In A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, it is June 1887, and Veronica Speedwell has just buried her aunt with plans to return to her life when she comes home to find that someone has ransacked the place. As Veronica gets into a fight with the intruder, a German man intervenes, introducing himself as the Baron Maximilian von Stauffenbach, a friend of her mother’s. Since Veronica knows nothing about either parent, this draws her attention, but the baron then tells her that she is in mortal danger, and they must escape.
Accepting the free trip to London, Veronica goes with the baron, but this man then leaves her with a man he has mentored, Stoker, who is a biologist working on taxidermy. Neither Stoker nor Veronica is pleased with the arrangement, but they both grudgingly agree and find that they share a love of adventure, exploring, and naturalism. Veronica is a lepidopterist and has traveled the world seeking out unique butterflies and enjoying the periodic romantic dalliance. Just as the pair are starting to develop the beginnings of trust, they learn that the baron has been murdered and realize they must flee, leading them into adventure and risks. They further seek the truth about Veronica’s parentage, a secret that seems to be behind the danger they are facing.
A Curious Beginning proved to be an excellent book that drew me into the action from the start. It moved very quickly and kept me riveted from start to conclusion. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Veronica and Stoker, as the two clearly have strong sexual tension between them but refuse to give in. Their frequent fights have a hint of foreplay between them, but we also sense that the pair are learning to respect and trust each other, traits which they will need in order to survive.
This book is set in the Victorian era, but aside from the details of taxidermy, which was practiced then as a way to show the world what various animals looked like, and a few specifics about the royal family, I didn’t get the feeling of being transported to another time period, as I get with many other historical mysteries. Veronica has the morals and a lifestyle more suited to the contemporary time than the Victorian, and the only real concession towards the rigid moral era was the fact that she has a personal rule not to have sex with an Englishman or on British soil in order to try to adhere to Victorian mores. I would also have liked to see more of the lifestyle of people who must live without the technology available today and other elements of the culture of the day.
Angele Masters performs the audio edition of this book and does an excellent job of adding to the dramatic tension of the book. Masters makes the book vivid and lively in the action, and she also turns the characters into people we think we already know. Her performance adds real fun to the experience of listening to this book.
I really loved A Curious Beginning. Despite my desires to see more of the historical era, I still had a great time listening to this book. I have become invested in Veronica and Stoker and look forward to listening to the next book in the series. I give this book five stars.
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