A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery)
The New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries returns once more to Victorian England and introduces intrepid adventuress Veronica Speedwell....
London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.
But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.
London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.
But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.
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Readers say *A Curious Beginning* offers a witty, adventurous mystery led by a strong, independent heroine, Veronica Speedwell, whose sharp banter and...
Miss Speedwell was an interesting character, but her personality wasn't for me. She is intelligent and certainly pushes the stereotypes of "women's roles" for the time period, but it was a bit forced and didn't have an organic development. I DO however think the context of the plot was interesting and found myself wanting to better understand the mystery of the book. A honestly - can we discuss these book covers??? There are several different renditions of the book jackets and all of them are outstanding!
While admittedly this series isn't for me - I do believe it would draw a YA (16-18) or New Adult audience despite Miss Speedwell being promiscuous (a detail I didn't care for, but nonetheless, it is there - a lot).
I give the opening book a solid 🍷🍷🍷for ingenuity in plot and characters - more so for Stoker (a supporting character) than Miss Speedwell. But overall, the writing of the mystery wasn't quite my "cup of tea." It does develop some of the context of the Victorian period, but could just as easily been set in modern times - I need a bit more authenticity to the setting.
Witty and Wonderful Writing:
This line is absolutely hilarious: "“I smoked opium once. It felt like listening to you, only rather more mundane.” (Stoker to Miss Speedwell)
And I enjoyed this bit about education:
“There are limits to an autodidactic education,” he pointed out. “Few that I have found. I was spared the prejudices of formal educators.”
“And neither were you inspired by them. A good teacher can change the course of a life,” he said thoughtfully.
While admittedly this series isn't for me - I do believe it would draw a YA (16-18) or New Adult audience despite Miss Speedwell being promiscuous (a detail I didn't care for, but nonetheless, it is there - a lot).
I give the opening book a solid 🍷🍷🍷for ingenuity in plot and characters - more so for Stoker (a supporting character) than Miss Speedwell. But overall, the writing of the mystery wasn't quite my "cup of tea." It does develop some of the context of the Victorian period, but could just as easily been set in modern times - I need a bit more authenticity to the setting.
Witty and Wonderful Writing:
This line is absolutely hilarious: "“I smoked opium once. It felt like listening to you, only rather more mundane.” (Stoker to Miss Speedwell)
And I enjoyed this bit about education:
“There are limits to an autodidactic education,” he pointed out. “Few that I have found. I was spared the prejudices of formal educators.”
“And neither were you inspired by them. A good teacher can change the course of a life,” he said thoughtfully.
Not going to lie, I picked this up a few months ago at my local bookstore and ONLY started it just after Christmas. I finished it in 3 days!!!!!
I ate this book UP. Honestly, I love Veronica and how she is a genuinely strong FMC without being written like a caricature. She is honest, forward-thinking, sharp-witted, and incredibly pragmatic. Her comebacks and her bluntness are hilarious. She is a spinster by choice and feels no shame in sharing details about her lovers, even when Stoker can't handle it.
Stoker is brooding and definitely the more emotional of the two. He is a tortured MMC and shows a lot of growth in 300 pages. And he has a dog. He also treats Veronica like an equal and makes many comments about how much he hates injustices like sexism and racism. He is definitely not Prince Charming though, as Veronica makes several comments about his hygiene and stinky feet. (gross) Whatever, he gives off sexy pirate vibes and has dark hair and blue eyes. And he eventually takes a shower.
Their banter is amazing and I love that these are a SLOW BURN. I got burnt out from the Insta-love romcoms I had been reading. (Nothing wrong with them - I just needed a change!) This being said, I am so excited for the slow burn to go up in flames because their chemistry is *chef's kiss.*
One thing I had a hard time swallowing was the fact that Stoker is a Taxidermist & Veronica is a Lepidopterist. The actual careers don't bug me, but they do share details about their work that made me a little sad.
I am currently on the second book and read 222 pages in one night. Excelsior!
I ate this book UP. Honestly, I love Veronica and how she is a genuinely strong FMC without being written like a caricature. She is honest, forward-thinking, sharp-witted, and incredibly pragmatic. Her comebacks and her bluntness are hilarious. She is a spinster by choice and feels no shame in sharing details about her lovers, even when Stoker can't handle it.
Stoker is brooding and definitely the more emotional of the two. He is a tortured MMC and shows a lot of growth in 300 pages. And he has a dog. He also treats Veronica like an equal and makes many comments about how much he hates injustices like sexism and racism. He is definitely not Prince Charming though, as Veronica makes several comments about his hygiene and stinky feet. (gross) Whatever, he gives off sexy pirate vibes and has dark hair and blue eyes. And he eventually takes a shower.
Their banter is amazing and I love that these are a SLOW BURN. I got burnt out from the Insta-love romcoms I had been reading. (Nothing wrong with them - I just needed a change!) This being said, I am so excited for the slow burn to go up in flames because their chemistry is *chef's kiss.*
One thing I had a hard time swallowing was the fact that Stoker is a Taxidermist & Veronica is a Lepidopterist. The actual careers don't bug me, but they do share details about their work that made me a little sad.
I am currently on the second book and read 222 pages in one night. Excelsior!
This was a lot of fun! I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was excellent. I was expecting a typical murder mystery, but this is a lot more adventurous with many different escapades for Veronica and the various characters she met along the way. I'll definitely be continuing with the series. Veronica is a likable protagonist for a mystery series, she's highly capable but isn't always right.
Oh man was this good! Veronica is a spit fire caught in quite the predicament. Loved the plot, the characters, all of it was great
An orphan with a mysterious past. So Pinter aunts, now deceased. A feisty young woman bent on living life on her terms, even in the 19th century. Enter a tall dark and cranky taxidermist with a past of his own and you have a basis for an adventure. In addition there is murder and mayhem, all delightfully wrapped in witty sparring. If you like Gilmore Girls, you’ll love Veronica Speedwell.
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