Lady Of Ashes

1. Mystery

My copy was an advance reader copy from the first reads program (yay).And it would seem that Lady of Ashes is the first in a new series by Trent. I look forward to others as they come out. What a thoroughly fascinating book, not so much because of the plot, but because of the main character and the wealth of detail about Victorian mores and little known (to me) British and US history.

Includes reading group guide and discussion questions. Only a woman with an iron backbone could succeed as an undertaker in Victorian London, but Violet Morgan takes great pride in her trade. While her husband, Graham, is preoccupied with elevating their station in society, Violet is cultivating a sterling reputation for Morgan Undertaking. She is empathetic, well-versed in funeral fashions, and comfortable with death's role in life-until its chilling rattle comes knocking on her own front door. Violet's peculiar but happy life soon begins to unravel as Graham becomes obsessed with his own demons and all but abandons her as he plans a vengeful scheme. And the solace she's always found in her work evaporates like a departing soul when she suspects that some of the deceased she's dressed have been murdered. When Graham's plotting leads to his disappearance, Violet takes full control of the business and is commissioned for an undertaking of royal proportions.

But she's certain there's a killer lurking in the London fog, and the next funeral may be her own. Equal parts courage, compassion, and intrigue, Christine Trent tells an unrestrained tale of love and loss in the rigidly decorous world of Victorian society.

Praise for the novels of Christine Trent 'Genuinely engrossing.with a rare Regency heroine who loves her work and does it well.' Publishers Weekly on By the King's Design 'Exuberant, sparkling, beguiling.brims with Dickensian gusto!' -Barbara Kyle, author of The Queen's Lady on The Queen's Dollmaker 'Winningly original.glittering with atmospheric detail!' -Leslie Carroll, author of Royal Affairs on The Queen's Dollmaker. My copy was an advance reader copy from the first reads program (yay).And it would seem that Lady of Ashes is the first in a new series by Trent. I look forward to others as they come out. What a thoroughly fascinating book, not so much because of the plot, but because of the main character and the wealth of detail about Victorian mores and little known (to me) British and US history.

This is the first book in the series, had I read it first I would never have read any more in the series. Violet Morgan is working in her husband's funerary business as an undertaker. Violet discovers Susannah, a child of 9 sleeping in one of the coffins. Susannah has run away from a workhouse after the death of her mother.

Violet takes Susannah back to the workhouse but is so appalled by the attitude of the Matron & the conditions of the place that Violet adopts Susannah and begins teaching her the funerary business. Violet & Susannah are on the train back from the workhouse, when Susannah comes across a woman, whom she fears, from her past. While on the train there is a terrible accident; Violet suffers a badly mangled arm and Susannah disappears. Violet's verbally abusive husband Graham & his brother Fletcher have embarked upon a shady business deal, which will eventually be their undoing, with Samuel Harper, a lawyer from Colorado. Samuel becomes enchanted w/ Violet & Susannah and endeavors to protect them from Graham's undoing.

The Adams (not Addams) family, along w/ Samuel Hunter is working w/ the British government to contain the Confederacy and put a halt to British privateers intent on slipping through the blockade. Violet meets Albert, the Prince Consort, while attending to the remains of a former Admiral (?) and is later requested by Albert to handle his funeral, which Queen Victoria reluctantly agrees to. There is also a serial killer on the loose; noted throughout the book by cryptic journal entries, which eventually reveals that Violet has been targeted. This was just all too much for me. And to make matters worse, there were 4 additional long side stories as well. The parts about Violet's husband's illicit business dealings w/ Sam Harper & the tie-in to the Adams family and American-British politics during the American Civil War was flakin' tedious, boring, & exhausting, which for me was the deal-breaker, so much so that I finally skipped over most of it.

I continued with the book in order to make the full connection between Violet & Sam, which continues throughout the rest of the series. My suggestion is do not judge the rest of the series by this first book. In fact, had I known, I would have skipped this one all together. My copy was an advance reader copy from the first reads program (yay).And it would seem that Lady of Ashes is the first in a new series by Trent.

I look forward to others as they come out. What a thoroughly fascinating book, not so much because of the plot, but because of the main character and the wealth of detail about Victorian mores and little known (to me) British and US history. This is the first book in the series, had I read it first I would never have read any more in the series. Violet Morgan is working in her husband's funerary business as an undertaker.

Violet discovers Susannah, a child of 9 sleeping in one of the coffins. Susannah has run away from a workhouse after the death of her mother.

Violet takes Susannah back to the workhouse but is so appalled by the attitude of the Matron & the conditions of the place that Violet adopts Susannah and begins teaching her the funerary business. Violet & Susannah are on the train back from the workhouse, when Susannah comes across a woman, whom she fears, from her past.

While on the train there is a terrible accident; Violet suffers a badly mangled arm and Susannah disappears. Violet's verbally abusive husband Graham & his brother Fletcher have embarked upon a shady business deal, which will eventually be their undoing, with Samuel Harper, a lawyer from Colorado. Samuel becomes enchanted w/ Violet & Susannah and endeavors to protect them from Graham's undoing.

The Adams (not Addams) family, along w/ Samuel Hunter is working w/ the British government to contain the Confederacy and put a halt to British privateers intent on slipping through the blockade. Violet meets Albert, the Prince Consort, while attending to the remains of a former Admiral (?) and is later requested by Albert to handle his funeral, which Queen Victoria reluctantly agrees to.

Mystery

There is also a serial killer on the loose; noted throughout the book by cryptic journal entries, which eventually reveals that Violet has been targeted. This was just all too much for me. And to make matters worse, there were 4 additional long side stories as well.

The parts about Violet's husband's illicit business dealings w/ Sam Harper & the tie-in to the Adams family and American-British politics during the American Civil War was flakin' tedious, boring, & exhausting, which for me was the deal-breaker, so much so that I finally skipped over most of it. I continued with the book in order to make the full connection between Violet & Sam, which continues throughout the rest of the series. My suggestion is do not judge the rest of the series by this first book. In fact, had I known, I would have skipped this one all together. My copy was an advance reader copy from the first reads program (yay).And it would seem that Lady of Ashes is the first in a new series by Trent.

I look forward to others as they come out. What a thoroughly fascinating book, not so much because of the plot, but because of the main character and the wealth of detail about Victorian mores and little known (to me) British and US history. This is the first book in the series, had I read it first I would never have read any more in the series.

Violet Morgan is working in her husband's funerary business as an undertaker. Violet discovers Susannah, a child of 9 sleeping in one of the coffins. Susannah has run away from a workhouse after the death of her mother.

Violet takes Susannah back to the workhouse but is so appalled by the attitude of the Matron & the conditions of the place that Violet adopts Susannah and begins teaching her the funerary business. Violet & Susannah are on the train back from the workhouse, when Susannah comes across a woman, whom she fears, from her past.

While on the train there is a terrible accident; Violet suffers a badly mangled arm and Susannah disappears. Violet's verbally abusive husband Graham & his brother Fletcher have embarked upon a shady business deal, which will eventually be their undoing, with Samuel Harper, a lawyer from Colorado. Samuel becomes enchanted w/ Violet & Susannah and endeavors to protect them from Graham's undoing. The Adams (not Addams) family, along w/ Samuel Hunter is working w/ the British government to contain the Confederacy and put a halt to British privateers intent on slipping through the blockade. Violet meets Albert, the Prince Consort, while attending to the remains of a former Admiral (?) and is later requested by Albert to handle his funeral, which Queen Victoria reluctantly agrees to. There is also a serial killer on the loose; noted throughout the book by cryptic journal entries, which eventually reveals that Violet has been targeted. This was just all too much for me.

And to make matters worse, there were 4 additional long side stories as well. The parts about Violet's husband's illicit business dealings w/ Sam Harper & the tie-in to the Adams family and American-British politics during the American Civil War was flakin' tedious, boring, & exhausting, which for me was the deal-breaker, so much so that I finally skipped over most of it. I continued with the book in order to make the full connection between Violet & Sam, which continues throughout the rest of the series. My suggestion is do not judge the rest of the series by this first book. In fact, had I known, I would have skipped this one all together. A historical mystery set in Victorian London, centering around the life of Violet Morgan, a female undertaker with a passion for embalming. I enjoyed the character of Violet, in general I thought that she was a well-written, sympathetic, intelligent character, and I'll probably be reading further into the series to find out what happens to her.

The plot of this book seems overly complicated to me, with twists and turns, but also plot threads that rear up and then sputter out into nothingness. I feel the story would have been better served without the sidelines noise, but the author does do a wonderful job of ensuring historical accuracy into each detail. Overall, fans of historical mystery and the Victorian Era will find this book diverting. My copy was an advance reader copy from the first reads program (yay).And it would seem that Lady of Ashes is the first in a new series by Trent. I look forward to others as they come out. What a thoroughly fascinating book, not so much because of the plot, but because of the main character and the wealth of detail about Victorian mores and little known (to me) British and US history.

LADY OF ASHES by Christine Trent is an exciting Victorian Historical Mystery set in 1860 London. It is the first in a new mystery series. It centers around a Victorian era undertaking business in London,and the adventures of Violet Morgan.

Violet husband of seven years,Grahan, is not all he appears to be, he is a smuggler as well as other things. A colorful look into the life of a female undertaker during the Victorian era as well as a compassionate,courageous, young lady,Violet who is determined to find a killer and the cause of so many unfortunate deaths. Filled with intrigue and a few twists and turns. An interesting tale of intrigue,disappointment and secrets. Looking forward to the next in this series coming in 2014. RATING: 4 HEAT RATING: MILD REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More.

In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned. She provides comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and arranges funerals. Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in a scheme to sell arms to the South.

Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor. And the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both. This is the first book in the series, had I read it first I would never have read any more in the series.Violet Morgan is working in her husband's funerary business as an undertaker. Violet discovers Susannah, a child of 9 sleeping in one of the coffins.Susannah has run away from a workhouse after the death of her mother. Violet takes Susannah back to the workhouse but is so appalled by the attitude of the Matron & the conditions of the place that Violet adopts Susannah and begins teaching her the funerary business.Violet & Susannah are on the train back from the workhouse, when Susannah comes across a woman, whom she fears, from her past. While on the train there is a terrible accident; Violet suffers a badly mangled arm and Susannah disappears.Violet's verbally abusive husband Graham & his brother Fletcher have embarked upon a shady business deal, which will eventually be their undoing, with Samuel Harper, a lawyer from Colorado.

This book is admittedly a little difficult for me to pin down. I did enjoy reading it, and it kept my interest throughout.

The only exception is the bits with the political and royal subplots, which were not interesting at all and weren’t really necessary to the plot. I’ll admit I skimmed through those portions. And the summary of the book is a bit misleading in my opinion. Violet’s husband Graham doesn’t disappear – he does leave, but he informs Violet of his intended destination and his reasons.

Also the supposed mystery of the book doesn’t even start until more than half-way through. I would categorize the book as a work of historical fiction, not a historical mystery. The ending of the book dragged on for much longer than was necessary.I enjoyed the story a lot when it focused on Violet and her work with the dead, as well as her interactions with other people. Graham was a frustrating character, and it made you wonder why a person of Violet’s obvious common sense would have married such an inconsiderate, callous and self-absorbed person.( ). A historical mystery set in Victorian London, centering around the life of Violet Morgan, a female undertaker with a passion for embalming.

I enjoyed the character of Violet, in general I thought that she was a well-written, sympathetic, intelligent character, and I'll probably be reading further into the series to find out what happens to her.the plot of this book seems overly complicated to me, with twists and turns, but also plot threads that rear up and then sputter out into nothingness. I feel the story would have been better served without the sidelines noise, but the author does do a wonderful job of ensuring historical accuracy into each detail.overall, fans of historical mystery and the Victorian Era will find this book diverting. Only a woman with an iron backbone could succeed as an undertaker in Victorian London, but Violet Morgan takes great pride in her trade. While her husband, Graham, is preoccupied with elevating their station in society, Violet is cultivating a sterling reputation for Morgan Undertaking. She is empathetic, well-versed in funeral fashions, and comfortable with death's role in life-until its chilling rattle comes knocking on her own front door.Violet's peculiar but happy life soon begins to unravel as Graham becomes obsessed with his own demons and all but abandons her as he plans a vengeful scheme.

And the solace she's always found in her work evaporates like a departing soul when she suspects that some of the deceased she's dressed have been murdered. When Graham's plotting leads to his disappearance, Violet takes full control of the business and is commissioned for an undertaking of royal proportions. But she's certain there's a killer lurking in the London fog, and the next funeral may be her own.Equal parts courage, compassion, and intrigue, Christine Trent tells an unrestrained tale of love and loss in the rigidly decorous world of Victorian society. retrieved 3/22/18 from Amazon.com.