An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell #6
Historical Mystery
March 2, 2021 by Berkley
Reviewed by Angela
Favorite Quote:
You are not among the good that has happened to me. You are the best of all that I have known. You are what I have searched for when I left that house and wandered this earth, boy and man. You are the part of myself I never thought to find because I did not even dare to dream you existed. You are all that I want and more than I deserve, and I will go to my grave thanking a god in whom I do not believe for bringing me to you.
I fell in love with Veronica Speedwell and Revelstoke Templeton-Vane quite by accident last year. I thought I would dip my toe into more of the historical mystery genre after glomming the Sebastian St. Cyr series and then couldn’t stop reading. Veronica and Stoker were just so damn amazing.
An Unexpected Peril is the sixth book in this series and features a Veronica and Stoker who have finally admitted their feelings for each other and are currently reveling in the pleasures of the flesh and enjoying each other’s company.
Still residing in their cottages near The Belvedere and cataloging the mysteries of the Rosemorran Collection, they are asked by the sister of their benefactor to help with an exhibit of the recently deceased Alice Baker- Greene, a fellow member of the Curiosity Club and famous mountaineer. Only the evidence points toward murder rather than a simple fall and Veronica simply won’t rest until the mystery is solved. Stoker isn’t convinced diving headlong into another investigation is in their best interest, but the disappearance of the princess of the small country where the crime allegedly occurred thrusts them right into the middle of a mess once again.
As far as murder mysteries go, this wasn’t my favorite of the series. I really didn’t become invested until Veronica was forced into standing in for a missing monarch and Stoker insisted on posing as her bodyguard. And where Veronica and Stoker go, so does adventure and danger. I do like how this author wrapped up all the plot threads and will admit to being a bit surprised by the identity of the villain.
What I did really enjoy was seeing this version of them as a couple. Despite having admitted their feelings to each other there are still uncertainties and worries about where the future will take them. It was lovely seeing them work through some things and become more surefooted as a couple. There was still fabulous witty banter and sizzling chemistry between them, but now we also get heartfelt declarations from Stoker as well. Swoooooon. I adore their playfulness and steady devotion to each other, and that they have a keen awareness of what makes the other tick. Their commitment to one another doesn’t require a marriage proposal and their future will surely be unconventional. And that’s okay.
Veronica and Stoker continue to be my jam. Goodness but I love them.
Yet another great addition in the Veronica Speedwell series. I look forward to whatever comes next. I highly recommend this series.
Final grade- B
Leave a Reply