A Curious Beginning

by Deanna Raybourn

Isn't that a beautiful cover?  I love the coloring.  Need to make a quilt using that color scheme.  The lady walking away piqued my interest - Where is she going?  What is she leaving behind?

I have a couple of books in my library by Deanna Raybourn but I don't believe I've ever read one of her books.  That is about to change.  I will be watching for the next books in this series with anticipation.

I was captured immediately with the character of Veronica Speedwell. She is honest in her feelings and assessment of herself.  She is self-assured in a time when women were supposed to be reliant upon men.  She is intelligent and a keen observer.  I like her a great deal.

Here's the write-up from Ms. Raybourn's beautiful website:

London, 1887.As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to the next installment.  I'm sure that Veronica and Stoker will find mysteries to be solved as they embark on scientific explorations.  

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank them for their generousity. In exchange, I was simply asked to write an honest review, and post it. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising