And Only to Deceive

Lady Emily, Book 1

By: Tasha Alexander

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Can't wait to start the next Lady Emily mystery!

Took me a while to get through it as I started out with the Kindle version, reading in fits and starts while waiting in dentist offices and the like, but once I got the audio version, I almost couldn't put it down.

One of the things I liked most about it, beside a great heroine and a tightly crafted story, is an unintimidating introduction to antiquities, some of which I knew but most I did not. It has also gotten me to search out a good translation of Homer! Who knew?!?

I love a well crafted mystery, and this certainly is one. Although I knew quickly who the bad guy was not, and did have a clue before Emily did, until the denouement I couldn't answer her biggest question. The solution was both more complicated and more simple than I had anticipated.

Great mystery!!

I very much enjoyed listening to this book. I would recommend it to everyone to read/listen.

Great 1st book of a new series.

Any additional comments?

Outstanding - I love period books and this was great. Kate Reading is a fantastic narrator.. look forward to more.

Tasha Alexander is exceptional

What a fantastic experience. A heroine who is smart, witty and a rebel, in a time when women were expected to hide those qualities, if they existed. Can't get enough of Lady Emily!

Great start can't wait for rest of series

I really enjoy this author and the narrator. The story isn't an edge of your seat one, but the characters and events kept my interest. It was thoroughly enjoyable

Highly recommended

Well-written romance, tangled mystery, historical setting, and a lesson in Greek antiquities. Great characters. Excellent narrator. Very enjoyable. I'll be reading the entire series.

Deceived

Would you listen to And Only to Deceive again? Why?

I've read the book, loved it, but I would not listen to the audio again. The narration was just not up to par. All the male voices sounded the same so you don't know who is speaking until the dialogue gets going. I know it's hard to be a narrator but this was definitely not a good listen. I also do not think that Lady Emily's voice would be so soft and demure, she is a strong willed woman with a strong character and it only follows that her voice would be a little stronger. Not so wimpy.

What did you like best about this story?

Cecile Du Lac, I just loved her and her outlook. Not so quick to jump to conclusions. I also loved the history - Tasha Alexander does her research very well and gives us a glimpse into a life we otherwise would never know.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

No. When I read the book it was fast paced and exciting, the narration slowed it down a lot.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Deception at it's best

Any additional comments?

I just want to add that I listen to a lot of books, some are narrated very well others not so much. It is hard to develop voices for men (if you are a woman) or voices for women (if you are a man). However, it would be much better if the narrator read and re-read the book to get a better feel for the character's and how they would sound, what type of personality. Like Lady Emily, as I said above, she is a very strong willed woman and her voice would reflect that, it did not here.

Surprised!

Started a little slow BUT I’m slowly glad I kept going. Absolutely wonderful story line! Well done by author and narrator. Getting the next in the series now!