Search - And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily, Bk 1)

This story started out so promisingly--a young widow becomes increasingly obsessed with her dead husband, whom she never loved or really knew. The background and the era are well described, and the main character seems like an Austen heroine, with unsuspected depths. But the story seemed to founder halfway through, bogged down with two dull men vying for the widow's trust as she tries to solve the mystery of her husband's death. I wanted to like the book, but it really lost me partway through, and I ended up flipping to the end just to see how it all came out. Too bad.

A Victorian England period mystery/romance. I would rate it 3 1/2 stars. It keeps your interest, although the plot bogs down in places. If you have an interest in the Greek and Roman classics it will hold your interest more than if you don't. It involves mostly the English aristocracy (although the French, German and Americans were involved as well) and their looting and pilfering of classic Greek archaeological sites, which was certainly the case during this period.

This is book one in the Lady Emily Ashton Series. If you like books with strong female leads then this is a great series. Its got a little of everything, murder, mystery, romance, and action, all rolled up into high society during the Victorian period. I really in enjoyed this novel great read.