I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It reads like a classic movie script. I can truly see Humphrey Bogart playing Harry and Katharine Hepburn as Sidney, as well as Frances Bavia (Aunt Bea) as one of the "old ladies." I believe this is one of Victoria Alexander's best works. If you enjoy regency romance and classic movies, you will love this book. I am so enjoying this whole series! However, this is a stand alone and you do not have to read the previous books in the series to be able to follow this book. I am fortunate to have received an advance copy of this book from the author, enjoyed every minute and am posting an honest review of my own free will!

Favorite Quotes:

She had insisted on accompanying Sidney for the sake of propriety although they both knew propriety was the last thing on the older woman’s mind. She simply didn’t want to miss what happened next and no doubt had orders from Poppy and the lady travelers guide to Gwen to report back every detail.

The next elderly lady, with graying dark hair, a hat just as ridiculous as the first woman’s and the overbearing manner of a dragon about to belch flames, eyed him with obvious disgust.

“Don’t be absurd. The world is simply littered with Charleses, a fair number of them dead. Why, if I was bothered by every dead Charles I encountered, I would spend most of my time being out of sorts.” She cast Sidney an affectionate smile. “I daresay my husband would be honored to lend his name to your imaginary husband.”

My Review:

I rarely read historical novels as I chafe at the reminders of how poorly women were treated, but I would read them with greater regularity if I could tap into a source as enjoyable, cleverly written, and wittily amusing as this one. I delighted in this entertaining and lively tale. The writing was lush with sumptuous descriptions, lavish details, and snappy humor, as well as engaging storylines and a blossoming romance. I derived great pleasure when the elderly women attempted to delicately provide their younger and inexperienced friend with a crash course in sex education, it was totally smirk-worthy.

Not only did these sly and spry and highly adventuresome mature widows take my dream vacation to Egypt, but they were also shrewd enough to finagle someone else into paying for their first-class accommodations – I was chartreuse with envy! For years I have fantasized about a leisurely ocean voyage on the way to cruising down the Nile and touring the pyramids, of course, that would be without the grave robbers, annoying bandits, skin searing sun, infuriating insects, poisonous snakes, and pesky sand. In addition to scoring free travel, this intrepid group was in the thick of solving of a centuries-old mystery, made a fantastic archeological discovery, and one of them spent the night in the royal harem – innocently discussing books with the women. Sigh, I fear the closest I will ever come to the Dark Continent will be slumbering on linens of Egyptian cotton and dreaming of Ra.

I kept expecting Amelia Peabody Emerson to walk through the lobby of Shepheard’s Hotel at any moment. Not that this is her story, but she and her entourage would have fit right into the adventures of Harry Armstrong, Sidney Honeywell and the gaggle of elderly ladies who are alternately chaperoning and matchmaking the couple – when they’re not aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise or two.

And there’s no dead body – not quite. Not even the one that Sidney and Harry expect to find.

But this is definitely a romp from beginning to end. It’s lighthearted, occasionally light-fingered, and frothy fun.

Sidney has been supplementing her meager income by writing. She has fictionalized the Egyptian adventures of her late grandmother in Cadwallender’s magazine, and the series has been a huge success.

But Sidney knew she was writing fiction, admittedly fiction with an underpinning of fact as well as a scholar’s knowledge of Egypt and her antiquities. However, her readers seem to believe that her stories are absolutely factual from beginning to end.

And the meddling founders of the Lady Travelers Society, not having gotten their members in enough trouble in the previous outings of the series (The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen and The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny with a Dashing Stranger) can’t seem to resist getting themselves a bit too involved when the Earl of Brenton takes offense at Sidney’s stories.

He claims they are complete bunk, and that Sidney, who writes as Mrs. Gordon, is deceiving her audience unconscionably. What he’s not admitting is that he is incensed that Sidney’s fluff pieces are celebrated while he can’t seem to find a publisher for his earnestly written, utterly factual – and deadly dull – accounts of his own travels in Egypt.

So they’re off on a jaunt to Egypt, paid for by the magazine, so that Sidney can prove her expertise, or Harry can prove she’s a fraud and get a guaranteed publishing contract. With the founding “Lady Travelers” along as chaperones and comic relief, managing to finally take the trip that they’ve always dreamed of.

Sidney claims to be Mrs. Gordon, Harry claims to be his own nephew, and the reporter sent by the magazine hovers over everything, hoping to get a story that will make his career, one way or another.

Then Harry’s somewhat disreputable past catches up with Sidney’s new-found spirit of adventure, and they find themselves in the midst of a classic farce of a treasure hunt.

With so much fun to be had, sun, sand, adventure and the trip of a lifetime, how could they not fall in love? With Egypt, and especially with each other?

Escape Rating B+: This is absolutely wonderful, marvelously tasty, complete and utter fluff. It’s delicious.

It would also make a great Shakespearean comedy. Sidney is deceiving Harry. Harry is deceiving Sidney. The reporter is deceiving everyone. Except that everyone seems to know that everyone is deceiving everyone else and no one is willing to admit it.

And that just adds to the sense of fun and adventure.

It’s also a lot of fun the way that Sidney’s real-life adventures in Egypt seem so much like her fictional adventures. Her friends think she’s been kidnapped by white slavers, when the truth is that an Egyptian princess is a fan of her work, so she gets to spend a night in the harem with the princess and her family.

She steals a priceless Egyptian antiquity from a nefarious smuggler, only to discover that it’s the key to a much greater treasure and a much bigger adventure.

She begins by revisiting the scenes of her grandmother’s greatest adventures – only to have a great adventure of her own. And to clear up her grandmother’s unfinished business.

Her contest with Harry brings out Sidney’s inner adventurer at every turn, and allows her to become the woman she was meant to be. Not because he sweeps her off her feet – although he eventually does – but because he treats her as an equal combatant in their rivalry.

That she also helps him solve the mystery that has been dogging him for two long and lonely years makes them earn their happy ever after – while providing just desserts for the true villain of the piece.

This series is simply loads of fun, and every trip with the Lady Travelers Society is always a lovely adventure. I’m looking forward to their next adventure in The Lady Travelers Guide to Happily Ever After when it comes out in June. It’s sure to be another marvelous lark!

I liked this novel. It was a light-hearted romance. It light-hearted banter, little old ladies that were meddlesome matchmakers and a heroine that was stepping outside of her comfort zone. I liked the quick pace of the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

4.5

Harry Armstrong spent years in Egypt at first relishing the adventure of the exotic locale, then later, realizing the sanctity of preserving and protecting the history and art of the relics he was uncovering from those who would sell such artifacts for personal gain. If anything, Harry knows how unforgiving the deserts of Egypt can be, that's why, after the death of a friend about a year ago, Harry left Egypt with no intention of ever going back. Instead, he plans to focus his efforts on writing about his time in Egypt focusing on truth and accuracy, that's why, when he discovers Miss Sidney Honeywell - writing as the widowed Mrs. Gordon - has been regularly penning her Egyptian adventures for a local newspaper, Harry is outraged. Right away he spots inaccuracies in the fanciful way Mrs. Gordon describes her adventures in Egypt. So, Harry does the only thing he can think of, he challenges her to a bet.

Sidney never planned to mislead anyone, she didn't realize that people were actually taking her stories - based upon the journals her grandmother kept of her own adventures in Egypt - as fact, but once she did it was too late to change anything. If it gets out now she'll face great public humiliation as well as possibly losing her writing career, which she loves. That's why she can't ignore Harry Armstrong's challenge to accompany her to Egypt to see for himself how well-acquainted she is with the country. Now, as both Harry and Sidney embark on this journey, they'll both have to keep the secrets they carry from one another.

Whenever I read a historical fiction / romance book that has a strong Egyptian element to it, it's difficult for me not to make comparisons to and / or see the similarities between whatever book I'm reading and the Amelia Peabody series by one Elizabeth Peters. Maybe it's the fact that even in this day and age there are still so many mysteries surrounding things like the pyramids and there's such a vastness to the desert, but the sense of adventure still resonates. And I felt like Victoria Alexander, even unintentionally and probably moreso than others I've read, lives up to Peters's precedent.

Although there were times where I thought the plot played it a little too "safe" with how it proceeded, but it does kind of tie into the fact that Sidney would want to keep things down to basics, so to speak, in order to keep herself from being exposed as a fraud. So the storyline follows a very touristy look at Egypt in the 1800's, but it truly excels when it breaks out towards adventure a bit more. I just wish we got a bit more of the adventure.

I loved that this time around in the series, Victoria Alexander decided to give our three original founders of the Lady Travelers Society more page time as Lady Blodgett, Mrs. Fitzhew-Wellmore, and Mrs. Higginbotham accompany Sidney to Egypt and are also on hand to run interference when Harry seems to be questioning things a little too much. Long-time readers of the series will know that theses three women, despite their age, have their hands on the pulse of pretty much everything and area known to stir up trouble when it meets their purposes. They are just delightful and I was happy they were more then just a footnote this time around.

I also loved the contrast between Harry and Sidney and how, in being thrown together on this journey, they bring out of each other what the other was missing. Case in point: the reason that Harry's writing was rejected is not because Sidney was already on the market, but because he was a bit too literal and dry with his information as opposed to Sidney being fanciful and descriptive and also leaving out a few of the more unsavory aspects of time in the desert. On Sidney's side: everything she writes is only what she knows through her grandmother's journal as well as what she's studied in classes and lectures. She's never even been out of London. So Harry helps Sidney bring out a more adventurous, risk-taking side giving her true experiences she can write about and Sidney helps Harry see that if you look deep enough you can find beauty in anything and that it's ok to express it as such, it's ok to be entertaining.

I really loved this entry in the series, I believe it is my favorite thus far. As, so far, these stories have each featured a different hero / heroine I cannot tell you where the next book will take us, but I'll definitely be along for the adventure.

Sidney Honeywell has become known as the Queen of the Desert from her writings about traveling in Egypt. Too bad she's never been. But Harry Armstrong has and he's not impressed. He believes that she is just out to trick everyone in the <i>ton</i>. So he challenges her to a trip in a series of letter using his newly minted title. However, he says that he's going to send his "nephew" Harry along. Also going, a reporter to make sure that everything is on the up and up as well as the founders of the Lady Travelers Society. And, dang, do those old ladies make the book fun. Yes, they're a little plot-moppet-ish but overall just a fun read and a wonderful addition to the series.



Four stars
This book came out November 20
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley; Opinions are my own

This audiobook was a grand adventure and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It was like following a female Indiana Jones except the lady was an author not an archeologist. The plot was similar to the prior books in this series. It was more of a historical romantic suspense story because the romance was secondary to the main characters drive to find some historical artifacts.

Miss Sidney Honeywall has been writing under the pseudonym Mrs. Gordon, garnering a huge fan following about her adventures in Egypt. Not everyone was enamored with the “Tales of a Lady Adventure” particularly the Earl of Brenton who believed the author to be a fraud. The Earl doesn’t believe Mrs. Gordon to be a real expert of Egyptian artifacts and culture. In order to expose the author, the Earl lays down a challenge daring Mrs. Gordon to travel with his nephew Harry Armstrong, To establish the legitimacy of of her numerous articles and her claims of travel, Sidney agrees to allow Harry to join her on her next adventure to Egypt.

This one was well written and had likable characters. Sidney and her ladies of her traveling club, Persephone "Poppy", Ophelia "Aunt Effie" and Guinevere "Guin" were a riot. They seemed like they were ditzy and a tad clueless but their actions were purposeful and intended. They had each others backs and were a source of emotional and mental support for Sidney.

Harry was a clearly intelligent and came with the intention of giving "Mrs. Gordon" just enough rope to hang herself. Harry intended to expose Sidney as a fraud once he gathered enough evidence. What he wasn't expecting to encounter was a beautiful and intelligent woman who kept him on his toes. I liked their banter and interaction because they were clearly equals. Their mutual admiration and respect laid a great foundation for the love that came later. This author did a great job of not letting the romance overpower the plot and the twist at the end was amusing even though I suspected it. I liked this one a lot. Happy endings are always my favorite.

Description
Set sail for love in this sparkling new adventure in #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander’s Lady Travelers Society series.

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:

This is another winner in Victoria Alexander's Lady Traveler's Guide series.
Humor and adventure abound in this and the other previous books.
Sidney and Harry make a great couple even though they start out at odds.
With little old ladies of the interfering sort and a couple who make you believe love can occur even under the worst circumstances this is another must read by this author.
I have this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the banter from the three Lady Travelers. And the interaction between Harry and Sidney was interesting. It was fun to watch them discover themselves. From the setting to the characters this was a fun and fresh historical for me.

I requested this novel because I have a proper period fascination with Egypt, a country I have yet to see despite my time in nearby regions, and the description promised a fun frolic. Between the meddling of the three irrepressible old ladies cough lady travelers cough, and two honorable people having made shady decisions in their pasts or not so long ago, the book lived up to my every hope.

A clash between a treasure hunter turned serious Egyptologist Harry Armstrong and the little traveled but well studied Sidney Althea Gordon Honeywell forms the heart of this tale. Sidney never set out to deceive, but readers are ever deciding fiction must be nothing else but fact. Harry lashed out in a fit of pique when his writings were found wanting while hers were adored, and though he heartily regretted the compulsion, is too prideful to back down.

This brings Sidney (along with her three elderly companions) to the land that has owned her every dream for most of her adult life. There, she attempts to prove a falsehood not of her making based on second-hand knowledge and much of that two generations old. I enjoyed seeing Egypt through her eyes and laughed at Harry’s factual but jaded offerings.

Where I expected a romp with lively personalities, though, I did not anticipate the story showing glimpses of the true contradictions and complications of a country like Egypt. It dismissed many fanciful notions held by the Western world even today and made the visit feel tangible.

Then there are the lady travelers. If Sidney has a knack for deception, which by all accounts she does not, she earned it at the knees of her dearest friends. The trouble they get her into…and out of…makes for half of the fun.

Really, I don’t know what to say beyond a wholehearted recommendation. It’s not life altering though the story does raise questions to ponder. There are definite growth moments and times of self-reflection providing interesting fodder to those with similar traits. But most of all, it was a joy to read. I’ll miss hanging out with these characters and discovering whatever else they manage to get themselves mixed up in.

P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and am delighted to offer my honest review.

P.P.S. Two other things I should mention: There’s a bit of a history dump for Harry in the beginning, but it will smooth out and is worth it. The second is that despite the rather Georgette Heyer tone, there is at least one ahem descriptive intimate scene and some rather blushingly indiscrete conversations.

Love Harry and Sidney adventure in Egypt.

Harry challenged Mrs Gordon aka Sidney to approve she really been to Egypt and her adventures were real.

Sidney used her Grandmother old journals of her time in Egypt years ago to write a weekly article in the newspaper. She never told anyone her stories were real she used the journals to help tell her stories.

When Harry challenged her to approve her knowledge. Sidney's editor decided to send her and her three elderly friends to Egypt to approve to the public she was telling the truth.

Harry decided not to use his title in travelling to Egypt with Sidney and her companions to find out the truth.

Travelling to Egypt Harry and Sidney started on an adventure neither of them expected. Along the way they learned to trust each other and found love.

I received and ARC copy of this book. I really wanted to just stay home from work and finish reading it. The book deals with Harry and Sidney who both have secrets. A challenge sends them on a trip to Egypt and many surprises. There are 3 older women who provide great comic relief as they go along to "help". I enjoyed the scenery descriptions and felt like I was viewing the pyramids, markets, etc. It can be read and enjoyed without reading the other books in the series. By far my favorite in this series.

Irresistible Egyptian hi jinks!

With a throwaway hint to Sherlock Holmes, Miss Sidney Honeywell and Harry Armstrong (who unknown to Sidney is her protagonist, the Earl of Brenton) begin their challenge.
“Then the game is afoot, Mrs. Gordon."
What game is that? To prove that Sidney is author Mrs Gordon, a well travelled Egyptologist from her side of the fence, and from Harry's, to prove that Mrs Gordon has never at foot in Egypt, let alone done the amazing things her writings proclaim.
When Sidney says yes to the gauntlet thrown down by the Earl (aka Harry) she little knows just what she's let herself in for. But she has the three elderly' delightfully wicked and savvy ladies, founders of the Lady Travelers group to help her. Any complications they surely would be able to handle.
But handling Mr Armstrong turned out to be more than Sidney bargained for. As for Harry, the widowed Mrs Gordon was more than he ever thought. A mix between knowledgeable a Egyptologist and a walking tourist guide, who appears an ennui abroad, who was this woman he found irresistible?
Another delightful and often humorous interlude with the Lady Travelers Guide cohorts!

A NetGalley ARC

Miss Sidney Honeywell, aka Mrs. Gordon and Queen of the Desert, has gained quite a fan base with her tales of Egypt. Problem is, she’s never actually been there; her stories are based on the journals of her grandmother, Althea Gordon, and years of research.
One person who isn’t a fan of Sidney’s stories is Harry Armstrong, newly appointed Earl of Brenton and aspiring writer. He has spent many years in Egypt and believes that Sidney has never even set foot in the country. People need facts, not fanciful descriptions. Therefore, he challenges her to travel to Egypt to prove her expertise and in the process expose her for the fraud he knows her to be.
The newspaper that Sidney works for takes Harry up on his challenge by sending her and a news reporter to document the trip. The founding members of The Lady Traveler’s Society, Gwen, Effie, and Poppy, also manage to talk their way onto the journey. After all, Sidney is not the widow everyone assumes and she’ll need help with the ruse. Plus, they want to experience a grand adventure themselves.
Harry is in for the quite the surprise when he meets Sidney. He still thinks she’s a fraud, but the more he gets to know her and her elderly traveling companions, does he really want to expose her? If he’s right, which he knows he is, his book gets published and Sidney’s livelihood and reputation are destroyed. Then there’s the fact that he’s keeping secrets of his own. As the journey progresses so does the growing attraction between Harry and Sidney. Can they overcome their respective deception to make a relationship work?
This is a wonderful addition to the series and can be read as a standalone. I’m glad Gwen, Effie, and Poppy play a more prominent role in this book as they are quite entertaining. I enjoyed the verbal sparring between Harry and Sidney as well as seeing their relationship develop. Egypt is a refreshing setting for a historical romance novel and the descriptions of the sights make me wish to see the country for myself.

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl is a grand adventure for two individuals who has something to prove to themselves and one another. Sidney Honeywell didn’t mean to deceive her audience when it came to her articles about Egypt. They assumed and now her career and livelihood are in jeopardy. To make matters worse, the Earl of Brenton has called her a fraud and challenged her to go to Egypt and prove him right. Harry Armstrong has spent many years in Egypt and can’t understand how so many believe in this Mrs. Gordon, dubbed the Queen of the Desert by her public. Traveling to Egypt with her and her companions, he thought it would be so easy to show her up, but he found out how wrong he was on all accounts.

My love for historical romances was put into overdrive when the story took me to 1890s Egypt by ship. With the 3 founding members of the Travelers Guide group, Sidney and her elderly companions, kept Harry and the news reporter, on their toes throughout the trip. It was fun to see how they confounded them and turned the tables on them at each step of their journey. Keeping her secret wasn’t so hard but the more Sidney was around Harry it was getting harder to not like him and his arrogant, charming ways. Harry also realized how wrong he was to let his temper and pride push him into taking this trip and how Sidney didn’t really need to be exposed in this manner. He would go along with her deception but he hoped he could find a way to end things amicably. Both saw qualities in the other they never imagined that someone would come along and they both want things that they never thought they’d have; love, marriage and companionship.

Historical romance stories are delightful when it comes to propriety and how hard they try to hold onto it, as one’s desires prove impossible. The author has created a wonderful cast of characters with flaws and endearing qualities that captivates the story into a page turner for this reader. Without any intention of romance in the cards, Harry and Sidney find themselves in love with each other and wrestle with their future. There is a small twist in the story and a few surprises but ended way too soon. Victoria Alexander is one of my favorite writers because she can sweep me away into another place and time effortlessly.

I really enjoyed this one and laughed the entire was through it. Our intrepid main character, Sidney, is another strong female character, and her growth throughout the story is just as fun many of the other main characters that Ms. Alexander writes in previous books. The counter main character to Sidney, Harry, is also just as growth driven, for people grow and change in trying circumstances, and Harry is finding himself in many - not only because of Sidney and her naïve views of a world that he sees as dark and dangerous - but also because my three favorite sub-characters are travelling with them this time.

I am looking forward to seeing what Effie, Gwen and Poppy do in upcoming books.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Lady Travelers Guide To Deception With An Unlikely Earl is the third novel in Victoria Alexander’s Lady Travelers Society series. There are also three Novellas and I do recommend reading them all. Firstly ... Poppy Gwen and Effie are back and they get to go on the trip this time so I was very happy for them. The intrepid heroine in this tale is Sidney Althea Gordon Honeywell Effie’s honorary niece, who supports herself by writing stories based on her grandmother’s journals of her trips to Egypt. Sidney uses the pen name Mrs. Gordon ...a widow because as an unmarried young lady she would not be permitted to have the kind of adventures she writes about and although she never intended such her stories have been published as memoirs not fiction. Harold Armstrong (Harry) has spent the last 20 years in Egypt. He returned to England after the death of one of his travel partners because he much to his surprise inherited the title of Earl of Brenton. His attempts to publish his memoirs have met with abject failure so he is incensed the Mrs. Gordon aka Queen of the Desert is very successful at writing about Egypt when he is positive that she’s never been there. A challenge is issued and in order to preserve her livelihood Sidney sets sail for Egypt with Poppy, Gwen and Effie, Harry who is pretending to be the Earls nephew and a reporter to document it all.
The adventures that ensue will keep you up reading way past your bedtime. I enjoyed this book very much. Medium Steam. Publishing Date November 20, 2018 #NetGalley #TheLadyTravelersGuideToDeceptionWithAnUnlikleyEarl

This was an amazing book. I loved it and I hope there will be more in the future. This book is about Harry Armstrong, who has been in Egypt recovering relics. Currently his is back in London writing about his exploits. But none of his efforts have been great since London's favorite writer about Egypt is some women they call The Queen of the Desert. Miss Sidney Honeywell didn’t want to deceive anyone and that her readers assumed that her stories were real. But when she is challenged by the Earl of Brenton to travel to Egypt to prove her expertise and he has to come along of course. This book had me so excited to see what would be happening next between Harry and Sydney I could not put this book down. I really hope their will be more books in the future.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Sidney Gordon Honeywell is the author of the wildly successful series "Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt", a fictional depiction of her grandmother's adventures. Sidney never claimed the stories were true or that she was the heroine - but somehow that is what everyone believes and her publisher believed it was best to continue the ruse. But now the Earl of Brenton has been sending letters to the Times denouncing her as a fraud. More unfortunately, Effie, Poppy & Gwen have been replying to the letters - as Sidney. The Earl has issued a challenge, go with his nephew to Egypt and prove she is who she claims to be.


Harold "Harry" Armstrong is the new and unexpected Earl of Brenton, but before that, he was an avid adventurer in Egypt - He doesn't like Sidney's stories - they are not accurate and are too flowery - he might be a little miffed that he has written a book that has been repeatedly rejected, but mostly he feels guilty, when he was last in Egypt, his friend and cohort Walter died and he is angry that Sidney is getting undeserved attention and Walter was forgotten. He issued the challenge, if he wins, she will be exposed and ruined, if he wins Cadwallenders' Daily Messenger (Sidney's publisher) will publish his book.

Sidney is upset and the ladies try to calm her - they will go with her to Egypt, as chaperones and Mr. Cadwellender has agreed to finance the trip and send a reporter with them to document the journey- it is a dream come true for Sidney to go to Egypt, but how will she keep up the deception? The ladies promise to "help".

Harry already regrets his challenge but it is too late to back out and save face. He poses as Harry Armstrong, the nephew of the Earl and awaits the arrive of "Mrs. Gordon" who he is sure is an older woman - the ladies are introduced along with Daniel Corbin, the reporter and Harry is drawn to Sidney. He is sure she is a fraud, but she is a lovely, intelligent fraud. He tries to get to know her better and has competition from Corbin and interference from the ladies. But finally he gets her alone, he likes her and thinks that she might be the "one". But now he has to find a way out of the hole he dug without ruining her or humiliating himself.

Sidney likes Harry as well, but she has to be on her guard, he has the power to destroy her, so while she is attracted to him, she tries to keep him at arm's length - how is she going to be able to keep this up?

They arrive in Cairo and Harry is certain that she is a fraud, but he no longer wants to expose her - well at least not to the public. He is not quite sure what he wants from her, until someone from his past askes for a favor and Sidney helps him - then he knows, she is the one and only woman for him. Before he can tell her, she is swept away by her own adventure. When she returns, she makes a discovery and needs Harry's help, which is his not overly happy about, but agrees to.

Their adventure will bring them more than one shocking discovery, betrayal and startling revelations, but will it bring them together or push them apart? This was an absolutely delightful read, it is well written (I cannot even imagine the research that went into this book!), fast paced, amusing and light without being fluffy, Harry and Sidney are both likeable leads, Poppy, Gwen & Effie are fantastic secondary characters, the story has warm love scenes, the requisite dead husband named Charles, a bit of intrigue, a bit of deception, lost treasure and finally a sweet and satisfying HEA ending. This is the third book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand alone title with no problem whatsoever!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl by Victoria Alexander is book Three in
The Lady Travelers Society Series. This is the story of Sidney Honeywell and Harry Armstrong. I haven't yet read the previous books, so for me this was a standalone book.
Harry is returning from his adventures from Egypt thinking to document them. But he also has a new title the Earl of Brenton. When he decides to show Sidney as a fake for her articles 'Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt' he does so by pretending he is the nephew of the Earl of Brenton. Sidney is in deep with her writing and is know as The Queen of the Desert when she is challenged by the Earl of Brenton to go Harry to prove herself she knows she is getting in deeper. With her deceptions and Harry's things start off rocky but they start to work together to solve a mystery.
Enjoyed their story...loved the secondary characters.