Fifteenth in Tasha. Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton Mystery series this book has Lady Emily and Lord Colin traveling to Florence to investigate break-ins at his daughter's palazzo. Not long after their arrival a man is murdered when he is thrown off the roof. What insues is a series of investigations that swing from the political intrigue and scandals of 1496 Medici ruled Florence, to the murder and tensions of pre-war 1903.
It took a few chapters to get use to the time jumps between 1496 and 1903, but once that happened it is inevitable that the two stories will intertwine. This book can be read as a standalone, but reading some of the previous books would clarify characters and relationships. I received this ebook from Minotaur Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Emily returns to Italy for a new mystery involving hidden treasure and espionage.

When Emily's husband, Colin, learns that his daughter's Florence villa has been the victim of strange burglaries, the Hargreaves travel to Italy where they meet up with another English gentleman who also does clandestine work for the crown. Shortly after Colin, Emily, and Cecile arrive, a man falls from the rooftop; Colin's colleague reveals that the man was a local--and one of his informants. They are all instantly suspicious of his sudden fall, and suspect that he was dead before he hit the ground. But who wanted him dead? What secrets did this man know? And how does it relate to a secret treasure that is tied to the villa?

Another intriguing Lady Emily mystery, full of many red-herrings, a colorful cast of suspects, and an exploration into the culture and history of Florence.

I've read all 15 books in this series because I love Lady Emily. It's hard to believe there have been 15. This is a quick and easy read which is just what I needed to begin 2021.

Always a fan of Tasha Alexander's work and this one tops the list. Mix in Florence Italy and you have a deep story line and compelling characters. A page turner because you don't want to miss anything

Wow! This book is incredible! It is full of twists and turns, intrigue, history, culture, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "The Dark Heart of Florence", I put on my sleuthing hat, was whisked away to Italy, and went on such a journey with this book.

This is the 15th book in Tasha Alexander's "Lady Emily Mysteries" series, but the first I have read, and I think it can absolutely be read as a stand alone novel as well! Now, I can't wait to go back and read her previous books in the series, and I hope there will be many more as well! Her writing style is so incredible and unique, and she brilliantly brings the story to life. Her characters all feel like such incredibly real people, and you feel like you are right there watching everything occur. She brilliantly weaves history and fiction, and everything flows seamlessly.

Lady Emily, Cécile, Colin, and more are trying to solve a murder in the present (1900's), while Lady Emily and Cecilé also begin to search for a hidden treasure. In the past (1400s), the story follows Mina, a young woman alive during the time of the late-Medici rule in Italy, who loves to read and learn. What unfolds will have you on the edge of your seat guessing what will happen as legends, history, and event after event begins to unfold.

I felt that the alternating timelines of the Early 20th Century and the Late 15th Century worked extremely well. Watching the puzzle pieces of how they connect come together, and how they end up intertwining in that connection, was so gripping.

If you enjoy historical mystery and / or historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! It is truly amazing, and I can't wait to see what mysteries Lady Emily will solve next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book, and to Minotaur Books for sending me a physical ARC as well, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

If you love historical mysteries with wonderful settings, a touch of romance and lots of intrigue, this series is a must read. Best read in order but can be read as a stand alone, the life of Lady Emily and her husband Colin is a great escape. For their fifteenth mystery, Colin is sent to Florence for the Crown and it's so hush-hush that even Emily isn't privy to any of it. With the cover excuse of visiting Colin's newly found grown daughter, Kat's palazzo in Florence, they stop in Paris to pick up Cecile. Emily and Cecile will be company for each other while Colin is doing his job for the Crown.
The focus on Kat's palazzo by Emily and Colin is due to a series of break-ins but soon a death is added to their investigation. Emily and Cecile take us for a tour of Florence and I couldn't have been happier in their company. Florence has always been one of my favorite cities and this brought back all of the sights, sounds, smells - everything came back in vivid detail.
There is only one thing that kept me from giving this a five star review. I have trouble staying immersed in a mystery when there are two voices/two time periods alternating. I want one or the other. Both stories are excellent, the mysteries are well written and the characters are well developed but I too often get frustrated and want to jump ahead. The story of Florence in the 1400's is a real draw for the art history majors out there. Add hidden treasure and this gave me a great escape. I'm looking forward to Emily and Colin's next adventure.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Dark Heart of Florence is the 15th book in the Lady Emily Mystery series by Tasha Alexander. I was extremely late to this party; I didn't come in until book 14. Apparently the mysteries stand alone, and you won't be the least bit lost. This book started out very slowly, but I'm glad I stuck with it, as I ended up being highly entertained.

Lady Emily's husband, Colin Hargreaves, is an agent of the Crown. When there's a series of burglaries at his daughter's palazzo in Italy, it is believed that the crimes may be related to the looming tensions between Britain and Germany in 1903. Colin, along with Lady Emily and her best friend Cecile, head to beautiful Florence, Italy to investigate. They are joined by Colin's fellow agent, Darius Benton-Stone, for assistance. Shortly after arriving, a young man plummets off the roof of the palazzo, landing on the marble floor; it's apparently murder. Colin and Darius must investigate as agents for the Crown, so Lady Emily cannot be involved. Humph! Lady Emily and Cecile will just have to do their own investigation! They soon discover the death may be connected to a hidden treasure dating back to 15th Century Italy during the time of the Medici and the violent fanatic monk, Savonarola. However, the bodies soon start piling up...

As Ms. Alexander did in the previous book, Lady Emily's investigation is intertwined with another story from the past. This time is we are introduced to Mina Portinari, a young woman in 15th Century Florence. I had no idea how she was going to tie the two timelines and stories together, but she did so, and brilliantly. I actually enjoyed Mina's story more than Lady Emily's. It's quite obvious the author did her homework on the history of Renaissance Florence. I almost felt like I was there. I could also feel her love for the area in her beautiful descriptions of Florence and the palazzos. Ms. Alexander's knowledge of art and literature of the 15th century captivated me. The characters all drew me in, but I especially liked Lady Emily and Colin and their private times together. Of course this was a mystery, and a story falls flat if that mystery is too easily solved. I actually had an "I did NOT see that coming!" moment when the culprit was revealed. Here's hoping that Lady Emily and Colin have many more adventures to come!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The Dark Heart of Florence by Tasha Alexander is the latest Lady Emily mystery in which she, her husband Colin, and her friend, Cecile du Lac visit Colin's newly discovered daughter, Kat's home in Italy. It had been left her by her mother and had recently been the object of several break-ins. Colin wanted to investigate. Their arrival was met by the small permanent staff. Colin, who had worked for years as an agent of the crown, was met shortly by a colleague, Darius Benton-Smith, and they were off on whatever case they were currently working, which presumably included investigating the death of the person whose body had flown from the top of the house and landed, unceremoniously, on the floor below. Shocking way to celebrate their arrival! This is a dual timeline novel, the other timeline being the late 15th century and a young woman named Mina, who had a thirst for knowledge uncommon in a woman and strove to meet her needs in uncommon ways. The house was the unifying factor.

I have been following Lady Emily and her travels for years and must comment that this was a totally satisfying entry into her live story. The addition of her little boys and Colin's new daughter has added to the variety her life has always encompassed. She is a very astute woman who uses her situation in 1903 to her advantage as she always has. She married someone who allows her autonomy and shares his life with her, as much as he is able. Colin respects her intelligence and drive and works with her on his team when he is able. The Crown doesn't always allow it. The 15th century portion of the book is about a similar woman but her methods are incredibly different as society is much more stringent in its expectations. Mina found herself in trouble, dealt with it, married, was widowed, and in order to be herself, had to stay that way. She fought society in a frightening time as well. This was an exhilarating romp into two different historical realities. Alexander has done the stories justice. Please read.

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Dark Heart of Florence by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #thedarkheartofflorence

The Dark Heart of Florence by Tasha Alexander
Publication Date: March 9, 2021
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Description from NetGalley...
“In 1903, tensions between Britain and Germany are starting to loom over Europe, something that has not gone unnoticed by Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves. An agent of the Crown, Colin carries the weight of the Empire, but his focus is drawn to Italy by a series of burglaries at his daughter’s palazzo in Florence—burglaries that might have international ramifications. He and Emily travel to Tuscany where, soon after their arrival, a stranger is thrown to his death from the roof onto the marble palazzo floor.

Finding herself excluded from the investigation, Emily secretly launches her own clandestine inquiry into the murder, aided by her spirited and witty friend, Cécile. They soon discover that the palazzo may contain a hidden treasure dating back to the days of the Medici and the violent reign of the fanatic monk, Savonarola—days that resonate in the troubled early twentieth century, an uneasy time full of intrigue, duplicity, and warring ideologies.
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Thank you to @NetGalley @stmartinspress @minotaurbooks for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
She’s back! Tasha Alexander was an auto-buy author for me and I just loved her Lady Emily mystery series. But, I felt after awhile the books were starting to sound the same. So, I passed on her last two books. When I saw this I thought I’d give her a read again. And I’m glad I did! This was an example of why she became an auto-buy and why I enjoyed Lady Emily. Have you been to Florence? I have. And the story transported me back. I appreciated the history woven in the story and the detailed description of the city. I studied the Renaissance and Medici family in high school where my love for history developed. The historical mystery was so well written and the two timelines, 1480 and 1903 were well done. All the books could be stand-alones and all happen in different cities.

IIn this, number 15 in the Lady Emily series, our unconventional, well-to-do heroine and her husband, Colin, travel to Florence on both personal and professional business: burglaries have been occurring in his daughter's palazzo that are suspected to have implications on the broader political theatre. As an agent of the British Crown Colin and his colleague Darius Benton-Stone investigate, leaving Lady Emily feeling left out and frustrated. She and her friend, Cecile de Lac, embark on an investigation of their own, which soon includes a treasure hunt that originates in the time of the Medici. Using the dual timelines (that of 1903 and another of the Renaissance), Alexander weaves a story that portrays a Florence of danger, intrigue, and (of course) bravery and love.

I am a long-time fan of Alexander's, especially of her Lady Emily series, so I'm ecstatic to have received this ARC as provided by the publisher via @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! I have enjoyed seeing our heroine and her relationships evolve over the years. This latest recreates the city of Florence in two historical eras, and the details are thoughtfully and vividly recreated. It was hard for me to engage with the storyline based in Renaissance Florence at first (especially with the blatant foreshadowing and statements of doom and despair, which got annoying). But as the storyline became more developed it was equally as engaging as that of the Victorian era. I found myself starting to eagerly follow the treasure hunt alongside the story behind it.

At the same time I did find this installment to be ever-so-slightly less engaging then the previous books in the series. I felt that Lady Emily's detecting was more forced and less believable than in most of the previous books. She does a lot of interrogating of strangers who are more than willing to share private things with her. But I did appreciate the web of truth and misdirection as she makes her way irrevocably toward the truth, showing that even those who seemed to be transparent were not--in reality--always telling the truth.

#TheDarkHeartofFlorence #NetGalley

I was very excited to win a giveaway from Minotaur Books and NetGalley which allowed me to receive an early copy of the newest book in the Lady Emily mystery series by Tasha Alexander. I am also very happy to be able to share my honest review.

I loved the construction of the book. It goes back and forth in time between Lady Emily’s narration in 1903 and the writing of an Italian noblewoman, Mina, in the late 1400s. This pattern worked perfectly because Lady Emily is trying to discover a treasure, and Mina’s story helps us understand the treasure’s background. Mina’s story was compelling and made me want to keep reading. As for Lady Emily’s story, I was most interested in her relationship with her spy husband because she was very independent and he respected her abilities as a sleuth, even though he couldn’t share everything about his work with her.

This book is a perfect choice for people who love travel and history. The city of Florence is practically a character of its own; rich details about the city really bring it to life. Especially in the 1400s sections, we learn so much about the history of Florence and its artists, nobles, and rulers. The historical detail lends interest to the mysteries Lady Emily is trying to solve, so it is not only fascinating; it has a purpose.

Unsurprisingly, I now desperately want to travel to Italy!! This book intrigues, teaches, and entices. I highly recommend if you are interested in the Medicis or the Italian Renaissance. Just be aware that you will end up yearning for your own Italian adventure!

Readers who like their historical mysteries with even more history than usual will enjoy Tasha Alexander’s latest Lady Emily mystery, The Dark Heart of Florence, set in the years leading up to World War I. Britain and Germany are starting to bump elbows, and as an agent for the British government, Lady Emily’s husband, Colin, is in the thick of things. Only this time, the thick of things is in Florence, where Colin’s newly-found daughter, Kat, has conveniently inherited a palazzo. After a bit of dysfunctional maneuvering, because Colin isn’t supposed to share government information with his wife, the pair head to Florence, picking up Lady Emily’s friend, Cecile, on the way. Oh - and in addition to the spy stuff going on, there might be a hidden treasure somewhere in Kat’s palazzo too.

And that’s where the historical mystery within the historical mystery starts. Author Alexander has woven a second story in and around the first. This one features Mina, a young Florentine girl who chafes at the restrictions placed on women in the mid-to-late 1400s, and treasures her rare chances to stretch her mind, encouraged by her grandfather. Florence in the 1400s was one of the great centers of the Renaissance, so readers get to meet many of the notables of the day (both good and bad) along with Mina – Botticelli, the de Medici’s, Savonarola, and others. In fact, the city itself almost feels like another character. And eventually the two story lines do tie together.

Much as with Alexander’s previous “story-within-a-story” book, In the Shadow of Vesuvius, I liked both of the story lines. I might have preferred to read them separately though – I kept getting into one, only to have the narrative flip to the other one. Alexander seems to have made a bit of a habit of the “story-within-a-story” recently, but I think I’d prefer to have the focus stay on the main characters: Lady Emily and Colin, and their family and friends. (Kat, anyone?) Even with these minor issues, I still enjoyed the book a lot, and my four-star rating is a solid “read” recommendation, since I keep five-stars for a very very few books – maybe one in thirty or forty that I read. But I sort of hope that the series returns to Lady Emily stand-alones in the future.

Finally, I’d like to express my thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books, and to NetGalley, for the advance review copy.

An assignment for Colin Hargreaves, an agent of the Crown, brings His wife Lady Emily and her friend Cecile to his daughter’s palazzo in Florence. The palazzo has recently been broken into twice and shortly after their arrival the body of an informant is discovered in their courtyard. Working with fellow agent Darius Benton-Smith, Colin must discover the informant’s murderer and his tie to his current assignment. While he refuses to discuss his assignment with Emily, she is no stranger to investigations and is determined to investigate along with Cecile. The walls of the palazzo contain quotations and notations and there is a rumor that there is a treasure hidden there. Emily and Cecile use research on the palazzo’s history and a treasure hunt to cover their activities.

Tasha Alexander’s story takes place in two time periods, told in alternating chapters. While Colin and Emily pursue their investigations in 1903, she also introduces Mina Portinari in the 1400s. Mina’s love of literature is shared with Father Cambio. Their discussions eventually lead to growing feelings and an affair ensues. When Mina becomes pregnant she is betrayed by Father Cambio. She eventually marries and moves to the palazzo that is now owned by Hargreaves’ daughter, but she has made an enemy for life. Her story continues through the fall of the Medicis and the rise of Savonarola. Interpreting Mina’s writings on the wall leads to a final confrontation that puts both Colin and Emily in danger and solves a mystery that has stood for hundreds of years. This is a story that will not only please mystery fans, but also those readers who love historical fiction. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for providing this book for my review.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. The Dark Heart of Florence is the latest title in the long running Lady Emily mystery series and as such, many readers may not want to start in the middle of the series. The story begins with Emily and Collin journeying to Florence after Colin is asked to visit to help out a colleague with an investigation after Emily overheard a conversation between her husband and his superior. Joining Colin and Emily is her good friend Cecile accompanies them. While in Florence, they stay at the home her recently discovered step-daughter inherited from her mother. Shortly after their arrival, a dead man falls into the courtyard of the house and Colin and his colleague, Darius Benton-Smith work to investigate the death and insist that Emily and Cecile not involve themselves as it may tie to work the two are engaged in on behalf of British Empire. Emily and Cecile of course can't leave matters entirely alone and investigate along a parallel path including finding out more about the dead man. There are some interesting twist in the "modern" mystery that kept me interested.

As with the more recent titles in the series, there is also a historical story that ties into the current day storyline set this time in late 15th century Florence. It features a young woman named Mina who is highly educated for a young lady of the day and spends time among the city's academic and economic elite in the company of her grandfather. When she is facing a lifetime of a more traditional role when her mother determines she is ready to marry, Mina finds herself drawn to a charismatic young priest. The rest of this storyline follows Mina in the time that follows ending after the rise and fall of Savanarola. I enjoyed the historical aspect of a period I wasn't familiar with, but didn't enjoy it as much as I have some of the more recent titles in the series.

Overall, I enjoyed this title and found it to be a strong entry in the long running series. I'm hoping that we get to see more of Emily and Colin's three young boys as they continue to grow-up. The glimpses into their personalities that we get every now and them have me very interested in getting to know them better.

The Dark Heart of Florence – Lady Emily Mysteries Book 15
By Tasha Alexander
Minotaur Books
Pub date: 3/9/2021

This installation in the Lady Emily Mystery Series takes Emily, her husband Colin Hargreaves, and Emily’s friend, Cécile to Florence, Italy where they are immediately caught up in a murder mystery. The trio are joined by one of Colin’s fellow Crown spies, Darius Benton-Stone. Colin and Darius tackle the murder while Emily and Cécile look for a treasure that is rumored to be in the palazzo in which they are staying, which happens to be the inherited home of Lady Emily’s stepdaughter, Kate.

To unravel the mystery of the hidden treasure, Alexander bounces the reader back and forth between Emily and Cécile in 1903, and a woman named Mina who lived in Florence in the mid-1400s. Many of the Renaissance’s famous names are present here, including the Medici’s, Botticelli, and Savonarola.

The “current day” mystery is intriguing, but I found Mina’s story more impactful. Of course, I love the history that is told of that time, and although it is a fictionalized account, there is enough truth to make the story compelling. I also learned where the saying, “bonfire of the vanities” came from.

I was a little irritated with Colin that he got information from Emily but didn’t reciprocate. I know he works for the Crown and his work should be private, but maybe if he at least gave her hints, they would not be constantly working at cross-purposes. I also found the story a little slow at times. I did, however, enjoy the friendship between Emily and Cécile. It is nice to see strong female relationships.

This is my first Lady Emily Mystery, but it will not be my last.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lady Emily shows the way again!

Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves head to Florence to investigate robberies at his daughter’s palazzo in Florence. Just after they arrive a man falls to his death from the roof.
It’s 1903 and tensions are rising between Germany and England, Colin as an agent of the Crown has government affairs to distill particularly given the death. He’s assisted by his associate Darius Benton-Stone. Emily can’t be involved in affairs of state. (Have to love the relationship between Colin and Emily!)
Emily is decidedly put out, however her friend Cécile (who’s amazing!!) joins her in rather interesting methods of investigating the matter. What they run into is the widely held belief that there’s treasure hidden in the palazzo and that all treasure seekers will die. (Hence the obviousness of the death that’s just happened). Rather than deterring these two very clever women it spurs them on to not only get to the bottom of the murder but too solve the puzzle of the lost treasure.
Running alongside is the story of Florence and the residents of the palazzo in the latter days of the Medici. This was even more fascinating!
I loved the way these stories dovetailed as the search for the dealers of death takes flight.
For me the interweaving of these stories worked fabulously and took the Lady Emily mysteries to a new high.

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The place where Lady Emily and her husband and their friends are staying in Florence is reported to have a hidden treasure but those who try to find it are killed. That's one mystery. There's also the deaths of others that they can't help but try to figure out whodunit.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tasha Alexander once again proves her writing chops with this new historical fiction.

Set alternatively in 15th and 20th century Florence, two overlapping mysteries will keep the reader guessing until the very end. Highly recommended.

Not a chance that Lady Emily will heed her husband Colin Hargreaves request that she stay away from his investigation into murders and theft in Florence. He's got his colleague Darius Benton-Stone and she's got Cecile as a partner. It's 1903 and Florence is beginning to whisper with hints of problems to come between Germany and Britain (as well as everyone else) so there's concern that there's more to the events at Colin's daughter Kat's palazzo than meets the eye. Lady Emily and Cecile discover there's also the possibility of a missing treasure. How does the story of Mena, set in the 14th century link in? No spoilers from me but one of the charms of this series (besides the mysteries of course) is the chance to read a bit about a woman from another time. Alexander is terrific at evoking Florence no matter the tine frame (boy do I wish we could all travel!). The characters are good (love the byplay between them), the mysteries sufficiently engaging, and the storytelling is smooth. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I've only read a couple in this series and was fine with this (there's enough background) as more or less a standalone. It reminded me, however how much enjoyed it and now I'm looking forward to the next installment.

If you've never heard of Savonarola you will love this book! I only knew his name, but didn't know anything about him. He and the Medici's are important characters in The Dark Heart of Florence, and I found it absolutely fascinating. I had not read any books in the Lady Emily Series in a couple of years. I had stopped reading them after Book 6, but then I won an ARC of The Dark Heart of Florence, and was curious to see how much Colin and Emily had changed over the years.

There were not as many changes as I had imagined. One new thing was that Colin met a daughter he never knew existed. This happened in Book 14, In the Shadow of Vesuvius. I was so intrigued, that I read that book right after I finished this one.

Another new (to me) development is the format of the last few books. TA started to write dual timeline stories starting with Book 13, Uneasy Lies the Crown, where one story takes place in their present time and the other takes place sometime in the past. There is a connection between the past and their present, and the investigation seeks to find out what it is. Although some readers don't like this format, I loved it.

Even though I enjoyed this book very much, I found that I liked the story that is set in the past much better. I absolutely loved Mina's story (set in 15th century Florence)! In the previous book, In the Shadow of Vesuvius, I loved that historical story better also. I noticed that TA writes historical fiction with much more empathy for her heroines than she does for Emily. Often I find Emily cold, or snarky, and there is so much time devoted to providing Red Herrings, that the story gets bogged down in details that lead nowhere. IMO there isn't enough character development even though that part of the book is much longer.

I enjoyed this book so much, that I plan to return to the series. I didn't realize that I would miss Cecile, Ivy, Jeremy, and Margaret that much.
#TheDarkHeartofFlorence #NetGalley