Two historical mystery reads

Two historical mysteries to talk about today, both qualify for Marg's Historical Reading Challenge 2021 and are my books 10 and 11.

A Distance too Grand by Regina Scott is the first book in a historical romance/mystery series that was recommended first by Lark at Lark Writes... on books and life and then by Susan at  Bloggin' 'bout Books. I also have to say that that cover with The Grand Canyon  in the background was a major attraction too.

Meg Pero is the daughter of a photographer in 1870s America. She's travelled all over with her father as his assistant and is now an excellent photographer in her own right. When he passes away she feels more than qualified to replace him in the business but has to move in with her aunt who has other ideas about her neice's future. Meg takes off in secret and catches the train to where he father's next assignment was due to be, a fort near The Grand Canyon. The captain leading the prospective expedition, Ben Coleridge, is none too happy when Meg turns up, partly because he feels it's no place for a woman but also he and Meg have a history together: they used to be engaged. He has no option but to take her though as he needs to get the expedition off and running and can't wait for someone else to be hired. His father disappeared in the canyon a while ago and Ben's family are desperate to know what happened to him. The expedition is fraught with danger and difficulty, not least of which is Meg's need to make her photography business work because if she cannot make a living she cannot live. A Distance too Grand is categorised as a Christian Romance and that wouldn't normally be my thing but I was attracted by the trope of a woman trying to make a living in a man's world and struggling to be accepted. Truthfully, it wasn't an extremely religious book, it was just there in the background as it would actually have been back then when faith was perhaps more important to many people than it is now. And I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It has a very strong sense of place, The Grand Canyon and its surrounds are very nicely depicted and felt very real even though I've never been fortunate enough to go. The mystery elements were quite nicely handled, that of what happened to Ben's father and who is mysteriously following the group as they travel. The romance aspect was rather predictable but then who wants a romance book 'not' to be predictable? I was very happy with the book and have already bought book 2, Nothing Short of Wondrous, set in Yellowstone Park.

Lastly, And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander.

Emily marries Viscount Ashton in order to escape her dragon of a mother. She hardly knows him but he's the best of an average bunch. Several months later he goes off on safari, as he's a keen hunter, and dies, leaving her a widow. Expected to go into deep mourning for a man she hardly knew, Emily learns how to act, but also decides to find out something about her late husband. Belatedly, she falls in love with him when she finds out he was not just a hunter of animals but deeply into Greek myths and a collector of ancient Greek artifacts. She decides to educate herself on the subject and thus finds herself at the British Museum and introduced to various experts and forgers of the artifacts her husband was so interested in. Emily's mother is scandalised but luckily unaware that her daughter is being followed and possibly involving herself in a forging network. It seems Emily is about to uncover things that certain people would wish kept secret and subsequently putting herself into extreme danger. Well then, another woman trying to make her way in a man's world in the 19th. century. This time the heroine is not poor... what 'she' wants is an education and when she starts to get that she becomes a lot more interesting, not only to the reader but to herself. I loved the character of Cecile, an older Parisian woman who befriends Emily and helps free her of her Victorian restrictions. I would've liked more of the book to be set in Greece but am hoping for that in future books, I felt that this first book was very much a scene-setter for the rest of the series. Which I certainly plan to read more of! It seems I rather like these fiesty Victorian women fighting against Victorian constraints on female behaviour. The book also introduced me to Greek myths, talking a lot about Achilles, other than his 'heel' I don't know the story in full so time to do something about my lack of knowledge around Greek mythology. 

I've had this on tbr mountain for yonks:

The Greek Myths by Robin and Kathryn Waterfield. I'll read this slowly for the next few weeks to see how I get on, I think Stephen Fry has a couple of books available on the subject too. And I also have this on my library pile:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I think this was hugely popular when it came out in 2017 but I never got around to reading it even though I planned to. I think 'the time has come', as the walrus said. I think it might be good read alongside the Greek Myths book.

I do love a new reading plan!