A first person narrative, Emily’s speech flows elegantly and captures her state of mind beautifully. Yet here Colin Hargreaves stood and suggested that Philip actually talked about me.”Īnd Only to Deceive captured my attention from the beginning. I could not share their grief I did not know the man. “As always after meeting any of Philip’s family or friends, I felt overwhelmed. Her desire is to learn more about a man who apparently adored her and spoke of her with love to his friends.

Wishing to learn more, she throws herself into the world of ancient Greek art and literature. Emily’s curiosity, however, is peaked when she learns her late husband called her Kallista (most beautiful). As a result, she feels guilt and unease whenever in the presence of those who truly knew him. She never bothered to get to know him, dismissing him as the typical English gentlemen whose only interest was the hunt. As a woman wanting more than what society offered her, she saw Philip as the lesser of two evils. Six months later, he was dead.Įmily is nothing if not honest about her motivations for marrying Philip. They were married very briefly before Philip left to go on safari in Africa. She accepted Philip’s proposal to escape an overbearing mother. Those reasons were not based on love or any great passion. Emily does not mince words when it comes to her reasons for marrying Philip, Viscount Ashton.

For Lady Emily, that is exactly what mourning was: obligatory. The story begins as Lady Emily is reaching the end of her obligatory two-year mourning period. And Only to Deceive Review – A Reluctant Widow On top of that, Lady Emily is pursued by two wealthy suitors, one of whom may not be what he seems. Lady Emily struggles with the expectations of a wealthy young widow and her desire for independence. As a woman in Victorian England, society has set expectations for her conduct. Lady Emily’s quest is not without complications. She sets off on a journey of discovery, leading her into a world of intrigue involving the theft of Greco-Roman artifacts. Mourning a man she barely knew, Lady Emily unexpectedly discovers a hidden depth to her husband. Originally published in 2005, Tasha Alexander’s debut novel And Only to Deceive introduces us to the recently widowed Lady Emily.

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander