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.

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.

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.

Very good book, took me awhile to really get into it though. About a widow who falls in love with her husband through his diaries. Good read.

A very good story. Looking forward to reading the next book.

This book was the first I have read by Tasha Alexander, and I am impressed. I will be promptly seeing to adding more of her works to my TBR pile. She weaves an amazing story of a widow who is coming to terms with the loss of a husband she barely knew, with intrigue of what he possibly could have done. Lady Emily Ashton is a carefree character who was ever happy in a typical woman’s role. Agreeing to marry her husband purely to get away from her Mother, when he dies only months into their marriage away in Africa she finds herself able to be more as she wishes to be. This does not agree with society.

We meet a loveable bunch of characters in this novel, from Margaret the brash American socialite to Cecile, the eccentric French widow. The story unfolds in a plethora of twists and turns, and in the background there is just a hit of romance from the many suitors Emily finds at her door. Some are earnest and don’t fully appear so, and some are not earnest at all. You will find yourself surprised at just how things all unfold and turn out to be sure. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, and some mystery. And if you’re a woman who likes to see ladies going against society’s rules, well pull up a glass of port and enjoy some time with Lady Ashton.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more books with Lady Emily solving mysteries!

This book was enjoyable, but I was drawn in by the quote on the back comparing it to something Jane Austen could have written. With that expectation, it was a bit disappointing. Rather than being like Jane Austen, I felt like it was written by someone who really likes Jane Austen. There were numerous phrases and lines that I thought were very, very close to lines from Pride and Prejudice.

Good Victorian era mystery.

Although this book started out kinda slow, I really enjoyed the strong female characters and the references to artistic works. As the story picks up pace, it is easy to characterize this book as a who-dun-it as opposed to a romance (however there are some very nice romantic moments). I often found myself wondering how the story would turn out, especially towards the end where the plot takes several twists and turns. I was very excited to find out that there are two additional titles involving this main character, and I am planning on reading them in the near future! Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fast, easy read, and who enjoys the ins and outs of victorian society.

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