A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn

"Veronica Speedwell returns in an adventure filled with betrayal and deception from Deanna Raybourn, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries. London, 1888. When archeological photographer John de Morgan mysteriously vanishes with a priceless artifact, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague, Stoker Templeton-Vane, are pulled into a dangerous world of conspiracies and ancient threats. De Morgan, now married to Stoker's former wife, Caroline, was part of the Tiverton expedition, an archeological endeavor which stirred the wrath of a vengeful curse when the crew violated the tomb of an ancient Egyptian princess. Since the discovery of the sarcophagus, they have endured a string of freak accidents, sudden waves of illness, and even deaths. They wonder if it's all been an unfortunate coincidence--or if the expedition is really doomed. Rumors abound, with many convinced that de Morgan and Caroline's disappearance was staged so that they could make off with the treasure. But Veronica and Stoker are not so easily persuaded, and they race to separate the fact from the mystical and discover the truth behind the treacherous curse..."--

300 pages is never enough for a Veronica Speedwell mystery or Lady Grey or any Deanna Raybourn. While she is one of a handful of novelists that I will leave my Christian Historical Fiction shelves to read. I will continued to catch all of Deanna's novels without hesitation. I snatched this one from the library the week it was released but life got in the way until this past week or so. But what a wonderful spooky way to get in the mood for autumn and Halloween. Now, I believe I'll grab a Julia Grey or another to continue the ambiance for my reading trends for this October.

This would be a great gateway from reading Michelle Moran's Egyptian novels to Deanna Raybourn I'd you haven't made the jump yet. It was actually Michelle who introduced me to Julia Grey and I became an avid fan. I need to buy this one for my shelves digital and physical like all the rest.

A little note, in the past I received Raybourn novels for review. This is not a review product as my reviews have slowed down and I did not seek out to request it. I still loved every minute of reading it and plan to add it to my keeper shelves.

Veronica and Stoker are the wittiest characters and their unsaid romance is palpable. I cannot wait to see what happens for them next.

The third book in the series finished and what can I tell you about it? Still the same great and entertaining story. The good thing is that the mystery part of the plot gets better with each book. As for main characters, Veronica and Stoker have already taken place in the land of my favourite heroes.

That's all that I can say for now. I'm extremely looking forward to a next book. Unfortunately, it will not be out until March. But I'm content to wait as long as main characters will stay themselves.

~Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!~ Warning: Possible spoilers for the first two books in this series (but not this one)!A Treacherous Curse is the third book in the Veronica Speedwell series, and there is so much development and we learn so much more about the main characters. I absolutely loved it! This is a continuous series, so you definitely need to read the first book, A Curious Beginning, and the second, A Perilous Undertaking, to be able to jump into this one.Our main squeezes are back, and in stellar form per usual. This time though, we are plunged headfirst into Stoker's backstory. FINALLY!!! I have been absolutely dying to know what happened in Brazil to make him so bitter and so hurt and scarred...and we FINALLY get to find out. It was just as gritty and heartbreaking as I expected it to be...I was actually sitting on our couch reading, curled in a ball with one hand clamped over my mouth (my husband was slightly concerned). Veronica is still trying to get over what happened in the previous book...which she will not talk about, with anyone, but which bothers her VERY much. For those who need a refresher... ...she and Stoker had finally made it to kissing (albeit while under the influence of opium, used for chasing a lead in their case, naturally), and IN THE MIDDLE of kissing her, he moaned his ex-wife's name. Phew! Talk about a mood killer. But the next day, he acted like he didn't remember anything at all happening and of course she was too mortified to mention it!. Somehow they still manage to be friends and partners but it's all been very tense.The mystery here was interesting but to me secondary to the character development. I was intrigued to see how Deanna would handle the egyptology angle, as that is one aspect of the Victorian era that seems to be worked over A LOT in mysteries. I'm happy to say that it was quite well done! Nothing particularly novel, but again the character development really took control here as we were introduced to some of the archaeologists leading the expedition in question, along with their families. I didn't figure out the culprit until near the actual end, which I loved. I hate it when I've figured a mystery out way before the characters!5/5 stars. A Treacherous Curse is a solid continuation of the storyline in this series and I am so excited for the next book!Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram