antiquities I was doubly excited. However, so much of my disappointment is attributed to poor characters.
Emily, the main character, who has lost her husband of only a couple of months, & is now very wealthy, stumbles upon her husband's possessions & become aware of the fact that he wasn't the single-minded hunter of wildlife that she knew him to be.
As the book progressed I became more & more irritated with her character. She's not very bright which one might discern from the opening chapters as she makes wild assumptions & has no ability to actually read people (which is highlighted throughout the story). Her single-mindedness toward "The Iliad" by Homer, is mind-numbing to read about.
I've personally read both "The Iliad" & "The Odyssey", having to read about a group of people who seemingly had nothing better to discuss than a work which was translated, misunderstood & over-hyped, gave me the impression that they didn't have much going for them. These wealthy people of English society had ample pieces of literature at their disposal but instead decided to focus on a piece that might grant them the appearance of one who is enlightened & culturally intellectual. I understand that "The Iliad" is referenced in terms of its symbolism but, it was overdone & lead to my feelings listed above.
I grew so incredibly tired of hearing Emily try to be witty & snarky all the while totally ignoring the red flags which were posted everywhere around her. Though there's always a part of me that's secretly happy when I can guess the plot of a story, there was nothing to feel proud about with regard to guessing this one; it was profoundly obvious from the start.
One didn't need to understand the concept of a red herring to know where this book was going. The fact that Emily had to constantly reassure herself of the validity of her assumptions, based solely on her own vapid motives, was dull.
The actual concept of this book was great but the way that it was written, the characters & the layout made the read feel very long & drawn out.
Emily, the main character, who has lost her husband of only a couple of months, & is now very wealthy, stumbles upon her husband's possessions & become aware of the fact that he wasn't the single-minded hunter of wildlife that she knew him to be.
As the book progressed I became more & more irritated with her character. She's not very bright which one might discern from the opening chapters as she makes wild assumptions & has no ability to actually read people (which is highlighted throughout the story). Her single-mindedness toward "The Iliad" by Homer, is mind-numbing to read about.
I've personally read both "The Iliad" & "The Odyssey", having to read about a group of people who seemingly had nothing better to discuss than a work which was translated, misunderstood & over-hyped, gave me the impression that they didn't have much going for them. These wealthy people of English society had ample pieces of literature at their disposal but instead decided to focus on a piece that might grant them the appearance of one who is enlightened & culturally intellectual. I understand that "The Iliad" is referenced in terms of its symbolism but, it was overdone & lead to my feelings listed above.
I grew so incredibly tired of hearing Emily try to be witty & snarky all the while totally ignoring the red flags which were posted everywhere around her. Though there's always a part of me that's secretly happy when I can guess the plot of a story, there was nothing to feel proud about with regard to guessing this one; it was profoundly obvious from the start.
One didn't need to understand the concept of a red herring to know where this book was going. The fact that Emily had to constantly reassure herself of the validity of her assumptions, based solely on her own vapid motives, was dull.
The actual concept of this book was great but the way that it was written, the characters & the layout made the read feel very long & drawn out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2020
I love a good historical mystery but I found fair-to-middling. Perhaps it had to do with the first person tense. The bulk of the story was told from Lady Emily Ashton’s POV; from her brief marriage to her new found freedom while still a member of nobility.
I enjoyed the setting of the story; it oozed the Victorian era. I looked forward to reading Philip’s brief excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. It was a chance to read his POV before and after their marriage. They provided an interesting filler.
Sadly, I found Emily’s mother irritating; her constant criticisms were annoying at best. The reason for Philip’s death was murky until almost the end. And there was a long buildup that caused me to struggle with the plot.
Lastly, there was Emily. We were never told her age except that she had her debut with her first season. Since she was married and widowed soon after that, I assumed 19-20 years old. She was a fickle character both in temperament and how she spoke. Other than that, I can’t put my finger on why I never warmed up to her.
Once the entire cast of was introduced, I was hoping for a page turner with some nail-biting moments. If there was excitement, it was lost on me. Instead, this story was a civilized sedative.
2.5 stars
I enjoyed the setting of the story; it oozed the Victorian era. I looked forward to reading Philip’s brief excerpts at the beginning of each chapter. It was a chance to read his POV before and after their marriage. They provided an interesting filler.
Sadly, I found Emily’s mother irritating; her constant criticisms were annoying at best. The reason for Philip’s death was murky until almost the end. And there was a long buildup that caused me to struggle with the plot.
Lastly, there was Emily. We were never told her age except that she had her debut with her first season. Since she was married and widowed soon after that, I assumed 19-20 years old. She was a fickle character both in temperament and how she spoke. Other than that, I can’t put my finger on why I never warmed up to her.
Once the entire cast of was introduced, I was hoping for a page turner with some nail-biting moments. If there was excitement, it was lost on me. Instead, this story was a civilized sedative.
2.5 stars
July 3, 2007
While in Borders, I picked up Tasha Alexander's And Only to Deceive. I quickly was drawn into the opening chapters: Alexander's given her heroine, Emily Ashton, a wry, crisp tone that is enchanting. In that sitting, I could see the mystery part of the book approaching, but was much more interested in Ashton's intellectual awakening as she found herself suddenly in a position of increased social power and financial independence. At home that evening, I kept regretting not buying it and wanting to continue reading it.
After getting a library copy and finishing it, my reaction is mixed. On one hand, the main characters are well drawn, the literary references delightful (the reference to Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret serves as an effective plot device), fun visits to great museums, and I'll probably read the rest of the series. However, the mystery isn't that mysterious. While it's a nice twist on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (what if Lizzy married Darcy without falling in love with him and then he died suddenly) in a Victorian setting (ever fertile ground for any mystery), there's also an unacknowledged debt to Stephanie Barron. If you've read any of her Jane Austen Mysteries, you'll note the uncanny resemblance of one of Alexander's characters to one of Barron's: not only are they similar, but their character arc moves in almost exactly the same manner. I only recently read Barron's first book, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manner, so maybe that's why it was so fresh in my mind. Barron sets up a more plausible scenario for a mystery series and she's more adept at the genre. I kept wishing Alexander's novel would stay more in line with Ashton's journey of self-discovery, which is her strong suit, and drop the rather predictable mystery.
After getting a library copy and finishing it, my reaction is mixed. On one hand, the main characters are well drawn, the literary references delightful (the reference to Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret serves as an effective plot device), fun visits to great museums, and I'll probably read the rest of the series. However, the mystery isn't that mysterious. While it's a nice twist on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (what if Lizzy married Darcy without falling in love with him and then he died suddenly) in a Victorian setting (ever fertile ground for any mystery), there's also an unacknowledged debt to Stephanie Barron. If you've read any of her Jane Austen Mysteries, you'll note the uncanny resemblance of one of Alexander's characters to one of Barron's: not only are they similar, but their character arc moves in almost exactly the same manner. I only recently read Barron's first book, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manner, so maybe that's why it was so fresh in my mind. Barron sets up a more plausible scenario for a mystery series and she's more adept at the genre. I kept wishing Alexander's novel would stay more in line with Ashton's journey of self-discovery, which is her strong suit, and drop the rather predictable mystery.
May 7, 2019
Our heroine married an acceptable suitor and was prepared to do her duty. She didn’t actually love him, but in her world love wasn’t necessary. Then he leaves for a safari and dies. Or did he?
After a year of quiet widowhood she embarks on a quest to find the truth.
After a year of quiet widowhood she embarks on a quest to find the truth.
June 17, 2023
In which a young widow reads Homer and falls in love with her dead husband. 3.5�
Summary: Married only 6 months before her husband died, Lady Emily Ashton has been a widow for longer than her marriage. As theirs had been a marriage of convenience—or so she thought—Emily had little involvement with her often-traveling husband. Picking up his journal, Emily posthumously gets to know and develops feelings for Philip. As she embraces Philip’s passion for Greek epics and rare antiquities, Emily soon finds herself involved in a treacherous counterfeit art intrigue.
Writing: Slow-paced, immersive historical fiction. Overflowing with art, mythology, and translation references. Excerpts from Philip’s journal conclude each chapter, linking moments leading up to Philip’s death to the “present day.� The novel centers around women’s social roles and self-discovery themes, as Emily enjoys the education and independence widowhood affords while also romanticizing an impossible life with Philip.
My Feelings: I am not sure how this book ended up on my tbr. I’m not mad about it, but it’s not something I would usually choose. There’s no sweeping romance, no intent to disrupt literary norms. It’s entertaining but unmemorable. In retrospect, on its own, I still wouldn’t pick up this book. However, I am intrigued enough to read the sequel because I want to see what happens after *spoilerspoilerspoiler* …a lot of character growth.
If you like�
-Homer’s Epics
-Art History
-Mystery
-Art Heists
-Female Friendships
-Books About Gender Roles & Social Constraints
Star Criteria
1: Is the book engaging/enjoyable/entertaining? Yes.
2: Is the book creative? Yes.
3: Does the book offer educational value? Yes. Greek epics and mythology; impressionist art; late 1800’s English social conventions and lifestyle; late 1800’s French art scene; Greek antiquities.
4: Does the book highlight underrepresented voices? No.
5: Does the book challenge existing literary norms and tropes? Is it innovative? No for 95% of the book but yes at the very end.
Summary: Married only 6 months before her husband died, Lady Emily Ashton has been a widow for longer than her marriage. As theirs had been a marriage of convenience—or so she thought—Emily had little involvement with her often-traveling husband. Picking up his journal, Emily posthumously gets to know and develops feelings for Philip. As she embraces Philip’s passion for Greek epics and rare antiquities, Emily soon finds herself involved in a treacherous counterfeit art intrigue.
Writing: Slow-paced, immersive historical fiction. Overflowing with art, mythology, and translation references. Excerpts from Philip’s journal conclude each chapter, linking moments leading up to Philip’s death to the “present day.� The novel centers around women’s social roles and self-discovery themes, as Emily enjoys the education and independence widowhood affords while also romanticizing an impossible life with Philip.
My Feelings: I am not sure how this book ended up on my tbr. I’m not mad about it, but it’s not something I would usually choose. There’s no sweeping romance, no intent to disrupt literary norms. It’s entertaining but unmemorable. In retrospect, on its own, I still wouldn’t pick up this book. However, I am intrigued enough to read the sequel because I want to see what happens after *spoilerspoilerspoiler* …a lot of character growth.
If you like�
-Homer’s Epics
-Art History
-Mystery
-Art Heists
-Female Friendships
-Books About Gender Roles & Social Constraints
Star Criteria
1: Is the book engaging/enjoyable/entertaining? Yes.
2: Is the book creative? Yes.
3: Does the book offer educational value? Yes. Greek epics and mythology; impressionist art; late 1800’s English social conventions and lifestyle; late 1800’s French art scene; Greek antiquities.
4: Does the book highlight underrepresented voices? No.
5: Does the book challenge existing literary norms and tropes? Is it innovative? No for 95% of the book but yes at the very end.
September 23, 2012
It was a new book and as such, pleasant to read. Also, I heard good things about it, so started out enjoying it. Then it turned out to be one of those smug stories where the hero/ine is so snarky, he/she can't keep from snarking even in his/her sleep. Tiresome to say the least. And the snark is not that good either. And the book is a historical only because the heroine gets to wear nice clothes, I suppose.
Lady Emily married a guy just to save herself from her horrible meddling mother. The guy died. Then she found his diaries in which he writes at length about his love for her. She is moved and falls in love with him too, then gets an idea he was probably murdered, and tries to learn the truth. Sounds interesting, but at this point the author felt the necessity of suddenly making Lady Emily into An Unconventional Beauty Beloved By All. Even by the servants. She winks at the butler and treats him like one of her suitors - better, in fact. Weird. And she has a lot of suitors, good guys, bad guys, also random people who love her for no apparent reason. So despite being shallow, unpleasant, and dumb, she solves the mystery - everyone helps her - and nothing remotely dangerous happens to her throughout the book. Nothing dangerous and nothing more interesting than falling in love with her dead husband.
Most of the book is about Lady Emily being snarky about the Victorian society. She's drinking spirits, smoking and kissing dudes whenever she can, mostly on her sofa and on the mouth too. Basically she don't give a damn. But the society don't give a damn. Go figure. She doesn't marry the butler, though. Are you surprised?
Lady Emily married a guy just to save herself from her horrible meddling mother. The guy died. Then she found his diaries in which he writes at length about his love for her. She is moved and falls in love with him too, then gets an idea he was probably murdered, and tries to learn the truth. Sounds interesting, but at this point the author felt the necessity of suddenly making Lady Emily into An Unconventional Beauty Beloved By All. Even by the servants. She winks at the butler and treats him like one of her suitors - better, in fact. Weird. And she has a lot of suitors, good guys, bad guys, also random people who love her for no apparent reason. So despite being shallow, unpleasant, and dumb, she solves the mystery - everyone helps her - and nothing remotely dangerous happens to her throughout the book. Nothing dangerous and nothing more interesting than falling in love with her dead husband.
Most of the book is about Lady Emily being snarky about the Victorian society. She's drinking spirits, smoking and kissing dudes whenever she can, mostly on her sofa and on the mouth too. Basically she don't give a damn. But the society don't give a damn. Go figure. She doesn't marry the butler, though. Are you surprised?
April 9, 2018
I came into this with incorrect expectations. I thought this would be about a widow who didn't love her husband discovering who he was in life and unraveling the circumstances of his death. Instead this is about a preternaturally attractive widow finding passion in Ancient Greek art and literature while also being romantically pursued by two men and uncovering a mystery surrounding antiquities that eventually lead to demystifying her husband's death. I've read the story about the woman who doesn't realize how beautiful she is and how she effortlessly intrigues men many times before. It really annoys me and it was an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. I also thought the plot was scattered and the characterization to be limited to dialogue. This is not a bad book, but it's not for me.
April 24, 2020
RATING: 4 STARS
Lady Emily Ashton's (nee Bromley) character grows as the novel progresses but women's lib kind of knocks you too often in the head. As this takes place in the Victorian era I can see why this would be a big issue, but I think it would been better as a show then tell. A great Victorian mystery and is believable. Philip Ashton while on a hunting trip dies of a fever, but while Emily is in mourning she discovers who her husband really was and whether he was actually murdered. And, what does the mysterious Colin (Philip's good friend) have to do with it all?
Lady Emily Ashton's (nee Bromley) character grows as the novel progresses but women's lib kind of knocks you too often in the head. As this takes place in the Victorian era I can see why this would be a big issue, but I think it would been better as a show then tell. A great Victorian mystery and is believable. Philip Ashton while on a hunting trip dies of a fever, but while Emily is in mourning she discovers who her husband really was and whether he was actually murdered. And, what does the mysterious Colin (Philip's good friend) have to do with it all?
October 14, 2015
A very slow building. A very deitailed descriptions. A very intriguing premise of falling in love with a deceised husband.
The first part was really slow, but it picked pace until at almost the very end it became really interesting!
The first part was really slow, but it picked pace until at almost the very end it became really interesting!
April 2, 2017
This felt so very much like � well, several books I've read before, but especially Silent in the Grave: Both were in the first person. In both, a Victorian lady is widowed, doesn't mind very much, finds out much later poor old hubby, Philip, Viscount Ashton, was murdered, and conducts investigation alongside husband's friend (with whom there are sparks) while stressing constantly about what to wear and when can I get out of mourning for heaven's sake it's not like I loved him. In both, I wound up with a deep impatience for, if not outright dislike of, the heroine.
Emily's first reaction to news of her husband's death is relief. He wasn't a bad fellow, but she only married him to get away from her mother's constant nagging, and hey � a couple of years wearing ugly mourning colours, and now she's free and clear and can do what she wants. Yay. Unfortunately, as time goes by, Emily succumbs to her husband's friends' opinions of him, and begins to fall morbidly in love with his memory, the ideal image of the man she never bothered to get to know. He genuinely loved her; that's enough to start her falling. Too late.
In her fervor of self-flagellation for being unable to face Philip's friends and family, she begins to throw herself into his passions. Well, two of them; she still can't abide his beloved hunting (which would have been quite a can of worms if he had lived), but she plunges into the study of ancient Greek and the appreciation of ancient Greek art. In about five minutes she begins to uncover what must be a forgery ring, and, fearing her husband might have been involved, investigates.
She is shaken, trying very hard to reconcile this criminal activity with her green worship of him. Then the book catches up to my prediction (based on the classic soap opera warning "did you see the body?") and she is told Ashton might still be alive, despite his best friend's insistence that he was there and watched the man die. She is thrilled, determined to move heaven and earth to find him and nurse him lovingly back to health. A little ways into that process, I had an intuition that he couldn't be alive after all � and I was right. I've said it before: if I can predict how your book is going to turn out, you've done something wrong. And so he is revealed to yes, be dead, and in fact, have been murdered, and she basically shrugs her shoulders and swans off to revel some more in her romantic ideal of the widow who, see? Really did love her husband after all (if too late).
Excerpts from Ashton's journal never really pull their own weight; they are mostly inconsequential, unrelated to the chapters they proceed, and never echo what Emily thinks about them. Though I suppose I should be happy the author spared me the long and boring passages about hunting, still, on the flip side there was remarkably little about the wedding night. Which isn't said out of prurience, but just because Emily was sort of looking forward to what he wrote.
And the ending � the wrap-up of the story was satisfying enough, but once everything was explained away there were still far too many pages left. And it just kept going. All through the book Ashton's friend (whatsit) had been encouraging Emily to go to Greece, to the villa in Santorini Ashton had prepared for her. I had rather expected that to be the next book � it would be perfect, I thought, to build it up, maybe have her planning the trip as this book ended, and then set the second book in the series on the island.
Nope.
The book was quite readable, which is why I did read it through. But it was disjointed. As a friend pointed out in her review, there was a great deal attempted, and not really succeeded at. And one major thing keeping this book from a higher rating was the completely incomprehensible handling of the forger. He is stunningly gifted, and has no problem selling copies of ancient work: he makes no pretense that they are the real thing, after all, and what his buyer does with the work once it's his isn't the artist's problem. Which � is a nice way to look at it, if you can manage it, but isn't very realistic. Up to that point it reminded me very strongly of the case of the artist Alceo Dossena and his buyer, his dealer, Alfredo Fasoli. Dossena claimed ignorance of the ultimate dispositions of his work, too, but he wasn't quite so cheerful about the fact that while he got a pittance for the art his dealer would sell it on, as original, for thousands. He sued. This guy? He has absolutely no problem with the fact that his name is still unknown, that the scores of hours of work and talent invested in every piece is being attributed to others, and � least likely � has no problem with living on the edge of poverty while his dealer is raking it in. Worst, though, is the fact that this one forger handles several different media, no problem. Sculpture? Got it. Black figure urn? No problem. And so on. I went to art school; I’ve always been interested in art forgery and I’ve read a bit about it. I know full well that artists are more than capable of great things in more than one medium � but the likelihood that a man would be so very, very good at pottery AND sculpture as to have his work pass for the best of the best among the ancients, including Praxiteles, is incredibly small. For him to be so gifted and still not be able to make a living for himself without being completely unscrupulous� maybe it's not unrealistic, but it seemed so.
Suddenly, about three quarters of the way through the book, Emily develops a very lawyerly turn of mind, knowing instinctively finer points of what is and is not strictly legal and what will and will not convict a man. The reformation of a female main character from fluffy-headed clotheshorse at the beginning to strong and capable independent woman by the end is no new thing in fiction, but (or maybe "and so") it has to be handled well to be really believable. I'm not so sure about Emily.
Emily's first reaction to news of her husband's death is relief. He wasn't a bad fellow, but she only married him to get away from her mother's constant nagging, and hey � a couple of years wearing ugly mourning colours, and now she's free and clear and can do what she wants. Yay. Unfortunately, as time goes by, Emily succumbs to her husband's friends' opinions of him, and begins to fall morbidly in love with his memory, the ideal image of the man she never bothered to get to know. He genuinely loved her; that's enough to start her falling. Too late.
In her fervor of self-flagellation for being unable to face Philip's friends and family, she begins to throw herself into his passions. Well, two of them; she still can't abide his beloved hunting (which would have been quite a can of worms if he had lived), but she plunges into the study of ancient Greek and the appreciation of ancient Greek art. In about five minutes she begins to uncover what must be a forgery ring, and, fearing her husband might have been involved, investigates.
She is shaken, trying very hard to reconcile this criminal activity with her green worship of him. Then the book catches up to my prediction (based on the classic soap opera warning "did you see the body?") and she is told Ashton might still be alive, despite his best friend's insistence that he was there and watched the man die. She is thrilled, determined to move heaven and earth to find him and nurse him lovingly back to health. A little ways into that process, I had an intuition that he couldn't be alive after all � and I was right. I've said it before: if I can predict how your book is going to turn out, you've done something wrong. And so he is revealed to yes, be dead, and in fact, have been murdered, and she basically shrugs her shoulders and swans off to revel some more in her romantic ideal of the widow who, see? Really did love her husband after all (if too late).
Excerpts from Ashton's journal never really pull their own weight; they are mostly inconsequential, unrelated to the chapters they proceed, and never echo what Emily thinks about them. Though I suppose I should be happy the author spared me the long and boring passages about hunting, still, on the flip side there was remarkably little about the wedding night. Which isn't said out of prurience, but just because Emily was sort of looking forward to what he wrote.
And the ending � the wrap-up of the story was satisfying enough, but once everything was explained away there were still far too many pages left. And it just kept going. All through the book Ashton's friend (whatsit) had been encouraging Emily to go to Greece, to the villa in Santorini Ashton had prepared for her. I had rather expected that to be the next book � it would be perfect, I thought, to build it up, maybe have her planning the trip as this book ended, and then set the second book in the series on the island.
Nope.
The book was quite readable, which is why I did read it through. But it was disjointed. As a friend pointed out in her review, there was a great deal attempted, and not really succeeded at. And one major thing keeping this book from a higher rating was the completely incomprehensible handling of the forger. He is stunningly gifted, and has no problem selling copies of ancient work: he makes no pretense that they are the real thing, after all, and what his buyer does with the work once it's his isn't the artist's problem. Which � is a nice way to look at it, if you can manage it, but isn't very realistic. Up to that point it reminded me very strongly of the case of the artist Alceo Dossena and his buyer, his dealer, Alfredo Fasoli. Dossena claimed ignorance of the ultimate dispositions of his work, too, but he wasn't quite so cheerful about the fact that while he got a pittance for the art his dealer would sell it on, as original, for thousands. He sued. This guy? He has absolutely no problem with the fact that his name is still unknown, that the scores of hours of work and talent invested in every piece is being attributed to others, and � least likely � has no problem with living on the edge of poverty while his dealer is raking it in. Worst, though, is the fact that this one forger handles several different media, no problem. Sculpture? Got it. Black figure urn? No problem. And so on. I went to art school; I’ve always been interested in art forgery and I’ve read a bit about it. I know full well that artists are more than capable of great things in more than one medium � but the likelihood that a man would be so very, very good at pottery AND sculpture as to have his work pass for the best of the best among the ancients, including Praxiteles, is incredibly small. For him to be so gifted and still not be able to make a living for himself without being completely unscrupulous� maybe it's not unrealistic, but it seemed so.
Suddenly, about three quarters of the way through the book, Emily develops a very lawyerly turn of mind, knowing instinctively finer points of what is and is not strictly legal and what will and will not convict a man. The reformation of a female main character from fluffy-headed clotheshorse at the beginning to strong and capable independent woman by the end is no new thing in fiction, but (or maybe "and so") it has to be handled well to be really believable. I'm not so sure about Emily.
July 17, 2014
This one was a complete impulse buy. I picked it up because the jacket copy promised "a cauldron of intrigue, scandal, and danger" set in the British Museum and said it would be the result "had Jane Austen written ."
What hyperbole. It was none of those things. But it was a delightful, little, romantic Victorian cozy mystery. If anything, it reminded me of the Amelia Peabody mysteries - except instead of tracking down Egyptian artifacts in the field, the heroine of this novel tracks down stolen museum pieces relating to her late husband's obsession with ancient Greek art.
This is supposed to be the first in a series. I'm hoping the author will let the promising romance from this book continue on throughout the rest and that she won't introduce a new love interest every book.
What hyperbole. It was none of those things. But it was a delightful, little, romantic Victorian cozy mystery. If anything, it reminded me of the Amelia Peabody mysteries - except instead of tracking down Egyptian artifacts in the field, the heroine of this novel tracks down stolen museum pieces relating to her late husband's obsession with ancient Greek art.
This is supposed to be the first in a series. I'm hoping the author will let the promising romance from this book continue on throughout the rest and that she won't introduce a new love interest every book.
July 18, 2021
3.5 rounded up. Yes! Another new to me historical mystery series! The author managed to convey a widowed Victorian using Victorian sensibilities rather than modern ones: there are a plethora of very feisty Victorian ladies solving crimes with a very 21 st century attitude! Again, the crime and setting were very authentic too. Hopefully in the following books we’ll be done with all the to-ing and fro-ing about how much she mourned her late husband.
October 10, 2022
Lady Emily Ashburton is a boring, self-righteous, opinionated, know-it-all, feminist, pain in the A**. I don’t like her, and I don’t want to read any more about her.
August 28, 2020
Enjoyable read. Set in Victorian England, Lady Emily is an independent minded young woman trapped in societal expectations of aristocracy of the day. Why is it that this type of heroine always seems to have a disagreeable mother?! Anyway, she marries just to get out from under her mother's thumb! Lord Ashton is off on safari soon after their wedding and never returns, contracting an illness and dying in Africa. Lady Emily is now very wealthy, doesn't have to play society games for at least a year during her mourning and finds she likes being on her own with a chance to stretch her mind & try new things! Port, anyone?
Lady Emily discovers Lord Ashton's journals and in reading them begins to fall in love with her dead husband and becomes interested in the Greek antiquities that he has purchased and donated to the British Museum and becomes quite immersed in reading the Iliad. There are a collection of characters including potential suitors. I particularly liked a couple of her female friends who broaden Emily's intellectual horizons. But someone isn't what they seem. Mysteries begin to pile up related to forgeries of the antiquities and whether or not Phillip (Lord Ashton) is really dead. Emily decides to ferret out the truth.
Drawbacks: The pace of the story has its ups & downs and I could figure out who the villain was pretty early on. Would a woman of her upbringing and era really do the things that she does to discover the truth?
I still am interested to see how this character evolves in the rest of the series.
Lady Emily discovers Lord Ashton's journals and in reading them begins to fall in love with her dead husband and becomes interested in the Greek antiquities that he has purchased and donated to the British Museum and becomes quite immersed in reading the Iliad. There are a collection of characters including potential suitors. I particularly liked a couple of her female friends who broaden Emily's intellectual horizons. But someone isn't what they seem. Mysteries begin to pile up related to forgeries of the antiquities and whether or not Phillip (Lord Ashton) is really dead. Emily decides to ferret out the truth.
Drawbacks: The pace of the story has its ups & downs and I could figure out who the villain was pretty early on. Would a woman of her upbringing and era really do the things that she does to discover the truth?
I still am interested to see how this character evolves in the rest of the series.
March 18, 2018
This is historical fiction and an easy read. I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. I've read other books by this author, and they have been a solid 3 stars for me. I enjoyed Lady Emily in this one, even though her personality seemed too modern for the time in which this takes place, but it added charm in many ways. I liked the mystery of her husband, in determining if he survived or not. The journey of Emily in trying to figure out what happened to him was well thought out and had me guessing. She was quite clever in coming to the answer. So 4 stars.
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