Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

Book Description:
After eight idyllic months in the Mediterranean, Lady Julia Grey and her detective husband are ready to put their investigative talents to work once more. At the urging of Julia's eccentric family, they hurry to India to aid an old friend, the newly widowed Jane Cavendish. Living on the Cavendish tea plantation with the remnants of her husband's family, Jane is consumed with the impending birth of her child—and with discovering the truth about her husband's death. Was he murdered for his estate? And if he was, could Jane and her unborn child be next?

Amid the lush foothills of the Himalayas, dark deeds are buried and malicious thoughts flourish. The Brisbanes uncover secrets and scandal, illicit affairs and twisted legacies. In this remote and exotic place, exploration is perilous and discovery, deadly. The danger is palpable and, if they are not careful, Julia and Nicholas will not live to celebrate their first anniversary.

It was deliciously fun to re-visit with Lady Julia and her new husband, Nicholas Brisbane in this fourth book of the Lady Julia Gray historical mystery series.  Although, as much as I love them now as a married couple, that doesn't mean the misunderstandings between them have gone away.  Nor has Brisbane ceased his enigmatic brooding.  I was pissed off with him in the first part of the book.  Brisbane still has his mysterious side, which can make him appear arrogant and unfeeling at times.  Until we realize - he's doing it all for a reason - and then we love him for it.   Brisbane does nothing without a good reason.   It's important to always remember this - I think I've finally learned my lesson and won't forget.  O ye of little faith?  It's amazing how Raybourn can make me love him and then hate him - and then love him again! 

As newlyweds, Julia and Nicholas are both feeling their way through their marriage.  Feelings get hurt, passions flair, making up in bed is always nice, but then the cycle repeats again.  The basic gist of it is, Julia wants to be a detective like her husband and Brisbane won't let her because it's too dangerous.  She pouts, says something flippant.   Stiffly proper and well groomed, he storms out, while she stews and waits for him to return.  This time, they're abroad, en route to a remote outpost in India with Portia, Julia's sister in tow.  Portia is bent on reuniting with her former lesbian lover and soulmate, the now widowed Jane Cavendish, who is due to give birth.  Jane's husband, Freddie, died under tragic and mysterious circumstances.  Plum, Julia's brother is also with them, acting as protector since Brisbane has remained behind in Calcutta.  Another one of the those pesky marital spats.  *grr*

After their long journey, when they arrive at Jane's plantation "Peacocks" , they find out their wayward cousins Emma and Lucy Phipps, who we met in Silent in the Sanctuary, are living nearby - small world.  We don't see much of Emma, for she is dying of breast cancer, but Lucy plays a larger part in the story.  Now, a widow herself, she is nursing her sister and having a clandestine affair with someone in the neighborhood, hoping to remarry after her sister's death.  Frankly, I kept thinking there would be more to these two mysterious sisters.  Without giving away any spoilers, I don't believe we've seen the last of either of them.  I wouldn't be surprised if all is not as it seems.  It kept niggling at me, Julia never saw the dead body.

Once at "Peacocks", Julia begins her detecting to find out if Jane's dead husband was murdered or not.  There are loads of interesting side characters, the Reverand and his particularly unusual wife and family, a drunken doctor, the handsome Harry Cavendish, cousin of the deceased, the domineering maiden aunt, a mysterious White Rajah who lives in an old monastery nearby - plenty of suspects and intrigue, not to mention danger.  There is a man eating tiger that is terrorizing the area, which seemed to scare me more than anything, based on what happened to the drunken doctor's wife.  She was mauled by it, enduring an excruciating painful death.

Eventually, Brisbane re-joins them at the plantation and the book, in my opinion, became more interesting in the second half. Maybe it's just because I love him and when he's in the picture - everything is livelier in my eyes.  Both he and Julia become a team, albeit he is reluctant to have her join him for he worries about her safety.  Still, they make it work.   Brisbane's concern for her is truly noble and by the end of the book, his motives are understood, even though earlier on he appears selfish and sulky.  All I can say is, he's a brilliant actor!  *sorry, I'm being cagey to avoid spoilers*

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding "Peacocks" and how it unraveled - it was a good story!  I was completely surprised by certain events, although I did guess correctly about who the leprous old woman was, but not at first.  Believe me, for the most part, I was guessing incorrectly throughout (I'd make a terrible detective!)   Many of the the side characters were oddly peculiar, yet likable, moreso than in the previous books.  The story between Jane and Portia was particularly moving and I get a lump in my throat thinking about it.  Yet, the main driving force in the story is how Julia and Brisbane are getting on as man and wife.  The fact they are now married only makes the series better, in my opinion.   I was worried that the series would lose some of it's fizz, but that's not the case at all.   In fact, it's quite the opposite.  Are they as humorously entertaining as Amelia and Radcliffe in the Crocodile on the Sandbank series?  No, but who could be?  Still, Julia and Brisbane have their own particular winning qualities which I find nearly as satisfying.

I believe this was probably my favorite of the series to date.   The characterizations and intrigue have more depth to them than in the previous Lady Julia novels.  Although it got off to a slow start, the poignancy in the second half made up for it, enhancing the story with it's richness and memorable events.   I highly recommend for Victorian historical mystery lovers, this is a great addition to the series.

4/5

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The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig (audio)

Book Description:
Everyone warned Miss Penelope Deveraux that her unruly behavior would land her in disgrace someday. She never imagined she'd be whisked off to India to give the scandal of her hasty marriage time to die down. As Lady Frederick Staines, Penelope plunges into the treacherous waters of the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where no one is quite what they seem - ”even her own husband. In a strange country where elaborate court dress masks even more elaborate intrigues and a spy called the Marigold leaves cobras as his calling card, there is only one person Penelope can trust....

Captain Alex Reid has better things to do than play nursemaid to a pair of aristocrats. He knows what their kind is like. Or so he thinks -- until Lady Frederick Staines out-shoots, out-rides, and out-swims every man in the camp. She also has an uncanny ability to draw out the deadly plans of the Marigold and put herself in harm's way. With danger looming from local warlords, treacherous court officials, and French spies, Alex realizes that an alliance with Lady Frederick just might be the only thing standing in the way of a plot designed to rock the very foundations of the British Empire.

The sixth in the Pink Carnation series, I was glad to to see that the wonderful Kate Reading is back as the reader in this audiobook, for I had missed her voice in the last one. We pick up the series which is centered in India. Penelope Deveraux who we meet in the last book, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, (which, I admit, I found the weakest of the series to date) is now married to Freddie Staines, an obnoxious "Regency prep" (love that description I came across recently) who she had to marry since she "compromised" him out of sheer boredom to get out the hum drum everyday life of London during the Season. All her friends were falling in love and getting married and Penelope was feeling a bit left out. So she flirted her way into marriage - and Freddie was available and eager for her. He seemed as good as any other bored London buck that was hanging around. Unfortunately, once married, they had to remove to India for a time to let the scandal of their marriage die down. Oh, Penelope, could you have been more foolish?

I found myself not really liking Penelope all that much at first. I didn't have much sympathy for her. She got herself into a fine mess. She was selfish and frankly - she deserved what she got. I didn't like her high handed, impetuous manner. Most of the time, she never said what she really felt and I just found her rash and obnoxious. When was she ever going to just be herself and stop all these games? Thankfully, by the end of the book, true love softens her towards life and I grew to like her - a little. Penelope has not had it easy, and much of what she does is due to her neglected childhood. She's never really been loved by anybody and it shows with her attitude. Finally, in India she meets her match.

SPOILERS UP AHEAD!

In India Penelope meets Captain Alex Reid. He is assigned to escort Penelope and her husband Freddie to Hyderabad where Freddie is going to be in residence as some sort of official. Frankly, these kind of details were lost upon me. The main story was Penelope and Reid. They are attracted to one another, yet also repulsed by each other. Penelope is somehow convinced that Reid is some sort of spy that may be planning to commit treason against the Crown, and Reid is just trying to get this wayward, bored and disarmingly pretty married woman out of his mind, since she is the wife to an official he is assigned to. No matter how much he's dying to kiss her and take her into his arms, his honor will not allow it. But, she's working on him. She is daring and provocative - constantly. They spend a great deal of time together, he escorts her about, while her philandering husband seeks company with everyone but his wife. Freddie takes a mistress and installs her right in the same house with Penelope (the cad!) and then (hallelulah!) gets himself killed! I clapped! Yay! Penelope is rid of him! I won't say how. You'll have to read it yourself, but as Penelope and Reid grow closer, it was inevitable that Freddie would be killed off somehow (as in soap operas). For Penelope and Reid to ever find happiness, she has to be free of Freddie, and divorce was unacceptable - and she couldn't be Reid's mistress! But, just because Freddie is dead that doesn't mean the coast is clear for Penelope and Reid, in fact it become the opposite!

Reid's character was not as fleshed out as Penelope. This is really more Penelope's story. He's a soldier with the proper soldier's honor and pride about him that you'd expect. He is handsome and dashing outwardly, but he has the burden of guilt about him as well. Born legitimately to his married Scottish and Welsh parents, he does not face the same rules and prejudices his half siblings are subject to. His father was quite the ladies man, with numerous children born to his Indian mistresses. Reid loves his siblings and is close to them, yet he is powerless to change the rules of Indian society and the unfair doctrines set up against non-whites. Reid is the conscience of the story - the noble backbone used to point out the injustices that occured in Colonial India until their independence. He does what he can, but in the early nineteenth century, one man can do nothing to change the rules. The basic gist of Reid is, he does not want to make the same mistakes his father made, siring illegitimate children all over India. Yet, he'd like to marry eventually and have children, but the thought is unappealing without love, and the only woman he seems to have fallen in love with is married! What a conundrum!

To further complicate matters, Reid is trying to find out if his half-brother, Jack, is the renegade spy working with the French, the Marigold. Penelope is trying to find out who the Marigold is too - was the Marigold behind the death of her husband? There are plenty of twists in the plotline, including a spectacular death defying moment with a cobra. No sign of the Pink Carnation in this book since it's all in India, though she is alluded to.

I enjoyed the story and this new evocative setting brought a freshness to the series, not to mention there is sex again! It's not PG rated, if you get my meaning! *grin* Reid and Penelope have a three day interlude which was wonderful for them, but then reality steps in to end it. The first half of the book is slow going, setting up the poltical background of why Freddie is in India with his petulant bride, but the second half picks up mightily as the story becomes more engrossing - and Penelope becomes more likable. It was hard to put down.

Ms. Willig's descriptions and background of India in the period are first rate and she excels in conveying the sensuousness of the settings - the heavy dampness of the humidity, the scents, the fauna, the exotic atmosphere - India. I felt I was there with Penelope and Reid riding together alone or in the Nizam's palace watching the dancing and the danger. The reader experiences it all first hand.

On the contemporary side, we're still following the romance between Eloise and Colin which is not nearly as interesting as it was in the earlier books before they were a couple. Now that they're together, and Colin is Eloise's boyfriend, their storyline has fizzled and has no pizzazz. Eloise is still convinced that Colin is hiding something from her, but I don't buy it. She's barking up the wrong tree and causing needless trouble and anxiety to herself. She's also trying to fix up his sister, Serena with someone so Colin will spend less time worrying about his little sister and more time on Eloise! But there is the interesting tidbit of information that Colin's mother is married to a much younger man who is his aunt's grandson! More to develop there, I'm sure!

I enjoyed The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, though I'm eager to get back to London and more about the Pink Carnation herself. Penelope grew on me, but she's a prickly heroine. Though her relationship with Reid was a thorny one, I enjoyed seeing her change for the better once she fell in love. I knew she was capable of falling in love and becoming a good person, she just had to find the right man who loved her back.

Now that I've read all the books written in the series to date, I realize how much I love this series as a whole, it's one of my favorites. I highly recommend it for the historical aspects, but also the humor and romance in it as well. Although some of the books have been hit or miss, the series has everything. It's well researched and written, entertaining and also has the contemporary aspect to it with the Eloise/Colin storyline, I'm glad I discovered it, a real treat!

3.5/5 because I found it so hard to finally like the heroine!

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Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

Book Description:
In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything...and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them. From exotic sandstone palaces... Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin vows to settle quietly into British Indian society. But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé's betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn. To the marble halls of London... In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous -- and that a single decision can alter one's life forever. Destiny follows wherever you run. A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned...and some passions never die.

I really thought I knew what to expect from this book. At first I thought it would be the usual story of a missish and proper English bred Victorian young lady come to India to be married who meets a dashing and disreputable man who unleashes her hidden passions. Ho-hum, been there, done that.

I was wrong - very wrong.

From the beginning, Emmaline Martin is not your average miss. She is a survivor. Outspoken as well as a talented artist, she makes the long journey from England to India with her parents. En route, the steamer sinks and she barely escapes alive but for being rescued by a merchant ship, crewed by Irishmen. Having lost her parents, she arrives in India alone, amidst the scandalous whisperings of the other colonials, "What happened to her?" "Was she abused by her rescuers?" "How unladylike!"

Now an heiress, Emmaline is reunited with her fiance, who turns out to be an ass - and an unfaithful one at that - and is soon disenchanted with what she realizes her life will be like as a proper memsahib in colonial India. Suffering from the recurring nightmares of the shipwreck, she is disillusioned and unhappy with her future. Her fiance, Marcus, makes it plain he only wants her for her money and will continue his philandering ways once they marry. He expects her to act with decorum and grace, just like all the other memsahibs in India. That's just not going to happen to Emma. One night at a ball in her honor, she meets Julian Sinclair alone outside in the garden. He is tall, dark and handsome, the perfect foil to her blonde fiance. He and her fiance are cousins, but Julian is the one to inherit the dukedom of Auburn, even though he is part Indian, much to Marcus' chagrin. Not exactly accepted in England or India due to his heritage - Julian doesn't care. He's rich, clever, powerful and notorious with women - he does what he wants. When he and Emma meet, there is an instant chemistry and understanding between them - kindred spirits. Their paths cross several times again and they warily become friends, though her fiance warns not to have anything to do with him. Julian saves her from a few unfortunate instances and soon she begins to think of him as someone she can trust. Before long, Marcus proves himself to be more than just a jerk, he strikes Emmaline and she breaks the engagement off with him, yet she needs someone that can help her get out of Delhi for rumours and signs are pointing to the imminant possibility that an Indian Mutiny may occur. It is out of the question to remain in the city, she must get to safety somewhere else.

And so, as predicted by Julian, an Indian uprising goes into effect with devastating results. It is horrible. Ms. Duran paints a clear picture of how dreadful it was with all the murdering and death. Julian helps Emma escape and they have a tender night together. He tells her he loves her, but he must go back to Delhi to look after the Indian side of his family. He promises he will return and leaves her in safety at the house of a maharajah. But, it turns out Julian was wrong. Emma must face more tragedy and turmoil, and the nightmares she experienced from her shipwreck are nothing compared to what she now faces while trying to save herself and get out of India. She trusted Julian and believed he'd find her, but alas, he never returns. She must fight and kill and do what she must to survive. Her experience takes it's toll on her for years to come.

We next come upon Emma four years later in England. She is a shell of the person she had once been. Living with her married cousin, who has nursed her and tried to bring her back to reality and peace, Emma pours her heart out in her painting. All her nightmares and memories of the Mutiny are brought to life - horrible, bloody, graphic paintings of scenes she witnessed. Soon, a friend of her cousin's wants to show them in a gallery and sell them for her. The opening night is a sensation. Shown under a pseudonym, no one realizes she is the real painter, except for one. I bet you can guess just who happens to be there that evening - yes. Julian, the Duke of Auburn.

The next part of the book is pushed forward with momentum, I could barely put it down. From the minute Julian realizes that Emma is alive (he had thought her dead) everything changes for the two of them. She is still damaged from her memories and fights him, she cannot stand the idea of seeing him again - falling for him - trusting him - look what happened to her last time she believed and trusted in him. She hurts too much. Of course, they've both been under the wrong impressions - thanks to Marcus, her jerk ex-fiance. I won't go into all the details, but Julian and Emma must join forces to come to terms with their future and find out why and who is trying to kill her as well. Words taken from letters she stole from an English soldier she killed are written in Urdu in her paintings. It turns out they are more incriminating of the Indian Mutiny than anyone realizes. Someone wants her dead.

This was more than just your usual historical romance. It was intense, emotional and stirring. I cared about Emma and Julian and wanted to see them together - but it just wasn't that easy. Emma is a strong heroine, which makes it that much harder to see what happens to her over time with the Mutiny and aftermath and how it nearly kills her and wrecks her. Julian is strong and courageous, but must live with the idea that he couldn't save Emma from what happened - he's not even sure what exactly happened to her! He goes on a tear after seeing her again in London, dropping any sense of decorum - he will fix this and damn the consequences! Finally, when they have their big showdown and explanations, it's cathartic for all, including the reader.

A really good book, it took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, it was so worth it! The locale of India was evocative and their lovemaking is sensual and memorable. The references to Tennyson's The Lady of Shallot "I am, half sick of shadow" were well done and poignant as well, I loved it. I can't wait to read the rest of Ms. Duran's books, this is an author I will watch out for in the future!

4.5/5

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