I was very excited to dive into this series as I love so many others in the same genre. I was not disappointed, though would not say this was my favorite. I enjoyed the relationship between Amory and Milo, but many of the other characters felt rather flat to me. I'll certainly give earlier books in the series a try as this may have just been an "off" book.

3 1/2 stars. I recieved an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I usually enjoy this series but this entry seemed a bit slow and repetitive. Difficult to care about the characters.

Ashley Weaver is a good practitioner of historical mystery writing. Here is her sixth story about Amory Ames and her husband Milo. In this outing, the couple is traveling to New York for a wedding. Of course, where they go, trouble and murder generally follow and so they do here.

The story is set during Prohibition but life is not quiet even with no alcohol. One of the groomsman who is to be in Amory’s friend Tabitha’s wedding is murdered. What happened? Why? Who did it? Read this series entry to find out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I have developed such a love for the early 1900s era. A 1930s mystery like this did not disappoint! This is the 6th installment of the series, but my first one to read. There were a few things that I felt like I didn’t understand because I jumped late into the series, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t follow along with. It’s a slow burn, but still fell in love with the characters nonetheless! Now I have to work back from the beginning 🙂

This new book in the series is delightfully entertaining. With all the possible murderers the reader is forced to try to follow all the clues to ascertain who it might actually be. The interaction between Amory and Milo tells us much more about their relationship than in previously books. Delightful news and the solution to the murder await the reader at the very end of the book.

A Dangerous Engagement is the 6th Amory Ames mystery by Ashley Weaver. Released 3rd Sept 2019 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 309 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a very well written stylish murder mystery series with sophisticated protagonists who are a married couple. Set in the interwar period, Amory and husband Milo are upper class (he's trying to be a good husband, reformed from his playboy days), intelligent, and modern. In fact, I've always gotten a sort of British Nick & Nora vibe from the books with the witty repartee and clever plotting, with a little dash of a more serious Tommy & Tuppence, and something all their own. The books aren't derivative at all, the author's talented and the characters stand quite well on their own.

This book sees them heading to New York for the wedding of Amory's childhood friend Tabitha. Hidden motivations and underhanded lucrative business dealings within the wedding party leave Amory less sure of her footing than on her home turf in England. Although this is the 6th book in the series, it does work quite well as a standalone. There's enough backstory woven into the narrative that readers new to the series won't have any trouble sorting out who's who.

This entry was well paced (if a trifle slow at the beginning) and solidly plotted. The dialogue is witty and rings true to the period. The setting was novel change for the main characters and seeing them in the USA and in much less formal surroundings than usual allowed for some interesting insights into their marriage and the way they worked together.

Four stars, solidly entertaining.

A delightful series that, in this entry, stumbles a bit in its execution. All of the checks for this series are present - the mystery is solid, if not astounding, the romantic chemistry is okay, the writing is descriptive, and the characters are nicely drawn, but something is just a bit off - maybe it's the New York city setting? In any event, I sort of speed read the last third out of my own need to finish rather than a true enjoyment of the novel. Not a hearty, recommend, although I don't think you can skip it, given the episodic nature of the Amory Ames mysteries.

Ashley Weaver gives us a complex Amory Ames mystery set in 1933 New York in a Dangerous Engagement.
Amory and Milo Ames are in New York for the wedding of her friend, Tabitha Alden, daughter of a wealthy shipper. One of the wedding party is murdered and there are gangster connections. Through nightclubs run by bootleggers and shipyards Amory traces the tracks of the killer. Danger on every side, Amory is determined to find the killer. Whodunit?

I have been binging on Ashley Weaver's Amory Ames books all summer, reading all of them over a pretty short time span. While I'm not a huge cozy mystery person, there's something about them that I find addictive. In particular, I really like Amory's relationship with her husband Milo. It's great fun to watch their relationship evolve, and the two of them are what draw me to the stories, with the mystery being secondary. (Though I'd like to see a little more movement there - we know something is going on with Milo; tell us what it is.) This book is a bit different than the previous ones - it's set in New York, where Amory and Miles are visiting a friend of Amory's, who is getting married. Amory's friend Tabitha's father is wealthy despite the depression and some business setbacks, and Amory wonders whether he and Tabitha's friends are involved with bootleggers and gangsters. After someone is murdered she throws herself into New York's underworld. As always, I enjoyed this book, but it fell a little flat for me. I'm not sure why. Normally I am really into Amory's adventures and am let down by the end; this one had a much better ending in regards to the villain, but overall I was less excited by it. Partly that may be due to a plot twist with Amory that was heavily foreshadowed in the previous book. I'm not super excited about what it means for future books, honestly. But I do recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the series, and plan to pick up the next one.

In A Dangerous Engagement, the newest installment of Ashley Weaver’s ongoing cozy mystery series, British socialite Amory Ames unsurprisingly finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery. Though readers will recognize the trusty formula that the books consistently lean on – Amory and her charming devil of a husband Milo attend a social event that ends in tragedy – Weaver injects a dose of the unfamiliar into the sixth book. This time around, the Ameses find themselves traveling across the pond to New York City for the wedding of Amory’s childhood friend turned pen pal, Tabitha. But when someone in the wedding party turns up dead ahead of the big day, many questions linger. Not the least of which is whether or not the wedding will go on as planned.

The shift in location provides a much-needed challenge for Amory. She’s been an underhanded investigator in so many mysteries back in her home country that, by this point, her former adversary Detective Inspector Jones seems to practically consider her an honorary member of the force. But not only does she not know much about the city of New York, there are also cultural differences to contend with as she subjects everyone involved to her usual barrage of questions. Americans are far more forthright than the tight-lipped set to which Amory is accustomed. This may assist her in her snooping, but only if she can learn to use it to her advantage.

The book takes place in the early 1930s, so Amory and Milo disembark into a country still shackled by Prohibition, although everyone is starting to feel the tingle of its impending repeal. Amory is surprised to see how brazenly the law is ignored as she tags along with Tabitha to various venues ahead of the wedding. But, as Milo correctly notes, “They ought to have known that telling people they mustn’t have something only makes them want it more.” It’s this fact that attracts bootleggers and gangsters to the lucrative trade; their exploits are not only printed on the rap sheets of their minions, but all over the newspapers. It just so happens that Amory’s bubbly lady’s maid Winnelda considers gossip her scripture and can update her employer about the hustlers turning profits off of the Eighteenth Amendment.

One of these notorious characters, Leon De Lora, rumored to be as dashing in looks as his name suggests, runs an eponymous speakeasy in plain view and is known to turn to violence if crossed. Between tips from the wedding party, convenient funds funneling into accounts previously wiped out by the Crash, and odd encounters caught by eavesdropping, it seems likely that De Lora, or another equally dishonest character, had a hand in the crime.

Not content to accept any one possible explanation, Amory takes turns suspecting each member of the wedding party. She’s playing catch-up, trying to glean as much information about the unfamiliar crowd while also attempting to be discreet. She finds that she doesn’t even entirely know how individuals within the group became acquainted with one another and no one would expect her to procure their entire history in such a small window of time. For this, she’ll rely on her somewhat-reluctant other half to use his charm to win over the men and maybe even temporarily go back to his former rapscallion ways for the good of the cause.

While this is helpful for Amory’s investigation, it proves to be a painful reminder of the early, less happy days of their marriage. Through this series, we’ve seen the pair begin to mend all that was previously broken and enter a much better phase of their relationship, but that doesn’t mean that every wound has closed over. In this book, Amory worries about how well she and Milo have learned to keep one another out of the loop. In fact, she’s about had it with the lack of transparency in the world in general:

I felt suddenly very weary. Why must there always be so many secrets? It seemed no matter where I went, people were always hiding things and making them worse with their deceit. Lies never worked out well in the end; they always managed to hurt people more than the truth might have.

Perhaps inspired by frank nature of the Americans they’re surrounded by, Milo and Amory resolve to be honest with one another, regardless of the personal cost. It marks another step forward for the pair who seem to have used these first six books of the series as a form of pre-marital counseling they never got to enjoy. They have always knows they are crazy about one another, but, no doubt through lack of example, don’t entirely know how to be good partners. Yet the end of this book very much feels like one last element has clicked into place to allow Milo and Amory to graduate to a whole new level.

Though the mystery is not the most sophisticated Weaver has crafted, this installment was clearly intended to highlight relationships and their importance to the characters. Finally meeting Tabitha, a character often referred to in previous books, will likely be a treat for readers and the chemistry between the married pair is as electric as ever. Most importantly, this book sets up exciting changes in the future our main characters, giving readers probable cause for elation that Weaver is far from done writing these delightful mysteries.

I liked the mystery and setting of this one, but I happen to dislike story lines involving pregnancy, especially when the author drops hints that make it obvious to the reader that the character is pregnant but the character is clueless. That made the story a little less enjoyable for me, personally, for which my own bias/preferences are mainly to blame.

A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT is the sixth book in Ashley Weaver’s “Amory Ames” historical mystery series. Unlike some of the previous books in this series, A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT is no drawing room murder mystery. This story dips into the murky world of 1930s gangsters and bootleggers. Amory Ames visits New York City with her husband Milo to attend her friend Tabitha’s wedding, but gets involved in another tangled mystery. Added to the various mysteries connected to the Alden family’s friends and associates, is the very apparent (to everyone except Amory) fact that Amory is pregnant. Everyone looks like a suspect in this story – including the members of the wedding party.

Although Amory and Tabitha are friends, I like how Amory eventually realizes that she may not know her friend as well as she thought she did. Ashley Weaver plays around with classic characters – the gangster, the dewy-eyed good girl, the shady friend – but as the story progresses, most of the characters prove to be realistically flawed with surprising finer points to their characters. A few characters in A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT are desperate and take some risks out of that desperation. There are also a lot of characters who have a hidden side, or a hidden aspect of their lives. While they may hold their cards close to their vests, and work different angles on this mystery, I like how Amory and Milo work toward the same goal in this story and take some time for a little romance. The danger intensifies for this couple as they get closer to the truth, and there are a few close calls.

A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT is an entertaining mystery involving marriage, murder, and sunny dispositions hiding dark motivations. You can’t go wrong with listening to Cole Porter for an apt soundtrack to this tale of young love and secrets. I enjoyed the friendship chemistry between Leon De Lora and this sleuthing couple and wouldn’t mind if he turned up in future mysteries. I look forward to Ashley Weaver’s next “Amory Ames” mystery.

I always enjoy my time spent with high society couple Milo and Amory Ames. A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT, the couple’s sixth adventure, finds the pair in Prohibition era New York City to attend a wedding. Amory is set to be her childhood friend Tabatha’s bridesmaid, but Amory cannot help but feel there is something going on beyond the betrothed couple’s happiness. When one of the groomsmen Grant is shot down in front of Tabitha’s home, Amory is sure that his rumored gangster ties are at the root of the problem and investigates. Milo, more concerned with maintaining his social activities and a new business proposition, leaves the quest for justice mostly up to Amory.

I adore Amory and Milo. They represent everything that is suave and elegant about the 1930’s. Their relationship is not perfect, and they are flawed, but these differences make them all the more appealing. Amory is gutsy, intelligent, and has a good gut instinct that rarely fails her. The characters central to this mystery, the wedding party and gangster Leon De Lora, are captivating, providing suspects and other minor mysteries, and help round out the story. I do hope De Lora and his songstress make another appearance in future books. They are compelling and mysterious. The mystery itself is also interesting, but it lagged a bit. However, I was completely surprised by whodunit. I also wonder how the series, particularly Milo and Amory roles, will change after the revelations of this installment.

A DANGEROUS ENGAGEMENT is an entertaining, stylish addition to the Amory Ames Mystery Series. I hope there are many more books featuring Amory and Milo. Recommended to any historical mystery reader.

Gratefully, I received and ARC of this title through NetGalley from Minotaur Books and voluntarily shared my thoughts and opinions here.

This is one of those mystery series that has made it to my must read list and never disappoints me. Amory and her husband, Milo have sailed to New York City to attend the wedding of one of Amory's friends, Tabitha. It's October 1933 and while Amory is looking forward to the wedding festivities, Milo is convinced that he will be bored, bored, bored. To start with, no booze! Outrageous. Ah but all is not so festive and soon one of the groomsmen is found murdered and his shady dealings with bootlegger are blamed for his demise. Or is it?
Amory and Milo are old hands at investigating homicides and waste no time tracking down a killer.. The setting, the time period and the well crafted mystery all came together to draw me in and entertain me. I'm ready for their next investigation.

The period is the 1930s and liquor is illegal in America. Amory Ames arrives in New York with her husband Milo to attend the wedding of her childhood friend Tabitha. They are guests of the family and soon meet the other members of the wedding party. Milo is thinking he might do some investing but Amory is not sure he should. Then one of the groomsmen is killed right in front of the bride's house. Was it one of the bridal party or a gangster he was probably associating with of which no one seems to know too much about that. Keeps you guessing of who is on the law's side or the illegal side?

This was a really good book with a good storyline which never got bogged down or tedious. Lovers of the novels of Carola Dunn or Frances Brody will like this book which is certainly up to their high standards.

I love cozy mysteries and this Amory Ames' Mystery series did not disappoint. Amory and Milo travel from Britain to New York City - set in the 1930's tail end to the Prohibition Era. Amory's childhood friend Tabitha Alden is getting married and Milo thinks that this will be one boring trip. Of course , an unexpected murder of one of the groomsman changes everything. The victim, Grant Palmer, is shot in front of the Alden Mansion. Palmer has some shady past connections, was working with a bootlegger Leon De Lora, and it may be too easy to blame the mob for this hit, or is it? Amory poses as a reporter to probe into this strange murder where nothing seems to be what it is, This story leads to some unexpected and surprising ending. I love the setting of New York City during that time with all the glamour of the night clubs, speakeasies and theater. I am definitely going to be reading the other books in this series as I absolutely love Amory and Milo as the sleuthing couple, and I am a fan!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest and objective review.

This was a fun, light long weekend read!

Set in Prohibition era New York, the novel takes Londoners Amory and Milo Ames to New York for the wedding of Amory’s childhood friends. The setting is interesting, the characters are fun, and I hope that the gangster with a heart of gold will reappear in future editions.

This was my first in the series, but I’ll definitely cycle back around and catch up with the earlier books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have trouble passing up a cozy mystery when I see it. It doesn't matter if it is book 1 or book 20 in a series, I must read it. A Dangerous Engagement is book 6 in the Amory Ames series. I haven't read this series or anything by Ashley Weaver as this is her debut series. But I don't think it will be my last.

Even though it is book 6, I didn't feel lost or anything. That is probably because Amory and her husband Milo travel from England to New York to attend the wedding a childhood friend. Outside of Milo and Amory, none of the other characters have appeared in the series before. So there wasn't a lot of relationships or backstory that the reader needed to know from previous books. We get just enough to know Milo and Amory (such as they've been married 6 years, their courtship was a bit of a whirlwind, Milo is a risk-taker with a checkered past, etc.).

For being 6 years, Milo and Amory don't seem to be much of a couple. They just seemed to do their own thing throughout the book, which I found odd. For me, the book lacked the something that I usually enjoy with sleuthing couples. But as individuals, I liked the characters. Milo is more in the shadows as the story is told from Amory's point of view.

I really liked the backdrop of Prohibition-era New York. And though the crash of 1929 is mentioned, it felt much more like the decadence of the 1920s. Definitely more Great Gatsby than Grapes of Wrath. It made the story fun with outings to night clubs, speakeasies, and the theater.

The murder mystery is well done with several plausible suspects so you don't really know who the killer is until it is revealed at the end.

Hours after I finished the novel I found myself wishing I could spend more time with these Amory. She really grew on me. I'm looking forward to reading more stories with Amory and Milo.

The review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, Sept. 3 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2019/09/a-dangerous-engagement-by-ashley-weaver.html

3.75 stars

The newest entry in an enjoyable series. Amory Ames and her husband Milo are the British 1930s version of beautiful people, cultured, attractive and moneyed. But they are also interesting characters and keep stumbling across mysteries to solve. I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, and although I suppose you could read this as a standalone, I think the book would be much more rewarding if you had read the other books, particularly the first one which lays out the relationship between Milo and Amory.

The Ames have journeyed to New York City so Amory can be a bridesmaid for an old childhood friend. The setting is the last days of Prohibition, and so the plot includes gangsters and speakeasies. Things around the wedding party aren't quite right and Amory is trying to figure out what's wrong. One of the groom's best friends is a character with a shady past and some troubling crime connections, and he makes everyone nervous to be around.

When he is gunned down on the front steps of the bride's father's house, it's easy to blame it on the mob, but Amory and Milo wonder if the murderer isn't much closer to home.

The characterizations are always interesting, and the interplay between Milo and Amory is fun and sometimes touching. There are a few very surprising plot twists (well ok, at least one of them wasn't surprising and I imagine most of us saw it coming) and some unexpected touches.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.