And Only to Deceive

Summary: Emily agreed to wed Philip, the Viscount Ashton, primarily to escape her overbearing mother. Philip's death while on safari soon after their wedding left Emily feeling little grief, for she barely knew the dashing stranger.
But her discovery of his journals nearly two years later reveals a far different man than she imagined - a gentleman scholar antiquities collector who apparently loved his new wife deeply. Emily's desire to learn more of her late husband leads her through the quiet corners of the British Museum and into a dangerous mystery involving rare stolen artifacts. To complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond matrimony into darker realms .... (source: book cover)


Comments: This is the first book I've ready by Tasha Alexander and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The approach was rather novel in that the lead character, Lady Ashton doesn't fall in love with her husband until after he is dead - more is the pity. the mystery of the stolen works of art is clever and intriguing. Lady Ashton's mother is a nightmare - I'd do almost anything to get away from that hyper-critical harpy. That said, the "good" guy versus "bad" guy was easy to spot (in my opinion), but still well written. You do feel genuine empathy for Lady Ashton when she realizes, albeit to late, what she had.  I'm looking forward to more books involving Lady Ashton.