Published September 1, 2015 by NAL/Penguin
London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen
Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her
own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume
her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic
dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers,
Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and
with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey
of a lifetime.
But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.
But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.
My Thoughts…
I don’t even know where to start with this review. I loved everything about A Curious Beginning. The setting, the characters, the style of writing, the storyline…it was all wonderful.
The setting of London and some
surrounding areas are great. I could
picture the warehouse that Stoker lived in, both before Veronica and after
Veronica. When they traveled I could
picture what they were seeing and how they were going in circles to be sure
they were not being followed. My
favorite was when they joined Stoker’s rather interesting friends in the
traveling show. I have heard of such
things long ago and think they would be interesting to experience.
While the collecting of animals
is not my thing (dead or alive), I loved that right away Veronica and Stoker
had that in common from the beginning of their relationship. It was interesting watching them try to
figure each other out. They had to
learn how to communicate, fight (which they did well), travel, and lose some
modesty with each other while still being true to themselves and keeping
themselves safe. In a time when men
and women did not stay together without being married, I was kept me guessing
how they would portray themselves at each step of their journey.
The mystery of who Veronica
really is was not something I could solve.
I had ideas; I knew that it had to be big if everyone she met was trying
to kill her. I kept trying to figure out how everyone fit
together and who was working together or against each other. When it was revealed who Veronica truly
was, I was shocked. It was truly not
what I expected but I was thrilled with the twist. She came to terms with it all pretty easily
knowing that if she didn’t she would not stay alive.
Needless to say, I cannot wait
for more of Veronica’s travel mysteries.
I hope that Stoker continues to keep her in line (haha) and be a big
part of her story.
Book Links
Advance Praise for A CURIOUS BEGINNING:
“The intrepid Veronica’s witty
narration and the sexual tension she shares with the equally eccentric and
articulate Stoker deliver a fun read with promises of more to come.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Mastermind of the charming Lady
Grey Mysteries series, Raybourn introduces her latest feisty heroine,
deftly twining together suspense, romance, and cracking good dialogue….As
Veronica and Stoker careen through dastardly plot twists, they match wits,
bantering with skill worthy of Tracey and Hepburn. A thrilling—and hilarious—beginning to
a promising new series.”
—Kirkus
“With wicked intelligence, Deanna Raybourn has
created a fresh and fascinating sleuth. Veronica Speedwell is sure to join the
greats of mystery fiction. Impeccably plotted and meticulously researched, A CURIOUS BEGINNING will
leave you, as it left me,
whimpering for more.”
—Alan Bradley, New York Times bestselling
author of the Flavia de Luce series
The books I review on this site ( A Soccer Mom's Book Blog) are sent to us by publishers, authors or downloaded from Netgalley. .This is a very common practice. I never take payments for these reviews and all the reviews on this site are our own thoughts and feelings and are not influenced
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