Recent Reads {A Poisoned Season}

A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander - This is the follow-up to And Only to Deceive, and follows  the adventures of Lady Emily Ashton as she finds herself involved in another investigation.  Emily is being very choosy about the invitations she accepts as the London season gets under way, and soon finds herself gaining attention of a man claiming to be the heir to the French throne - attention she does not want!  She has a rather low opinion of Mr Berry, and is skeptical of his claim that he is the decendent of the dauphin who escaped the French Revolution.  At the same time, jewelry and other valuable items that once belonged to Marie Antoinette are being stolen from London homes by a clever cat burglar.  And Emily finds that she has a mysterious secret admirer.  Are there connections? Emily sets out to find out, and the urgency intensifies when a young man of her acquaintance is found murdered after he reports that a valuable diamond of Marie Antoinette's was stolen from him.  While navigating the social scene and dealing with gossip about her own character, Emily continues to pursue the investigation with valuable help from Colin Hargreaves.  And Colin is pursuing Emily with clear intent to marrying her.  By the end of this clever novel of intrigue and suspense, Emily identifies her admirer, unmasks a murderer, finds the truth about the dauphin's descendents, and makes a decision about marrying again.

By the same author:  And Only to Deceive