Plus, she doesn’t know the baron from any other stranger, so why would she believe his judgement? She claims that she is no one special and, aside from the lepidopterist profession, has led an unremarkable life without making any significant enemies of anyone. Veronica doesn’t believe him, despite the previous abduction attempt, and I have to agree with her reasoning. The baron claims to have known Veronica’s mother, a woman she has never known or seen, but he is forced to be extremely secretive about the knowledge, promising her he will tell her everything when the time is right–but right now she is in grave danger, and he must get her to safety. When the man tries to abduct her, a German baron appears, helping her ruin the attempt. Before she can, she stumbles upon a man ransacking her aunts’ home and, in true Veronica fashion, runs him off with a concealed blade. Veronica has just buried the last of her two adoptive aunts and readies herself to leave England behind for a moment and go on a much-needed expedition overseas.

She even has a self-imposed rule that she will not dally with her own countrymen (Englishmen), both because it would ruin her local reputation and she’s not looking to settle down. She’s not even shy about the trysts with foreign men she’s had overseas, viewing sexual fulfillment as being equally important for women as it is for men. I loved that she spoke her mind and admired other women who do the same or hold ambitions of their own. Shrewd and intrepid, Veronica recognizes that this profession is one of the few that allows women to “act out” and roam the countryside unaccompanied, and she does so with particular zeal. I instantly fell in love with Veronica, a young woman who explores the world as a lepidopterist, or a butterfly collector. Whoops! Wish me luck.įortunately, reading A Curious Beginning was not at all a chore, proving instead to be a quick, fun read. So here I am, frantically attempting to get through all three books and post reviews before A Treacherous Curse comes out on January 16th.

I read the first lines of book 3, featuring Veronica Speedwell and her companion Stoker, when I realized that these two characters have a world of history behind them, and I wanted to know every little detail. This is a character-led mystery series more than a circumstance-led one. Until I realized that the ARC was actually book 3, and you can’t just jump in anywhere and be all caught up. After winning an ARC off NetGalley, I was excited to begin my foray into mystery, led by a lady detective. I wound up getting into this series a little backwards. Recommended Readers: Anyone who wants to start reading mystery Notable Notables: Victorian setting, Sex-positive protagonist

A curious beginning series