A Perilous Undertaking
Ratings66
Average rating3.9
The second entry in the Veronica Speedwell series is just as enjoyable as the first. The main plot is – a female artist is murdered, and the man set to hang for it is innocent. Veronica and Stoker are brought in to find the real murderer and solve the crime. There's definitely more to it than that, but I don't want to spoil any of the rather interesting reveals! The crime is very twisty-turny with more than a handful of suspects but when you DO find out who's guilty its a little bit shocking. It's definitely not who I expected!
We learn more about Veronica and more importantly (to me), about Stoker's past. It explains rather a lot about his character, and really only made me love him more. There's a fantastic scene at the end of the book where Stoker and Veronica actually TALK to each other. It's lovely. I hope there's more like this in the rest of the series. Their relationship is one that I am very much enjoying. They both care for each other rather deeply, but seem to refuse to want to admit it. It's so much fun to read.
Definitely highly recommending this one right alongside the first. On to the next!
~Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!~ WARNING: Possible spoilers for Book 1 of this series, A Curious Beginning, which I highly recommend!A Perilous Undertaking picks up just weeks after A Curious Beginning left off. I was very happy to see that, as I always feel like I'm lost in the sauce when series books have big time gaps between them!FeelsAhhh, I still loved Veronica and Stoker. Stoker's background came more into focus during this one, as we got to peak a little more into his family. Once again, I would caution anyone who comes to this series looking for a strictly historically accurate book – while the period details of dress, surroundings, etc., are quite good, the language is fairly modern. Veronica has EXTREMELY modern ideas about relationships and sexual encounters, and several of the other characters in this book do as well. Not uncommon perhaps for artists and others of the more “common” classes, perhaps, but for a woman born and raised as she was it would seem unlikely. However, it makes for great reading and a character I can TOTALLY identify with! I laughed out loud quite frequently at the back and forth between her and Stoker – she's so forthright, and he doesn't quite know how to handle it!CharactersVeronica and Stoker are their usual bantering, bickering selves. They're still getting to know each other and as they speak more openly about their past life they are (whether they will admit it or not) getting more and more invested in each other. It's very slow going though!At one point they seem to make progress, and then a THING happens between them that puts the brakes on everything. Damn, damn, DAMN! I need to know more, people! I absolutely despised Lady Sundridge. DESPISED. She was so cold and manipulative and unfeeling. UGH! She used Veronica from start to finish - and Veronica LET her, even after she knew she was being used. My heart. Veronica wants to know her family, and thus know herself so badly she puts aside her better judgment and it really bites her in the ass sometimes.PlotMuch more intriguing than the first! I really didn't have it figured out by the end, at least not to where I was certain enough to bet on it. ;) I loved meeting all the different characters in the artists' enclave, too - though the who's-sleeping-with-who there really made things SO much more complicated than they should have been, I guess that was really part of the problem! Oh, just a fair warning - there is a LOT of talk about sex in this one. Not sex itself, but a good deal of nudity and frank discussions of sex. ;)4/5 stars. I didn't FEEL quite as much for this one, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and dived right into the third book!Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram
Well, A Perilous Undertaking quite unexpectedly I liked even more, than the first book in the series. Maybe that was because it is not the first book in the series and we were already acquainted with half of the characters. Therefore, this time around, the plot was more concentrated on the mystery itself. I can't say, that it was something extraordinary in terms of investigation, but it was certainly knotted very well. Actually, I had my doubts about the killer almost until the last page.
However, the mystery is not exactly the reason that made me fall in love with the series. Of course, it is an important part of the charm of this cycle. But it would be worth exactly nothing without the main characters. It is a balm for my soul when the grown-up characters behave themselves as adults and not like over-hormonal teenagers. Not all the time but we all allowed certain flaws from time to time.
But the best thing - their relationship. They are friends first of all, before anything else. The can argue over a lot of things, they don't see eye to eye on even more things, but they trust each other with their lives nonetheless. What I appreciate even more is that they didn't hurry to engage in romantic relationships when none of them is quite ready for it. They still need to get over demons of their past and both of them know it.
This was really fun! Complex enough story, lots of interesting side characters, well-knitted together into a good mystery.
Review product. Keeper shelf and digital copy purchased as well.
Years ago from one of my favorite authors Michelle Moran, I was introduce to Lady Julia Grey and the writing of Deanna Raybourn. I haven't missed a single novel of hers since. While not my normal Christian Historical Fiction genre, these are authors I will venture out into the general market for again and again. This is, however, one of the more risque and not necessarily the one I would recommend to my normal reading buddies. Mature audiences only, I'd say.
Veronica Speedwell is such an incredible creature and I love her introduction in 5h e first novel and enjoy her continued adventure in this second novel. And I can tell you as this review is late (had a baby last year and lost track of all tasks and to do lists!) indeed her journey in her third story is even better.
This one is artistic and in the realm of the artistry folk of the era. The continuing characters are finding a fond place in my novel memory banks and I look forward to more. Deanna is doing an entertaining job of providing enough details to keep me entertained and invested in the story without giving away so much as to having the mystery figured out immediately.
As always with reading one of Deanna Raybourn's novels I want more and I continue to grow my digital and physical shelves with her stories. I cannot wait to get the fourth novel.
This review will be posted through the avenue of www.CreativeMadnessMama.com and @CherryBlossomMJ places online. Review copy provided but worthy of the purchased digital copy also.