A Strange Scottish Shore

Title:  A Strange Scottish Shore

Author:  Juliana Gray

Publication Information:  Berkley. 2017. 400 pages.

ISBN:  0425277089 / 978-0425277089

Book Source:  I received this book through the Penguin First to Read program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "The man stood near the corner of the booking offices as I emerged from the ladies' waiting room, pretending to read a newspaper."

Favorite Quote:  "Haven't I always warned you not to judge a man by the mask he wears?"

Juliana Gray is a pseudonym for Beatriz Williams. Between the two pen names, she is the author of many books in several different series. Her tag line as Juliana Gray is "the author of elegant period adventures." This series is the Emmeline Truelove series, Scottish adventures that begin in 1906.

Emmeline Rose Truelove, with quite the memorable name, was the secretary of a duke. With his death, her job shifted to that of assistant to his heir, Maximilian Haywood, the new Duke of Olympia. Let's just say, adventures of the most unusual sort seem to find the new Duke. Emmeline along with the very handsome, unscrupulous Lord Silverton come to his rescue often. Society, including Emmeline's mother, deems her adventures quite inappropriate, and rumors abound about her relationship with the new duke and with Lord Silverton.

In this book, the Duke finds himself an unusual object in the north of Scotland. Emmeline is beckoned to assist. Lord Silverton appears to follow. The object has historical and scientific significance. It comes from a different time and place. The adventure of the search for its origins begins. Of course, the Duke is not the only one interested. Opposing forces enter the picture. The mystery, adventure, and growing love story continues to a dramatic conclusion that clearly leaves the door open for the series to continue.

This book and series reminds me of the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn. The setting among English/Scottish nobility, the strong female lead, and the tension of a growing romance all create a similar feel. For both, I happened to read Book 2 in the series. I do wish I had started at the beginning. Having read book 2 in a mystery and adventure series makes it challenging to then go back and to read the first because you already know what happens. However, not having read the beginning makes it more challenging to enjoy the second.

This book then takes the story in a direction that is more reminiscent of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. The Scottish setting, the time travel, and an underlying love story give the books a similar feel. Both stories have the shows of violence although there is considerably less in this book than in Diana Gabaldon's books.

This book eventually claims its uniqueness by embedding the story in the Scottish folklore of the selkie, seals who shed their skins to become human. They live among the humans for years, forming relationships and family. One day, however, the selkie reclaims its skin and returns to the sea. Selkie stories are often tales of romance and love. This one incorporates a mystery in the middle of it all for a different twist.

Sadly, I did not know that this book is the second in a series. Be aware that my enjoyment and consequently my reviews suffers from the fact that I have not read the first book. Background from the first is needed to really understand the characters, relationships, and plot of this book. Reading this one alone is entertaining but feels incomplete without the background.

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A Treacherous Curse

Title:  A Treacherous Curse (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery)

Author:  Deanna Raybourn

Publication Information:  Berkley. 2018. 320 pages.

ISBN:  0451476174 / 978-0451476173

Book Source:  I received this book through the Penguin First to Read program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "'I assure you, I am perfectly capable of identifying a phallus when I see one,' Stoker informed me, clipping the words sharply."

Favorite Quote:  "Because there is no power on earth that could make me abandon our friendship. There is no deed you could confess so dark that it would make me forsake you. You said of us once that we were quicksilver and the rest of the world mud. We are alike, shaped by Nature in the same mold, and whatever that signifies, it means that to spurn each other would be to spit in the face of whatever diety has seen fit to bring us together. We are the same, and to leave you would be to leave myself."

This book continues on the series of mysteries featuring Veronica Speedwell. The story stands on its own, but previous relationships are alluded to and built upon in this book. Enough is explained for the book to stand on its own.

The setting remains the same.  London 1888 - a year following the previous book, A Perilous Undertaking. Victorian England. A time of royalty and empire. A time of rules and traditions, but also of those paving their own paths.

The main characters remain the same. Veronica Speedwell is quite a character and consistently presented through both books. She is a lepidopterist, a scientist who studies butterflies. She is engaged in a project to catalog the treasures of a certain nobleman, although her next expedition has been postponed due to the sponsor's health. She is also a detective; apparently, she did not set out to be, but she has become embroiled in mysteries she has successfully resolved. She is also connected to the royal family. This connection, not publicly acknowledged by the royal family, reveals the more unsure, vulnerable side of Veronica which rounds out her otherwise self-assured, sometimes smug, stance.

Her partner in crime (or crime fighting, I suppose) remains the Honorable Ravelstoke Templeton-Vane, aka Stoker. He is a historian and scientist. He continues to be the black sheep of his family. This book goes further into Stoker's story for the mystery involves someone from his past. While A Perilous Undertaking is very much Veronica's story; this one is much more so Stoker's.

Veronica and Stoker are colleagues and friends, but the underlying tension leading to more continues. They seem to have achieved both a professional and personal partnership. It is not an acknowledged romance, but the caring is evident and waiting to be acknowledged.

The mystery of this book is a disappearance, both of a man and an archaeological artifact. An archaeological expedition to Egypt has been beset by problems. The latest is that one member of the expedition has disappeared with a priceless artifact from the dig. He is last tracked back to England. The connection? This man is Stoker's former expedition partner and married to Stoker's ex-wife. Let's just say they did not part on the best of terms. 

In fact, because of this history, the potential exists that Stoker might be suspected of being the guilty party in these misdeeds. This makes the mystery personal for both Stoker and Veronica. Stoker must deal with his past, and Veronica must separate the fact from the fiction of this past. This also makes the mystery much more focused on the characters and the relationships than the events themselves. For this reason, I find myself actually more engaged in this book than in A Perilous Undertaking.

An easy and enjoyable read. A mystery. A budding romance. Strong, independent characters. These are the features running through both books in this series that I have read. I look forward to following them on Veronica and Stoker's next adventure, if only to see where the relationship goes.

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A Perilous Undertaking

Title:  A Perilous Undertaking (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery)

Author:  Deanna Raybourn

Publication Information:  Berkeley. 2017. 352 pages.

ISBN:  0451476158 / 978-0451476159

Book Source:  I received this book through the Penguin First to Read program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "'For the love of all that is holy, Veronica, the object is to main or kill, not tickle,' Stoker informed me, clipping the words sharply as he handed me a knife."

Favorite Quote:  "The hardest lesson I had learnt upon my travels was patience. There are times when every muscle, every nerve, screams for movement, when every instinct urges escape. But the instinct to fly is not always a sound one. There are occasions when only stillness can save you."

London. 1887. Victorian England. A time of the royals. A time of scientists and lady detectives? Perhaps not as expected, but there lies the interest in the mystery. Veronica Speedwell is quite a character. She is a lepidopterist, a scientist who studies butterflies. She is engaged in a project to catalog the treasures of a certain nobleman, while awaiting her next expedition. She is also a detective; apparently, she did not set out to be, but she has become embroiled in mysteries she has successfully resolved. Did I mention she is connected to the royal family? This connection reveals the more unsure, vulnerable side of Veronica which rounds out her otherwise self-assured, sometimes smug, stance.

To add further interest, her partner in crime (or crime fighting, I suppose) is the Honorable Ravelstoke Templeton-Vane, aka Stoker. He is a historian and scientist. He seems to be the black sheep of his family, but perhaps with reason. Glimpses of his back story are found throughout the book, but this book is clearly Veronica's story first.

Veronica and Stoker are colleagues and friends, but the underlying tension leading to more is abundantly clear. Will the relationship get there? Perhaps. Time will tell, but meanwhile, their interactions are fun to follow and their caring for each other sweetly evident. They seem to have achieved both a professional and personal partnership.

The mystery of this book is the murder of a young woman in a home that is more an artist's colony. A man is convicted and stands to be hung for the crime. He may or may not be the actual murderer. Some believe that he absolutely is not. Perhaps, they know that he is not. Hence, they involve Veronica and Stoker as detectives who may get to the heart of the matter and who may do so discretely to protect reputations. The mystery in the book leads to an exclusive club for certain **ahem** activities that society may deem inappropriate. The people involved could be irreparably damaged by any association; so, discretion is of up most importance.

The one thing I do not care for in this book is the phallic humor and the many off-color remarks. It is too much and oddly placed in a Victorian setting. Surprisingly, the references do not stem from the mystery but rather the main characters. I do not have a need to know about anyone's sexual experiences or expertise. When these conversations start to repeat, it undermines the characters and stories, which are otherwise delightful.

When I started this book, I did not realize that is the second in a series. That becomes quickly clear in this book. The story stands on its own, but previous relationships are alluded to and built upon in this book. Enough is explained for the book to stand on its own. In some cases, the lack of knowledge can become a hindrance to the enjoyment of the book. In this story, it adds to the intrigue and mystery of Veronica Speedwell herself.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.