The details Ms. Raybourn gives about Victorian London and its surroundings are very descriptive and leave you feeling that you were there too. Both main characters have great depth and promise many more adventures in future books.

I purchased this book on a visual whim and I am so happy I did. Lots of witty repartee and unseen twists and turns. Plus a great variety of characters add to the adventures contained herein.

Great fun: wonderful repartee, period detail, inquisitive asides and joie de vivre. On to Book Two!

Needed to lighten up after For Whom the Bell Tolls and this caught my eye. An improbable feminist detective in Victorian England takes on the blue bloods and wins, all the while scaring her companion with her libertine views and always-right-ness. An entertaining read if you are not too sensitive to errors in time and place, such as photos in newspapers of the day and did I mention feminism? Oh, yeah.

Written in elegant nineteenth-century language from a first-person perspective, this story sucked me in from the first chapter. It’s highly entertaining, and Veronica is an admirable protagonist ahead of her time. I love period pieces, and this one didn’t disappoint.

One of those books you remember for years and wait patiently for the next book to be written.

Veronica Speedwell is a young woman who has found herself recently orphaned. Escaping an attempt by an overzealous preacher’s wife to set her into an arranged marriage, Veronica finds herself on a whirl wind adventure and running for her life. Assisted by a stranger, that ends up being a German Baron, Veronica is placed in the care of his friend, Stoker, reclusive historian with a taxidermy predilection. While Veronica is in Stoker’s care, the baron is murdered sending Stoker and Veronica on the run while trying to discover the secrets of Veronica’s past. Veronica is smart and cunning with a specialty in butterflies. I found A Curious Beginning a marvelously thrilling adventure. Veronica is everything a Victoria woman shouldn’t be but I loved her zest for life and pension for speaking her mind. She even avails herself with cohorts with likeminded female strengths or at the admiration for her strengths. Loved it! Highly recommend this historical fiction to all those out there that love strong women, an exciting mystery and marvelous storytelling. I received this copy of A Curious Beginning from Berkley Publishing Group-NAL in exchange for a honest review.

Veronica Speedwell is an enigma, particularly for her time. Intelligent, occasionally brusque, self-confident and adventurous, she does take a bit to warm up to, but when you see how she thinks and moves through her life, she’ll grow on you. A lepidopterist (that’s the study of butterflies and moths), the recent death of her aunt has left her alone and free to pursue her own agenda by fueling her curious nature. A dead German baron is the tipping point for a dual-pronged mystery, the man having introduced her to Stoker: a historian with a less than welcoming aura (think Capaldi’s Dr. Who). Stoker is an interesting choice, it doesn’t seem as if he will mesh well with Veronica, even as the obvious admiration of intelligence and logical thinking are present from the start. But Stoker grows on you and Veronica as the story moves on: while she first noticed his physique, it’s hard to see him as a romantic lead, but as they spend more time together, she sees that he (and perhaps few others) are not put off by her appearance and strange self-styled wardrobe, and that he listens. Their friendship builds and grows just as each character adds layers to develop into fully dimensional beings, and was certainly a highlight of the story. The mysteries are a bit slow and occasionally seemed to drag out as moments between Veronica and Stoker take precedence, but the ride to the end is just pure fun. With historical moments, scenes and several secondary characters popping in for color and richness of scene and mystery, you can’t help but keep reading to see just what will happen next. With snips of court gossip, current scientific theories and questions around them, the varied settings and even the history the list to enjoy goes on and on. While the possible romance is there, the relationship lands firmly on friendship grounds, with the two working together in a partnership that demands more adventure beyond this one. Yes, the mysteries are solved and feel as if those moments are concluded, but Veronica was a wonderful character to get to know, and I have hopes for these two in the future. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Vivid description, intriguing, well plotted book with plenty of mystery, drama spiked with suspense, romance, historical facts plus humor and edge. The characters have great dimension plus they are well described. Each character being colorful in there own way adding flavor to the story. The story begins in the countryside after Veronica Speedwell attends the funeral of her adopted aunt. Returning to their cottage, Veronica finds it ransacked. While chasing the perpetrator, Veronica meets a German Baron who offers to take her to London in his carriage. During the ride Veronica learns that the baron has knowledge of her parents and she is in danger. When they get to London, the baron turns her over to a man named Stoker for her protection. Get ready for an utterly unpredictable journey that Veronica and Stoker are about to embark on following the murder of the baron. What a team a taxidermist and a lepidopterist will make!!!! This story takes place in 1887 London. The author writing is captivating making you feel as if you taking part of trying to find the baron’s murderer and the secret about Veronica’s parentage. Thank you to First To Read for this eBook. My opinion is my own.