It's impossible to resist the lure of the historical world Tasha Alexander creates in each of her novels: IN THE SHADOW OF VESUVIUS once again makes the past come alive. Every page is a delight.

These are super cute historical fiction mystery novels. This is the second one of these that I have read. They are compelling and fun and they suck you right in. This one takes place in Pompei, which I love. Pompei is one of the coolest places. If you haven't been there, definitely go. Lady Emily accompanies her friend Emily to the excavations in Pompei. And of course, they find a dead journalist in the ruins, hidden among the other plaster casts. This sucked me in and I read the entire thing in just a few short hours. It was highly entertaining. If you like mystery novels, you should give this series a try.

I received a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love love love this series so much! Lady Emily and her husband Colin are on a trip to Pompeii to study ruins and learn more about the culture. Of course they stumble upon a body who someone cleverly disguised as one of the Pompeii residents killed. Mysterious warnings plague their trip, and even more deaths. That's not the only issue they face. A reminder of Colin's past comes flying into their relationship and they both don't know how to deal with it.

I will continue to love and follow this series and the author as long as it continues. More Lady Emily and Colin adventures!

Tasha Alexander has been on my "to read" list for awhile. I'm glad I finally read this Lady Emily title, thanks to an ARC received through NetGalley. A good mystery, interesting characters, and fascinating setting - the archaeological digs of Pompeii in 1902. Having the story of a young woman killed when Vesuvius erupted intertwined with the "modern" story, while not essential to the mystery, was fun. Alexander gives enough background so a reader like me, stepping into the series without having read previous entries, can understand the dynamics between characters without slowing down the main action. I will definitely be going back to read previous books in the series. While not as humorous, I recommend this to fans of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this new story in the Lady Emily series. Alexander has given the series new life in this fascinating setting - the ruins of Pompeii. Everything works here - atmosphere, characters, and plot. Readers who enjoy a bit of archaeology will appreciate Alexander's excellent research which gives us a view into the history and excavations of Pompeii. Alexander provides an extra bonus by layering into the novel an intriguing parallel story set during the time of the Vesuvius eruption. This serves to personalize the entombed humans strewn around Pompeii, a unique phenomenon that anyone who has been there or seen pictures will invariably ponder. This story may be the strongest yet in this superb historical series. Exciting and satisfying! Well done!

I have been a fan of Ms. Alexander's Lady Emily series for several years and was very excited to see the fourteenth installment is set at a dig in Pompeii. I was pleased that several of the main characters return, although I missed Margaret and the boys (Are they at school? I don't believe their absence was addressed).

I did not particularly enjoy the chapters with Kassandra, as they seemed to only serve the purpose of setting up the great save in the ending. I found myself skimming these chapters to get back to the main storyline.

Colin's daughter was highly abrasive and I found myself angry at Colin for how he treated her and Lady Emily. It did not feel accurate to his character in the previous books.

I hope to see more from Jeremy and Calliope in future books. I really loved their interactions!

Despite the aspects of this installment in the Lady Emily series, it was truly an enjoyable book.

Everything about this book signaled that it would appeal to me--a historical mystery set in an archeological dig of the ruins of Pompeii, plus a parallel story in Pompeii before its destruction.

I am a voracious reader of light mysteries, but Ms. Alexander's book just left me cold. I found her characters either insufficiently developed, or totally unsympathetic, particularly her protagonist Lady Emily and her husband. Their chemistry was discussed in the text, but felt contrived to me. I never bonded with any of the principal characters in this book with the possible exception of the poetess Kassandra and her friend, Melos.

I struggled to finish the novel, and even the conclusion left me less than satisfied. Regrettably, I have no appetite to read other books in this series.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

I was fortunate enough to snag an advanced reader's copy of the fourteenth entry in Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series. I read the first eleven volumes of the series a couple of years ago and have kept up with the yearly installments since then, so opening this book was like revisiting old friends, albeit friends who lived more than 100 years ago. The latest entry in the series takes us to Naples, Pompeii, and the surrounding areas, where archaeologists are excavating the villages that were buried beneath the lava and ash from a volcanic eruption in the early centuries. I have always been fascinated by Pompeii, and I visited the area myself less than a year ago, so the setting of this book especially appealed to me.

The main story in this volume concerns a dead body covered in plaster and a cast of suspicious characters. I'm glad several of the secondary characters from previous books were able to accompany Emily and her husband Colin on this adventure. Her best friend Ivy and her semi-scandalous (and rich) male friend Jeremy came along for the ride. We also got the introduction of a new character whom I suspect will be featured in many future books. I won't spoil the surprise of who it is, but I think this development might be my favorite thing about the book because it has the potential to create a lot of conflict down the road. Emily and Colin's relationship seems too perfect sometimes, and that can get boring very quickly.

Alexander almost always includes a parallel story in her books, and this time around, the secondary storyline is set in the period before Vesuvius erupts. I wasn't sure how this storyline would tie into the main story, but that all becomes clear by the end of the book. I thought this twist was clever, and it made everything come full circle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading the next adventure for Lady Emily and her friends.

In this entry, Lady Emily and Colin are in Pompeii and they start to investigate a murder after police are unwilling to look into the matter thinking it's the work of gangs. The mystery aspect of this book was quite good with some twists and turns as I've come to expect from Tasha Alexander. There's alternating time periods in this book, the first time Tasha did this I wasn't sure that I liked it but in this book I thought it worked well.

I actually really liked the introduction of a certain character who I won't spoil and some of the conflict it caused, but I thought she was a great character and added something a bit different in a good way! I liked that even with this, Emily and Colin's relationship remained strong. I can't wait until the next book comes out as this is an excellent addition to the series.

When Lady Emily and her husband Colin encounter a fresh body in the ruins of Pompeii, they are a little taken aback. But when the police refuse to investigate the crime, they take it on themselves. But there are a few wrenches about to be thrown into their midst, one being Colin's daughter, one that he never knew existed.
While she hates Lady Emily on sight, things are starting to get a little uncomfortable for many, as more secrets are uncovered during their investigation, and more than one person suspected of being the killer!

What a great read! This was fun, and kept my attention throughout! I read it in one sitting! Perfect for a cold afternoon curled on the couch!

Everyone knows that thousands died in Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius rained down destruction 2,000 years ago, but Lady Emily and her husband Colin, find a more recent victim when they travel to the ancient city. The police blame a local gang, but Emily isn’t so sure, so she begins her own investigation. Some of the archaeologists working at the site offer their assistance with solving the crime, but they have secrets of their own. Then a woman appears with a story that makes Emily wonder just how much she really knows her husband. The mystery and magic of Pompeii are front and center in this delightful historical mystery