The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny With a Dashing Stranger by Victoria Alexander is a giggle-inducing and heartwarming historical romance. This second installment in the Lady Travelers Society series can easily be read as a standalone.

Lady Wilhelmina "Willie" Bascombe is finally ready to return to society after living in seclusion for the past two years following her husband George's tragic loss. George's unfortunate death has been a huge wake-up call for Willie who enjoyed but never questioned their carefree, frivolous and lavish lifestyle. She has paid off all of George's debts except for one: unbeknownst to Willie, he used a painting her grandmother left to her as collateral for a loan from an Italian art collector. Now destitute, Willie is hosting a group of mothers and daughters on a small European tour that will take her to Italy where she plans to pay off the debt and reclaim the painting. Upon her return to England, she will auction off the painting and live off the proceeds.

However, Willie is unaware that Dante Montague also has a vested interest in locating the painting since he believes it rightfully belongs to his family. After he convinces his sister Roz and her daughter to sign up for the tour, he accompanies them so he can keep an eye Willie while he schemes to swoop in and snag the painting from under her.

Dante is intrigued by his beautiful, intrepid tour guide right from the beginning, but Willie initially thinks Dante is staid and stuffy. After her shocking discoveries about her and George's finances, Willie has no intention of ever depending on a man to take care of her. She is fiercely independent and afraid of making another mistake so she is very cautious about acting on her surprising attraction to Dante. Dante gets up caught up in their mutual desire for each other and he makes a huge error in judgment that puts the couple's future in jeopardy when Willie stumbles onto his secret. Even with the helpful advice of her new group of friends, Willie's fears prevent her from giving up on her plan to ensure her financial future.

The Lady Travelers Guide to Larceny With a Dashing Stranger is a fun-filled, zany adventure that takes Willie, Dante and the rest of the tour to many exciting and romantic locations. Victoria Alexander easily captures readers attention in this engaging historical romance that has a cast of lovable characters. The enchanting descriptions of the various stops on their journey bring the story vibrantly to life. The banter between the various characters is often laugh out loud funny yet also interspersed with thought-provoking observations. The romance between Willie and Dante is sizzling hot but full of complications. Another wonderful installment in the delightful Lady Travelers Society series that old and new fans are sure to love.
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This is a fun book to read, with an abundance of interesting characters. The most interesting were Willie and Dante. Willie is a young widow in financial difficulties. She and her husband had been part of a fast set, and before his death, he ran up quite a lot of debt. By selling everything possible, Willie paid off George's debts, but there is little left for her. If she can get to Venice and pay off the last loan, she can retrieve a family heirloom, sell it, and have enough to live on for a reasonable amount of time. Her godmother offers Willie the job of hosting a tour for the Lady Travelers Society which will get her to Venice. Willie has never set foot outside England, but how hard can it be to lead two American women and their daughters, an Englishwoman and her daughter, and the Englishwoman's brother.

There is more to Dane Montague than Willie knows. From a long line of art-loving men, Dante recently became the director of his grandfather's little known art gallery. He spent years in the study of art and business and is determined to make a success of his grandfather's legacy. His best option is to locate and retrieve a missing painting from a famous trio of artwork that he believes was stolen, which he has traced to Willie. He will do anything to get it back, including inveigle himself into the tour group.

I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the relationship between Dante and Willie. Their first meeting set the tone, with amusing banter and obvious sparks between them. Dante finds himself unexpectedly intrigued by Willie, who is not at all what he expected. He's a bit wary as he was burned by another woman who turned out to be not what she seemed either. Willie is equally drawn to Dante but is also cautious. She has learned from the mistakes of the past and doesn't intend to repeat them. Dante plans to use the time to befriend Willie and therefore keep track of her and ultimately the painting. He doesn't expect to actually like her, and it throws him entirely out of kilter. I loved watching their friendship develop as they discover how much they enjoy being together.

Dante is caught in a dilemma. The stronger his feelings grow for Willie, the guiltier he feels about his deception. He knows he needs to tell her the truth, but he keeps putting it off. His sister regularly scolds him about it, warning him of what will happen if he doesn't tell her. When the truth finally comes out, it's even worse than he expected. I ached for both of them. Willie feels used and betrayed, and the loss of her trust in the man she came to love was heartbreaking. I hurt for Dante too. He loves her deeply and regrets his mistakes. Unfortunately, both of them are incredibly stubborn, and the painting becomes an insurmountable obstacle. There's a brief truce involving the actual retrieval of the painting, but it continues to come between them. There are some exciting twists in the resolution of the problem before Willie and Dante find their way back together. I loved Dante's grand romantic gesture. It was sweet and over the top, as well as showing his vulnerable side. The epilogue was great, though it did contain a bit of mystery I'd love to have the answer to.

The secondary characters were fantastic and a huge part of the story itself. The friendship that developed between Willie and Roz, Jane, and Marian was fantastic. I loved how it showed the changes that Willie experienced as she embraced her new life. Their support of her when she had her troubles with Dante was fun to watch. They also looked out for her and provided some much-needed advice to Dante. They were instrumental in retrieving the painting in an unexpected way. I enjoyed their relationships with their daughters, which weren't all that different than similar relationships today. The daughters were great, each with their quirks and issues. The story of the unsuitable suitor was an excellent addition, and I liked the method Dante used to deal with it. The brief appearance of the Marquess of Brookings was hilarious, and I laughed out loud at the scenes where he "helped" move Willie's relationship with Dante along.

Another important "character" in the book is the travel itself. I loved the details of the Paris Exhibition and the Eiffel Tower and the shopping at Worth. The scene at Notre Dame was especially poignant considering the recent fire there. I enjoyed the trivia from Genoa and Verona, and the descriptions of Venice were vivid. I loved the changes in Willie as she coped with all the challenges that arose during the traveling, and the difference it made in the way she saw herself. ( )

I fell in love with this book. I think it is because of the two leads. Like Willie, I have made some less-than-stellar choices in my life. Like Dante, I had stepped away from the world of romance. I so wanted these two decent human beings to find love.

The book was fairly light in tone. I enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of the travelers. Although part of a series, the book easily stands on its own merits.

If you enjoy Victorian romances do try this. If you like frothy Regencies, you might try this. I will certainly read the next book in the series. ( )

Just delightful!

Widowed Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe finds that all was not as smooth sailing as she thought. It seems she and her husband had partied their way through life, incurring the sort of debts that fit their new extravagant lifestyle. Having paid off most of what was owed, Willie's last hope of some monetary security is to reclaim a Renaissance painting her husband used as collateral for a loan. And that's where the Lady Travelers Society comes in. Willie has to travel to Venice to seal the deal. She will lead a tour of American women through Europe, including Paris and Venice.
Unfortunately Dante Augustus Montague is searching for a lost painting to make up a triptych that once belonged to his family's collection. The painting that belongs to Willie! The key to her future independence! Deviously, Dante has his sister and niece join the group. Dante is the surprise participant.
Willie is just a superb character, Dante is a wonderful foil for her.
I loved the American ladies and the way their friendships grew with Willie. Suddenly she is not a pariah any more. (I can see Society swishing their collective dresses and avoiding her in her time of need)
Alexander's descriptions of cities the groups visited are perfect. I was transported to both Paris and Venice with the vivid language she employs, bringing those wonderful cities to life.
This second addition to the Lady Travelers Society never wavered. It drew me on and in. Intrigue, romance, mystery and humor all wrapped up in a European montage. Fabulous!

A NetGalley ARC ( )

I read an ARC of this book from the author via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I am not sure I can express how much I am enjoying this new series... The Lady Travelers Guides are so much fun to read and the newest book in the series is no exception. Yes you could read it on its own but the other books are wonderful too so you should read them all. Lady Wilhelmina Bascombe’s(Willie to her friends) carefree lifestyle has come to an end with the death of her husband and discovery that she is financially insolvent. Her husband has left her with nothing but debt and in order to have a source of income she must retrieve a painting she inherited from her grandmother that unbeknownst to Willie her husband had used as security for a loan. Dante Augustus Montague is after the same painting as he believes it belongs to his family’s collection. In order to finance her trip to Venice to retrieve her painting Willie leads a tour of American mothers and daughters through Paris and Monaco to Italy and Venice. Dante bribes his sister and niece to join the tour so that he can tag along and retrieve his painting. Victoria Alexander has made me wish so much that I could have gone on that tour with them. The story is not only about finding love after one has lost but also about the relationships between friends, siblings, and mothers and daughters. Reading this book is like a little mini vacation tour. The other thing that is wonderful about this book is that you get a second Lady Traveler Novella that takes place earlier. Dulcie Middleton is in love with Michael Shepherd and would but is afraid he barely knows she exists... The Lady Travelers get involved and a little matchmaking ensues along with the charming and handsome but sadly fictional Reginald Everheart. ( )