Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries by Andrea Penrose
Sweet Revenge
The Cocoa Conspiracy
Recipe for Treason
I am reviewing this series in its entirety rather than one book at a time because I think it is very important to read the whole series. The main mystery carries through the three books, but the backstory is not recapitulated in the second and third books, so if you come to the series late, you are lost. Each book has an independent mystery, but the main focus carries through from the first to the third book.
I wish I could say I thoroughly enjoyed the books, but the truth is I did not. They had good parts, not the least of which are the chocolate recipes at the beginning of each chapter. There were some good scenes, but on the whole the books seemed both overlong and too short all at the same time.
It is obvious that the author did some research, but not enough to truly understand the scandals or science on which she based her mysteries. The fact that she never actually explains the scandal, just refers to it in vague terms is a big indication that she does not understand it herself. And while I applaud using the South Sea Bubble as a basis for the mystery, if the author can only repeat the Wikipedia highlights, it really leaves a bad feeling in the mouths of readers who actually do understand the scandal.
In the notes for the third book, the author admits that she does not have a complete understanding of the science involved in the plot, but loved the idea of using real people as characters and needed a plot that would allow them to be part of the action. And that is fair enough; history is full of characters in search of an author. But they need an author who can do their expertise justice, not one who wants to pepper historical fiction with real, if somewhat obscure, people.
Further to my skepticism of the author's research, even though the author cites a couple of sources indicating that chocolate was available in certain high-end, luxury shops in Paris at the time, I have serious doubts that chocolate was as widely available as is portrayed in and around London at the time. It certain flies in the face of history of Cadbury I read not long ago. Even if it were available, it would certainly be prohibitively expensive for anyone but the very rich. I also doubt that the author has ever lived in any country but the US, and does not have a fair grasp of the workings of imports and exports to other countries. Even in a modern world products are not as easily available as the author indicates they would be 200 years ago when distribution was much more difficult.
I feel all I have to say about this series is nitpicking. And I am sorry about that. But on the whole, I was disappointed by this series. It had such potential, but fell far short of realizing even a bit of that. I would say, if you are thinking about this series, to give it a pass. There are far better Regency Period mysteries out there -- I suggest Rosemary Stevens' Beau Brummell series or Kate Ross' Julian Kestrel series. While neither of those have the chocolate connection, both are better researched and better formulated and plotted mysteries than Ms. Penrose's series.
One Bear's Opinion: One cup of lukewarm chocolate-infused tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
