TLC Tour Review - - The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an U nlikely Earl

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl
By Victoria Alexander
Lady Travelers Society - Book 3
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: November 20, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Harry Armstrong has spent years in Egypt, recovering relics and disregarding rules. Now he’s back in England with a new title and a new purpose: penning his exploits. But his efforts are overshadowed by London’s favorite writer about Egypt—a woman they call The Queen of the Desert, of all things. Worse, her stories—serialized in newspapers and reprinted in books—are complete rubbish. 

Miss Sidney Honeywell didn’t set out to deceive anyone. It’s not her fault readers assumed her Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt were real! Admitting her inadvertent deception now would destroy her reputation and her livelihood. But when the Earl of Brenton challenges her to travel to Egypt to prove her expertise, accompanied by his dashing, arrogant nephew, what choice does she have but to pack her bags?

With the matchmaking founders of the Lady Travelers Society in tow, Harry is determined to expose Sidney’s secret. But the truth might not be as great a revelation as discovering that love can strike even the most stubborn of hearts.

My thoughts:

One of the things I've most enjoyed about this new series by Victoria Alexander is the settings. Pair an adventurous, historical romance with an exotic location and I am so there!

Alexander has assembled an entertaining cast for this newest novel and given them an adventure reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie, complete with witty banter, humor, and an archeological quest. Harry and Sidney are likeable characters who engaged my interest from the get-go but it's Sidney's "chaperones," three lively widows on their first overseas adventure, who come close to stealing every scene they're in. There are also a couple secondary characters who I would love to read more about. Hopefully, Alexander has something in mind for them.

While there's an HEA, the story itself leans more heavily toward adventure/romantic comedy than a full-fledged romance. Alexander's smart, witty, dialog, beautiful descriptions of Egypt, and skillfully-depicted characters made that perfectly okay with me. 

This is the third book in Alexander's Lady Travelers series but though there are a few continuing characters who appear in all three books, each story stands on its own so feel free to jump in at any point in the series.