And Only to Deceive

Lady Emily, Book 1

By: Tasha Alexander

Narrated by: Kate Reading

For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife.

Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind.

As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.

©2005 Tasha Tyska (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This engaging, witty mix of Victorian cozy and suspense thriller draws its dramatic spark from the endearingly headstrong heroine's growth in life and love. A memorable debut." ( Booklist)

Shorten the first 22 chapters, please

This book was boring for the first 22 chapters, then it got interesting. it took me 6 weeks to get to the chapter 23, then I finished it in 3 days. The narrator was much to haughty and made the listening difficult at best.

I wanted to like this more than I could

It either needed to be much shorter or the protagonist needed to be significantly smarter. But she can’t be that actively stupid for that long. Some really unbelievable characters and odd and inconsistent plot choices that made it impossible to really care. Had potential to be soo much better which was kinda sad and annoying.

Insipid, but I’m going to stick with it

For Kate Reading’s sake (who is the narrator), I’m going to stick with this because I love her. But the first part of the book is sooo boring. Emily is trying to be a fun interesting character but she keeps saying ridiculous things and making questionable decisions. And the conversations go on for days. Pet peeve: the characters say each other’s names way too often—no one does this! And now that I’ve mentioned it you won’t be able to not notice it! (Oops, sorry). It must be an early book for Tasha Alexander because it’s just not as engaging as some of her others which I have truly enjoyed.

However the book does have some redeeming qualities. Emily’s character develops nicely. There are some fun descriptions of life for the aristocracy in London, Paris, Cairo and Santorini in the late 19th century. And there is a little mystery, which takes forever to develop, but eventually becomes interesting. I have hopes for Book #2.

Don't listen to the haters, this is a great series

I'm kinda surprised by the number of negative reviews. This is clearly a cozy detective series, and if that's a genre you like, you'll find everything you seek: exquisite historical detail, an intelligent and honest heroine who bends social norms, an intriguing mystery, and sparks of romance. There isn't any graphic violence, but it isn't a boring story. The details are lovely. You feel like you're in the libraries and parlours of Victorian aristocracy. I am rooting for Emily and I'm interested in her story. I really enjoyed this debut, and the rest of the series I've listened to so far. The narrators change a bit in the beginning; book three is done by an aussie and her accents are cringe, and book two has a little more vocal fry than I'd like... But as a picky listener who has returned books for shrill, obnoxious, or odd narrators - this series has been listenable for sure!

The mysteries get better, the romance gets ratcheted up, and the series as a whole really comes into its own around the 4th or 5th book.

If you like historical romance and cozy detective series, you'll love this! Fans of Lady Darby will enjoy!

Enjoyed reading when first published and now enjoyed listening to the audio.

Due to genetic retinal problems, I have been ordered to cut back reading and have substituted unabridged audio books for most of my "readiing." I am still a visual oriented person but am learning to become a better listener.

Plot Synopsis:

This is actually the first in a series of mystery novels about the heroine Emily.

In order to escape her obnoxious mother (who began to measure debutante Emily's waist every morning), she accepts a marriage proposal from the sandy haired Viscount Phillip Ashton. Her husband dies on an African safari 6 months after her wedding. While in full mourning, Emily spends her time in her late husband's marvelous library, reading to her heart's content. On a visit to the British Museum, she discovers that besides hunting wild game, her husband was a scholar and antiquities expert who had given fine Greek antiquities to the museum. Thus begins her intellectual adventures in Roman and Greek myths and art. After a year of deep mourning, Emily's obnoxious mother begins a campaign to get Emily remarried. To escape her mother, she travels to Paris to stay until she is out of all mourning. She has no desire to remarry since she is mistress of the very large fortune left to her by Phillip and enjoys it.

In Paris she meets all kinds of interesting people, including the artist Renoir. She also realizes she is being spied on, what would be called stalking nowadays, by a man with a scar.

This is the first novel in a series about Emily and the best friend of her late husband, a man as dark as her late husband was fair, Colin Hargreaves. The book is slow moving because it is written in a Victorian era memoir style (think Henry James) and yet I find Emily, her best friend Ivy, and her husband's friend Colin Hargreaves quite interesting, as well as the French friends she makes and French Parisian society. It is also clear that Emily is involved in a mystery left behind by her late husband's doings. Besides the man with the scar, there is the persistent appearance of members of an English Lord who are pursuing the late Viscount's papers and notes. It is important to remember that as a debutante, Emily was probably a mere 17 or 18 when she was married so she was not a woman of the world or very mature initially. The series follows her development into a real woman, one who develops intellectual curiosity and a craving for adventures unusual for a Victorian English woman.

A Most Decided Lady

Well written, ably narrated. I shall buy the next one. Victorian lady, wed & quickly widowed, learns to love her husband, defends his good character, & takes control of her own life. She might even get rid of her stays (gasp! )

Delightful!!

I simply enjoyed the description of individuals in this fast moving story! I will read more Tasha Alexander!

padded with uninteresting dialog and detail

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Kate Reading did her best to enliven this soggy novel, but the story and characters are unoriginal and ultimately uninteresting.

Good story, smart heroine

This was a good story far less formulaic than many I've read. It was a little slow, but overall interesting. I appreciate how the character grew, pursued interests and pushed against some societal expectations to find her true path. The story twisted enough to stay interesting, though I frequently found it dragging and could never determine whether that was the writing or the rather deadpan narration. All in all worthwhile!

suprisingly good

Very well written. I usually do not like period novels. but this one suprised me greatly.