I have never read a book by this author before, certainly never one in this series. Normally, I wouldn't have read a book that was so deep into a series, but this one sounded really intriguing. And intriguing it was. However, it was also confusing as the two different timelines seemed to have nothing at all to do with each other - at least not until you get to the very last chapter. In my opinion, the timeline during the Iron Age in Britannia during the Roman takeover was interesting.

This was an interesting and complicated mystery set during 1907 Britain among the "upper" classes. And of course, the murderer was never someone I thought of. It was a twist that surprised the heck out of me.

This was a well-written mystery, and well worth the time to read. I'm not sure if it was compelling enough for me to read the others in this series, but I was glad I had read this one.

*This ARC was supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books/Macmillan, the author, and NetGalley.

I had a hard time getting into this one. It felt very generic, with little of the supporting characters that have always made the Lady Emily novels such fun. That said, it was still a satisfying historical mystery.

In 1907 London, Lady Emily and her devoted husband Colin, are asked by the King to investigate the murder of popular society debutant, Victoria Goldsmith. She was poisoned at her formal engagement ball. As clues are unearthed, a secret society of suffragettes, is revealed. Was Victoria a member, or was she murdered by a jealous suitor? Clues abound, as Lady Emily risks her standing in London Society to find the killer.

I am usually a fan of dual timelines, but this one felt contrived. The story of British Warrior Queen Boudicca, in AD 60, was superfluous to the main story. The author’s modern vernacular was a distraction to the time period of the book.

3.75 stars rounded up. I enjoyed this one! When I requested the eArc, I didn't realize this was part of the Lady Emily series. I definitely think you can read it as a standalone but it would probably be helpful to get the characters' backstories. Either way, it was such an engaging and fast read. The mystery was well-developed and I was very surprised with the ending. Will definitely be checking out more from Tasha Alexander.

All of Tasha Alexander’s books are deliciously enjoyable, some more than others, but all of them a pure pleasure to read. The 19th novel in this series is no exception. This installment finds Lady Emily in 1907 London, being asked (along with her dashing husband) to look into the mysterious death of the most fabulous debutante of the season, Victoria Goldsborough, who collapsed in her fiancée’s arms while waltzing. That is merely the prologue.

Alexander always has a very well-done traditional mystery at the center of her novels, complete with all the golden age tools – red herrings, clever investigative set backs, surprising turns and reveals. This book has an especially good and surprising mystery at its core. One of the things Emily and Colin manage to unearth is that Victoria was part of a secret suffragette group who were hoping to change things from the inside (to say much more would be a spoiler).

Suffragettes are top of mind for many of the women in the book, either for or against. Emily of course is all in favor of women’s rights; her conservative mother thinks suffragettes are simply a ridiculous scandal. As Emily is operating in a very non traditional manner – with the full support of an enlightened husband – this is not a surprise. To her butler’s displeasure, she drinks port with the gentlemen after dinner and even has the occasional cigar.

Alexander always has a dual storyline, one set in the past, one in Emily’s present. The past story is set in the time of Queen Boudica, the warrior Queen who led a revolt against the Romans in AD 60. While she was ultimately defeated, she remains a symbol of resistance against an oppressor. The story in the past, while it contains Boudica, mostly follows a young woman named Vatta, who does not feel she fits into her tribe very well and is being courted by a prominent Roman. She also befriends Boudica, giving Vatta some status in her community.

Both storylines were compelling. I knew next to nothing about Boudica, other than her name, and I enjoyed learning about her and the time period. The toggling between storylines also sets up nice cliff hangers at the end of each chapter, a very effective narrative device. Sometimes I was more eager to return to one storyline or the other, but the chapters are short, so the cliffhangers are quickly resolved.

The resolution of the mystery in Lady Emily’s storyline was both heartbreaking and surprising. I didn’t see the ending coming and after 19 books into this series – chef’s kiss to this clever and endlessly inventive author. The resolution of the Iron Age storyline was just heartbreaking. I appreciated the history lesson, and I loved my annual reunion with Lady Emily.

It's been a while since I picked up a Lady Emily book. Her life has progressed, she and Colin Hargreaves are married, but she still continues to aggravate her mother by investigating mysteries. Colin supports her in all things since he is just as interested in providing justice as Emily is. Lady Victoria Goldsborough drops dead at a ball, having been poisoned by drinking a concoction of yew leaves. Colin and Emily immediately begin to investigate. They are helped by Sebastian Caput, a gentleman thief, who fancies himself in love with Emily. Meanwhile, an alternative storyline is also laid out involving Boudica and the Roman incursion into Britannia in the first century. This storyline has a direct impact on what is happening in 1907 London. After a second murder occurs, using the same method of yew poisoning, Colin and Emily discover Lady Victoria was a founding member of The Sisterhood of Boudica, a suffragette group wanting to bring women the right to vote. Did this secret have an impact on the two murders? Who was to gain by killing two lovely young women at the height of the social Season in London? An appealing read with some clever protagonists.

This installment of Lady Emily’s adventures focused on the London season and Boudica’s Iron Age. As usual, a mysterious death calls for Lady Emily’s investigative techniques, and we spend the season looking for the suspect that committed horrific acts. Meanwhile, we get up close encounters with Lady Emily’s mother, Lady Bromley, who is as usual a thorn in her side. The historic half of the book covers the Roman invasion of the Iceni’s land and the confusion and horrors that more have come with it. I enjoyed learning about Boudica and her defense of her people, and how the historical piece ultimately tied with the mystery’s storyline. The murderer was not who I suspected, but the bread crumbs were laid out well throughout the book for us to get there at the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and can’t believe we need to wait at least another year before the next.

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and Tasha Alexander for the ARC.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own. The Sisterhood is the latest in the long running Lady Emily series set the early 1900s. After the death of the granddaughter of a close friend of her mother's, Lady Emily and Colin find themselves investigating her murder. The more the look into the young woman, the more confused they are about who she really was. Was she the very image of young lady who wanted nothing more than marriage and motherhood while being guided in all things by her husband, or was she a supporter of women's rights and part of a mysterious group called the sisterhood? When another young lady is murdered, their investigation becomes even more important. As with later books in the series, the time is split with "historical: tale that relates in some manner to the "current day", which in this case features the Romans and Boadicea around 60 AD. I enjoyed the mystery more than the previous book and thought it was well done. I also liked the appearance of Sebastian Capet who we hadn't seen in quite a while, but would have enjoyed Emily's three boys starting to make a larger appearance as they age. Overall, it was a good read and I will continue with the series as long as the author continues to write it.

2.75/5 stars

Full disclosure. I had read exactly one Lady Emily before this 19th outing. So, while I don't have the history with the series that I normally like to have when reading an arc, I actually had very little problem picking up on the relationships, backstories, etc. I had meant to get back to the series after reading the initial book 3 years ago but have not.

While well written, I don't think this series is for me. I won't go into details because I don't feel that's fair since I've stated that I don't have a longstanding connection with Lady Emily. I'll just suffice it to say that it wasn't my cup of tea as far as historical mysteries are concerned and leave it there. I am assured that Lady Emily fans will find it as wonderful as they have previous outings.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of The Sisterhood for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Know that this latest in the long running series will be just fine as a standalone and that it's got a dual time line themed around women's rights. Lady Victoria dies at her engagement ball, which is shocking enough but then it turns out she's been a secret (sort of) suffragette. On the alternate time line, Vatta is a Roman woman associated with Boudica who is finding herself. Lady Emily and her husband Colin find themselves working at a feverish pace uncover the villain who poisoned Victoria but they aren't fast enough to protect another. The two story lines don't seem to work toward one another until they do (as is always the case in Alexander's books). Emily and Colin make good use of their connections and they work really well together. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical mysteries.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Sept. 23, 2025
“The Sisterhood” by Tasha Alexander is the nineteenth novel in the Lady Emily mystery series. Fans of “Bridgerton” will love Alexander’s early twentieth-century drama, with not one, but two, intriguing murders.
When the Season’s most eligible debutante, Victoria Goldsborough, collapses and dies during a waltz with her intended, Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, are called in to investigate. With the entirety of society up in arms and grieving over the loss, everyone claims that no one could have possibly wanted Victoria dead. Except Victoria has secrets that may have made her a few enemies, some of them very dangerous ones. When the Hargreaves find themselves in the middle of yet another murder investigation, they scramble to find connections between Victoria and the other young debutante, Cressida, before another socialite is targeted.
Alexander’s “Sisterhood” takes place in England during the early 1900s, where women are responsible for marrying “into the right family” and raising a family, while men are responsible for pretty much everything else. Before the right to vote, Victoria and her allies secretly back the suffragette movement, which creates its fair share of enemies for the young woman yet inspires readers to root for her. There are many themes throughout Alexander’s novel that showcase the negative impacts of a patriarchal society, where women have little to no rights, not even to their own bodies, but this only adds to the readers’ rally cry.
This dual-timeline novel primarily features Emily and her husband, Colin, in 1907, but there are also snippets from the Roman era, when Queen Boudica reigned. Although both storylines are seemingly unrelated, they do come together at the very end of the novel in a surprising and enjoyable way. Although a less prominent storyline, I enjoyed learning about the Queen and the cruel savagery of this period in history.
“Sisterhood” is only the second novel in this series that I’ve read, but I’ve somehow managed to follow along on Emily’s adventures without feeling lost. Clearly, it is not necessary to read these stories in any kind of order, which is a good thing with a series with so many installments.
I loved the murder mystery aspect, combined with the underhanded manipulations of the popularity-seeking Society set. There were many characters, as each Royal home came with household staff outside of the families themselves, but each character was unique in their own way and easy to differentiate. Although the path to the ending was labyrinthine, full of plot twists and surprises, the reveal of the murderer was unexpected but satisfying. Alexander’s multi-faceted plot all connected seamlessly by the final pages, with all of the characters storylines ending in believable ways. I look forward to seeing where Lady Emily takes us next.

I have a whole review for this book, but I'm just going to say it was not my brand. It's not offensive or anything, but I wish I had DNFed it. I had this wild hope it would turn a corner for me! Alas...

Thank you to Tasha Alexander, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc. All views are mine.

⭐⭐⭐

The Sisterhood
Author: Tasha Alexander
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: September 23, 2025

The Sisterhood’ is a book that’s a bit of a wild ride. It’s a historical novel with a bunch of different storylines. First, there’s Boudica, the warrior queen fighting the Roman armies in Britain. Then, it switches to London, where girls hunt for a husband. And then, we learn more about the suffragettes trying to get the vote for British women. Oh, and there’s a murder mystery too! I know, I know, it’s a lot to take in. I’m running out of space to describe all the other crazy subplots. Can you tell that it had at least three too many? I would have loved a murder mystery with a high society female detective and her husband solving crimes. But it wasn’t a bad book, just not my cup of tea. #TheSisterhood @netgalley @minotaur_books #murder #suffragettes #womensrights #rape #poison #detectives #secretsocieties #wearebookish #netgalleyreviewer #book #bookish #books #historicalfiction

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

I didn't realize this was part of a series until I started reading it, so I was a little lost with the characters. I liked the mystery overall, but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I would have if I had read others in the series. Anyone who likes the prior books should like this one though!

A very good mystery. I was very surprised when the killer was revealed. This covers the early 1900s and Boudica's time. When a newly engaged young woman falls on the dance floor and dies, Emily decides that she and her husband, Colin, must be the ones to investigate. The young woman is a friend of her family and Emily's mother blames Emily because she wasn't at the ball. What? As they investigate, they run across a lot of side issues that keep them busy. When a second young woman dies, Emily and Colin feel they have to reevaluate what they know. The young ladies do not seem to have anything in common. With her mother's interference and some red herrings, it makes it very difficult, but Emily is sure they will be able to piece it all together. They just have to find the right clues.

I really enjoyed this book. I have read several books by Tasha Alexander and I always enjoy them. I

I love reading stories with female sleuths, especially if they are set in a different era, and this is my first time reading one of the Lady Emily series. I very much enjoyed the deductive aspect of the book, as well as the societal rules and limitations that Lady Emily must operate under.

The Boudica storyline was intriguing, I'm familiar with the Queen of the Iceni and loved seeing her even if we know how her story ends. How she continued to be a symbol even to the current timeline in the book was heartwarming. What wasn't was the reveal of how everything happened, I simply cannot understand how the villain could have done something like this, but I suppose much good and much evil are done in the name of family money and reputation.

I would love to start this series from the beginning, as Lady Emily seems like an excellent main character to follow.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Historical, Mystery, Victorian Mystery, British Literature
Spice Level: I finished this a while ago, but I don't remember anything on the page except fade to black. However, there are mentions of "grape" several times as part of the motivation of characters.
Format: Dual time period
Readability: I didn't realize it was part of a series and didn't have any problem picking up where this book started.

THE SISTERHOOD, is about the strength of women.

Characters:

- Vatta, a friend of Boudica, from 60 AD when the Romans were in Britain
- Lady Emily, an Edwardian from the early 1900s, is tasked with finding out who poisoned and murdered a debutante

The intersection of the two storylines takes a long time to happen, and that through me off a little. I was initially confused when the time period changed because I was having my phone read to me while I cooked. That was probably a me problem.

I enjoyed this book and learning more about Boudica's time period as well as the more familiar Georgian era mystery. The story walks the line between cozy and gruesome adroitly; and I believe mystery readers will enjoy it. There were moments when it reminded me a little of Elizabeth Peter's famous mystery series. And there are moments where I laughed.

Vatta doesn't seem to fit into society, and some believe she is a traitor. She fights for her place and is trusted by Boudica. Ultimately, she must choose her own destiny.

Lady Emily faces dual pressures of maintaining ladylike standards and solving a murder. Suffragettes, secret societies, a master thief, and betrayals add complications for Emily.

Happy reading!

I breezed through this mystery and must say it’s not really worthy of a review. It’s silly and the premise is hard to believe. It’s a British rom com in the early nineteenth century. With a couple who fancied themselves sleuths. They gad about the rich and famous detecting and solving crimes.
Skip it.