Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Oh how I adore this series! And the latest installment more than delivered. It took me a little bit of time to get into it, mostly because I was very impatient for things to progress with Veronica and Stoker, and frustrated when they seemed to stall, but once I got into it I was HOOKED and couldn't get enough! I loved the remote Cornwall setting and learning about the myths and stories of the region. And of course...Veronica and Stoker. *sigh*

Veronica accompanies Stoker's older brother Tiberius to a house party of Lord Malcolm Romilly in Cornwall in order to retrieve a rare butterfly specimen. The two are traveling as a betrothed couple so as to avoid scandal, much to Stoker's chagrin! So he wrangles an invitation to the party as well, surprising (and annoying) Veronica when he arrives at the same time. However, the member of the house party soon realize that they are there under false pretenses. Three years ago, Lord Romilly's bride disappeared without a trace on their wedding day, and he has never given up hope of finding her - or at least discovering the truth of her disappearance. He's invited his guests to his home to investigate the mystery, and Veronica and Stoker quickly discover there are many mysteries surrounding the island and its inhabitants, and more than one person present may have had motive for wanting the young bride out of the picture...

Deanna Raybourn has never disappointed with her historical mystery series. This one is particularly delightful. The mystery was intriguing, and I was so pleased at the progress Veronica and Stoker made in their complicated relationship...and of course I cannot wait for the next installment!

I enjoyed this book. I had not realized it was part of a series, so Reference’s to pas adventures left me slightly lost in places, but not enough to hinder enjoyment. This is written on a higher reading level than many current mysteries and I enjoyed this fact. The story was intreaguing and I will likely read more in the series.

The main characters end up on a visit to an island where the proprietor lost his wife on her wedding night many years ago. It was assumed she ran off, but her personal items turn up recently, so the minds if Stoker and Braun are pulled in to solve the mystery.

Veronica Speedwell and Stoker are at it again. Being called away with the promise of an elusive butterfly, Veronica travels with Stoker’s brother and of course, Stoker refuses to be left behind. They travel to an island with a widow who is looking for answers to what happened to his wife. Never one to walk away from solving a mystery they work to find out what happened to her and in the course of solving the mystery they uncover many others mysteries of the Romilly Estate.

I love the detail to the settings that Deanna Raybourne uses while writing her books. I can picture the trains they took, the towns they passed through, and the castle that they stayed in. Add to that the amazing characters with their fun and unique quirks and you have a winning story. I enjoyed learning about the secondary characters and kept trying to picture them as the reason that Lord Malcolm's wife was missing, presumed dead.

The first part of the story was slower but never did I not want to finish. The closer to the end the faster the story went, they more action the characters saw, and the more the clues came together leading the reader down the right path to solve the mysteries. I loved the undercurrents of romance coming between Stoker and Veronica.

I am a fan of the Veronica Speedwell series and am always excited when a new book is being released. This is part of a series. The books can be read as stand alone but as with many series, they are fun to read in order.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say this is one of my favorite series so when I was given the ARC to read I was super excited. I couldn’t wait to see where Veronica and Stoker’s adventures took them on next; needless to say I wasn’t disappointed.

I liked that his novel had Stoker’s brother in it more so we again see another side of Stoker and his relationship with his family and also get some more insight into his brother. You finally get to see a more vulnerable side of his brother. This story had more of a spooky aspect to it since it was based on trying to solve the murder of Templeton’s friend Lord Malcom’s missing bride. I was definitely guessing right along as to who I thought it was. The book did a good job of giving you little clues but also kept you guessing because the clues could lead to a couple different people. The person I thought it was towards the end, before the big reveal that really shows who it was, was not correct.

I thought that the characters were great. I love Veronica and Stoker’s relationship, their banter together is always making me laugh out loud while reading. I like that this book had more tension in their growing relationship, I am totally wanting them to be together and it looks like I am slowly getting my wish! The words he said to her at the end made me so happy, and not o mention what he says to his brother about her. I thought the rest of the characters were also well written, they all had a nice backstory so you really felt connected to all the players in the story and it just made it all the more interesting.

The plot was well thought out and the book flowed smoothly. The descriptions of the island and village really brought the scenes to life and made you feel like you were there. Even though the story kept you guessing as to the mystery it wasn’t confusing and hard to follow. It connects well to the books that have come before so you still get bits and pieces of Veronica’s life being related to the royal family, but not allowed to really be known to be related. I have to say I have a good hunch of what the next book is going to entail! I am excited that since this series is historical fiction it is going to include the Jack the Ripper killings and weave that into the story! I have a feeling a certain royal someone is going to need Veronica and Stoker’s help! CAN’T WAIT!

I definitely recommend this book and this whole series!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is by far the best in the series! Loved everything about it!

Deanna Raybourn is the queen of the slow burn. I am not typically a romance novel fan but with her there is so much more. There is heart racing mystery, fascinating inclusion of diversity, and so much more. I've been following her work since her Julia Grey series. While I've been doing my best to get into the Veronica Speedwell series after her publisher canceled the Julia Grey series I just can't. Its lacking the same heart, there isn't the sweet and wacky family dynamic, the tension between Stoker and Veronica is very well done its just not as urgent. The slow burn here feels a bit more like the slow drag. All that said Deanna's prose and world building is perfect. I will always come back and give her books a try even if this one was lacking on tension, humor, and all of things that make for a great Raybourn book.

But, in general, I just felt everyone, and everything, was a little off in this one.

I am hopeful for where things go in book five, honestly after four books how just how can the will they wont they still be dragged out. I really enjoyed the way she handled the Julia Grey books. By book three they resolved the will they wont they dilemma and got on to great plots and mystery as the main focus and not the constant relationship tug of war which frankly gets repetitive and stale pretty fast.

I had a fabulous time with this book! I can't even tell you which book from this series is my favorite because they have all be consistently good. I think that my favorite just ends up being whichever book I am reading at the time or just finished. After finishing the previous book in the series, I was pretty eager to get started with this installment and I was not disappointed. The book grabbed me from the beginning and held me until the final page had been turned. I really enjoyed the time that I spent with this wonderful story.

This book is the fourth book in the Veronica Speedwell series. While this book does focus on its own mystery, I do recommend reading this series in order since the relationships between the characters are an important part of the story and have progressed throughout the series. This book picks up shortly after the events of the previous book and quickly finds the characters dealing with a new situation.

I really liked the fact that the bulk of this book takes place on a small island. There are a limited number of characters but the characters that do play a role were all really interesting and sometimes colorful characters. Most of the story occurs in a castle on the island which really made things interesting. The castle had a lot of great features such as a poison garden. I enjoyed discovering all of the things the castle had hidden right along with Veronica and Stoker.

I thought that the mystery in this book was really well done and kept me guessing which is always a big plus. The mystery was very complex and I was quite impressed by how everything ended coming together. I think that Veronica and Stoker make a wonderful team when they are working together on a crime. I also really liked the developments in their relationship in this installment. There were some really great moments between these two that has left me eager to read more as soon as I can.

I would highly recommend this series to others. This is a series with fantastic characters who are smart and able to solve any puzzle thrown at them. I found this to be quite the page-turner and I cannot wait to read more of this wonderful series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

Veronica is larger-than-life, incredibly ahead of her time, stubborn, and highly intelligent with a sharp tongue and wit. Stoker (Mr. Ravelstoke Templeton-Vane) is her sleuthing partner. He is cranky and reclusive, and growing more frustrated with Veronica's avoidance of any romantic relationship with him. Tiberius, Stoker's estranged brother and ardent suitor of Veronica, has to face his feelings for the missing bride and his less than honorable actions in the past. Malcom, the lord of the castle, is a mysterious host at best. Mertensia, Malcom's sister, is the eerie relative who prefers gardening and her poisonous plants more than people. Helen is the widow of Malcom's brother Lucian who also is known as Madame Helena who does séances. The missing bride is ever present and the more you learn about her, the more the suspects pile up.

A foreboding ancestral castle with multiple hidden passageways, rainy and dreary weather, the ominous "Three Sisters" rocky protrusions just off the coast, and a séance make this a Gothic masterpiece. I loved the great use of the setting as a character in itself.

The plot develops and twists as the family and staff are all developed and the sexual tension between Veronica and Stoker increases. Pacing was expertly managed and made this a page turner. The climax was thrilling and hair raising with great character touches included. Kudos!! The wrap-up was very satisfying.

I couldn't help but consider this as a fantastic tribute to or take on the Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca. If you have read previous books in this series, the dance between Veronica and Stoker moves toward resolution and I was happy with how that worked.

Rating: Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley!

I was super super super excited for this lol I have all the previous Veronica Speedwells novels. Alas I have not read them! So I came into this book blind....but now I see....how stupid I was to wait to read her books!

Veronica has a great sense of humor, sense of justice and curiosity. The battle-romance between her and Stoker whets my appetite to see where it all began.

What a great mystery. A fun read and beautiful cover!

Hands down my favorite Veronica Speedwell book! I love this series, and the characters have become some of my dearest friends. I love the banter, the charm, and the mystery of Deanna Raybourn's books, and A DANGEROUS COLLABORATION is no exception!

Mystery island hides its secrets well!

The dance between Stoker and Veronica Speedwell continues. Stocker is miffed with Veronica for disappearing to Madeira for six months. Stocker's brother Tiberius (Lord Templeton-Vane) calls on Veronica to persuade her to visit an old friend of his who lives on a wind torn Cornish Island. The carrot is a rare butterfly. How can Veronica resist that. Besides Stocker is being deliberately obtuse or provocative. I can't decide, and neither can Veronica.
Tiberius' request is a ruse for something more sinister from the past, and it turns out, complicated. Apparently his friend Malcolm Romilly was to be married but the bride, Rosamund, went missing and to this day no-one has discovered any trace of her.
The island has all the required sinister trappings that one would wish for and a village woman who has "the sight!" Veronica comes in for some foretelling that she recognizes when it's nearly too late.
I love the repartee and smoldering, unsung relationship between Stocker and Veronica. And smolder it does in this story. Really the sexual tension is almost too much to bear but it does make for some wonderful scenes.
I have read all of the series thus far and would say that this one is not the place to start first up.
Of course I enjoyed this offering. I always do, and I wasn't let down.

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley

Shades of historical adventure and a heroine who is uniquely fascinating! Deanna Raybourn’s A DANGEROUS COLLABORATION not only takes readers back into another era, but makes us feel part of each scene as Veronica Speedwell defies all social norms and pigeon-holing with her witty dialogue, devastating charm and iron-willed sense of justice and curiosity. Even her fear of romantic entanglements is endearing!

Deanna Raybourn delivers mystery and madness at a rapid-fire rate that never quits as Veronica discovers that a visit to a remote island hides more than the rarest of rare butterflies. I was hooked from the opening pages, knowing that these characters were going to give the performance of their lives through the twists and turns of murder, mystery and mayhem.

Move over Sherlock, Veronica is on the case! Fun, fast and freakishly addicting, love this series!

I received a complimentary copy from Berkley!

Series: Veronica Speedwell - Book 4
Publisher: Berkley (March 12, 2019)
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
Genre: Historical Mystery
Print Length: 333 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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In their fourth outing, A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn, Veronica (the semi-legitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales) and Stoker (aka the Honourable Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, third son of the sixth Viscount Templeton-Vane) get embroiled in a murder mystery in the far reaches of Cornwall.
It is London March 1888, and as the book opens Veronica announces to Stoker that she is off to Madeira with Lady Caroline, sister to their employer, The Earl of Rosemorran. Taken by outraged astonishment, Stoker asks if “one might inquire as to the expected duration of this expedition?”
“One might,” Veronica replies “but one would be disappointed with the reply. I have not yet formulated my plans, but expect to be away for some months. Perhaps until the autumn.”
Stoker is thrown for a loop, but Veronica has promised Lady Caroline to be at her side during a difficult time and for herself, she needs some distance from the “powerful emotions” Stoker has stirred in her.
Although they banter like Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man novel and movies, their chemistry is more like that of Sam and Diane from Cheers. They bicker, they flirt, they start to become aware of their less than platonic feelings for one another. Veronica muses that she and Stoker “were solitary creatures” but they “had discovered a mutual understanding beyond anything we had shared with others. What would become of it, I could not say. In spite of six month’ distance, I still though often of that last significant meeting, when words had hung unspoken but understood in the air. I had alternately cursed and congratulated myself on my narrow escape from possible domesticity—a fate I regarded as less desirable than a lengthy bout of bubonic plague.” Veronica thinks that “Stoker was the only man I knew who could have weakened my resolve, but it would have been a mistake, I insisted to myself. I was not made for a life of ordinary pursuits, and it would take an extraordinary man to live with me on my terms.” We shall see how long Veronica’s resolve holds.
Veronica is home from Madeira for just a few short days when Stoker’s brother, Viscount Templeton-Vane, whisks her off to St. Maddern, a remote island off the tip of Cornwall to a possibly haunted castle. He has promised her the larvae of an elusive rare butterfly and all she must do is accompany him and, um, well, pose as his fiancé.
Stoker’s concern is that his brother Tiberius, the Viscount means to seduce Victoria.
“Of course he does” [Victoria] agrees.
‘He stopped and fixed me with a disbelieving start. ‘You know that?”
‘I sighed. ‘Stoker, I am twenty-six years of age. I have traveled around the world three times, and I have met scores of men, some of whom I have known far more intimately than you can imagine. I promise you, I can smell a burgeoning seduction from across the room. I am no fainting virgin,” she reminds him.
“Then why in the name of bleeding Jesus are you going with him.”
“He promised Romilly Glasswings,” she said simply.
“And that is all it takes? Bought with a butterfly? He said in a particularly harsh tone.”
“Oooh, how nasty you can be when you are sulking” she observed.
Avid Lepidopterist that she is Veronica can’t resist. Just as the train is about to leave the station, Stoker appears ready to tag along.
On the train journey the Viscount mention that Lord Romilly is a dear longtime friend and that a few years ago, Lord Romilly's wife disappeared and the island gathering is a secret mission to discover what happened to Rosamund.
But it is not just a simple case of murder. Everyone invited to Romilly’s home has a connection to his wife Rosamund who disappeared three years ago on their wedding night. Romilly is determined to find her killer. Viscount Templeton-Vane has his own reasons for wanting to find the culprit. What those reasons are remain a mystery for much of the novel.
As they get to the castle, they find priest holes and hidden hallways enough to make the atmosphere vividly spooky There will be seances, ghosts, a garden filled with beautiful but poisonous plants, and a murderer. However, this time away also gives Veronica and Stoker some alone time although the ghostly memory of Stoker’s ex wife Caroline de Morgan still bedevils the budding relationship between Stoker and Vanessa.
Veronica says that “We have both of us, acknowledged that our bond is unlike any we have shared with another on this earth. This friendship, this strange alchemy that knits us together, it is too find a thing to let it be tarnished with whatever corrosion [Caroline] has left behind. I think there can be nothing more between us until and unless all ghosts from the past have been exorcised.”
When they focus on the murder, signs point to Rosamund’s having never left the island. Her tattered travelling bag is found in one of the hidden hallways. Guests are being poisoned; a harpsicord is playing unnerving music on its own. The scene lacks only Mrs. Danvers.
As they close in on the culprit, The Viscount, Stoker, and Veronica find themselves in danger. Without drastic action they might all perish. Even at this perilous time, the brothers argue. The Viscount and Stoker have long been at odds over Veronica. The Viscounts says to Stoker, “She deserves better than you, you bloody fool. She deserves a man who would kill for her.”
“Stoker’s smile was slow and terrible. ‘You think that is love brother? That I should kill for her?” . . . “You are the fool, Tiberius, because you still do not understand. I do not love her enough to kill for her. . .. I love her enough to die for her.” And he nearly does.
Although Raybourn does not exactly follow the Twenty Rules of Detective Fiction as laid out by Philo Vance author S.S. Van Dine, readers will love this book. And if you are not already a fan of the series, you will be.

There’s just something about these books that make me go back for more and more, and I don’t regret it for one bit. They keep you guessing, and when you think you know who did it turns out you really don’t! I absolutely love the way Raybourn has these plots within an overarching plot, and they’re each more intricate than the next. And the way she does it reveals more and more of each character, shining a light on them that make you question whether you would befriend them the way Veronica does. But if you’ve eagerly been awaiting progress between two particular characters, it’s here in this book and boy, is it a good one!

“I loved following Veronica, Tiberius, and Stoker onto St. Maddern’s. I loved being introduced to the superstitious Cornish folk and learning about their secluded life on the island. The Romillys were certainly an interesting bunch as well, each with a story of their own to add to the mystery of the family, the island, and what exactly happened to Rosamund. I like how there are equally strong women around Veronica, and though there are things she may not necessarily agree with, Veronica appreciates them. The same goes for the men, too. I’m not sure I could be as understanding of Tiberius as she is. Sometimes I wanted to strangle him! As for Stoker, how can you not love him? He’s stubborn and an absolute softie underneath especially about those he cares.

Raybourn has done a fantastic, painstaking job of creating this utterly slow burn between Stoker and Veronica. Sometimes you question whether or not the two actually should be together due to events from their past and their present ideals. But this book was an gem to read, and Raybourn teases you mercilessly throughout–just enough to satisfy you and when you want more… She leaves you hanging!

What is there to say about the writing? Absolutely perfect and such a joy to read! Raybourn takes you right into the heart of Victorian London, and each word is delectable to read. She creates such an easy atmosphere to fall into, bringing you right into the story. I never want to go, to be honest! Others might be bogged down by the precise language, but there were times I had to look up a few phrases and words because I didn’t know what they meant. That didn’t take away from the story though, but made it all the more real.

I can’t believe the fifth and final book will be here next year! What am I going to do without Veronica and Stoker?

The house party with a twist is such a trope in old-timey feeling mysteries... and with good reason. Take a remote location, preferably in a house with some grandeur or mystique, add in a motley assortment of house guests, all invited for a variety of reasons, most of which end up being pretenses, maybe mix in some gothic family secrets... and bam! You're all set up for a slightly claustrophobic, atmospheric whodunnit.

In the case of <em>A Dangerous Collaboration</em>, while the set-up is reminiscent of Agatha Christie, with perhaps a hint of <em>Rebecca</em> too, it's a trope that works extremely well. We pick up with our plucky heroine Veronica Speedwell, already a world-famous lepidopterist despite being only in her mid-20s, and her dark and dangerous colleague Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, known as Stoker. The two have chemistry galore. When we last saw them in <a href="http://bookshelffantasies.com/2018/01/04/take-a-peek-book-review-a-treacherous-curse-veronica-speedwell-3/"><em>A Treacherous Curse</em></a>, Veronice and Stoker had just solved a mystery involving plundered Egyptian tombs and Stoker's notorious past... and were on the verge of a long-awaited lip-lock and possible confession of feelings, when they were interrupted by Stoker's older brother, the Viscount Tiberius Templeton-Vane.

In <em>A Dangerous Collaboration</em>, we continue mere moments later. Tiberius arrives with a proposition for Veronica -- to accompany him to a gathering at his friend Malcolm's Cornish island castle, where she'll be able to collect specimens of a rare butterfly previously thought extinct. Naturally, Veronica jumps at the chance, despite Stoker's objections. So also naturally, Stoker shows up at the island too, where the two brothers and Veronica join Malcolm, his spinster sister, his widowed sister-in-law, and his nephew for a social gathering. At which point Malcolm informs them all that he needs their help -- he wants to learn the truth of what really happened to Rosamund on their wedding day. Did she flee? Did she die? Was she murdered? There are some dark and disturbing possibilities, and all of the assembled guests, apart from Veronica and Stoker, seem to have much more at stake than is initially apparent.

The Veronica Speedwell books are utterly delightful, with their arch humor, constant sense of adventure, and layered mysteries to solve, all of which are enhanced a thousand times over by the sparks continually flying between Veronica and Stoker. While <em>A Dangerous Collaboration</em> felt at first a little tamer than the previous three books, probably because Veronica and Stoker did not appear themselves to be in mortal peril this time around, soon the danger grows and before long they're once again risking life and limb to learn the truth.

Along the way, we get to know Tiberius better and understand what makes him tick, as well as gaining insight on the highly charged relationship between the brothers. For me, the most delicious part of the reading experience was the mounting tension between Veronica and Stoker, as they creep closer and closer to the point where they'll just have to finally admit their feelings and declare their intentions toward one another. Like I said, these two -- chemistry, sparks, fire, passion... you name it. (But no, there's no graphic physical stuff, just tension and attraction galore.)

At the end of <em>A Dangerous Collaboration</em>, we get a hint about what Veronica and Stoker's next adventure will be in book #5. And now I'm jumping out of my skin, dying to read it NOW. This is really a terrific series, and I encourage everyone to start at the beginning and dive in!

This was a series that I perpetually have no pre order. I was sold on it even before it came out. I saw the cover in 2015 and immediately knew I needed this book so I pre ordered a copy. I fell in love with Veronica Speedwell the moment I started reading.

She was refreshing, unconventional, over the top, and just so sassy. I loved the chemistry between her and her leading man, Stoker. Since the inception of this series, I have been first in line with the next installment comes out.

The last book left me feeling a little wanting in the relationship department though, so I was extra eager to get my hands on this book to see if Veronica and Stoker finally finally finally, admit that they are clearly made for each other.

Summary

Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell is whisked off to a remote island off the tip of Cornwall when her natural historian colleague Stoker’s brother calls in a favor. On the pretext of wanting a companion to accompany him to Lord Malcolm Romilly’s house party, Tiberius persuades Veronica to pose as his fiancée–much to Stoker’s chagrin.

But upon arriving, it becomes clear that the party is not as innocent as it had seemed. Every invited guest has a connection to Romilly’s wife, Rosamund, who disappeared on her wedding day three years ago, and a dramatic dinner proves she is very much on her husband’s mind.

As spectral figures, ghostly music, and mysterious threats begin to plague the partygoers, Veronica enlists Stoker’s help to discover the host’s true motivations. And as they investigate, it becomes clear that there are numerous mysteries surrounding the Romilly estate, and every person present has a motive to kill Rosamund (summary from Goodreads).

Review

While there were a few little things that I felt were frustrating, by and large this book met every one of my expectations. This book was really about Veronica for me. She was the front and center star with Stoker taking a back seat to her sleuthing. In this book we see her really coming into her own but also having to address some of her own issues that she’s tried to hard to bury.

At times I found Veronica so frustrating. Throughout the series there has been such an emphasis placed on her independence as a scientist and how unconventional she is. For an intelligent woman, she is daft when it comes to Stoker. It should be glaringly apparent to her that he loves her and what her feelings are toward him, but she struggles. While I might have found her frustrating at times, that did not diminish my feelings on this book—in fact it enhanced them.

Her struggles were authentic to her character and I think many strong women struggle with marrying or falling in love, because they fear that they will have to relinquish their independence to a measurable degree. Veronica clearly embodies this struggle and I love it. As a reader I feel a strong connection to a heroine like that.

Though Stoker takes a back seat in this book and the two don’t have a lot of ‘face-to-face’ time, I thought it was appropriate and they still managed to maintain their chemistry. I also enjoyed having Stoker’s brother in this book and hope we see him in future books.

I adore this series and am happy with the direction it’s going in and I can’t wait for the next Veronica book. I have recommended this series to a number of people (including my entire family) and I have heard nothing but positive reports!

Book Info and Rating

ebook, 336 pages
Expected publication: March 12th 2019 by Berkley
ISBN13 9780451490735
Free review copy provided by: Berkley Publishing and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars.

I had forgotten how much I love Veronica and Stoker, but this book was a wonderful reminder. This is the fourth installment in the series and, although it started differently than previous books, I really enjoyed it. One of the things I liked best was that Stoker’s brother, Tiberius, was a major character and we learned a lot about their relationship. I also found the setting to be fun. What can be better than a castle on an island off the coast of Cornwall? Brought back memories of my misspent youth reading Victoria Holt!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Veronica has an opportunity to collect a very rare butterfly and bring it to her museum at home. She's going to stay on an island with the family that lives there and Stoker's brother is going to accompany her. Stocker wants to go, too, but his brother tells him to say home...

Berkley sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you). It was published yesterday.

Veronica is told she will have to act as his fiance during the stay so they don't scandalize the family. She's not much worried about her reputation but she agrees. It's hard for her, though. He works on trying to charm her and get her in his bed but she turns him down. She's in love with Stoker but isn't sure what to do about it. Neither does he. So they investigate together and remain friends. She's not surprised when he shows up on their journey and goes to the island with them.

There's a mystery here, too. Three years ago, Malcolm married a young woman. She disappeared on her wedding day. Did she run, did the sea get her, or was she murdered? No one knows but Veronica wants to find out.

The family is odd, has strange habits and even has odd motivations. Malcolm's little sister has a poison garden. The housekeeper is weird. Malcolm has become a recluse. Whatever secrets are hidden here are hidden deep.

As they search the buildings, the outside, priest holes and caves, they find nothing. But then Malcolm goes missing...

This is a tense dramatic tale with romance stitched in. I love this series and am glad that Stoker and Veronica have admitted they love each other. They're already on to the next case but maybe one day they'll have enough time talk about their future...

This was everything I could have wanted from the next Veronica Speedwell installment. I continue to love Veronica as the narrator - she is pithy, headstrong, and also brutally honest. She subverts so many expectations of a Victorian lady while also maintaining certain elements of her femininity that make her such a compelling character. I also still love the dynamic between Veronica and Stoker, and this book kicks everything up a notch. This is a must-read for fans of historical mystery!

At the close of the last book, things were left in an interesting place for Veronica and Stoker. I was eager to proceed and see what came of them next as they faced another exciting murder adventure together while exchanging acrimonious quips. A Dangerous Collaboration took them away from London to the atmospheric Cornish coast where they must solve a cold case mystery and perhaps discover something more.
Review

A Dangerous Collaboration is the fourth Veronica Speedwell mystery, but it doesn’t make a good standalone or place to jump into the series. There has been a long, sizzling slow burn relationship building through the books along with other series developments making sense only when got in order.

A Dangerous Collaboration jumps in a little over six months after the finish of A Treacherous Curse. It is six months because Veronica pulled a panic when emotions happened and ran off with her ladyship to go hunt butterflies on Madeira. Naturally, she would die before admitting as much and she is in desperate straights when she returns knowing that she hasn’t purged Stoker from her system or found her mojo to go back to her butterfly hunts like what was supposed to result from the trip. Life is decidedly flat particularly when her absence doesn’t spark even one letter from the person she desires to forget. In fact, she knows she has no right to feel hurt when it was her choice and when she comes back and he treats her the same as he did before, but seeing right through her like he always had.
Fortunately, Stoker’s brother saves her with the dangling of a new mystery in the form of an old disappearance case involving his friend and the possibility of a new butterfly for her collection out on the Cornish coast so long as she poses as his fiance. Stoker wasn’t invited, but he tags along as well for the houseparty in an atmospheric castle on the remote Cornish island with the Romilly family. Malcolm Romilly is determined to discover once and for all what happened to his disappearing bride the day they married.

I always anticipate each new release of this series for this pairing who drive me nuts and pull me in, all the same. But, I let myself believe things were a certain way between this pair at the end of the last book and this book snatched that away in the first pages and I had to reset and change my expectations. As a result, I will probably be going the unpopular opinion route for a good portion of this review. No worries, if you had a different experience when reading it.

Veronica and Stoker have been in denial since day one. I remember saying in my review of the first book that she is terrified of commitments, relationships, and, most of all abandonment and rightly so, but hides it behind her independent, highly intellectual, equal in all ways including sexually, outrageous persona. I call it a persona because it is something she has deliberately cultivated like her own version of armor. Until Veronica met Stoker, this was adequate, but over the course of these books she has slowly, bit by bit had it proven to her that all that is a brittle and hollow thing, but she is too scared to try for more and then when she slips in the last book and cops to feelings, she runs in fear.

I bothered to say all that because I really thought Veronica had made it through the last hurdle by the end of the last book and this would be the start of them trying to build something deeper. She’s a fierce, brilliant woman who will never be like the typical women of her day- Stoker never once expects her to nor does he ever disparage her mind or anything else. He likes her as is and treats her as a partner and equal. She knows all this on one level and revels in it, but then that sticky fear from the past takes over and she is right back where she started pretending she is an island and doesn’t want love or marriage or wanting a man for more than a night.

In this one, I skimmed and drifted through a book I felt dragged after the opening pages until around the fifty percent point when the suspense plot really kicked in and big things were happening. It’s not that I minded the long set up of the situation or what was happening among the larger cast of characters, but with the focus, stronger than ever, on Veronica and Stoker while they churned up the same patch of earth with each other…sigh. I couldn’t even get into the atmospheric setting and gothic overtones (that were great by the way) without being distracted.

Let’s just say, I’d had enough. At this point, she’s a tease and an emotional coward. Harsh, yes, but with Veronica, it’s always Stoker being juvenile with his brother or Stoker being ridiculous and sentimental because God forbid a person have feelings for you or feelings about his brother cutting in and Veronica letting him. She knows what his wife did to him in the past and that his family was torn since he was a child and he’s just now tentatively starting things with his brother. But hey, let’s rile the guy up emotionally and pull back and then play coy while involving the brother. On purpose or not, she did it. I was honestly to the point where I wanted Stoker to back away and leave her with his brother. Yep, I was just that exasperated, but then I held in there for that precious solid gold moment when Stoker shines with a heroic inferno that burned away all the petty shirking she was doing. That scene was almost worth putting up with everything before it.

The mystery was a gothic style and that was the bright and shining bit. Even while the romance end was driving me batty, seeing them in action as a detecting pair, sparring and being witty while getting to the bottom of matters, I was as dazzled and thrilled as always. This is where this pair has always shone for me. I actually had my finger on the right answer, but then thought that I was wrong when the second disappearance happened. Loved the setting of foggy, isolated Cornish island shrouded in legend and lore with a castle full of hidden passages, a possible ghost, a definite disappearance and a house full of suspects.

Now, I did yammer on for some time about something that got my dander up and it probably seems I didn’t like this book. But in truth, aside from my wild hare about that relationship, everything else was stellar. And, I would even go so far as to say that many people will have more patience and generosity than I did and not mind so much what got to me. This was a solid historical romantic suspense in a shining, witty series that I can recommend to those who enjoy the genre and strong willed characters.

I rec’d this book via Net Galley from Berkley to read in exchange of an honest review.