I always love Victoria's books. This was no exception. I love the concept of lady travelers.

This is a charming Regency romance with an independent and strong woman who falls in love and chooses to be with a man not because she has to, but because she wants to.

Larceny brought up a great many themes in it that I truly enjoy, and believe that many women who are of any era sometimes struggle with during their lives. Ms. Alexander once again brought enjoyable characters, although I will admit, again, my fascination with the secondary characters, especially our protagonist's sister and niece. Women throughout the centuries have had a challenge with financial education, and men are not necessarily better in this arena as our heroine discovers prior to chapter one. Our heroine in this book, Willie, is in the middle of having a great deal of learning in her life in so many areas. Watching her grow and become certain of who and what she wants was a great deal of fun, although at times painful as it can only be in a well written book with a heroine that takes center stage. I also enjoyed the short story that was included in this ARC version.

What a delightful cast of characters this book contains. It is romantic, funny, romantic, angsty, angry, larcenous and, did I say romantic? You’ll love the secondary characters as much as you love the primary characters. Especially when you throw a handsome, dashing, intelligent, rich Marquess in just so he can try to gum up the works and keep the hero straight.

The Lady Travelers Society was founded by three lonely semi-impoverished old ladies. They are having a ball and even though they aren’t directly involved in the travel anymore, they still enjoy meddling. When Poppy’s goddaughter is widowed and left with very few funds and creditors taking the little that is left, she needs to get to Venice to retrieve a painting. The Lady Travelers can surely help!

Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe (Willie) was always impetuous, fun-loving and headstrong. She defied her father to marry the man she loved. Then, the mad-cap, jaunty, slightly scandalous marriage ends with her husband, George’s death. Her father has cut off all ties with her and her finances are in ruin. She’s managed to pay off all of George’s debts by selling all of the properties except the London townhouse. If she can retrieve her grandmother’s painting from Venice, she can live comfortably. Thanks to her godmother, she has a way to get there. She (who has never traveled outside England) is going to lead a group of American mothers and daughters on a mini-tour of Europe. What could possibly go wrong with that plan?

Dante Montague is handsome and rich – and a bit stuffy and proper. He is a businessman and the curator of his grandfather’s museum. The museum is about to fail and Dante has just learned that one of the best paintings in the collection is a fake. Someone has stolen the real one and replaced it with a fake. After investigating, he learned that the painting had been in the possession of Willie’s grandmother and later it came to Willie. Willie’s husband had used the painting as collateral for a loan. Once he found out Willie was guiding a tour to Venice, he just knew she was going to collect HIS painting – and he wanted it back! So, he managed to finagle his way onto Willie’s tour by persuading his sister and her daughter to go – so he could go along to ‘protect’ them.

You are led across Europe on a jaunty tour. The descriptions of all of the itineraries along the way are wonderful. You can smell the sea in Monte Carlo or see the lights of Paris from the top of the newly finished Eiffel Tower. Her writing is superb and the story is well paced and well researched.

I alternated between loving Dante and Willie and wanting to kick them in the rear. Both had their insecurities, their angst, their misunderstanding of the other and, of course, they had their secrets. At points I didn’t really care whether they got together or not – well – not really – but they sure did aggravate me!

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Wilhemia Bascombe is desperate to get to Italy to retrieve a painting her deceased husband borrowed money on without her permission. It was inherited from her grandmother was her chance to get out out debt and live a quiet life.
Her Aunt Poppy got her a spot custom made with the Lady Travelers Society as a tour guide, for her to be able to retrieve it.
Dante Montague is also after the painting, his grandfather owned a triptych and it was the center piece. He wanted it for the family art gallery and had been searching for it. When Willie made inquiries for an auction for it, it tripped his radar. He coerced his sister and niece to sign up so he had a reason to get in the list.
As the trip progresses the instant attraction they feel strengthens. When the holder of the lien tries ti=o cheat them, they get lucky when his estranged wife comes upon them trying to swap the fake they got for the real one he kept.
Their relationship blows up and they both are saddened by it...until the auction. They both realize the relationship is worth more than the painting.
Enjoyable with bits if intrigue and hunor
I requested and received an ARC from Netgalley.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book from Ms. Alexander and enjoyed this second story as much as the first in the series.

I find it interesting how formal life was many years ago, and love to read about history. Historical romance can be quite educational and entertaining with the culture, the dress, the speech, society restrictions and travel. As in the first book, hosting a trip of strangers through other countries is almost beyond the capabilities of many women during this time. As the English and American women and their daughters leave London to travel to France and Italy, Willie reads book after book on the sights as she has never seen them and yet is to serve as the guide. Dante Montague decides to travel with his sister and niece and there is a hint of interest between Willie and Dante but they both have other concerns to dwell on initially.

Willie, otherwise known as Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe, is a young widow and realized that after spending many carefree years with her husband, friends, and parties, is almost destitute. I could see her working to become more mature while taking care of her husband’s debts. I find it disturbing that in many time periods that numerous men had affairs, which was considered acceptable. As the story progresses, you learn more about Willie’s feelings about her husband, her lack of trust in men, and what she will accept in the future.

Dante has taken on the responsibility of the art collection of his family and after numerous people have mismanaged the pieces and the building, he starts a search for a missing picture. This same picture was handed down to Willie and when she finds that it’s missing, the search becomes a large part of this story.

In 1889, there was a World Exposition in Paris and thousands traveled there to view the sights. The Eiffel Tower was new and it was interesting to learn about the lighting and travel to the top. I enjoyed reading about the historical sights, museums, and all things involved with the Expo. I searched online to view photos of that time. The travel to Venice was filled with intrigue and romance.

The adventures of the young ladies was fun to see how they sometimes wanted to flout convention. The interactions between Dante and his sister are very similar to many siblings and was quite entertaining. The lady travelers become friends and Willie is overwhelmed when they band together to help her.

There was romance, laugh-out-loud moments, and many poignant scenes.

There was a bonus novella included which was based earlier than this series and I was happy to see various characters from other books.

Ms. Alexander always has such fun book titles and I’ve enjoyed several of her books, whether reading or as audiobooks.

Fun romp with a group of ladies, their daughters, and of course, Dante. Dante is the brother of one of the ladies. He is a bit stuffy and an art fanatic. Wilhelmina, or Willie, is in a tight spot money wise after the death of her husband. It seems they spent a rather carefree lifestyle while he was alive and left her with huge debts. He put Willie's painting from her grandmother as collateral on a loan. Willie is on a mission to get it back and uses the Lady Traveler's group to get it. She signs on as a guide but finds true friendship with the ladies and their daughters. What she finds with Dante is great banter and a fiery relationship. I loved the conversations between Willie and Dante. The descriptions of the destinations the group went to were interesting. I received an ARC and provided an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC and having read most, if not all of Victoria’s book, this is my favourite. I loved the fact that it kept a smile on my face through out the whole novel. She filled the book with humor, warmth, love and adventure. The characters interacted beautifully and you felt you could connect with each one. This is one of the few books I have read, that I would like to see as a movie. Looking forward to the next.
I also had the pleasure of reading the novella The Rise and Fall of Reginald Everheart. I lovely story to continue on after the The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger . It was another warm hearted love story, filled with humor. Well worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book. This book is about Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe’s carefree life vanishes with the demise of her husband and now has to recover the family treasure. Dante Augustus Montague’s has finally tracked a long-lost painting of the enchanting Lady Bascombe. So they both are after the painting so who will win. I can't wait for the next book.

I've been reading and enjoying Victoria Alexander's works for a long time (probably over a decade). I was disappointed in the first book in this series, but I'm happy to report that I enjoyed this book a great deal more. I liked the characters quite a bit, and the story was fast-paced and captivating.

Lovely book - read almost like a travelogue! Enjoyable characters.

The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny With a Dashing Stranger takes you on a wonderful European vacation with sights, sounds, and romance so well described you can imagine yourself traveling with this spirited group! Even with an ulterior motive, Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe is a very likable heroine. The ending is perfect for a 'larceny ' novel - it surely leaves you guessing!

I read an ARC of this book from the author via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I am not sure I can express how much I am enjoying this new series... The Lady Travelers Guides are so much fun to read and the newest book in the series is no exception. Yes you could read it on its own but the other books are wonderful too so you should read them all. Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe’s(Willie to her friends) carefree lifestyle has come to an end with the death of her husband and discovery that she is financially insolvent. Her husband has left her with nothing but debt and in order to have a source of income she must retrieve a painting she inherited from her grandmother that unbeknownst to Willie her husband had used as security for a loan. Dante Augustus Montague is after the same painting as he believes it belongs to his family’s collection. In order to finance her trip to Venice to retrieve her painting Willie leads a tour of American mothers and daughters through Paris and Monaco to Italy and Venice. Dante bribes his sister and niece to join the tour so that he can tag along and retrieve his painting. Victoria Alexander has made me wish so much that I could have gone on that tour with them. The story is not only about finding love after one has lost but also about the relationships between friends, siblings, and mothers and daughters. Reading this book is like a little mini vacation tour. The other thing that is wonderful about this book is that you get a second Lady Traveler Novella that takes place earlier. Dulcie Middleton is in love with Michael Shepherd and would but is afraid he barely knows she exists... The Lady Travelers get involved and a little matchmaking ensues along with the charming and handsome but sadly fictional Reginald Everheart.

Romance readers who adore painstaking historically accurate descriptions and action over steam will enjoy this series by Victoria Alexander.

Wilhelmina, Willie, needs to get to Venice to reclaim a family treasure used as collateral by her now dead husband. She's broke. Her godmother gets her signed on as a travel hostess to a group of well-to-do American ladies and their daughters. Dante finds that painting missing from his grandfather's museum so he signs himself, his sister, and her daughter up for this tour. He intends to make his claim when Willie regains the painting. This story is rife with fun, witty dialog. The side characters are fun and engaging. The plot twists and turns. I love the brother/sister wrangling and sniping as only family can do. The book serves as a wonderful travelogue too. In the end, Willie and Dante both step out of their comfort zones with grace and humor.