"The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl" follows Miss Sidney Honeywell, a famous author known for her stories of adventures in Egypt. She based them on her grandmother's journals and writes as Mrs. Gordon, a widow, for more repute. The world has come to believe that they were her own adventures and true stories, despite their outlandish nature. The paper who publishes them is not eager to let the truth out.

However, now, an Earl has written letters challenging the veracity of her stories and alleging that she has made it all up (she has). However, the ladies of the Lady Travelers Society have responded to the letters and gotten Sidney into a pickle. She must travel to Egypt and prove to the Earl that the stories were real or never get a story published again. The Earl is supposedly sending his nephew, Harry Armstrong, an Egyptologist and want-to-be author in his stead. Through the strange inheritance laws, Harry Armstrong is the Earl, but he wishes not to use his title and so pretends to be his nephew.

As Harry and Sidney travel to Egypt, both keeping up some level of farce, they must each keep up their ruse, with the added element of an eager, ambitious reporter hot on their tails- and the ladies of the Lady Travelers Society providing some comedy. As things in Egypt heat up between the couple, they also heat up in terms of adventure, giving the elements of Sidney's stories to real life.

Overall, this is a really fun read with lots of comedy and fun- plus adventures and mystery. I really enjoyed it overall. In some ways, it felt similar to the Mummy movies in tone with a bit of tongue-in-cheek, comedy, adventure, and historical elements. The characters didn't feel totally real to me but had some elements of caricatures where their personalities were taken to extremes and not fully fleshed out. Harry and Sidney were a little more developed, and regardless, it certainly didn't keep me from liking them (I definitely enjoyed our leading couple!). This was a really fun read, and I would love to read more from this series.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Harry and Sidney's story!!

An author out to prove that the books she has written are accurate depictions of her travels when she hasn't actually left the country just opens up so many possibilities. Add in 3 meddling women, a journalist out to make a name for himself and an Earl determined to prove her wrong and you have all kinds of opportunities for misadventure!!

I loved watching Harry and Sidney interacting with each other. Sidney was trying so hard not to let Harry know that this was her first time in Egypt. She made so many mistakes and she never even noticed them, but Harry did. But as he spent more and more time with her, he just wanted to help her and not expose her for being a fraud. Loved this about him!!

This was a great addition to the Lady Travels Society series! I have to say that one of the reasons I like this series so much is our trio from the Lady Travels Society! They are funny and meddle into things they probably shouldn't, but they are so enjoyable to watch. I'm excited to see what antics the Lady Travelers get into next!!

I have been reading and enjoying Victoria Alexander's books for years. However, for some reason, I got way behind on her Lady Traveler's Society books and only read the prequel novella for the series. When I read that this book was returning to Egypt (some of Alexander's early books, including my personal favorite, The Perfect Wife, also take place there), I knew now was the time to dive in.

Alexander's writing is smart. There is something about it that snaps and makes you smirk at her critique of the absurd. It's a unique voice that I don't want to read all the time, but when I'm in the mood for a subtle comedy with a well-rounded cast, she always delivers. While The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl is marketed as a romance, the steam and tension level here is almost non-existent (though there is a sex scene, it is mild). I'd be more inclined to classify this as a historical fiction comedy with a romance element.

As is typical of Alexander's novels, the cast was pretty large. The heroine, Miss Sidney Honeywell is traveling to Egypt to prove her critic, Harry Armstrong (the secret Earl of Breton) that she has been there before (which she has not). Sidney is accompanied by three elderly women and another reporter. Additionally, throughout the story, the cast encounters new faces and faces from Harry's past journeys to Egypt. While I always have trouble in the first chapter remembering all the names, after that, it becomes easy and despite the large cast, I had no trouble following scenes or the dialogue.

Both Harry and Sidney are lying to each other from the beginning. Harry doesn't admit he is her true critic (or the true earl) and pretends he is the nephew. Sidney pretends she is a widow and someone who has been to Egypt before (she is an expert on Egyptian culture). While I'm not a fan of lying leads, Harry and Sidney are their true selves with each other from the get-go and the lies felt pretty trivial to me. The core conflict is more about defining what it means to live fully, write about what you love, and be true to yourself. Wrap those themes up in fun, windy dialogue, a few mishaps, and Harry's humorous ability to often put his foot in his mouth and sound like a pompous idiot, and you have a good story.

The only true weak points of the story was a few middle chapters and the lack of romantic chemistry. I found the beginning of the story to be fun because of the bickering between the leads, Alexander's beautifully written descriptions of what it means to be an author, and the upcoming sense of adventure as the large cast arrives in Egypt. However, in the middle as the bickering fades and Sidney "takes off on her own" for a few misadventures, I found myself skimming. I think the point of these chapters was to describe Egypt and Sidney finding herself, but instead, I thought the story was overly wordy, I didn't understand how the bickering had evolved into love (you are told, not shown), and I thought Sidney was behaving rather stupidly in a foreign country.

Fortunately, once Sidney and Harry start working together to solve a mystery of a stolen relic and the location of a long-lost cache of goods, I was in. The spirit of the adventure, while there was no real tension or fear of danger, was fun and Harry and Sidney worked well together. I enjoyed seeing how the story came full circle.

In a nutshell, I give this story 4 stars. It is intelligently written and gets extra points for the fun change in location and well-rounded supporting cast. Just be warned that it drags a bit in the middle and I found the romance to be a bit under-developed, particularly because there is so much else going on. This didn't really bother me because it is clear from the beginning it is going to be more of a quirky comedy rather than a high-emotion romance, but if you're going into it for the central romance or the steam, know that this isn't the story's strong point. Still, I found this to be a fun read and one I'd recommend.

Thanks to the author for a chance to read and provide an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Love this book! I'm typically on the fence with Alexander, but this one was a home-run for me, personally. First of all, I love when we get to revisit old characters and hear more about them (The Lady Travelers Society). I loved both the hero (voice of reason) and heroine (lies, lies, and more lies!). I found their story fascinating, especially since a lot of it took place in Egypt. Definitely try this one!

I love a battle of wits and wills between my hero and heroine. There's nothing more entertaining than watching two people try to outsmart one another. And what a strange situation our hero and heroine find them in; traipsing around Egypt trying to keep their secrets secret.

Usually our heroines are the voices of reasons among historical novels. They're often keeping heroes from flying off the rails or turning rakes and rogues into gentleman (mostly). But Sidney isn't an innocent young woman, she's living a lie... a lie that gets bigger every day. She was the one deceiving our hero and it was quite exciting to watch her scheme and plot--with help from her aging friends.

Harry is the voice of reason within this book. He calls it like he sees it and he sees a fraud. But it's not righteousness that has Harry calling fraud, but rather jealousy, which was an interesting spin for the entire story. I rather liked Harry as a hero, though he wasn't like any hero I'd read about before. He made a million and one mistakes, but was also full of wisdom and utterly ridiculous, borderline insulting comments. Aren't all men, though?

I absolutely loved that the novel took place mostly within the borders of Egypt. I was such a fan of the sprinkling of Egyptian facts throughout the novel. I learned so much about the pyramids and the culture and Egypt during the 1800s. It was really quite an informative romance novel.

The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with a Earl moved quickly and had many subplots. I found myself constantly on edge wondering who were the bad guys and who were the good guys. Everyone was shrouded in suspicion. It was really a very tense read at points. Overall I really enjoyed the read. Those who are fans of The Mummy franchise will certainly find it fascinating. Those who are tired of the same old-same old historicals will find it a breath of fresh air.

This historical romance was really entertaining. Harry Armstrong has spent years exploring in England. After he unexpectedly inherits and Earldom, he finds himself back in England, trying to fill his new role, and penning his memoirs in order to honor a friend who was lost in Egypt. Unfortunately, Miss Sydney Honeywell is already using her grandmother's memoirs to write entertaining and engaging stories about life in Egypt. She didn't expect anyone to think that they were her adventures but, somehow, they do.

Now, Sydney has to travel to Egypt and convince the Earl's "nephew" Harry Armstrong that all of the adventures were hers and were true. Sydney is accompanied by her friends - three elderly, matchmaking widows and a newspaper reporter determined to expose the truth about her.

I loved that Sydney uncovers her adventurous side and that Harry find that being right isn't as important as his new relationship with Sydney. I loved the antics of the matchmaking elderly ladies.

This book is filled with lies, adventure, and lots of humor. Harry, the Earl of Brenton accuses Sydney,the author of Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt that she has never been to Egypt. The solution found was that they would travel to Egypt together with a reporter to find out the truth. Sydney's friends, the elderly lady traveler's decided she needed chaperones and went, too. These ladies are intrepid and keep you in stitches with their antics. Victoria Alexander has outdone herself in weaving a beautiful story in the wilds of Egypt. You won't want to put this book down til the end. I can't wait for more adventures from the lady travelers.

The "old ladies" of the Lady Travelers Society ride again! They have plotted and schemed their way on a paid trip to Egypt, courtesy of their current project's publisher. The project is Miss Sidney Honeywell aka Mrs Gordon, The Queen of the Desert. Sidney's reputation is at stake when the credulity of her novels is disputed by Harry Armstrong, Egyptologist. The challenge is to lead a tour to Egypt, act knowledgeable, and convince Harry she knows what's what. Very reasonable except she's never been to Egypt. The book starts out a bit slow, but once the story gets into gear it is very enjoyable.

Given a publisher galley in exchange for an honest review
The wait is over and The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl will not disappoint any who love and enjoy the Lady Travelers Society series. Once again, the feisty older ladies of the Lady Travelers Society have taken a young woman under their wing. Sidney Gordon Honeywell known by her fans as The Queen of the Desert has published in newspapers about her travels in Egypt. Posing as a widow under the name of Mrs. Gordon and using her grandmother’s diary as a guide her stories about her adventures are very popular but unknown to readers are fictitious. All is well until the Earl of Brenton aka Harry Armstrong starts sending letters to the editor accusing Sidney of being a fraud and her stories True Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt are actually fiction. Our favorite ladies rush to support Sidney by pretending they are she and writing responses back to the Earl. It all backfires when the letters lead to the Earl’s challenge for Sidney to travel to Egypt with him and prove how much she really knows about Egypt. The challenge is accepted, and we readers go with them to Egypt to enjoy a fun story complete with high jinks and of course romance. With the Travelers Society Ladies acting as pseudo chaperones and up to their usual tricks this is a great read. Though this book is part of a series, you can read as a stand-alone. Warning: Very few pages Adult Sexual Content, which you can skip over and still fully enjoy the book.

Another lovely installment in the Lady Travelers series. I liked the characters and the humor, which had me laughing out loud. The story takes us to Egypt and I could imagine the maze of the souk. There are no boring too detailed descriptions of the traveling and the ending is very satisfying.

I just love Victoria Alexander. I haven't been reading too many historicals lately as I enjoy the suspense the best but this book was worth reading. Great characters and fun plot.

Great historical romance! This is the third book in the series. I haven't read the others (because I didn't realize it before I started it) but I still enjoyed this one. Lots of humor and laughs through the story. Great fun!

I found this book hard to get into. I put it down many times and then attempted to read it again. I'm having trouble pinpointing what was lacking in the book. Maybe it was my mood, I just found this story to be OK, there were some amusing spots, but there were times the book was very slow. *I received and ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

I enjoy Victoria Alexander's books, this book did nothing for me. Waiting for the author next book.

Sidney Honeywell did not set out to deceive. She was just telling about adventures her grandmother had in Egypt and at the same time making money for herself. Who knew people would think she was the one having the adventures. Of course some one is threatening to expose her as a fraud and that just cannot happen. Enter the trip to prove she is o is not a fraud and the man she must deceive. A fun romp with many, many laugh out loud moments as Sidney rises to the occasion and finds much more than she expected. Great addition to the Lady Travelers Society series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
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This story was somehow an exciting slow burn. It took it's time but I was still flipping pages (figuratively; it was a digital copy) as fast as I possibly could!

Oh, la, do I love historical romances set abroad! Don't get me wrong, ballrooms and Hyde Park are wonderful - but it's nice to get out and about every now and again. The author truly paints the scenes in the most marvelous ways. I have never been to Egypt (and certainly not Egypt of the 19th century), but I got all the sensory and figurative information I needed to feel as though I was right there with them.

I loved the two protagonists (even when I didn't like them), and all the secondary and even tertiary characters were so vibrant and interesting. I'm a sucker for stories about writers and this one has not one, not two, but fully three! It was fun to watch the characters play off each other, with their differing styles, professional motivations, and personalities.

All in all, a fun read of love, adventure, and many, many stories!

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher, through NetGalley.

This had more of a delightful screwball romantic comedy kind of vibe than I expected going in, but it worked! It was not unlike a tasty piece of fluffy pie.

<b>Pros</b>: The tone was light and seriously funny, the dialogue, the meddlesome "old ladies," the banter, neither the hero nor the heroine were very angsty* or full of themselves.

* Don't get me wrong, I love angst and turmoil a stupid amount, but I loved that Alexander framed this in such an amusing, teasing story where both characters are good-natured. <spoiler>Also, may I just say that I love it when characters are quick to admit (at least to themselves or someone else) that they messed up or were wrong and try to fix it, even if they don't do the best job? </spoiler>

<b>Cons</b>: Yes, it was a bit silly at times, but again: screwball comedy and lighthearted.

<b>tl;dr</b>: Super cute and funny.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the ones in this series previous to this one. Fun characters and plot. I hand sell this series often in my store and will be ordering this one too!

I am a big Victoria Alexander fan and this story was a lot of fun in this series. It easily stands alone. I really enjoyed this fun adventure story as Sidney is just trying to survive but yet she angers Harry, It was well written with good characters that I ended up loving. I don't want to giveaway too much of the plot as this was a really fun story.

Harry tends to just blurts things out, "he stared down at her . God she was stubborn. And lovely in the starlight . And annoying. And shockingly appealing. And a fraud. And…“I have the most absurd desire to kiss you, Mrs. Gordon,” he said without thinking." sidney tries her best to be proper with Harry, “well I’m not going to have such a discussion clad in my chemise and corset. It’s… undignified.” The corners of his mouth quirked upward." I liked this booj, Harry and sidney balanced each other out.