And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

First Line: Few people would look kindly on my reasons for marrying Philip; neither love nor money nor his title induced me to accept his proposal.

The only reason why Emily accepted the proposal of Viscount Ashton was to escape the clutches of her overbearing mother, so when he died on safari after only six months of marriage, she felt very little grief. But during her two-year period of mourning, Emily has discovered that Philip was a very different man from the one she thought she had married.

In her desire to learn more about her husband, she finds herself in the British Museum, and it's there that she uncovers a dangerous secret about stolen artifacts. It's not long before Emily finds herself trying to juggle the attentions of two suitors while trying to solve a crime that might have caused her husband's death.

I've known about Tasha Alexander's mysteries for quite some time now, and I finally made the time to read the first one in her Lady Emily series. It added a great deal of poignancy to the story to have Emily slowly fall in love with her husband after his death, but what I enjoyed even more was how Emily fought for what was best for her despite the machinations of her mother and of Victorian society. Emily was not the first wealthy woman to realize that-- in that day and age-- it's often better to be a widow than a wife.

The mystery about stolen artifacts was an interesting one even though I did find the villain easy to identify. (But then, I've had more experience in deduction than young Lady Emily.) All in all, And Only to Deceive reminded me of the books of romantic suspense I read when I was in my teens-- books written by authors like Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Dorothy Eden. However, even though this book is well-written and has an admirable main character, the story as a whole lacked any spark that would induce me to continue reading. Since the series now contains ten books, it's obvious that there are many readers who've had a much more positive reaction. Ah well. It happens sometimes!

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

ISBN: 9780061148446

Harper © 2006

Paperback, 321 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Lady Emily mystery

Rating: C+

Source: Paperback Swap 

I Have Tasha Alexander Covered!

I'm at it again. (Now why do I have the feeling that none of you are surprised?) The author I chose for this week's comparison was chosen with an ulterior motive. 

I have yet to read one of Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton historical mysteries, but the book covers are always catching my eye, and the author has appeared several times at The Poisoned Pen. To top it all off, I just read the synopsis of her first book, and now I know that I definitely need to do more investigating!

But let's get to the task at hand. I've selected the US and UK covers of one of Tasha Alexander's books so we can compare them. Let's take a look!

Other than the fact that both covers have women on them, they are very different, aren't they? Some of you may remember a few of the things I dislike seeing on covers. Things like excessive blurbing, the back of a woman's head, or only a partial woman's face.  Looking at these two, they both have blurbs, and they have both the back of a head, and a partial face. Yikes!

Yes, both covers have elements that I don't like, but I do prefer one more than the other. The cover I don't like? The UK entry. About the only thing I do like about it is Jacqueline Winspear's blurb. I don't like the fonts used, I don't like the minimalist (almost cartoonish) artwork, and the colors look dull and muddy. This is not an appealing cover. 

Well, all righty then! Nothing like being blunt, is there?

On the other hand, the US cover does catch my eye. It's that broad red brushstroke that divides the cover. Then the darker red of the sofa on the top half has my eye moving up, and once I stop trying to guess the time period of that woman's gown, my eye moves down to the bottom half. That London street scene really interests me.  The US cover is at once lush and intriguing. It catches my eye, and I would pick up this book to find out what it's about.

What about you? Which cover do you prefer-- US? UK? Neither one? Too close to call? Inquiring minds would love to know!