The Ambitious Stepmother

Countess Ashby De La Zouche #3

by Fidelis Morgan

The Countess Ashby de la Zouch would not be every parent's choice of chaperone for a beautiful teenager, still fewer would entrust her with finding the girl a husband. But the second Mrs. Alderman Franklyn-Green is willing to go to any lengths to get rid of her unwanted stepdaughter Virginia. The promise of 100 guineas and a sojourn in France is sufficient to secure the Countess's services, even if the girl is a complete shrew. Sadly, the exiled English Court at St Germain does not live up to their expectations. Worse, any hopes of enjoying fine French cuisine are dashed when a fellow guest is poisoned. Once more the Countess and Alpiew are plunged into a dangerous investigation, unraveling plots against three kings and negotiating the culinary eccentricities of the Court of Versailles.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Crime, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Actor, writer, director and historian, Fidelis Morgan is the author of a series of mystery novels featuring the Countess Ashby dela Zouche and a cast of outrageous characters. The books have been described as ‘A 17th century Armistead Maupin’, ‘Flashman for Girls’ ‘A bawdy PG Wodehouse’ and ‘Cagney and Lacey in Corsets.’
She has published many influential non-fiction works, mainly about the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Her latest suspense novel, The Murder Quadrille, is a modern day mystery. It is available as an eBook

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The countess and Alpiew find themselves in France, in a chateau full of exiled Jacobites. Murder and mayhem ensue. Lots of fun, as usual.

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I love the Countess Ashby de la Zouche stories, but this one took me a bit to get into. It's set in France, in the court of the exiled Stewart king, where plotting and secret societies are a way of life. The countess and the well-endows Alpiew are as comical and rumbustious as ever, and the Duchesse de Pigalle makes a welcome appearance, but I found the beginning of this book pretty confusing and a bit forced. There felt like simply too many characters, and at times it read much more like a play than a book - in fact I think, as I've said a few times, that these books would make brilliant tv. There was also a lot of history, something I love, but in this case it felt like overload. Don't get me wrong, the story rolled along at a cracking pace as ever, there were lots of little literary and foodie jokes, and a plot that twisted and turned with every chapter. After I got to grips with the characters, it was a page-turner and a very enjoyable one at that. Just not as good as the first too, and I suspect therefore my expectations were unduly high. But I'm already looking forward to the fourth and last book. And if you've not read any of these, I can highly recommend them. But do start with Book 1.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining

[Emma Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A murder. Finally, Alpiew thought, a proper job.'

Fidelis Morgan delivers once again in this book where we follow Ashby and Alpiew (with a healthy helping of Pigalle) to France. While it wasn't as hysterical as the first two, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it's always a pleasure to spend time with such entertaining and interesting characters. We touch a bit upon many subjects, including the Man in the Iron Mask, the use of papier maché in art and the kind of life prisoners led at the Bastille prison. The attention to period detail is second to none and the tone is pitch perfect as usual, not a dull moment in this book as we go from adventure to adventure. Such a delight to read!

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this but not as much as the first two. I missed the world of London and the Countess' crazy house and servant Gregory. With the setting moved to France I learned some stuff about the Jacobites in exile and about French society of the period but I missed the old environs. Some of the humor was a bit strained, like the would-be writer who kept coming up with ideas for book titles like 'Pride & Prejudice' and 'Crime and Punishment'. Fitting that the finale of the book should be at a masquerade as almost no one was who they appeared to be.

[Delphine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncannily funny. Good historical novel with a lot of humour. A must-read.

[Delphine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncannily funny. Good historical novel with a lot of humour. A must-read.

[Kate Millin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure I will look for another book in this series as I found the humour a little forced and didn't find the story to my taste. That said it did grip me enough to want to finish it.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was very long and forced myself to finish it. I kept getting confused with all the people. Though, I must say, the room full of women 'munching' was surprising and funny.