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greermegan22's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
ashlightgrayson's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Definitely liked this installment more than the previous one. Charlotte and Jamie had a falling out at the end of the last book and have not spoken in 1 year by the beginning of this book. I really liked that we got to see Leander play the role of a mentor for Charlotte when she most needed it. Her family is terrible and have essentially left her alone to clean up the aftermath of August's death. She continues to struggle with unhealthy coping mechanisms including putting herself in harm's way and indulging in her drug addiction. This is all tied in with feelings of guilt and protectiveness surrounding Jamie. Leander acts as great support towards Charlotte and it made me appreciate his character even more. So far he is my favorite side character.
We also get to learn more about his interesting friendship with Jamie's father, James. I'm actually hoping we get more of this in the next book because I really love their friendship and it's a subplot that went in a different direction than I expected.
Jamie isn't faring super well on the other side of the pond either. He is dating Elizabeth and sort of hanging out with his friends, Lena and Tom, but you can tell his heart isn't invested wholeheartedly into anything. Internally he has a lot of emotional turmoil that is directly related to Charlotte. He is also struggling with his own mental health issues. This all affects the progression of his other relationships and reflects the importance his friendship with Charlotte has had in his life. It also demonstrates that despite how much Jamie loves Charlotte, he wasn't balancing the rest of his relationships well because he was always so busy being around her. I think there is important commentary to be had about how you need different kinds of relationships in your life and how it's not healthy to be attached at the hip to a single person. Relationships need balance, and Jamie and Charlotte haven't really had that. There is a lot of character growth for him and Charlotte in this installment and a lot of the problems seen in their relationship in the last book are addressed. They are in a much healthier place by the end and I can't wait to see them continue to heal and grow in the next book.
Despite Jamie trying to live his life as disconnected from trouble and the Holmes', trouble has a way of finding him. Plot-wise, there was more organization compared to the last book with more linear investigations. I felt like I knew each character's motive for the most part while still having a sense of intrigue as far as what would happen next. It's probably as good as the plot of the first book and I'm hoping I feel the same about the next one.
I know we found out that Leander was gay in the last book, but I didn't think that we would also find out that he is in love with James Watson. Worst of all, James Watson didn't even realize Leander was in love with him until he began having marital problems with Abigail because it's implied that he is spending more time with Leander than her. Leander seems to be pretty sure he is a heterosexual man; however, based on his admission to Jamie that Leander is indeed his favorite person it is left open to interpretation that he may be biromantic or homoromantic as well. He is going to have to sift through those feelings at some point and I'm looking forward to seeing where that goes in the next book. My prediction is that his marriage probably isn't going to last long. I'm sure he cares about his wife and children, but if he does have feelings for Leander I don't think it's fair to his wife to stay in a monogamous relationship with him if he isn't sure about his feelings and priorities. He needs to figure that out first before they continue their current relationship.
For most of this series Charlotte has been the one to be pinned as less in touch with her emotions and how she treats those around her and Jamie has usually been painted to be more the empathetic one. However, due to his increased trauma and his unresolved feelings about Charlotte, he gets called out by his friends (Tom and Lena) for neglecting them. Jamie for once is seen as the insensitive one and adequately has to face his friends about it. He doesn't currently have the emotional energy for other relationships and had not realized that Charlotte had become pretty much his only strong relationship. Again, this is unhealthy, but Jamie is becoming more self-aware. I have to say Elizabeth in this book is great in that respect. She tells Jamie that just because he recognizes what he did wrong doesn't make him less of a jerk. This is very true. He needs to take active steps to improve himself as he is healing from the breaking off of his relationship with Charlotte.
Charlotte on the other hand misses Jamie and she definitely has romantic feelings for him. It is clear she has skewed view of love, but she has also learned through Jamie and Leander what healthy forms of love can look like. Yes, Jamie and her have a sort of unhealthy dynamic, but his feelings for her are not tied to her accomplishments, but simply who she is as a person. She doesn't have a high emotional intelligence to begin with and now fears hurting Jamie more by getting close, so she is keeping her distance. Her history of sexual assault also adds to the intimidation of beginning a romantic relationship with him. She knows that if she does enter a relationship with him that she'll be asking for a lot of patience from him. Many forms of affection that are normal for a lot of couples are tied to trauma for her. She is definitely more worried about how Jamie will perceive her reactions than Jamie is worried about this being a problem as their relationship progresses to being romantic. This is a great reflection of the experience of a lot of sexual assault victims have after the fact in their relationships I'm sure. A lot of them feel like they can be a burden to their new partners because of how their trauma affects their new relationships. It's a very interesting topic explored here, especially because we are in Charlotte's head more than in the previous books.
As I mentioned before I liked the plot in this one. I was not expecting Lucien to marry Jamie's mother when I started this book. However, I did see it coming as I was reading the story because it was pretty obvious from how mysterious his mother's new suitor was. Still, an interesting twist that was appreciated.
We also get to learn more about his interesting friendship with Jamie's father, James. I'm actually hoping we get more of this in the next book because I really love their friendship and it's a subplot that went in a different direction than I expected.
Jamie isn't faring super well on the other side of the pond either. He is dating Elizabeth and sort of hanging out with his friends, Lena and Tom, but you can tell his heart isn't invested wholeheartedly into anything. Internally he has a lot of emotional turmoil that is directly related to Charlotte. He is also struggling with his own mental health issues. This all affects the progression of his other relationships and reflects the importance his friendship with Charlotte has had in his life. It also demonstrates that despite how much Jamie loves Charlotte, he wasn't balancing the rest of his relationships well because he was always so busy being around her. I think there is important commentary to be had about how you need different kinds of relationships in your life and how it's not healthy to be attached at the hip to a single person. Relationships need balance, and Jamie and Charlotte haven't really had that. There is a lot of character growth for him and Charlotte in this installment and a lot of the problems seen in their relationship in the last book are addressed. They are in a much healthier place by the end and I can't wait to see them continue to heal and grow in the next book.
Despite Jamie trying to live his life as disconnected from trouble and the Holmes', trouble has a way of finding him. Plot-wise, there was more organization compared to the last book with more linear investigations. I felt like I knew each character's motive for the most part while still having a sense of intrigue as far as what would happen next. It's probably as good as the plot of the first book and I'm hoping I feel the same about the next one.
For most of this series Charlotte has been the one to be pinned as less in touch with her emotions and how she treats those around her and Jamie has usually been painted to be more the empathetic one. However, due to his increased trauma and his unresolved feelings about Charlotte, he gets called out by his friends (Tom and Lena) for neglecting them. Jamie for once is seen as the insensitive one and adequately has to face his friends about it. He doesn't currently have the emotional energy for other relationships and had not realized that Charlotte had become pretty much his only strong relationship. Again, this is unhealthy, but Jamie is becoming more self-aware. I have to say Elizabeth in this book is great in that respect. She tells Jamie that just because he recognizes what he did wrong doesn't make him less of a jerk. This is very true. He needs to take active steps to improve himself as he is healing from the breaking off of his relationship with Charlotte.
Charlotte on the other hand misses Jamie and she definitely has romantic feelings for him. It is clear she has skewed view of love, but she has also learned through Jamie and Leander what healthy forms of love can look like. Yes, Jamie and her have a sort of unhealthy dynamic, but his feelings for her are not tied to her accomplishments, but simply who she is as a person. She doesn't have a high emotional intelligence to begin with and now fears hurting Jamie more by getting close, so she is keeping her distance. Her history of sexual assault also adds to the intimidation of beginning a romantic relationship with him. She knows that if she does enter a relationship with him that she'll be asking for a lot of patience from him. Many forms of affection that are normal for a lot of couples are tied to trauma for her. She is definitely more worried about how Jamie will perceive her reactions than Jamie is worried about this being a problem as their relationship progresses to being romantic. This is a great reflection of the experience of a lot of sexual assault victims have after the fact in their relationships I'm sure. A lot of them feel like they can be a burden to their new partners because of how their trauma affects their new relationships. It's a very interesting topic explored here, especially because we are in Charlotte's head more than in the previous books.
As I mentioned before I liked the plot in this one. I was not expecting Lucien to marry Jamie's mother when I started this book. However, I did see it coming as I was reading the story because it was pretty obvious from how mysterious his mother's new suitor was. Still, an interesting twist that was appreciated.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, and Sexual violence
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