I absolutely loved this book. I don't want to give anything away, but know that if you loved the first book of this series you're going to absolutely love this one! It is a must read!

Deanna Raybourn has done it again.!!! Veronica and Stoker's second adventure is very different from their first, but just as good. I particularly enjoyed he introduction of Lady Willie, and Patricia's antics made me laugh. Veronica''s complete disregard for the expectations of Victorian women is refreshing. She is just the knd of strong, independent, mystery-solving woman I most enjoy. I can hardly wait until she and Stoker embark on their next adventure!

This is the second book in Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series and we find our heroine unexpectedly stuck in Britain and investigating a murder for reasons I can't explain without spoiling the first book. It's a fast-paced romp but the plot at times feels secondary to what we're learning about Stoker and Veronica. If you read the first, you'll like this, but I if you haven't read book 1, I'd start there first.

Review: A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
Susan Amper

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn is the 2nd book in the Veronica Speedwell Mystery series (available January 10, 2017).

Mystery and detective fans will be enchanted with Deanna Raybourn’s new detective, Veronica Speedwell. Aptly named for the plant of the same name—an easy-care perennial with spiky flowers of dizzying hues that attract butterflies—the decidedly un-Victorian Veronica Speedwell is an intrepid and carefree adventuress, avid collector of butterflies, and in the first in the series, A Curious Beginning, a Corsican bandit, the attentions of a killer, and a partner in crime solving.

At the end of A Curious Beginning, Veronica and partner-in-mysteries-and-misdeeds Stoker (aka the Honourable Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, third son of the sixth Viscount Templeton-Vane) are in a near state of penury. In A Perilous Undertaking, set in 1887 London, they get a timely commission from Stoker’s friend and benefactor, Lord Rosemorran. Veronica—lepidopterist and lover of natural history—and Stoker—a natural historian, explorer, and taxidermist—are perfectly suited to curate Rosemorran’s collection of “art, artifacts, [and] treasure of every description” and establish a museum. Their respective occupations also supply them with witty banter, à la Nick and Nora Charles.

Stoker who sometimes hunts argues that that he does not “shoot things for [his] own pleasure,” but only collects “specimens for the purposes of scientific study.”

“That must be some consolation to the corpses,“ [Veronica] returned sweetly.

“You do not hold the moral high ground there, my little assassin. I have watched you kill butterflies by the hundreds with just a pinch of your fingers.”

“Well, I could pin them first, but I am not an enthusiast of torture.”

“You might have fooled me,” he muttered.

Almost before they get started, they must stop their work to investigate a murder. Veronica, the unacknowledged illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales, is invited to the ladies only Curiosity Club by Lady Sundridge, the nom de guerre for Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria. She implores Veronica to take on a seemingly impossible task. The princess’s good friend, artist Artemisia, was brutally murdered—apparently by her lover and art patron, Miles Ramsforth. Princess Louise is sure he is innocent, and Veronica is charged with finding out the identity of the true murderer while saving Ramsforth from the hangman's noose.

Veronica and Stoker’s investigation leads them to the Elysian Grotto, a private club for men formerly operated by the condemned man; it is filled with what a blushing Stoker tells Veronica are “olisoboi” in Greek or “if you prefer, in Spanish 'consoladores.' “

”Consolers? But how could they console ... oh. Oh! So they are not for study or ceremonial use but for practical application. How very intriguing.“ Stoker who is both embarrassed and annoyed tells Veronica he is ”pondering the peregrinations of my life and wondering how I came to be here. With you. And this,“ he says, nodding towards the room’s salacious items.

Their next stop on the investigatory trail is even creepier. Veronica and Stoker go undercover as a couple in mourning, hoping to learn some facts from the undertaker who prepared Artemisia’s body for burial. But they first have to prep for the visit.

Since the death of Prince Albert unrestrained mourning had been the order of the day, with crêpe draped at the doors and windows of houses touched by loss.... The Prince Consort’s death had spawned an industry of loss, from flowers to jewelry, fabric to feathers, and shops across the city hired such things to those who had not the means or inclination to purchase them outright.

Veronica and Stoker outfit themselves in borrowed black and, though ghoulish, their masquerade turns into a routine worthy of Abbot and Costello. They play the distraught Sir Hugo and Lady Montogomerie, wanting the best for their dearly departed. Told by the porter that they must come back when the owners return, Veronica realizes drastic action is required to keep them on the premises and lets out a wail:

“Desmond! Oh Desmond! Taken from us too soon.” A thunderous Stoker asks, “Are you happy, man? Look what you’ve done, Lady Mongomerie is distraught.” As soon as the porter leaves them, Stoker says “Desmond? Who in the seven devils is Desmond?” “Our cat,” replies Veronica, “Dashed under the wheels of a milk wagon.” “Poor Desmond,” he said, sweeping off his hat as he glanced about the room. “Where shall we begin?” And they search the premises.

A well matched pair, they sneak around the funeral home in quest for clues, and—in a bid to remain undiscovered—Veronica vaults onto an empty mortuary table and drags Stoker on top of her. ”On his way down, he grasped the sheet and hauled it over us, shielding us from view ... I knew he was stifling a laugh at the absurdity of our situation.” Absurd it is, and they are soon found out.

But, as luck would have it, one of the undertakers, Mr. Padgett, is a fellow lepidopterist and is seeking a replacement for a fading Camberwell Beauty that is “losing its luster.“ He claims he needs it to complete his grouping of purple butterflies. Veronica seizes the opportunity for escape and offers to find him another of the species at no cost.

Getting closer to the murderer eventually leads them to Stoker’s brother, the newly minted Viscount Templeton-Vane, who has been trying to get Stoker to meet with his lawyers to settle their father’s estate. But there is bad blood there, and Stoker refuses all requests until the mystery forces the meet. Veronica and Stoker have dinner with the Viscount, a many times guest at the Elysian Grotto. He becomes smitten with Veronica, and as she and Stoker leave his house—with information that will lead them to the murderer—the Viscount extends an open invitation for her to return.

Stoker is livid and says to Veronica:

”You are not to go anywhere with him. You are not to call upon him. You are not to receive him.“

I was so astonished I very nearly laughed aloud. ”You cannot seriously think I would permit you to dictate terms to me,” I began.

But he says, “I can dictate these terms ... He has taken something of mine for the last time.”

”I am not something of yours ... I don't care what bad blood there is between you, you do not get to tell me whom I see. You are not my husband.“
I pressed my hands flat to his chest and heaved, but he did not move. His hands came up to grasp my wrists hard, and for an instant I saw something like hurt flicker in his gaze. ”No,“ he said slowly. ”I am better than a husband. I am your friend.”

And that is one very good reason why this third son of the late sixth Viscount Templeton-Vane makes for such an admirable partner to the delightful Veronica Speedwell.

Set in the Victorian era , this book features Veronica - a lepidopterist , and a very enigmatic young lady.
She is charming , intelligent and mysterious, making her very attractive to the reader's right away . She and her accomplice Stoker , who is a royalty turned Pirate turned zoologist are commissioned by yet another royalty to put up an exhibition. With some mishap hindering this, they are then roped into a murder investigation. An aristocrat and artist is going to be hanged for the murder of his lady love- but someone is certain he is innocent.
Following the lead, the books takes one on an interesting murder mystery solved by two non- detectives ( yes that word doesn't exist :P). The book took me quite some time to read , as it vividly describes the Victorian setting , the lush art scenario and comes with a highly entwined web of mysteries and secrets.
The writing is rich and what really impressed me was that though the narrative was simple it still carried the elegance of the bygone era , and the lavish injection of fancy words is quite a welcome change!
The book unfurls almost like a tv show , as it is dramatic and intriguing just the same.
The characters are interesting and very likable , and I for one look forward to reading more of Veronica- Stoker adventures.
However , parts of it where quite predictable and a bit too dramatic and I figured who the killer was mid way!
As much as I did enjoy the book as a whole, the mystery part wasn't up to my expectations. However , I am quite certain that if this is going to be a long series of books, readers are quite likely going to enjoy both Veronica and Stoker as individual characters and as a team.

Overall : A very illustrious and entertaining read.

Thanks netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC.

The Veronica Speedwell just gets more daring, challenging, and exciting. The partnership between Veronica and Miles is delicious, intimate, and messy with a lot more surprises in the future I hope.

A Perilous Undertaking finds Veronica and Stoker nearly going stir-crazy at not being able to launch another expedition due to an untimely accident visited upon their benefactor Lord Rosemorran. Even trying to put together their museum starts to feel monotonous. So, when Veronica is approached by her Royal Highness Princess Louise to help solve a murder before the wrong man is hanged for it, of course Veronica is intrigued. Due to Veronica's past, the fact that the request comes from a member of the royal family catches her interest all the more. It takes very little to convince Stoker to join her on the hunt seeing as how he's up for an adventure himself.

This second book in the series is a great follow-up and, in my opinion quite exceeds its predecessor. The mystery is quite intriguing and kept me guessing almost to the end. I figured it out just a little bit before Veronica.

But the thing that really drives the story forward is the somewhat unconventional (for the time period of the book) relationship between Veronica and Stoker. What made the book so much better was the fact that we didn't have to wait for introductions of characters (or wait for them to actually meet) as in the first book. They are already well acquainted so the focus could be solely upon their growing friendship. And that's what they've developed thus far: an extremely strong and devoted friendship. Although of course I won't lie and tell I don't want more from them because I definitely do, but I think the cultivation of loyalty and trust that a friendship entails will make any further developments of their relationship that much more solid in the future.

We see a lot more of Stoker's past in that we meet his other two brothers Merryweather and Tiberius (the now Templeton-Vain patriarch). While reading I loved seeing more to his character and his brothers definitely bring out the "best" in him. But as we moved through the story, I discovered there's still so much we don't know, so much depth yet to explore and I applaud Deanna Raybourn for the way she crafts her characters. For this applies to Veronica's character as well. I love how stalwart and seemingly unshakable she is, but I also loved that we see these minuscule moments of vulnerability. For me, her character grew so much in those fleeting moments, and I look forward to seeing more. Of course Stoker sees and understands Veronica and vice versa which only makes their bond that much more stronger.

This was the kind of book that makes you wish you could binge read the entire series right after, but instead you have to anxiously wait for the next installment. So here I sit anxiously waiting!

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

A Perilous Undertaking is the fabulous follow up to A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. Full of quirky characters, witty banter, an interesting mystery, and plenty of sexual tension, this is really a fine work of historical fiction.

Full disclosure time: I am a huge fan of Deanna Raybourn so I had high expectations for this sophomore entry in the Veronica Speedwell series. As much as I loved A Curious Beginning, I was not disappointed here. Raybourn has created a pair of fantastic characters who are independent and do not care one whit about fitting into society’s expectations of them. Veronica is a lepidopterist (butterfly hunter and collector), and Stoker is a natural scientist and explorer, the black sheep third son of an aristocratic family. They have plans to go on a great adventure, but the trip is postponed when their benefactor breaks his leg and cannot travel. So, the pair must be content to continue their work cataloging Lord Rosemorran’s family collection of “treasures”. Their plan is to turn it into a museum of sorts.

Veronica is pleasantly surprised to find herself invited to the Curiosity Club, an all female society where women can discuss any topic, socially acceptable or not. When she arrives at the club, she is introduced to “Lady Sundridge”, whom Veronica immediately recognizes her true identity as someone of great prestige and influence. Lady Sundridge tasks Veronica with clearing renowned artist Miles Ransforth’s name before his guilty sentence can be carried out at the end of a noose. With the very tight deadline and seemingly futile cause, Veronica agrees to look into things and drags Stoker along for the ride. Even after they are threatened (more than once), the detective duo carry on to find the truth, taking them into the bohemian world of artists and danger.

I absolutely adore Stoker and Veronica. Raybourn has created such complex and well drawn characters that I feel like I have known them forever. They are, above all else, friends, with taught sexual tension between them at times, colleagues, and each other’s greatest advocate. Their banter is the star of the book, their dialogue witty, and they know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. Veronica is sure that she is always the smartest person in the room (and she is probably right), but, whereas she was a bit of a snot in A Curious Beginning, here she is more mature and bit more approachable. We learn more about both Veronica and Stoker’s past, but there continue to be ghosts getting in the way of their relationship.

I do love that we get to meet some of Stoker’s family, and his brothers are just as idiosyncratic, though in a much more socially acceptable way, as Stoker. I hope we see more of them in the future. All of the recurring supporting characters and those that are central to this mystery are all well developed and interesting. The artist community provides a plethora of defining eccentricities that kept me on my toes.

The story moves at a quick pace, but it does take a couple of chapters for it to really get going. The atmosphere, attention to historical detail, and authentic language and “voice” fully transported me to Victorian England. This is yet another circumstance where Raybourn excels. With every page read, the twenty-first century felt more and more distant, and I was reluctant to return to the present.

The mystery itself is engaging and exciting. The sense that time is running out is palpable and adds to the adventure. Veronica and Stoker approach everything as they would a science experiment, and their thinking is most always logical and practical. This juxtaposition of science against the art community is great. There are plenty of red herrings along the way, and plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing. There are some perilous moments but also some laugh-out-loud moments. One scene between Veronica and Stoker in a love grotto is particularly chuckle worthy, as is their adventure into an opium den.

I truly love the Veronica Speedwell series and cannot wait to read what trouble our investigating pair gets into next. A year between books is much too long to wait. I highly recommend A Perilous Undertaking to fans of Deanna Raybourn’s other works, and to those who appreciate witty writing, a strong sense of place and time, and eccentric characters.

What I enjoyed:

- The banter between Stoker and Veronica remains hilarious. The plot of this book involves some very racy locales, and the uncomfortable conversations that arise result in a lot of LOLing.
- This book essentially picks up where the first book left off. When I'm reading a series, I love for that to happen, so that gets an automatic star in my book!
- The writing is still top-notch.

What fell short:
- Veronica's insistence on discussion of sex, and the amount of the plot that revolved around sex got a bit tiresome (please don't think that this book is sexually explicit in any way - remember this takes place in the late 1800's!). Maybe it's because I read this book right after the first that I grew tired of the remarks on sexual topics? Who knows.
- The first book felt like a organic mystery novel. Things seemed to evolve of their own accord, and Veronica seemed to get involved as an amateur detective as a natural progression of events. This book's plot was far less subtle. I'm talking about "I need you to figure out who the murderer is" kind of thing. That was far less interesting for me.

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys mystery novels and to anyone who loves a strong female character.

My "lower" star ratings are mostly a direct results of my lack of interest in mystery plots. If you like mysteries, you're likely to enjoy this immensely!

Deanna Raybourn is easily one of my new favorite authors (which sounds weird given that she’s written quite a few books, it’s just – she’s new to me), and while it may have taken me a little to warm up to the first in this series, I instantly fell head over heels in this second installment. If I had access to the next (and I assume there is going to be a next), I’d have jumped right in, no question.

Veronica Speedwell is just my kind of woman: brilliant, passionate, sure of herself, curious, and open-minded. And her relationship with Stoker definitely heats up in A Perilous Undertaking. They are an excellent pairing (if they’ll ever bother to getting around to it), and it is a thrill to watch things unfold between them. The tension was palpable, feelings were brewing, obstacles have been discovered, and I can’t make up my mind at what pace I want this to go. How many more books before their inability to further their relationship becomes agonizing?

The mystery itself was complex and twisty. Small hints here and there, but I never found a sure enough footing to make a confident guess. I daresay that Veronica and Stoker were also quite surprised when all was revealed.

But beyond all that, I love Ms. Raybourn’s writing style. It’s hard to put my finger on the exact nature of my love for it. It flows. It feels natural. From the first paragraph, I fall in, and don’t want to get out. I just enjoy reading her, completely independent of the story itself. Fortunately, she also spins a good tale, so it’s truly a win all around.

This is the first book I’ve finished in 2017, and I call it a most excellent start. Can’t imagine starting off my reading year in a better way.

Once again, a gorgeous cover, and I will be buying the book to pretty up my shelves.

Desperately looking forward to whatever comes next for Miss Speedwell and Stoker.

Veronica is pleased to get an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club which is exclusively women. That means women with independent natures and curiosity and a means to do what they wish. She thinks sharing ideas there will be fascinating. What she finds when she arrives is that one of the ladies wishes to speak to her privately. Once they begin talking, she realizes she's talking to one of the Queen's daughters. It's her half-sister, but they don't speak of that. The family does not recognize Veronica but they are willing to ask for her assistance. There's a man scheduled to be hung in a week or so and the Queen's daughter wants Veronica to prove he was not the murderer...

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It is being published today, so you can grab a copy now. This is the second book in this series and if you've missed the first, I'd recommend starting there.

When the uppercrust gets involved in things like murder, it can be very hard to reopen a case and determine the truth. That's why Veronica gets asked. Closed doors don't stop her. She's also very intelligent and knows how to play people to get her answers.

She has her partner, Stoker, and together they make a formidable pair. He's strong, has been in the war and is warrior strong, and they've been busy cataloging the collections housed in an old mansion. They'll work from there and see what they can find.

What they find is tangled relationships from marriages of conveniences to husbands who prefer men for sex partners to a secret building where orgies are held. The Victorians were stiff on the outside but they had a wild side, too.

When the killer is finally brought to light, it almost results in death for both of them. You can almost taste the danger as the author sets the scene.

I enjoyed the repartee between Veronica and Stoker. I'm wondering if they will actually become a couple down the line. And that uppercrust connection with Veronica worked out quite well in this story. But it's a tenuous connection and who knows what the next book will bring?

Murder and intrigue in high places!

Lady Veronica Speedwell (lepidopterist and adventurer) and Stoker (‘the Honourable Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, third son of the sixth Viscount Templeton-Vane’) a natural historian, are drawn into the hunt for a murderer at the request of one who 'cannot be named.'
Its 1887 London and a bohemian artist who moves in semi exalted circles has had her throat slashed. Her lover Lord Miles Ramsforth was declared guilty and is to hang--all too quickly it seems. At least that's what Lady Sunbridge, who tasks Lady Veronica to find the truth, believes. As Veronica and Stoker delve further into the matter they see behind the veil into the decadent sensual antics of some of the the upper class in an underground grotto within the grounds of Ramsforth's estate. The motive for Artemisia's murder eludes them. Something must give, and soon. Otherwise Miles will die.
The beauty of the relationship between Veronica and Stoker is a gift. As is their interaction and care for each other on many levels. Their anticipation of each others needs, their understanding of each other gives a depth to the investigation itself. They hover somewhere between caring and sensitive friends attune to each other in a myriad of ways, all highlighted by a suppressed sexual attraction. That frisson makes the relationship even more interesting.
Both have unhealed hurts that neither are able to set aside.
The side charters are worthy of note. There's Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, and Veronica's bête noir; and the older Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk otherwise known as Wellie.
A smashing good read!

A NetGalley ARC

(January 2017)

In A Perilous Undertaking, the second book in Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series, Veronica and Stoker are called upon to investigate the murder of an artist. Having just read and loved A Curious Beginning, the first book in the series, I couldn’t wait to see what the pair were going to get up to next. And A Perilous Undertaking does not disappoint. Like its predecessor, this second installment is a highly enjoyable read with an intriguing mystery, two leads whose chemistry registers off the chart, and excellent writing that brings Victorian London vividly to life. If you are a fan of historical mysteries with strong romantic elements and have yet to read A Curious Beginning, I urge you to stop reading this review and head to your nearest bookstore now. You will not want to miss the burgeoning relationship between Stoker and Veronica that takes place before the start of this book.

To better discuss Veronica’s character arc and motivations, I opted to include a couple of spoilers for A Curious Beginning in this review. You have been warned.

As A Perilous Undertaking opens, Veronica and Stoker have firmly ensconced themselves on Lord Rosemorran’s estate as curators for the museum he hopes to establish with his collection of natural history specimens. Working in such close proximity has caused Veronica and Stoker to be at each other’s throats all day. Therefore, when Lord Rosemorran’s sister Lady Cordelia invites Veronica to visit the Curiosity Club with her, Veronica gladly accepts.

Founded for the purpose of giving accomplished ladies a place to exchange ideas freely, the Curiosity Club has long been a place of, well, curiosity for Veronica. But it turns out that Lady Cordelia’s invitation to visit the club was not issued on a whim. While at the club, Veronica is introduced to a mysterious Lady Sundridge, who is actually none other than Princess Louise, a younger sister of the Prince of Wales. One of Princess Louise’s friends, Miles Ramsforth, has been found guilty of murdering his mistress Artemisia and is due to be executed in one week’s time. For reasons that Princess Louise is unwilling to get into, the princess believes Miles to be innocent. Since mounting an investigation on her own is out of the question – the resulting scandal to the Royal family will give the press a field day – Princess Louise wants Veronica to find the real murderer and exonerate Miles. Her refusal to comply or her failure to solve the case in time will resul, in the death of an innocent man.

In A Curious Beginning, we find out that Veronica is, in fact, the daughter of the Prince of Wales, which would make Princess Louise her aunt. Veronica being Veronica, this of course means that she could not pass up the chance to prove her mettle to the family that chose not to acknowledge her. So before long, Veronica and Stoker find themselves plunged neck deep in an investigation that will eventually lead them to a Victorian version of an underground sex club. The many quirky characters they meet during the course of their investigation, as well as the good-natured insults they lob at each other to mask a deeper attraction, makes this book a perfect blend of humor and suspense. There are some graphic depictions of violence and the overall tone of this book is darker – this is, after all, a book about murder – but it is a testament to the author’s skills that I didn’t find the proceedings too grim or overwhelming.

On the character building front, fans of Veronica and Stoker will be happy to know that in A Perilous Undertaking, more of Stoker’s past is revealed which leads to an intimate moment between him and Veronica. The book also ends on a heartfelt scene between the pair that shows just how much the bond and trust between them have strengthened. As far as actual romantic developments go, these two still have a long way to go and personal baggage to work through – we still don’t know, for instance, what happened to Stoker in South America – but they are making strides and when they are finally ready to take that next step, I have no doubt that it will be worth the wait.

So what kept this from being a Desert Isle Keeper for me? This may be a weird analogy to make for a historical mystery, but if A Curious Beginning can be considered an “origin” story of sorts for Stoker and Veronica’s partnership, A Perilous Undertaking can be said to suffer from the middle chapter syndrome. After the audacious revelation regarding Veronica’s antecedents and the budding of a deep and lasting friendship between Veronica and Stoker – a friendship that is formed, in part, through their shared experience at a circus no less – everything that happens in A Perilous Undertaking just seems smaller in scope by comparison. Then there is Veronica herself. While I like the fact that she’s unconventional, outspoken, and fearless, there are times when her constant need to fling the fact that she’s different in people’s faces and her rudeness to those she considers her emotional or intellectual inferiors pushes her firmly into the boastful braggart territory. At one point in the story, Stoker calls her a bully because she always has to have things her way, and through most of the book, I tended to agree with him.

The above quibbles aside, A Perilous Undertaking is a deftly-plotted, entertaining book that should please fans of the series. The dialogue between Veronica and Stoker sparkles with wit, and I for one cannot wait to see what Veronica’s ties to the Royal family may portend for this dynamic duo. Here’s to hoping that I won’t have to wait too long for Veronica and Stoker’s next adventure.

I picked up "A Curious Beginning" on a whim at my local library a few months ago. I wasn’t super sure about it as it wasn’t YA and it was a mystery, and I normally don’t grab those at all. However, it was also historical fiction set during Victorian England which happens to me one of my favorite time periods, so I was pleased when I finished the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. The second book in the Veronica Speedwell series is no different–I loved it.

ight, so we pick up only a few weeks after the first book left off. Veronica and Stoker are currently working on putting together a museum of sorts when Lady Cordelia, whom I can only label as their “landlady” in the loosest sense of the word, invites our heroine and butterfly enthusiast Veronica Speedwell on a trip to a lady’s club. There, Veronica meets Lady Sundridge. She explains in loose detail how she wishes for Veronica to uncover the truth behind the trial and verdict of her friend and fellow artist, Miles Ramsforth. Of course, if we’ve read the first book, we know the connection Veronica has with this particular lady.

Veronica agrees, albeit reluctantly, and finds herself, along with Stoker, diving into a niche of society that causes even earring-wearing, tattooed, darked-haired Stoker choking on his words. (However, Veronica finds it all a bit amusing though eclectic.) As Veronica and Stoker become more familiar with the Elysian Grotto in order to learn more about why exactly Miles Ramsforth was charged with murder, individually, they also must face a few parts of their past they’d rather leave forgotten.

What I love most about this series are the complex characters, lush writing, and lovely world building. Can I call it world building even if it’s in a real setting? I think I can. Raybourn’s style of writing in this series is impeccable. I felt as if I were walking the streets of Victorian London, going through Bishop’s Folly with Veronica and Stoker, and perhaps tripping over Patricia, the giant tortoise, a time or two as well. Writing like this harkens to my inner English literature lover.

Which also means I’ve enjoyed the new characters in here as well, especially Lady Wellia! I love how wry the old woman is! I also didn’t mind Stoker’s elder brother, Tiberius either as he seemed quite taken with Veronica, though I will say that discovering Stoker’s true heritage was actually quite a shock to me. I’ve never been one for family rifts so I’m hoping the two brothers will reconcile their differences. Tying to Stoker’s heritage, I get the feeling that he and Veronica understand one another a little better now as their situations are a bit similar. I like the two as friends though I’m highly convinced that they may end up more. (Well, at least I can hope, right?) I love their witty banter, Veronica’s internal admiration of Stoker’s fine figure, and

The mystery in this book left me guessing until the very end, and even then, I didn’t know “who dunnit” until it was finally revealed and I was surprised! I would have never suspected. But I suppose that’s the point.

My only complaint is how I’m finding little fault with Veronica. I suppose that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing but she’s managed to charm quite a few characters into liking her. Well, I suppose I should say that loosely if looking through the lens of that particular time period, Veronica was quite a free woman, not hindered by marriage or children like nearly all women during that time. That’s another thing that also makes her unique but they are also her choices.

I can’t wait to see what the next book (or more) brings to this series!

This pair cracks me up. They are witty, eccentric, particular and practically magnetic. Deanna Raybourn has a knack for writing vividly and with a flair, and not surprisingly, I loved the second installment in this series almost as much as the first.


The murder mystery is of a classic "who'd-done-it" variety. Both Veronica and Stoker start the investigation mostly out of boredom, and soon Stoker is forced to pose in the nude for one of the suspects, while Veronica fends off advances of another suspect. The victim is an artist, which means that our couple has to work in Bohemian circles among liberal, carefree and very expressive characters.


Veronica is of course up to her usual cross-dressing shenanigans (the opium den is particularly juicy) while Stoker decides on more conservative approach. Nevertheless, to follow their antics is so much fun!


We also finally get to know Stoker's siblings, and his older brother has an absolutely delightful banter going with Veronica which Stoker really does not like.


Overall, this is another beautiful, vivacious novel, female-centric and superbly atmospheric. I loved Veronica's snappy comebacks, and Stoker's dry wit and can not wait to continue with this series. Recommended to the fans of Sherry Thomas. They have very similar styles.

Set in Victorian London, Veronica Speedwell is asked by the Princess Louisa to investigate a murder that her friend, Miles Ramsforth, is about to be hanged for. Veronica and her friend Stoker reluctantly agree, and we are launched into an investigation that, as with the first novel, reveals even more about their own backgrounds. In A Curious Beginning their investigation unveiled Veronica’s high class parentage, but in A Perilous Undertaking the secrets revealed give us more insight into Stokers family, and an understanding for why he and Veronica are drawn to each other, as they have much in common. Deanna Raybourn’s words paint such a vivid picture of her two main characters, that the story plays out as a movie in my head, each word a brush stroke adding depth and color until the whole picture is revealed.

The mystery they are investigating is the murder of a female artist. Her lover, a high born aristocrat and already married man. Veronica and Stoker interview each member of this artist community the victim belongs to, and we find, even though set in a prudish era, all of their suspects seem to have very loose morals as everyone is sleeping around with everyone else. The salacious subject matter adds tension to the relationship between Veronica and Stoker. Admittedly, very good friends, but the underlying tension turns very sexual, with Stoker posing nude for one of the artists, and Veronica being affected by his masculinity (but hiding her reaction really well!). Veronica, a self proclaimed modern woman who has had lovers and likes to throw that in Stokers face to watch him blush, has a rule that she will not choose an English lover. However, as their lives become threatened, and each of them become very protective of the other it is apparent (or at least I am really hopeful!) that their relationship will eventually become something more than friends.

I enjoyed this story even more than A Perilous Undertaking (❤❤❤❤ review), as I came to understand Veronica and Stoker even more. The intricacy of the mystery and the intellectual way they solved it was filled with humorous dialog, and I found myself laughing out loud at some of their rather “earthy” discoveries. Trust me, those scenes will be re-read, the delight Ms. Raybourn had in writing them (as I’m sure researching Victorian era dildos had to be pretty humorous) came across the page in vivid technicolor.

I was given an ARC by the publisher through NetGalley, and have written my honest review. Delightful! ❤❤❤❤❣

I decided to start off the year with a read I felt was sure to satisfy. That's the space I'm occupying right now, guys. I need something new and I need something that's going to just make it right. Tall order, I know. But I've been a fan of the first Veronica Speedwell mystery for awhile now, and I was definitely eager to rejoin Veronica and Stoker's company to see what adventure they might find next. Deanna Raybourn has been my go-to author when it comes to Victorian mysteries for awhile now. Together with Sherry Thomas, Anna Lee Huber, and Laurie R. King, she brings the nuanced character development and effortless charm that I so enjoy to historical shenanigans and foul play.

Veronica Speedwell has been thwarted in her latest plans for further world exploration when her host trips over a tortoise (truly) and sustains a compound fracture, the likes of which make their journey to the South Pacific impossible for the foreseeable future. And so she and Stoker are stuck cooling their heels in the back gardens, cataloging museum items and generally trying not to get on each other's nerves. But their pasts (most definitely plural) and murder do tend to find them. Before long, Veronica has accepted a most mysterious request from a very royal source to investigate the grisly murder of a local artist and exonerate the man who is set to hang for the crime. Stoker (as per usual) is less than thrilled with Veronica's audacity on his behalf. But not so much that he isn't soon along for the ride.

A Perilous Undertaking starts off at just a cracking good pace. It was immediately excellent to be back with our intrepid leads, and I was intrigued by the ongoing exploration of Veronica's royal connection woven into this second mystery. Veronica is at her best, in my humble opinion, when she is at her most acerbic. Thus, her early interactions with both Scotland Yard and the mysterious Lady Sundridge assured me all would be well. The other genuine attraction of this series lies in the tempestuous but true relationship between Veronica and Stoker. And when it is just the two of them, things do feel right.

***

He shook his head. "You are mad. And I am madder still for letting you talk me into this."

I gave him a wry smile. "We will be like Arcadia Brown and her faithful sidekick, Garvin," I said, invoking our favorite literary detective. Stoker claimed not to enjoy popular fiction, but ever since I had introduced him to the lady investigator's adventures, he had devoured them while still pretending to be above such diversions.

He narrowed his gaze. "If you are expecting me to brandish a pistol and go haring off with you, crying 'Excelsior!,' you will be waiting until the crack of doom," he warned. "I am only doing this because I know there is no point in attempting to talk you out of it, and you will need someone to watch your back with a murderer on the loose."

I grinned at him and lifted my glass in salute. "It begins."

***

You see? And begin well it does. The problem for me arose soon after, once investigations truly got underway. Things simply . . . slowed down. Not that they weren't out and about in pursuit of their goal, but nothing truly seemed to progress. Not their relationship, not their roles within the larger picture, not the complexity of the mystery itself. I have always loved allowing mysteries to unfold in their own time, but the secret at the heart of this one was sort of glaringly obvious from the start. No matter how many players joined the fray, I knew who it was and why. And the problem wasn't so much that but the fact that they were tired reasons. In fact, so many of the elements of this jaunt felt tired to me. Every one of Stoker's actions was "lavish." Every new character on the scene remarked upon the very same set of Veronica's characteristics. Every new bit of "shocking" evidence hailed from a sort of laundry list of standard Victorian tropes. Opium den, check. Den of iniquity, check. Jealous wives, check. My dismay grew with each passing page. The thing is, we readers are already one book in at this point. We know the specific ways in which our heroine gleefully flaunts her society. We already love her for them. We do not need to be bashed over the head every other paragraph with why they make her unusual. We would like more in the way of introspection. And that is how it felt. Like all of the labels and the general exclaiming over them stood in for actual character development. Even between Veronica and Stoker, I felt cheated out of more depth. They bantered. They aided and abetted each other. But they never grew. There were a couple of moments that were clearly meant to accomplish this, but to me they felt manufactured in the extreme, particularly their timing and the way in which they were presented. I finished, but I finished disappointed on the whole. Mine is, I realize, a very personal reaction to this book. So if you enjoyed A Curious Beginning (as I very much did), you might give A Perilous Undertaking a try. It could be your cuppa.

The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries, likes it predecessor The Lady Julia Gray Series, has quickly become a favorite. It has absolutely everything I loved about Raybourn's Lady Julia series except for all of the March's themselves but Veronica and Stoker are quite a match for Julia and Nicholas.

The first book was so much fun and I knew I had found a new love in the series, spin off or not and with this second book, it just proves that I was not wrong in the slightest.

Full of all the things I loved about the first book, this truly was so much fun. Filled with intrigue, danger, a mystery that kept me on my toes, and Raybourn's wonderful prose and feisty women, I couldn't help but be enchanted.

This series is truly is vastly becoming a favorite and one I look forward to each new release.

Four stars: An exciting, Victorian mystery with plenty of twists and surprises that will keep you guessing up until the final shocking page.

Veronica and Stoker are disappointed when their trip aboard is suddenly cancelled due to the fact that their benefactor tripped over his giant tortoise. The pair will just have to entertain themselves with the massive collection they are restoring. Then Veronica gets a surprising invitation to an elite ladies' club. There she meets an unexpected person who asks her to take on an impossible task. Veronica must prove that Miles Ramsforth, a societal art patron, is not guilty of murdering his pregnant mistress, even though all evidence points to him. Veronica takes on the case to prove a point. Along with Stoker, Veronica sets out to find the truth behind the murder, but along the way she learns some big secrets. Will Stoker and Veronica catch a killer?

What I Liked:
*A Perilous Undertaking is a cracking good Victorian mystery with lots of scandalous secrets, suspects and motives. I loved that there were many possible culprits and plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing right up until the big reveal. I was surprised, and I was pleased that I didn't peg the killer. A fun mystery!
*I love the duo of Veronica and Stoker. They are not detectives, instead, Veronica is a scientist and a gifted lepidopterist (butterfly collector), while Stoker is a scientist and taxidermist among other things. When the two of them join forces, they are magic. I love the chemistry, the banter, the friendship and the strong sexual current underneath everything they do. They remind me of Mulder and Scully from the X Files.
*The romance,or lack thereof, is driving me crazy, but I like it. Veronica has an open mind when it comes to sex, which is refreshing for a lady in the uptight Victorian era. However, she refuses to take a lover in England. So despite the attraction, the hormones and the chemistry, the two are not lovers....yet. This is a relationship where you wait and wait for that moment, wondering when is it going to happen. There were so many times when I held my breath thinking this is it.....especially when the pair found themselves in a funny predicament in the morgue. I love that there is so much sexual tension. Will they get together in this one? I won't spoil it.... find out for yourselves.
*The mystery is entertaining. It follows the murder of a wealthy art connoisseur. Veronica and Stoker find themselves immersed in an art community where things are not so uptight shall we say.... The two uncover some rather scandalous things, certainly shocking for this period. There are plenty of suspects, lots of motives and many clues. I loved seeing it all come together. I found myself second guessing who the killer was numerous times, and I was ultimately wrong at the end. What a clever and fun mystery.
*I am not a big fan of the Victorian era normally because most of the time it is romanticized with all the fashion and ladies are expected to behave a certain way etc. What I love about this series is that Veronica is not a proper Victorian lady. She is and intelligent scientist, a free thinker and she is free with her ideas on sex. In fact, she is more open minded about sex than Stoker, and there were several times that she made him uncomfortable with her ideas. Funny stuff. I wish there were more women like Veronica.
*The author does an excellent job with the era. She excels with the details and her vernacular is pertinent to the time period.
*The ending is perfect. No loose ends or nagging questions. The mystery is all done up and everything is laid out. Loved it!
And The Not So Much:
*Even though I appreciated the author's attention to detail when it came to the time period, this is a book that I would recommend reading with an ereader. The author uses many terms and vocabulary words that are unfamiliar since they are relevant to that era. I found myself looking up words and terms with my ereader dictionary, sometimes the words used were rather confounding.
*It might have been me, but there was something about the pace of this one that didn't quite work for me. It started off interesting, but then somewhere around the midway point, I felt it began to drag. It finally picks up and the climax and finale are thrilling.
*Can I just say the sexual tension is driving me crazy????

A Perilous Undertaking is a fun and exciting Victorian mystery that I liked because it wasn't your typical period book. The main characters are eccentric, open minded and exciting. This one features a solid mystery with some thrilling twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. If you want an entertaining mystery set in the Victorian era, this is one to try.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

A Perilous Undertaking is the second book in Deanna Raybourn’s series of Victorian mysteries featuring the intrepid Veronica Speedwell, lepidopterist and lady adventurer and her friend and colleague Revelstoke Templeton-Vane, known as Stoker – the scion of a noble family from whom he ran away to join the Navy and who has since made himself a name as a natural historian.

Both characters were very well introduced in the previous book, A Curious Beginning, so while this one can be read as a standalone in terms of the mystery, readers will get a lot more out of the books if read in order, as the mystery, while entertaining, is, to my mind, secondary to the continuing development of the unconventional relationship between Veronica and Stoker. Added to this is the gradual drip-feeding of information about Stoker’s past - a past that has obviously been full of heartbreak and betrayal - which is both masterful and incredibly frustrating, as Ms. Raybourn teases us with hints without revealing all - although she does build on what we learned about him in the last book.

The same is true of Veronica. She does have her secrets, but seems generally much more straightforward. She’s intelligent, outspoken and adventurous; she has travelled widely on her lepidoptery expeditions, she’s – discreetly - taken lovers (albeit never in England and never Englishmen abroad), and at the end of the last book, was revealed to be the natural daughter of Edward, Prince of Wales. She is still coming to terms with that knowledge; she knows she will never be acknowledged, and nor does she want to be – and she is still furious at the fact that she was offered hush money (which she rejected) in exchange for never revealing the truth of her birth.

So when, at the beginning of this story she is summoned to meet with a mysterious woman who turns out to be her aunt Louise, Veronica is not best pleased. The woman is imperious, brusque and condescending, but she informs Veronica that without her help, an innocent man will shortly go to the gallows for murder. Miles Ramforth is a friend of the princess’ and he will hang for the murder of his pregnant mistress in a week’s time – but Louise knows for certain that he is not guilty and wants Veronica to prove it. Louise makes it clear that she will not reveal the reason that she is certain Miles did not commit the crime – and I admit that I rather wanted Veronica to tell Louise where to stick it, because she was obviously withholding crucial information.

Anyway. Miles and his lover were part of a well-known ‘commune’ of bohemians and artists who gather under the auspices of the famous painter, Sir Frederick Havelock at Havelock House in London (which the author based on the home of the renowned artist Sir Frederick Leighton), so it’s there that Veronica and Stoker begin their investigations. There’s absolutely no doubt that Ms. Raybourn knows how to write a rollicking mystery story which keeps twisting and turning right up until the last moment, but it’s the relationship between Veronica and Stoker - and Stoker himself, such an adorable mixture of brooding, sexy and sweet – that are the big draws for me.

The author has cleverly engaged in a bit of role reversal, with Veronica usually being the one to make a risqué comment or engage in a bit of flirtation while Stoker is the one to blush or change the subject. Veronica makes absolutely no bones about her interest in men and sex – and there is quite a lot of talk about carnal matters in the book – and it’s very clear that although she’s definitely interested in getting Stoker into bed, her “no Englishmen” rule keeps her from extending that particular invitation. Plus, there’s also the fact that neither of them has ever experienced the sort of relationship they are building between them, and neither of them wants to risk it. Ms. Raybourn does an excellent job in conveying the truth and depth of their friendship; there’s the real sense that these are two people who understand each other at an instinctual level:

“Whatever this thing is that makes us different, this thing that makes quicksilver of us when the rest of the world is mud, it binds us. To break that would be to fly in the face of nature.”


In spite of that, however, the sexual tension between them is intense and if and when they do get it together romantically, I can see them continuing just as they are in every other aspect of their lives. They are strong, fiercely intelligent characters who aren’t afraid to challenge each other and don’t give a fig for what anyone else thinks of them; they trust each other absolutely and depend on each other without being dependent on one another, if that makes any sense. They know the other is there for them; they don’t need each other precisely, but they both recognise that their life is richer and more complete now they’ve found each other.

Those are all the really good things about the book. But there are a few things that bugged me enough to make me lower my final grade a bit. In my review of A Curious Beginning, I said of Veronica:

there were times I felt she was bordering on caricature and her unconventionality began to seem like artifice. I got that she was an unusual young woman quite early on and didn’t need to be reminded of it quite so often


And I’d say the same thing here. Almost every character has something to say about Veronica which – even when it’s intended to be insulting – is meant to show how thoroughly Unconventional and Not Proper she is. And if it’s not someone else, then it’s Veronica herself extolling her eccentricity and achievements, which strays dangerously close to Mary Sue territory. The thing is, this is the second book in a series, and while I know that authors who write series also have to try to write each book so that a newbie can jump in, those of us who have read the first book are already well aware of Veronica’s idiosyncrasies and the way she enjoys flouting the conventions of society – so we don’t need to be hit over the head with it quite so frequently.

I also feel that while we get to know a little more about Stoker’s past – we meet all his brothers (there are three of them) in this book – Veronica is pretty much as she was in the first book and her character has developed little. Right at the end of A Perilous Undertaking, she reveals something to Stoker that she is not ready to discuss, so there is potential for growth in the next story (I hope); but ultimately, I’d have liked a little more character development and introspection instead the continual reminders as to how wonderful and unusual Veronica is.

But the things I liked definitely outweighed the things I didn’t, and this is still a book I’d recommend to fans of the author and historical mysteries in general. It’s very well written, the dialogue and snarky banter between Veronica and Stoker in particular is excellent and the mystery element is nicely plotted and executed. While it didn’t work quite as well for me as the previous book, it’s an enjoyable read and I’m already eagerly anticipating the next in the series.