A Dangerous Engagement (Amory Ames, #6) by Ashley Weaver

A Dangerous Engagement (Amory Ames, #6) Reviews

• 
  Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader

  While A Dangerous Engagement is the 6th installment in the Amory Ames’ mysteries, it was my first in the series, and it stood alone well. As with all series I jump into and enjoy, I realize I’d love to know more about the main character and have the best of intentions to go back and read the earlier books.
  
  This book is set in New York, and Amory travels by ship to the city to attend her friend, Tabitha’s, wedding. Along for the ride is Amory’s husband, Milo, who is none-too-thrilled about Prohibition and how dull parties will be as a result.
  
  When a member of the wedding party is found murdered, the time spent in NYC is set to be anything but dull.
  
  The dead groomsman has ties to a gangster, Leon De Lora, and Amory and Milo are drawn into the fray of investigating.
  
  A Dangerous Engagement has the fun historical backdrop of glitzy nightclubs and bootlegging during Prohibition. I adored Amory and Milo and their banter, and the mystery kept me guessing. There’s also some clever humor sprinkled in that keeps it from being too serious.
  
  Overall, A Dangerous Engagement is an engaging and suspenseful historical mystery, and I hope to read more of Amory and Milo’s escapades soon.
  
  I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
  
  Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog:
  www.jennifertarheelreader.com
• 
  Olive Fellows (abookolive)

  Review originally appeared on
  Open Letters Review.
  
  In A Dangerous Engagement, the newest installment of Ashley Weaver’s ongoing cozy mystery series, British socialite Amory Ames unsurprisingly finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery. Though readers will recognize the trusty formula that the books consistently lean on – Amory and her charming devil of a husband Milo attend a social event that ends in tragedy – Weaver injects a dose of the unfamiliar into the sixth book. This time around, the Ameses find themselves traveling across the pond to New York City for the wedding of Amory’s childhood friend turned pen pal, Tabitha. But when someone in the wedding party turns up dead ahead of the big day, many questions linger. Not the least of which is whether or not the wedding will go on as planned.
  
  The shift in location provides a much-needed challenge for Amory. She’s been an underhanded investigator in so many mysteries back in her home country that, by this point, her former adversary Detective Inspector Jones seems to practically consider her an honorary member of the force. But not only does she not know much about the city of New York, there are also cultural differences to contend with as she subjects everyone involved to her usual barrage of questions. Americans are far more forthright than the tight-lipped set to which Amory is accustomed. This may assist her in her snooping, but only if she can learn to use it to her advantage.
  
  The book takes place in the early 1930s, so Amory and Milo disembark into a country still shackled by Prohibition, although everyone is starting to feel the tingle of its impending repeal. Amory is surprised to see how brazenly the law is ignored as she tags along with Tabitha to various venues ahead of the wedding. But, as Milo correctly notes, “They ought to have known that telling people they mustn’t have something only makes them want it more.” It’s this fact that attracts bootleggers and gangsters to the lucrative trade; their exploits are not only printed on the rap sheets of their minions, but all over the newspapers. It just so happens that Amory’s bubbly lady’s maid Winnelda considers gossip her scripture and can update her employer about the hustlers turning profits off of the Eighteenth Amendment.
  
  One of these notorious characters, Leon De Lora, rumored to be as dashing in looks as his name suggests, runs an eponymous speakeasy in plain view and is known to turn to violence if crossed. Between tips from the wedding party, convenient funds funneling into accounts previously wiped out by the Crash, and odd encounters caught by eavesdropping, it seems likely that De Lora, or another equally dishonest character, had a hand in the crime.
  
  Not content to accept any one possible explanation, Amory takes turns suspecting each member of the wedding party. She’s playing catch-up, trying to glean as much information about the unfamiliar crowd while also attempting to be discreet. She finds that she doesn’t even entirely know how individuals within the group became acquainted with one another and no one would expect her to procure their entire history in such a small window of time. For this, she’ll rely on her somewhat-reluctant other half to use his charm to win over the men and maybe even temporarily go back to his former rapscallion ways for the good of the cause.
  
  While this is helpful for Amory’s investigation, it proves to be a painful reminder of the early, less happy days of their marriage. Through this series, we’ve seen the pair begin to mend all that was previously broken and enter a much better phase of their relationship, but that doesn’t mean that every wound has closed over. In this book, Amory worries about how well she and Milo have learned to keep one another out of the loop. In fact, she’s about had it with the lack of transparency in the world in general:
  
  I felt suddenly very weary. Why must there always be so many secrets? It seemed no matter where I went, people were always hiding things and making them worse with their deceit. Lies never worked out well in the end; they always managed to hurt people more than the truth might have.
  
  Perhaps inspired by frank nature of the Americans they’re surrounded by, Milo and Amory resolve to be honest with one another, regardless of the personal cost. It marks another step forward for the pair who seem to have used these first six books of the series as a form of pre-marital counseling they never got to enjoy. They have always knows they are crazy about one another, but, no doubt through lack of example, don’t entirely know how to be good partners. Yet the end of this book very much feels like one last element has clicked into place to allow Milo and Amory to graduate to a whole new level.
  
  Though the mystery is not the most sophisticated Weaver has crafted, this installment was clearly intended to highlight relationships and their importance to the characters. Finally meeting Tabitha, a character often referred to in previous books, will likely be a treat for readers and the chemistry between the married pair is as electric as ever. Most importantly, this book sets up exciting changes in the future our main characters, giving readers probable cause for elation that Weaver is far from done writing these delightful mysteries.
• 
  Phrynne

  I do enjoy this series mostly because I have read right through from book one and followed the ever developing relationship between Amory and Milo. They have been married now for six years and have developed certain understandings but sometimes these understandings are severely tested.
  
  In
  A Dangerous Engagement both Milo and Amory push the boundaries and there is a lot of understanding and forgiveness going on. I still do not always like Milo's attitude but on the other hand he is still a very charismatic man. In this book a major event occurs to bring them closer together.
  
  I am really looking forward to what happens next!
• 
  Ivonne Rovira

  The eponymous dangerous engagement belongs to Amory Ames’ good friend Tabitha Alden, who is set to marry American Tom Smith, whose past is pretty vague. Tabitha, the daughter of an American father and a now-dead English mother, has been living in New York for several years, and that’s where the wedding is to be, with Amory as the maid of honor.
  
  This being New York City in 1933, there will be brushes with bootleg booze and bootleggers before the novel ends. While not as satisfying as, say,
  A Most Novel Revenge or the series’ debut novel,
  Murder at the Brightwell, A Most Dangerous Engagement, the sixth in this series, proves a most delightful read.
  
  In the spirit of full disclosure, I received this book free from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books in return for an honest review.
  
• 
  Holly

  Here we are in the 6th book in this series and I'm happy to say that I'm still enjoying them. In this installment, Amory and Milo are headed to New York during prohibition to attend the wedding of Amory's friend, Tabitha. Amory suspects that there's more going on the moment they get to New York and soon finds out that she may be right. Amory and Milo find themselves embroiled in another investigation when a young man is shot and killed at Tabitha's home. Amory can't stop herself and before she knows it she's meeting gangsters, getting involved in wedding drama, and wondering what Milo is up to. I love the characters of Amory and Milo. Their relationship is natural--sometimes loving, fun, sweet, and complicated. The mystery was good, of course. I can't wait to see what happens next because Amory and Milo's lives are about to change and we know Amory won't stop getting involved in another investigation!
  
  *Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Victoria Thompson

  Another rousing adventure for Amory and Milo. They just keep getting more exciting! You will love watching them building their relationship while they find a killer in prohibition NYC.
• 
  kris

  Amory Ames and her laissez-faire husband Milo are in New York to attend the wedding of Amory's childhood bff Tabitha. Except there's all this tension and it's prohibition and things are hard omg y'all. OH YEAH AND THERE'S A DEAD GROOMSMAN! This means it's time to flirt with hot gangsters. Y'know. Like an adult.
  
  1. Here's the thing: I was kind of rooting for Leon. OOP.
  
  2. FURTHERMORE, I continue to struggle with Amory and Milo's relationship. Like it's set up so that a major hurdle—honesty about what they're up to—is something they both agree to. Amory immediately breaks this, then rectifies it by providing an honest answer about her intended actions. And then Milo immediately breaks it (he says he's going out gambling with Tom and then SHOWS UP AT THE NIGHTCLUB WHERE AMORY IS VISITING FOR A FUCKING BUSINESS MEETING) and their agreement is NEVER FUCKING MENTIONED AGAIN.
  
  How in the hell am I suppose to root for you when you won't even root for yourself? Damn.
  
  3. I am also realizing that this series annoys me because it has all the earmarks of a "settling in series" —i.e., these books don't feel super standalone because they're using a shorthand to set up reoccurring motifs and characters and locations in order to build a world for these mysteries and allow for longer arcs and growth and whatnot.
  
  Except none of that works because the series is literally 7 books long with nearly every one set in a different location and only, what, TWO? characters that are truly "reoccurring" (DI Jones; Yolanda Roberts). So all that shorthand that would pay off in a long-ass series that bounces between familiar people in familiar places (e.g., The Cat Who... universe; the Phryne Fisher books; JD Robb's absolutely insane In Death... series; etc.), but we don't really get that here.
  
  (Which is unfortunate, I think! The setting and characters are interesting and could potentially carry a longer series!)
  
  So that realization really frustrated me during this read.
  
  4. My mandatory acknowledgement that first person is terrible.
• 
  Katie

  Yay, Amory's pregnant! I mean, I'm terribly inconsistent because I also want more heroines who don't have or want kids, but it seems right for them and I'm excited to see how it works with the series.
  
  Overall, I liked this one! I'm not sure I entirely followed the mystery, but I really liked the settings, new characters, and the current state of Amory and Milo's relationship.
  
  Re-read March 2022
  
  I lost some steam on my re-read, but still enjoying myself.
• 
  Cara Putman

  I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Amory and Milo Ames series. A delightful jaunt to the NY side of the Pond.
• 
  Sarah

  'As they travel by ship to New York for her childhood friend Tabitha's wedding, Amory Ames gazes out at the city's iconic skyline, excited by the prospect of being a bridesmaid. Her husband Milo, however, is convinced their trip will be deadly dull, since Prohibition is in full swing. But when a member of the wedding party is found murdered on the front steps of the bride's home, the happy plans take a darker twist.
  
  Amory discovers that the dead groomsman has links to the notorious--and notoriously handsome--gangster Leon De Lora, and soon she and Milo find themselves drawn into another mystery. While the police seem to think that New York's criminal underworld is at play, Amory feels they can't ignore the wedding party either. Tabitha's fiance Tom Smith appears to be a good man, but he has secrets of his own, and the others in the group seem strangely unaffected by the death of their friend . . .
  
  In an unfamiliar city, not knowing who they can trust, Milo and Amory are drawn into the glamorous, dangerous world of nightclubs and bootleggers. But as they draw closer to unraveling the web of lies and half-truths the murdered man has left in his wake, the killer is weaving a web of his own.'
  ____________________________________
  
  4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.
  
  A Dangerous Engagement is the sixth book in Ashley Weaver's An Amory Ames Mystery series and is a historical mystery set in the 1930s.
  
  Seeing how far Milo and Amory have come in terms of the health of their marriage since the start of the series, I think it would be so lovely if at some point there is a prequel added to the series that covers their whirlwind romance to see where they came from before things fell apart to be built back together.
  
  There is some serious heavy hinting as to the state of Amory's health and it was shocking just how long it took her to realize what was going on. But I'm very glad to see the plot taking this direction with their marriage in the state that it is.
  
  I didn't find this to be the most thrilling or intruiging mystery we've encountered thus far in the series, but it did take a turn the the others hadn't yet explored and I still very much enjoyed it. Amory and MIlo didn't quite work willingly as a team in this book, but when circumstances pushed them to it they did so quite well. If they could only take it as a lesson and realize that things go better for them when they do, versus holding information back from the other every time they encounter another murder.
  
  Looking forward to reading the next book in the series and meeting the Ames' mewest addition. I would recommend this historical mystery series to others, but I would recommend reading them inorder.
• 
  Sandra

  Review to follow
• 
  Annarella

  I love this series, I recently discovered Amery and Milo Ames mysteries and was hooked.
  I love this book even if I don't think it's the best in this series, I prefer those set in London and this it took quite a long time before the mystery part started.
  Even it's a bit slow at the beginning I truly enjoyed this book and read it as fast as I could.
  I was happy to meet again the usual characters and some new.
  I liked the character development, the well researched historical setting and the engrossing plot.
  The mystery was ok and the solution came as a surprise.
  I look forward to reading the next instalment.
  Highly recommended!
  Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
• 
  Jaclyn

  Another solid addition in the Amory Ames series. While I'm not a huge fan of the narrator, Alison Larkin, the author did an excellent job creating a charming mystery, this time set in New York. My only complaint was: The heavy handed foreshadowing of Amory's pregnancy. Considering how obvious it was to readers, it seemed anticlimactic when Amory actually figured it out.
• 
  Amy

  3.5 stars
  
  Hurrah, Americans!
  
  Fun addition to the series and I wouldn't mind seeing some of these characters make reappearances. The problem with Amory and Milo mostly resolving their marital differences is that conflict feels rather drummed up because something has to keep them from perfection. So, little things are forced to become big things. But it was overall minor.
  Found the mystery at least somewhat predictable but enjoyed gangsters and prohibition. Definitely looking forward to the next one in the series.
• 
  QNPoohBear

  3.5 stars
  
  Amory and Milo Ames are visiting New York City for the wedding of Amory's childhood friend Tabitha Alden. Amory is excited about seeing her old friend and standing up as a bridesmaid with Tabitha but Milo thinks New York will be dreadfully dull since Prohibition has yet to be repealed. Amory gets the sense that there's more to her visit than just performing bridesmaid duties. Tabitha seems worried about something and wants Amory to help. Amory's suspicions are correct when Tabitha confides her worries about her father's mysterious nighttime visitors. When one of the groomsmen is shot dead on the front step of the Alden residence, the police chalk it up to gangster activity. While no one seems to mourn the dead man, Amory fears that all is not as it seems and someone in the house is a killer. Her search for the truth takes her into the underworld of the New York nightclub scene where she discovers some surprising truths.
  
  This mystery is not quite as interesting or as tight as some of the previous mysteries. Amory doesn't manage to figure it out but stumbles into the truth. She's also very clueless when it comes to a secondary mystery that was obvious from the first chapter. I still stayed up very late to finish it though. I guessed some of the clues but never ever thought the killer was that specific person. The clues weren't there. I was also thinking some of the same things as Amory and I was glad to be wrong.
  
  I wasn't crazy about the New York setting. The 20s and 30s just aren't for me. I like the staid world of drawing rooms and ballrooms. The nightclub setting is very similar to
  Murder at the Flamingo but more fleshed out. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of stereotypes in this novel. While there are gangsters and one bears a slight resemblance to Al Capone, none of the gangsters are obviously Italian mafia. I really appreciated the well-rounded characters and also the period details of everyday life that set the scene.
  
  Amory and Milo are more likable than ever now their relationship is back on track. They actually talk to each other. Amory lays out her expectations and what she wants from Milo and while he feels protective of her, he knows he can't stop her from doing what she wants. He's also very sweet and sentimental towards her, finally! I never really warmed up to him because he's always mysterious and suave. I like him away from London even though he still finds his element in New York. I did not like how clueless Amory is in this novel. She's usually really sharp. Perhaps the ocean journey has muddled her brain. Is it possible to have jet lag before jets were invented?
  
  While I don't like the New York setting, the new characters are interesting and some reflect the time and place while others were more to my taste. I really liked Tabitha, Amory's friend. I wonder how much younger than Amory she is. Compared to Amory, Tabitha acts and sounds like a child. She's very innocent but not naive. I suppose since Amory has been married for six years and investigated a couple of murders, she would seem more mature. Tabitha is not as naive as she seems. She's actually pretty sharp. She loves her father very much and is worried about him becoming involved with men who are not good influences. I like her fiance Tom a lot too but his lack of background information is worrisome. Perhaps there's something he is trying to hide. His friend Grant is pretty shady. Grant too has a mysterious past and also a mysterious present. He doesn't seem like the type of man wholesome Tom would be friends with. Rudy, Grant's best friend, also seems an unlikely friend for Grant. Rudy is sweet and kind. He's passionate about his advertising work and trying to make his way in the world. Tabitha's other bridesmaid, Jemma, is a frosty sort of woman. I think she may not be the best friend for innocent Tabitha. I don't get a friendly sort of feeling from her. Jemma may be the type who views other women as competition. she seems to have a history with Grant even though she says she doesn't. Does she loathe him or is she secretly in love with him? Mr. Alden is a sweet man. He loves his daughter and wants her to be happy. How far is he willing to go to secure her happiness?
  
  The detectives, Andrews and Bailey, are not up to Amory's standards. Andrews is the "bad" cop. The cynical detective who views everyone as a suspect and doesn't mind barging in and grilling everyone at his own convenience. Detective Bailey is softer and more kind but he plays second fiddle to his partner.
  
  In the nightclub world we meet Leon DeLora, a notorious gangster. I didn't trust him at first but really enjoyed getting to know him. While he may slightly resemble Al Capone, his story is different. He turned out to be a surprise. Frankie Earl is more of a stereotypical gangster. We never meet him but hear a lot about him. His associates are not too bright. We also meet the beautiful singer Esther Hayes. Because she's African-American she is forced to sing in speakeasies and not wanted elsewhere in spite of her beautiful voice. I get the impression she doesn't like or trust Amory. She may know more than she's letting on. Like Leon, she surprised me a lot.
  
  Fans of 1930s crime stories will like this novel. Those who love the previous books in the series may not enjoy the New York story as much as the stories set in London and Paris. I am curious to see where the sleuths are headed next in their unofficial career.
  
  content:
  The usual off-page "romantic interludes"
  shooting and other violence
• 
  Annie

  Originally published on my blog:
  Nonstop Reader.
  
  A Dangerous Engagement is the 6th
  Amory Ames mystery by
  Ashley Weaver. Released 3rd Sept 2019 by Macmillan on their
  Minotaur imprint, it's 309 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
  
  This is a very well written stylish murder mystery series with sophisticated protagonists who are a married couple. Set in the interwar period, Amory and husband Milo are upper class (he's trying to be a good husband, reformed from his playboy days), intelligent, and modern. In fact, I've always gotten a sort of British Nick & Nora vibe from the books with the witty repartee and clever plotting, with a little dash of a more serious Tommy & Tuppence, and something all their own. The books aren't derivative at all, the author's talented and the characters stand quite well on their own.
  
  This book sees them heading to New York for the wedding of Amory's childhood friend Tabitha. Hidden motivations and underhanded lucrative business dealings within the wedding party leave Amory less sure of her footing than on her home turf in England. Although this is the 6th book in the series, it does work quite well as a standalone. There's enough backstory woven into the narrative that readers new to the series won't have any trouble sorting out who's who.
  
  This entry was well paced (if a trifle slow at the beginning) and solidly plotted. The dialogue is witty and rings true to the period. The setting was novel change for the main characters and seeing them in the USA and in much less formal surroundings than usual allowed for some interesting insights into their marriage and the way they worked together.
  
  Four stars, solidly entertaining.
  
  Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
  
  
• 
  Nursebookie

  I love cozy mysteries and this Amory Ames' Mystery series did not disappoint. Amory and Milo travel from Britain to New York City - set in the 1930's tail end to the Prohibition Era. Amory's childhood friend Tabitha Alden is getting married and Milo thinks that this will be one boring trip. Of course , an unexpected murder of one of the groomsman changes everything. The victim, Grant Palmer, is shot in front of the Alden Mansion. Palmer has some shady past connections, was working with a bootlegger Leon De Lora, and it may be too easy to blame the mob for this hit, or is it? Amory poses as a reporter to probe into this strange murder where nothing seems to be what it is, This story leads to some unexpected and surprising ending. I love the setting of New York City during that time with all the glamour of the night clubs, speakeasies and theater. I am definitely going to be reading the other books in this series as I absolutely love Amory and Milo as the sleuthing couple, and I am a fan!
  
  Thank you to St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest and objective review.
  
• 
  Sasha

  3.5 — This lively tale was a great addition to the Amory Ames Mystery Series! Introducing an entirely new locale/country with enticing and dangerous new cohorts, I was so excited to revisit Amory and Milo’s crime-fighting ways yet again - and I’m super-hoping for the return of a certain enigmatic gangster in future novels...⁣
  ⁣
  Much thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this advance copy for review. ⁣
  ⁣
• 
  Jess

  The mystery in this was very whatever for me, but I am always charmed when my mystery book ships have a baby because I am that person. Can we actually go to their country estate now, though? I don't think we've seen it and I want to.
• 
  Melanie

  A filler book. Enjoyable enough but nothing to write home about.
• 
  Amy

  Amory and Milo Ames set sail for New York in 1933 from London for her to be a bridesmaid in her childhood friend's wedding. They arrive to a city filled with speakeasies, though there is much talk that Prohibition will be repealed. Tabitha is excited to finalize the wedding plans and Milo is introduced to her fiancé Tom's friends. When one is killed, seemingly because of his possible underworld connections, the Ames' are drawn into the mystery by virtue of their being eyewitnesses to his murder. But could this all be a cover to disguise the real killer?
  
  I wanted to like this book, the sixth in the series, much more than I actually did. I was encouraged by a new setting and I enjoy books set in the 1920's and 30's. The Prohibition theme also was a draw. It just was a slow read and Milo's character is going nowhere for me. All the references to him gambling, carousing, and allusions to his present or past mischievous behavior have worn thin. I am really hoping that the next book in the series will reflect some changes in that--for reasons that I won't mention in this review as to not be a spoiler.
  
  Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for an ARC. My review is voluntary.
• 
  Rachel McMillan

  I literally cannot get enough of Milo and Amory. They are constant rereads for me, even if I just revisit favourite scenes. It is so lovely that we are at a point in their shaky relationship where they are communicating. Milo, especially, is far more open and willing to admit how much he needs their partnership. As with all previous instalments, the dialogue sparkles and the resplendent 1930s details are to die for ( the fashion!!!!!). But what set this one apart was the sheer joy that radiates throughout due to the author’s obvious love for gangster-controlled New York in Prohibition. Stakes here are the highest the couple has wagered yet and the result is a mystery worthy of blocking off an afternoon and falling headfirst into without looking up. It dazzles!
• 
  Jude: The Epic Reader

  I don't particularly like historical novels set in America but this was really fun filled cliché story about New York gangsters. I'm excited by that ending and can't wait till I start the last one.
• 
  Alyssa Maxwell

  1930s New York comes alive in this book's wonderful descriptions, most especially because we're seeing it all through the perspective of the very British Amory Ames, for whom New York is new and exciting. Prohibition might have been the law of the land, but that doesn't mean Amory and her sexy husband, Milo, won't have a roaring good time, as well as encounters with a notorious crime boss and plenty of nail-biting danger. All the suspects appeared to have good reasons to be guilty, and I was guessing to the end, and then thoroughly surprised!
• 
  Barbara Schultz

  3.4
  This is #6 in the Amory Ames series, and I just LOVE this series.
  When I was a young girl I was a big fan of Nick and Nora Charles. I totally enjoy a good cozy mystery!
  
  Amory and hubby Milo certainly are a beautiful couple and they prove that love never runs completely smooth. Although this wasn’t my favorite, still a fun enjoyable read and I look forward to the next one!
  (Anyone who knows me ~ knows I hate profanity ~ I read Best Sellers which as you know are typically full of f-bombs. Sometimes I can tolerate the nasty language ~ but it is nice for me that there are some authors who write what I like to read :)
• 
  Beth

  Filler, I think. And unsubtle filler at that.
  
  It’s a day later and mostly I’m still surprised at what a flat read this was for me. It felt undynamic and almost like a placeholder. Not enough happened for me to consider it a bridge book, even taking into account the unsubtle-thing-that-will-happen.
• 
  Dana Michael

  I can't get enough of Amory and Milo!! I think this one my be my favorite so far.
• 
  Joy

  How fun to go to NYC with Milo and Amory! This might be one of my favorites yet!