And Only to Deceive

Really, this is more of a 3.49 star book in my opinion, but I can't quite round up to 4.

I particularly enjoyed the beginning and thought I might be in for a heroine along the lines of Amelia Peabody, but Lady Ashton fell a bit short. Yet, I enjoyed her experiments with flouting conventions of the Victorian area and, particularly, the structures of her overbearing mother. I also enjoyed her burgeoning intellectual pursuits, although I was surprised that she never seems to read “The Odyssey,” since she's a bit of a Penelope.

However, Lady Emily was a bit of a jerk and certainly had no interest in getting to know her husband. As the book progressed, I felt worse and worse for the poor man.

Generally, although it was clear to me who the evildoer was from the beginning, I still liked some of the devices Tasha Alexander used to increase suspense. All in all, this was an enjoyable read and certainly makes me interested in finding out what happens in the next installment.