Cover Image: A Dangerous Collaboration

A Dangerous Collaboration

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Absolute perfection. It's tortuous sometimes to receive these books full months before the final release, because I have to keep the parts I loved the best to myself! But it's safe to say that my SHIP is SAILING, and I couldn't be happier about it. Veronica's struggle with what she wants vs. what she's afraid of happening if she gets what she wants is a very real, surprisingly modern issue that so many (including myself!) have wrestled with, and I loved how that was explored in this book. Because honestly, in the past couple books especially, we've been wondering: what's holding them back from being together? This story truly put Veronica and Stoker to the test, on a much deeper emotional level than I had been expecting, and I'm just so happy to see them realize just how much it's cost them to hold back with each other. I cannot wait to see what comes next in their adventures!

Was this review helpful?

A haunted castle, a remote island, a seance, nude sea bathing, a fake engagement, a missing bride, a garden full of poisonous plants, clear butterflies, secret passages, Stoker's equally "lovable" brother, and sexual tension so thick between Veronica and Stoker that you wonder why everyone isn't openly commenting on it! That's just a smidge of everything that's going on in this book. If you're a fan of the series, definitely pick this one up- you won't be disappointed. And word to the wise- don't drink wine while reading the ending. You have been forewarned.

Was this review helpful?

What can I say but it's a Veronica Speedwell book? Go, read it.

Veronica goes with Stoker's brother, who I didn't care for no matter how tragic a backstory he gets, to discover what happened to a missing bride on a small island. Of course, Stoker goes along to solves the mystery with Veronica. The two have this thing where Veronica has to stop running away from how she feels about him. Thankfully, the two are back to their partnership to discover who the murderer is. Honestly, I figured out the killer and the motives easily but this book is too enjoyable for me to care.

Was this review helpful?

My favorite book in the series so far! Veronica showed the most growth. My biggest issue with this series is that Veronica has been emotionally stunted. She’s very astute when it comes to her observations and understandings of others, but is lacking when it comes to her own emotions. She took the time to finally examine her own feelings, and I liked her all the more for it.

I liked the mystery and did not figured it out. The best part of the mystery was the people it brought together. Tiberius asked Veronica to join him while he visited an old friend. Of course Stoker tagged along. It was great to finally get more page time with Stoker’s family. There were some great scenes throughout the book. I am looking forward to the next one!

Was this review helpful?

It was great to be back in Veronica and Stoker's world! It was also enjoyable to get to know Stoker's brother a little better too. I'm always entertained by Raybourn's books and read them very quickly, as they're hard to put down. For some reason, though, this fourth book in the series didn't quite absorb me as much as the previous ones. The mystery felt a little weaker this time--maybe it felt less personal to the main characters? It also felt like it wasn't quite as fully developed as some of the previous ones. I mostly enjoyed the developments in Stoker and Veronica's relationship--it's always hard to deliver on anticipation with huge build up--but there were some touching moments that were new for them but still felt true to their personalities. Overall enjoyable, just perhaps not my favorite of the series!

Was this review helpful?

Veronica and Stoker are among my favorite will they/won't they couples. Far from getting stale, their relationship looms large in all their adventures. A Dangerous Collaboration continues this trend. I enjoyed the underlying mystery in this novel, a bit more Gothic and less hectic than the last few. Throw in Stoker's big brother and you can cut the tension with a hack saw! Veronica is aggressively independent and doesn't follow the conventions of her time. While there are times when I feel Raybourn goes a bit over the top with this, it doesn't diminish my enjoyment of this series. She throws in enough crumbs of all the main characters back stories to further their development and keep them fresh.

So... where did Rosamund go? Did she pull a run away bride? Was she murdered most foul? Is she stuffed into one of the many secret passages and priest holes littered through the castle? I won't tell, you'll need to read the book! Which you should anyway, since it's pretty fabulous!

Was this review helpful?

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

We have heard so many mixed messages from the Veronica Speedwell series Deanna Rayborn has constructed but we are always on the search for exciting historical fiction since it is very popular in our library with our community. A Dangerous Collaboration is an exciting continuation of the adventures of Veronica Speedwell and the complications she gets herself into and this time its involving a colleague that wants her to pretend to be his fiancee in attendance of a party thrown by the groom of the missing bride so they can actually find out why she disappeared. Every page there was a new twist and each time I read it just got more exciting. Our patrons will sure to love this series.

We will definitely consider adding this book to our historical fiction section of the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Upon receiving the email that I was approved for this, I immediately put aside all other plans for reading because that’s how much I love these books.

A Dangerous Collaboration is the fourth installment of the Veronica Speedwell series, and while I wouldn’t count it as my favorite, it was just as enjoyable as all the others. One of the things I loved best about this one was the setting. In A Dangerous Collaboration, Veronica and Stoker find themselves in a remote island off the coast of Cornwall, in a possibly haunted castle, as the guests of Lord Malcolm. The entire plot/setting is very reminiscent of a murder mystery dinner and it was so very fun to read! Other than our beloved protagonist and her partner-in-solving crime, there is a full cast of interesting characters, including Tiberius, Stoker’s eldest brother.

The pace of this book was a bit slower than the others, and it took a while for it to really pick up. However as with all the other, it was full of thrilling adventures, witty conversations, sexual tension, and of course – murder and mayhem. I’m always equally frustrated by my inability to discover the true killer before the reveal and impressed by Raybourn’s writing that she is able to keep me in the dark for so long.

And I cannot write a review without again touching on the relationship between Veronica and Stoker. Things were a little different this time around, because it has become apparent – not just to the readers, but also to Veronica – that there is definitely something between the two of them. Veronica and Stoker spend a majority of this book fighting their attraction/feelings for one another, but the ending makes it so worth all the waiting!

If you haven’t had a chance to read this series yet and you’re a fan of murder mysteries, historical fiction, and slow-burn romances, then please do yourself a favor and pick up the first book! A Dangerous Collaboration is the fourth book of this wonderful, thrilling series and I’m highly anticipating the next (and I believe last) installment!

Was this review helpful?

When recommending this series to a friend, my advice was 'Don't think about it too much, just have fun!' And Veronica Speedwell and her partner in adventure and detection Stoker are, indeed, fun, but also much, much more.

This fourth book in the series takes place in Cornwall in an island castle where Lord Malcolm's bride disappeared on her wedding day three years ago, never to be seen or heard from again. Gothic elements abound: superstitious villagers, a proprietary house keeper who considers herself part of the family, a castle riddled with hidden passageways, and a spinster sister who keeps herself busy tending to her gardens, one of them comprised entirely of poisonous plants.

While the primary mystery is devoted to the missing bride, the mysteries of the heart are far more dangerous for Veronica and Stoker. She is convinced that he is still unable to love because of the treachery of his first wife Caroline, and he is equally convinced that Veronica will never allow herself to love because of the legacy of her emotionally starved childhood and hidden parentage. However, this doesn't prevent Stoker from alternately tempting Veronica, then pushing her away "for the sake of their friendship."

The chemistry between these two is compelling and the magnet that keeps drawing readers back to this series. The well drawn supporting characters, twisted plotting, and the writer's keen sense of humor are purely bonuses.

Clear your schedule and devour this one. It's a treat you'll want to savor.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

How does this series keep on getting better? In the latest installment of Speedwell/Stoker adventures, we watch the pair investigate the disappearance of a bride on her wedding day. The Cornwall setting was as much of a main character as the crime-solving duo. The island was beautiful, spooky, secluded, and completely mesmerizing. Also exciting, was the prospect of some forward motion in the romance department (about time!). I am already looking forward to seeing a return to London (and a serial killer?) in the next book!

Was this review helpful?

I have to be honest this was not my favorite out of the four books. I can't quite place my finger on it, but there was something missing from this book. However. I very much liked the portrayal of Stoker's brother Tiberius, His character was one of the main reasons I got though this book. The contrast between him and Stoker is wonderful.

The second half of his book was way better, and brought back some of the aspects that i love about this series.

Was this review helpful?

I have mixed feelings here, because this was incredibly brisk reading, which I like best. I found it easy to keep going, because it was often exciting, but it seemed at times as if the story was being deliberately drawn out to fill pages. I also hate ping-ponging in mysteries, in which the detectives just go back and forth between suspects repeatedly until they finally settle on one. This story, which largely took place inside the same spot, had little real action until the end.

I also felt I had seen a lot of this before elsewhere. For example, Tiberius was merely a plot device, and when he was not required to start fights between Veronica and Stoker, he was out of sight for long stretches. He was also never a real threat to their relationship, so any time he turned up it was merely annoying. See the season finale of the first year of Cheers for this plot line, in which Sam’s cooler and more together brother turns up, threatening his relationship with Diane, which of course was never in jeopardy.

One might also look to Rebecca for the murder victim whose body no one can find and whose moral character is in question throughout.

And of course there’s the ever present parallels to Bones, which also founders a little when too much emphasis is placed on relationships and not enough attention is given to the mysteries.

Of course you have to read this one, as it’s pivotal to the development of the series, but it just wasn’t my favorite.

Was this review helpful?

This is the fourth book in the Veronica Speedwell series, and wow, these books just keep getting better. The story picks up right where the third book left off, with Veronica about to confess her feelings to Stoker, but of course, nothing is ever simple between Stoker and Veronica. Through a series of bizarre circumstances, they find themselves on a small Cornish island, with Veronica posing as Tiberius' Revelstoke-Vane's fiancee, in the middle of a years old mystery of a vanishing bride. The tension between Stoker and Veronica is so good, and Raybourn has a way of writing about complex emotions that is so witty and refreshing. There is no heroine quite like Veronica, and she is such an independent, funny, and capable woman. Fans of this series will be very happy with this latest installment, and as long as Raybourn is willing to keep writing this series, I will continue to be an avid fan.

Was this review helpful?

Honestly, this book was just about perfect. The setting is, by far, the best yet in the series. A possibly-haunted castle on an idyllic Cornish island, full of secret passages and priest holes and poison gardens and villagers with The Sight? YES, PLEASE. Plus, there was a wonderful amount of character development, not only for Veronica and Stoker, but Stoker's brother Tiberius, as well. The whole thing was delicious from beginning to end. I am already dying for the next book in the series, whenever it may come!

Was this review helpful?

I’ve grown to love this series, and I’ve eagerly awaited this installment for a year. I wasn’t disappointed! The only thing that I find upsetting is that I’ll have to wait more than a year for the next book!

Thanks NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced readers copy.

Was this review helpful?

I wait all year for the newest Speedwell and Stoker novel and then I greedily devour the entire book in one night. Every year. Sigh. I just love these characters.

A Dangerous Collaboration is the fourth Speedwell and Stoker novel. The setting and the plot are gothic mystery at its best—ghosts and murderers and a castle on a remote island—yes! The characters are moving forward personally, inch by slow inch. Readers will laugh aloud at their antics and wit. If the fifth novel were finished, I would have read it immediately.

Fans of the series will love this installment. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Was this review helpful?