This on started out a little slow for me. I wasn't sure I would make it through the first couple of chapters. However, once it picked up, I was invested and needed to know the final outcome. The sub plot confused me at first. It wasn't clear what it had to do with the main story when first introduced, but once it was revealed, the back and forth was more fluid and less distracting. As a female, the general social aspect of that time period was infuriating, so job well done in getting that point across. There were several characters I would love to be able to slap in the face, then shake to ask what in the world is wrong with them! I became especially protective of the FMC. In my final thoughts, the only 2 things that I might tweak, would be introducing the connection to the main and sub plots earlier, and explaining the relationship between Lady Emily and Sebastian for those that might read it not realizing it is part of a series.

Lady Emily and her second husband, Colin Hargreaves, are asked to investigate the startling murder of a debutante affianced to a popular Viscount and then the associated theft of a valuable tiara on the same night. The story has a dual timeline of 1907 England and the middle first century time of Queen Boudicca. The characters are interesting and well developed, the backgrounds and worldbuilding strong, and the twists make it unputdownable.
I was only disappointed that there were no end credits regarding the historical facts and acknowledgement of any adjustments in time for the sake of the story.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Sep 23, 2025 ***** #Goodreads #bookbub #storygraph #librarything
#TheSisterhood by @tasha_alexander #LadyEmilySeries Bk19 @stmartinspress @minotaur_books
#poison #jeweltheft #Boudica #romanarmy #VictorianEngland #investigation #classissues #twisty #historicalfiction #dualtimeline #historicalplacesevents #historicalresearch #suffragettes #secrets

In this latest installment of the Lady Emily series a debutante dies suddenly at her engagement ball. Emily and her husband Colin are called upon to discover who would want to murder the season's most accomplished young woman. When a second debutante is poisoned, the race is on to find a killer before they strike again. There is a dual storyline involving a young woman who becomes friends with Boudica the warrior queen of ancient Britain.

This is an enjoyable mystery - good for fans of Lady Emily, but also for those interested in the roles women have had to play in society in order to make their voices heard. I enjoyed both timelines. Although it was not clear at first how the ancient story related to the more modern one, Alexander does a good job of linking them.

As the reader discovers more about the murdered debutante it becomes clear why she was in a position to develop enemies. Even so, the identity of the murderer came as a real surprise to me and highlighted just how desperate a woman's position in Edwardian England could be. This is a good book for anyone looking for a cozy historical mystery. It is not necessary to have read the other books in this series to appreciate this one.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"The Sisterhood" is a mystery set in 1907 in England. There's also a secondary story going on in 60 that tells about Boudica's revolt, which is only linked to the main story because someone found a tomb they thought might be Boudica's. This book is the 19th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this story didn't spoil the mysteries of the previous books.

Historical and setting details were woven into the story without slowing the pacing. The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. I was mildly frustrated that Emily and Colin didn't ask very good questions and went off on tangents, discovering a lot of information relating to possible motives while dropping the question of who could have given the poison. When they finally asked the right questions and got proof of whodunit, the reader wasn't allowed to know whodunit until the reveal (though I had finally worked out whodunit shortly before). The 'why' for the first murder was explained, but details about the second murder were sparse and seemed to conflict with some previous information on timing. The story ended abruptly, leaving a lot of loose ends.

There were no sex scenes, though married sex was implied. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery, but I enjoyed this author's earlier mysteries better.

I genuinely enjoyed reading this book! It was a nice change to some of the other books and ARCs I've been reading, so I'm thrilled that I was asked by St. Martin's Press to read and review this book.

Lady Emily is exceedingly good at many things. Solving mysteries and/or murders with her charming husband, turning away excessive proposals by thieves (I want to read more books just for Mr. Paget's character), campaigning for women's rights, etc. Her character is so fun and smart and I love that she's not like the other society misses.

Anyway, the society's darling, a girl with my name, was murdered (that was fun to read about)! Poisoned with a brew of yew. But who could've done it? The fiancé? His best friend? Her best friend? A person in debt? A maid? Someone else? I have to admit; I never would've guessed the right answer and the twist was so good! I also loved the pops of history every other chapter.

Overall, giving 4.25 because while I loved it, it wasn't holding my interest as well as some of the other books I've been reading. I think I would've rated it higher if I had read any of the other books in this series, but I plan to remedy that soon.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Tasha Alexander, and NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own despite being asked to read and review the book in question.

When a beautiful debutante collapses and dies at a society party, everyone is a suspect. Emily and Colin use their social skills and connections to discover who would want to kill Victoria. The side plot of the story of Boudica in early Roman days was also very interesting. Beautifully written, I enjoy this series immensely.

Another dual timeline mystery from Alexander. Perhaps because I find the setting of the flashbacks fascinating, I enjoyed it more than some others. While Lady Emily is solving a mystery that revolves around the possibility of having discovered the legendary Iceni queen, Boudica, who lead a revolt against the Roman occupation of Britain, the second timeline follows a companion of the queen. An intriguing mystery and interesting history in a solid series entry.

It's been a while since I read a Lady Emily mystery and I was pleased to be immediately drawn back in to another engaging storyline. I usually don't like books with alternating POVs happening in different time periods but I looked this one. The Britannia storyline was fascinating and kept me wondering how it would connect back to the mystery.

I'm not sure I'm fully sold on the reveal. But I also didn't find it entirely implausible.

I feel like this is a book where you need to have read previous books in the series. While I liked it well enough to read more of her series, it wasn’t as easy to follow along or get into the characters as I would have liked. I felt like the characters had a comfortable routine and relationships that were already expressed in previous books and it made it a bit difficult to really get into. That being said, I appreciated how they didn’t make the killer obvious. I had my eye in a very different person, who just seemed very guilty, along with another character I was suspicious of. I was quite surprised by the killer, but once explained I saw their reason for their motive and it worked quite well. It did have a bit oof a cliffhanger feel, like some things were left unresolved, but that may be remedied in the next book. I do recommend it for people who enjoy regency romances. I felt the author did a good job keeping in character with the times. I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Why have I not heard of this author before?!?! I could not shake this story for days! It was chilling. And the characters were so realistic!

I enjoyed the book and kept me guessing to the end. Nice little period mystery and lots of secrets to be discovered. This is an ongoing series, but easy to pick up in the middle.

This is the first Lady Emily mystery that I have read. I admit I skimmed the "Boudica" chapters but the London setting and plot premise intrigued me. I especially enjoyed the character development and the surprise ending.

3.25 stars

Another strong story by Tasha Alexander for the Lady Emily series! This one has Emily and Colin, her husband, attempting to solve the mystery of a debutante death. Victoria Goldsborough was the season's diamond, engaged to the coveted Lord Harrington. Unfortunately, on the night celebrating their engagement, Victoria is poisoned and dies dramatically at the ball. Lady Emily is on the case, and the more she digs, the more confusing the situation becomes.

Overall, I've always enjoyed the Lady Emily stories. I like Emily herself, of course, and her husband. This particular novel doesn't have much time devoted to their relationship, but it is always nice to see when "happily ever afters" continue to healthy, communicative relationships. Sebastian always is a fun little surprise as well. This novel is also a novel of halves. Half of the story is devoted to the "current" day mystery in London, and the other is about Boudica, an ancient warrior queen. I candidly admit I was not invested in Boudica's story very much, and didn't really connect with those chapters. For me, I was only engaged with Lady Emily's story, which is why the rating is lower than usual for one of Tasha Alexander's stories. That said, Alexander is excellent at writing a good mystery, and I found myself genuinely surprised by the killer at the end. I thought the mystery itself was well-done, and the characters we were introduced to, such as Victoria's sister and best friend, and even her rival, were nuanced and interesting. I eagerly await the next installment in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy review. All opinions are my own.

When the most eligible bachelor of the season is taken off the market by the lovely, beautiful and secretive Victoria Goldsborough it was sure to produce some ill feelings towards the young lady from those who had planned to capture the marquess' heart that season. When she is poisoned at a ball, Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves are called to solve the crime. As the investigation goes on Lady Emily knows that some of the suspects are not being truthful with her and when a second debutante falls to the same poison, Lady Emily and Colin must redouble their efforts to find the killer.
Told in alternating chapters between London of 1903 and ancient Britain the two story lines eventually tie together. We meet Boudica, the ancient warrior queen whose husband is tricked by the invading Romans and her friend Vatta, who does not want a traditional life and finds herself torn between duty to her tribe and her hunger for the scholarship the Romans offer. A known thief in modern London is connected to both Boudica and Lady Emily and is the vehicle for melding these two tales together.
Best read by lovers of 1900's England protocol and sleuthing by using one's brains.

In 1907 London, a glamourous young debutante collapses and dies at the ball held in honour of her engagement to a most eligible peer. When a poisoned drink is determined to be the cause, Lady Emily and Lord Hargreaves investigate at the King’s request. There is no shortage of viable suspects, including the fiancé, jilted suitors, a jewel thief, and jealous rivals. The centuries old story of Boudicca is woven throughout the mystery, providing a fierce female leader as inspiration for the suffrage movement featured in the novel.

I thought I knew what to expect with this mystery novel set in the era of the marriage market, ballrooms and swoons over eligible peers of the realm. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by a mystery with a historical element of surprising depth and interest. I note that some reviewers did not care for the layering of the 1900s murder storyline with the historical narrative set in Britannia, and felt it did not add anything to the story.

I must respectfully disagree in the strongest terms with this assessment. The reader easily slips back and forth between the two periods, with the Britannia narrative being the more interesting of the two in my opinion. Not only that, but it ties in very neatly with the modern murder story and provides a little “a-ha” moment as well. Not being interested in clandestine rendezvous and heaving bosoms, I feel that the art thievery, history and murder all converge very nicely to deliver an entertaining murder mystery. Thank you to Minotaur for the copy to read, which I greatly enjoyed,

Quite an excellent next installment in this thrilling series! Murder, intrigue and manners all combined. I can’t wait for the publication date to see what historical notes the author chooses to include at the end as she often does. Highly recommend!!

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

It’s been awhile since I have read a Lady Ashton mystery, so it was nice to find that I still enjoyed the writing and the characters. Why was the debutant poisoned at the party. Was it revenge or jealousy? You’ll have to read the mystery to find out the answers.
Goodreads

The Sisterhood totally pulled me in with its mix of history, mystery, and strong female characters. I didn’t know exactly what to expect going in, but once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked. Tasha Alexander knows how to create atmosphere, and the setting really added to the story’s tension and intrigue.

What I loved most was how the story blended the past and present without it feeling forced. The characters felt fully developed, especially the women at the center of it all. Their loyalty, secrets, and personal struggles gave the story real weight, and I found myself wanting to know more about each of them.

If you like historical fiction with a bit of suspense and a focus on the bonds between women, The Sisterhood is a great pick. It’s one of those books that made me want to slow down and savor the details, but also had me flipping pages to find out what happened next.

Quick and relaxing read. Something I would take with me on vacation! Highly recommended if you like romance as well.

Another twisty mystery for Lady Emily to solve, this one closer to home than the last several books. There were many suspects, including one familiar face. Though the killer had a strong motive, I did not figure out who it was before the big reveal.

I found the other story, set in 60 AD, interesting too. Vatta, the main character of that timeline, was caught between two worlds, not fitting well in either. It felt more modern to me than the setting, though. I wonder if it would have felt more authentic to the time if that section had been in third person?

Overall, I enjoyed this read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the early read.