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A review by mbenzz
A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander
3.0
I loved the first two Lady Ashton Mysteries, but this book, for the first time in the series, felt a little forced and unbelievable. In the previous books, you believed everything that was happening COULD, actually happen. Emily playing the sweet yet unconventional aristocrat looking for answers felt realistic. In this story though, it was very clear that Emily was in way over her head, and I just don't think she would have gotten as far as she did...especially since she was up against someone as ruthless as Mr. Harrison.
Also, I felt Lord Fortescue's behavior was just a little over the top. As the man who's supposedly 'Running England' and who is as close to the Queen as they say he is, I find it highly unlikely that she (the Queen) would condone such horrific behavior and manners. Ok, I get that he doesn't like Emily, but to talk to her the way he does, and to out and out threaten to ruin her in front of other people seems a little much, not to mention his treatment and blackmailing of many of England's most powerful men.
As for the mystery itself...who killed Lord Fortescue and why...it was a good one, though so much of the information Emily was searching for seemed useless in the end. She went from trying to exonerate her best friends husband, to being caught up in a Viennese attack plan that could possibly start a war. I just had a very hard time believing that anarchist Gustav Schroder would have given Emily even a minute of his time, let alone trust her in any way with sensitive information. And if Mr. Harrison REALLY wanted her dead, he would have just done it. Why was he wasting his time leaving her bullets everywhere as a warning? As we later see, if he wants someone eliminated, he eliminates them. How convenient that Emily managed to escape such a fate.
Also, the love woes between Emily, Colin, Countess von Lang, and Jeremy were at times interesting but quickly got old. My patience for Jeremy was completely gone by the end of the book. He grew up with Emily, had had PLEEEENTY of time to decide he wanted to marry her. Instead, he chose to be the forever lazy 'Bachelor Duke'. Now that she's engaged to Hargreaves he's turned into a sulking child who doesn't get what he wants. And Colin only pops in and out of the story occasionally. He's not at all reliable for Emily in any way.
Overall, while I liked the book, I certainly didn't love it. I do recommend reading it since it's part of the series, but you may be disappointed. Some of my favorite secondary characters (Cecil, Margaret, Ivy) were hardly around at all, and, while the conclusion to the mystery was a satisfactory one, you can't help but wonder why Emily had to leave the country at all. 90% of the information she used to solve the murder could have been found in England just by talking to Sir Julian. I'm definitely bummed that this book wasn't as good as the first two, but that sometimes happens with a series. I still look forward to book 4 and seeing what trouble Emily comes across this time. Hopefully, she comes across it in a more believable manner.
Also, I felt Lord Fortescue's behavior was just a little over the top. As the man who's supposedly 'Running England' and who is as close to the Queen as they say he is, I find it highly unlikely that she (the Queen) would condone such horrific behavior and manners. Ok, I get that he doesn't like Emily, but to talk to her the way he does, and to out and out threaten to ruin her in front of other people seems a little much, not to mention his treatment and blackmailing of many of England's most powerful men.
As for the mystery itself...who killed Lord Fortescue and why...it was a good one, though so much of the information Emily was searching for seemed useless in the end. She went from trying to exonerate her best friends husband, to being caught up in a Viennese attack plan that could possibly start a war. I just had a very hard time believing that anarchist Gustav Schroder would have given Emily even a minute of his time, let alone trust her in any way with sensitive information. And if Mr. Harrison REALLY wanted her dead, he would have just done it. Why was he wasting his time leaving her bullets everywhere as a warning? As we later see, if he wants someone eliminated, he eliminates them. How convenient that Emily managed to escape such a fate.
Also, the love woes between Emily, Colin, Countess von Lang, and Jeremy were at times interesting but quickly got old. My patience for Jeremy was completely gone by the end of the book. He grew up with Emily, had had PLEEEENTY of time to decide he wanted to marry her. Instead, he chose to be the forever lazy 'Bachelor Duke'. Now that she's engaged to Hargreaves he's turned into a sulking child who doesn't get what he wants. And Colin only pops in and out of the story occasionally. He's not at all reliable for Emily in any way.
Overall, while I liked the book, I certainly didn't love it. I do recommend reading it since it's part of the series, but you may be disappointed. Some of my favorite secondary characters (Cecil, Margaret, Ivy) were hardly around at all, and, while the conclusion to the mystery was a satisfactory one, you can't help but wonder why Emily had to leave the country at all. 90% of the information she used to solve the murder could have been found in England just by talking to Sir Julian. I'm definitely bummed that this book wasn't as good as the first two, but that sometimes happens with a series. I still look forward to book 4 and seeing what trouble Emily comes across this time. Hopefully, she comes across it in a more believable manner.