By Mattie Lugar; Photo Credits to Mattie Lugar
While I know I have stated that the previous volume to this one is my favorite in the series, I truly think this one is tied for my favorite. This volume takes us through September and October after the end of the social season, and shenanigans and chaos follow Emma wherever she goes. Throughout this series there has been an excellent balance of silliness and heavier topics, but I truly think this volume does the best job at it.
This volume is a little more on the lengthier end at 209 pages. I think my favorite part of this volume is the development of friendship between Emma, Niall Pierce, Young Hawkes, and the Duke of Islington. The four friends affectionately call their group The Alchemy as there seems to be an easy familiarity between all four of them. I’m sure we will only see this friendgroup flourish more throughout the rest of the series.
But with all good things, there inevitably must be something darker. Remember Maxwell, Emma’s childhood sweetheart who died in the war? Emma found a newspaper clipping with his funeral date and information on it and all the emotions she thought she processed came flooding back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an honest and open depiction of how messy grief can be; it truly felt like the characters were real and tangible to me. If I had the ability to climb through books, I would in a heartbeat to give Emma a hug because losing a loved one is not easy.
Even though heavier topics were touched on this volume, we immediately got right back to our regularly scheduled program and more chaos ensued. If I haven’t mentioned him before, there is a man by the name of Jack Hollingstell that is posing as a cousin to Emma’s dear friend Mary. In the second volume Emma made him promise not to touch anyone in her close circle in exchange for two favors to be called on at any time and well, here came the first favor.
I don’t think I was prepared to read about chaos in a dance hall, but here we are. Jack is such an elusive character, and I don’t know I expected anything less than a crazy adventure, but I think this was a new level of crazy for Emma. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly entertained, so much that I read this volume in a single day, and I don’t regret it at all.
If you think this sounds like a load of laughs, I cannot recommend this series enough as volume nine comes out this upcoming February!