The Lady Emily Aston Series by Tasha Alexander

 There are fifteen novels and counting in this mystery series by Tasha Alexander, centered around a young (and unconventional) Victorian widow who finds herself caught up in several murders. I read the first four -- And Only to Deceive, A Poisoned Season, A Fatal Waltz, and Tears of Pearl -- and while I enjoyed them, I think I'll stop there. 

Modern historical fiction, particularly the lighter stuff, has to walk a tightrope in creating characters who have sensibilities compatible with modern viewpoints but who aren't so anachronistic as to be historically inaccurate (or worse, ridiculous). For the most part, Alexander succeeds at this. Lady Emily marries a man she didn't particularly care for because it was expected of her and he was the best of the lot; when he dies a few months later, she is thrilled to now have a freedom no single woman would have. Her status as both a lady and a widow allow her to spend her time studying antiquities and drinking port, and eventually investigating the murder of her husband. People gossip about her (and her mother nags, a whole lot), but she can afford not to care.

But in a welcome change, Alexander does allow Emily to care, at least sometimes; she is only human, after all, and a product of her times. In the second volume, especially, Emily wrestles with the loss of her reputation and just how unconventional she's comfortable being. She also must decide whether she wants to marry again; the love of her life values her freedom and intellectual pursuits, but even a modern marriage requires sacrifice and compromise.

The third volume wasn't quite as good as the first two, mainly because it relies on a trope I hate -- the bitchy ex-girlfriend. And by the fourth, I was starting to lose interest in the series as a whole.  I may return to Lady Emily someday, though; some of the later books sound quite interesting.