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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After all the heavy books I’ve been reading lately, I felt the need to dip back into genre fiction for a while. I’m glad that I chose Tasha Alexander’s delightfully genre-breaking book, And Only to Deceive, the first book in the Lady Emily series of historical mysteries. From the very first page And Only to Deceive upsets genre expectations. Emily, Lady Ashton, is newly widowed when we met her. She and her husband were married for only a few months before Philip went on safari. A few months after that, he was dead. Now, Emily has to mourn him as much as society feels is appropriate—all while trying to solve a mystery about some faked antiques and fend off new marriage proposals. In the London of 1890, this is a full plate for any woman, no matter how clever...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is difficult to put down once started. The prose can feel stilted at times, but the story pulls you in. The author strove to capture the appropriate customs of the time and it shows.....the story is well done.
This was a fun read and I am gearing up to read the next one. Although the mystery is somewhat predictable, you didn't mind so much since Emily and the other characters were quite charming on their own.
Even if this book did have its weaknesses, it is an immensely enjoyable and light read. It reminds me a bit of gothic romances written by Victoria Holt or Mary Stewart, though it stays closer to a suspense novel than a romance. Emily is an enjoyable protagonist, if a bit unrealistic for her era. There are a large array of characters, but I feel like the author did a good job in giving just enough information about each to prevent confusion. The mystery is less of a formulaic murder mystery and more like a suspense. It reminded me of a combination of Elizabeth Peter’s and Laurie R. King’s writing (which is rather high praise, as I love both authors). However, the ending did feel a bit predictable to me, and I kept hoping a twist might defy my prediction. Even so, I feel like this series is one that I could easily binge read.
Full review on my blog: https://madamewriterblog.com/2020/05/20/book-review-and-only-to-deceive-by-tasha-alexander/
Full review on my blog: https://madamewriterblog.com/2020/05/20/book-review-and-only-to-deceive-by-tasha-alexander/
This is the first book of the Lady Emily series, which is a favorite of mine. Emily is a very strong female character who learns to think and study for herself after her husband's death. When mysterious circumstances are unearthed about her husband's death, Emily has to decide who to trust: Andrew, the man who seems to be in love with her, or her husband's best friend Colin.
The Greek antiquities her husband collected become fascinating to Emily, and she starts studying them as well as Homer, the Greek language and other studies. I love that she takes that on for herself, she is such a great character!
Speaking of great characters: Colin...oh Colin. He is magnificent book crush material. Strong, smart, handsome, rich and capable. He is also understanding and even approving of Emily's attempts to release herself from the woman's normal role: even when she stays in the room with the other men for cigars and port after dinner! Shocking! But, he is definitely man enough to handle Emily in all her port-drinking-Lady Audley's Secret-reading glory, if Emily wants to let him handle her, that is. When this book ends, the jury is still out on that. She won't give up her new found independence easily.
This is a fantastic historical mystery series, with dashes of romance of course. I definitely recommend picking them up! Tasha Alexander really knows how to create fantastic characters.
The Greek antiquities her husband collected become fascinating to Emily, and she starts studying them as well as Homer, the Greek language and other studies. I love that she takes that on for herself, she is such a great character!
Speaking of great characters: Colin...oh Colin. He is magnificent book crush material. Strong, smart, handsome, rich and capable. He is also understanding and even approving of Emily's attempts to release herself from the woman's normal role: even when she stays in the room with the other men for cigars and port after dinner! Shocking! But, he is definitely man enough to handle Emily in all her port-drinking-Lady Audley's Secret-reading glory, if Emily wants to let him handle her, that is. When this book ends, the jury is still out on that. She won't give up her new found independence easily.
This is a fantastic historical mystery series, with dashes of romance of course. I definitely recommend picking them up! Tasha Alexander really knows how to create fantastic characters.
I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book if a friend hadn’t highly recommended it! I kept picturing characters from Bridgerton and Pride & Prejudice (2005) in the roles. I liked the mixture of greek mythology and art history intertwined in the story.