Oh for a business trip to Europe.
https://www.victoriaalexander.com/books/
All I can say is I suspect Ms. Alexander may have taken a recent trip to Europe, and in the
process wrote every single sight and sound down. This is a very scenic book and it makes me want to go and see all of those places.The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger is the second in Ms. Alexander’s Travelers Society series. I enjoyed this one more than I did the last. Also, one of my favorite secondary characters, Val, makes an appearance in this one – here’s hoping for his own book.
There’s a lot going on in this story, so I’m going to break this down into a brief plot/premise/whatever – sort of. There’s a painting. Our heroine, Wilhelmina aka Willie, had that painting. It was handed down to her by her grandmother who had been given the painting because…she was loved by someone. Well, it seems Wilhelmina’s wastrel husband gave that painting away to pay off a gambling debt. Her husband has since died, her friends have all deserted her and she’s trying to find money. She believes if she can get that painting back and sell it she will be able to live comfortably – at least for a while. But hark! She is not the only one who wants the painting.
You see, the person who gave that painting to Wilhelmina’s grandmother has a grandson. This grandson, Dante, has inherited allllll of the paintings. He has established a museum of sorts and he wants that painting back. The painting is part of a triptych and he has the papers proving that all of the paintings belong to his family. Dante has had Wilhelmina investigated; he doesn’t think too much of her morals and he also thinks maybe the painting was stolen from his family. He is very passionate about art, culture, history, etc. One of the big differences between he and Willie’s desire to get the painting back is he wants it so he can add to the beauty of his collection; she just needs the money. Willie has no appreciation of the “finer” things of life, Dante does.
So, that’s the set-up, but there is a lot more. There’s a boatload of great secondary characters – mostly all women. Mother’s, daughters, Dante, and they are all headed on a grand tour of Paris, Monaco, and Italy with Willie as the guide. Willie, by the way, has never been anywhere, so everything she is spouting comes from her giant boring guidebook. Along the way they also pick-up a would-be suitor one of the mothers is trying to keep away from her daughter. There is also a trust issue with Willie, which of course means Dante will be keeping secrets from her - hey, it's a romance!
There is a lot of banter, humor, and some funny fights between Willie and Dante. Dante has a big problem with saying the right thing at the right time. His tongue is not connected to his brain. When Willie finds out what Dante has been keeping from her, there are some pretty funny name-calling moments going on in Willie’s brain. I loved Dante’s and Willie’s arguments.
There is so much in this book, almost more than what the page count allows. Not only do we get to read about some wonderful places, we also get to meet some wonderful characters. I loved all the secondary characters and it was great seeing Val again, if I had a quibble with the book it was that the ending seemed to be a little rushed. But, overall I do recommend this book. It was an enjoyable read.
Time/Place: Paris, Monaco, Italy 1889
Sensuality: Warm
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