finished reading

This series is killing me! The story picks up with the eccentric neighborhood of St. Crispin’s May Fair in full swing. One of the highlights is a strong-man boxing match that features some questionable practices, until Young Hawkes steps into the ring and absolutely stuns the neighborhood with his prowess!

The heart of this volume, however, is the June holiday at Islington’s country estate, Stonecrop. Shifting from the city to the countryside allows Emma, Islington, and Hawkes to soak up the splendor of nature, and these scenes are pure atmospheric magic. While Pierce is back and forth between locations, the time at Stonecrop allows for a beautiful deepening of their bonds. As for Emma and her beau? Their relationship is evolving in such a poignant, slow-burn fashion... but my lips are sealed!

Seeing the backstories of these three very different men unfold further makes the 'Found Family' theme of this series shine even brighter.

From the publisher:

"Strange, considering it all now after a night's sleep, that I'd had no premonition of what awaited. That seems to be the nature of life, however. Things that ought to come with warnings rarely do."

The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. It is The Season she must help Arabella secure a husband, while navigating the threat of Aunt Eugenia, the unflagging adoration of Charles Goddard, and the amusing unpredictability of St. Crispian's. But the secrets of her trusted friends are what might very well bring about disaster.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.