AND ONLY TO DECEIVE BY TASHA ALEXANDER

Yet another book that sat on my shelves collecting dust, until finally I picked it up. Of course, now I'm kicking myself for delaying the pleasure of such an absorbing read.

Lady Emily Ashton, newly widowed, is finding that Victorian society allows her more freedom than if she were married. Despite her guilt at feeling no grief at the demise of her husband she throws herself into learning about his life and interests. Which leads her to a study of Greek, the Antiquities and Homer.

But she also unearths mysterious goings on at the British Museum, falls foul of burglars in Paris and meets impressionist painter Renoir. To tell you any more is to give the plot away.

This book has been described as Jane Austen meets The Da Vinci Code and I couldn't agree more. Here is a heroine who is completely at home in the drawing rooms of high society, yet does not flinch in immersing herself in dangerous mysteries.

I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to reading the next five books about Lady Emily Ashton.

This review is an entry in the Historical Reading Challenge 2011