Regency murder and intrigue in alps chalet! Perfect!

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Lady Mary's Dangerous Encounter (Beresford Adventures #1) 
by Cheryl Boleyn             


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Great story line. Loved the idea of the intrepid Lady Maryann Beresford, escaping London and travelling across Europe, heading for Vienna, via the alps (before Winter) with nothing but William Beckford’s travel journal (an account of his Grand Tour) to guide her. Enroute she joins forces with a lively, elderly governess, a Miss Agatha Willets, she of the divinely warm furry boots, who mysteriously goes missing.

Meanwhile her brother the Earl of Devere has arranged for a fellow, Lord Stephen Stanhope, who was at school with him, albeit a few classes below, (Ah! The English school system, a vast old boys network) to try to find Lady Mary (as she now calls herself).

Stephen works for the diplomatic corps and is heading to Austria for the Congress of Vienna, 1815. He’s hoping to catch up to her as she travels via Holland.

Of course, Lady Mary takes the “road less traveled” across the Swiss alps in doubtful weather!

Stephen finally catches up with Lady Mary at an inn, Le Chateau, where Lady Mary is refusing to leave until she finds Miss Willet. As requested by Devere, he doesn’t divulge that her brother’s sent him to escort her to Vienna. The inn is enclosed by adverse weather conditions and the group are unable to leave giving more time for Mary to investigate.  Stephen’s disinclined to believe Mary’s tale at first about the disappearing governess, particularly as everyone else is vehemently denying the woman’s existence. But that situation soon changes, particularly when Mary is in danger.

Unfortunately the interactions between Lady Mary and Stephen were a tad flat and one dimensional. The relationship flow was a tad off. Certainly their relations strayed well and truly beyond what was seemly—recovering from near death experiences does make one focus on living!

An enjoyable read despite my concern about the depth of the lead characters.


A Dragonblade ARC via NetGalley 

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