Series: Lady Travelers Society (Book 3)
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.
Another fun journey with the Lady Travelers Society, and
like the previous book, our intrepid travelers are not quite what they seem. Sidney
has been writing her adventure stories about Egypt for some time, using her
grandmother's journals for inspiration. They are wildly popular, and she
discovered too late that people believe that they are her adventures. To
confess the truth would destroy her reputation and her only source of income. When
the Earl of Brenton accuses her of writing rubbish and maligns her knowledge,
she accepts his challenge to prove it with a trip to Egypt, accompanied by his
nephew.
Harry Armstrong, the "nephew" in question, is
actually the earl himself. After twenty years in Egypt, making like Indiana
Jones, he returned to take up his new responsibilities as earl. Part of his
plan is to write about his time in Egypt, but no one is interested in his
writing when they can read "Mrs. Gordon's." He's confident he can gather
enough evidence to prove her a fraud.
I felt a bit badly for Sidney at the beginning. Her
deceptions were not her choice but forced on her by her publisher and the times.
Also, the public war of words with the earl wasn't hers, but the well-meaning
interference of her Aunt Effie and her friends, Poppy and Gwen. Sidney was
furious when she found out about it, but she also wasn't about to roll over and
play dead. Though it took a little prodding from the old ladies, she was
determined to prove him wrong.
Harry did not make a good first impression. It was clear
that his motivating factor was jealousy that Sidney's writings were popular and
his were rejected time and again for being dull and dry. He redeemed himself
slightly with his worry that he was potentially ruining an old lady
supplementing her pension, but his refusal to back down didn't help his case.
The journey is sponsored by Sidney's publisher, who has a
lot riding on the outcome. If she is proved a fraud, it won't look good for
him. He will also be stuck publishing Harry's book, which isn't nearly as good
as Sidney's. There's an amusing scene where Effie manages to get the publisher
to include the three ladies in the trip as Sidney's chaperones. Mr.
Cadwallender also sends along a reporter as an impartial witness and to write
about whatever the results are.
From the moment the journey began, the sparks flew
between Harry and Sidney. He makes it clear that he doesn't believe she has
ever been to Egypt, based mainly on her "rosy" depiction of the
places and events. For him, if you don't include the bad, you don't know what
you're talking about - which explains his dreadful writing. Of course, he's
right, she has never set foot in the country, but she has studied extensively
and has her grandmother's journals. And she never intended people to believe
they were completely factual. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sidney confound Harry
with her knowledge and confuse him with her unbridled enthusiasm. It was fun to
see him attempt to trip her up, and her stay just on the right side of giving
herself away. In this she was helped along by the three ladies.
I liked the development of the relationship between Harry
and Sidney. It didn't take long for him to become thoroughly intrigued by her
contradictions and drawn into her enthusiasm. It begins to bring back the
memories of his early days when life was more adventurous and considerably more
fun. One of my favorite things is that Harry and Sidney are equal in
intelligence and quickly develop respect for each other's abilities. Harry also
becomes unexpectedly protective of Sidney, adding a bit of stress to his daily
life. Sidney is wholly independent and tends to go off on her own, unconscious
of the dangers. The harem scene was especially fun.
The feelings between Harry and Sidney have a better
chance to grow when they put their animosity aside to investigate an intriguing
antiquity. Harry's somewhat disreputable past comes back to bite him when he is
"encouraged" to retrieve an ancient medallion from an unscrupulous
American. I laughed out loud at the way Sidney inserted herself in the process
and then took it over. Their teamwork is impressive, with each bringing
something vital to the table. The resolution of the mystery was exciting with a
couple of unexpected twists. One added an extra layer of danger, and the other a
solution to a mystery and a problem. There were a couple of minor obstacles to
overcome before they could get their happy ending - not the least of which was finally
admitting the truth to each other. There was a nice little O. Henry twist to
that event. The epilogue was lovely.
Once again, Poppy, Effie, and Gwen are vital parts of the
story. They frequently give the impression of being ditzy, but they are very cunning
when they want to be. I loved seeing them try to show Sidney the importance of
knowing the details of her fictional past, especially when those details can
trip her up. There's also a hilarious scene as they attempt sex education so that
the "widow" won't be taken unawares. Harry's problems with "the
old ladies" were myriad as they frequently got on his nerves, but also
entertained him. The morning after scene in Sidney's room was hysterical. One
of the things I loved best was that the founders of the Lady Travelers Society
finally got to do some traveling of their own and that they embraced it with
such fervor.
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