Information

• Rating: Average of 4.14 out of 16,863 ratings.
• Genre: mystery, historical fiction, historical romance
• Series: Veronica Speedwell, book 5
• Age Range: Adult

Summary

*Quick Summary that does not spoil the series so far, then a summary for this book itself. Be aware of potential spoilers for books untikl this point and then, further into my review, be aware of spoilers for the book itself. I will add another spoiler tag when I get into them.*

Veronica Speedwell has a penchant for adventure – and often drags her friend/side kick, Stoker, along with her. The two of them solve mysteries together in London and suffer through mutual pinning along the way. The slowest of all the slow burns that has people absolutely devouring it. I am verymuch so late to this train. – Within this book, Stoker and Veronica are a little more awakrd around one another while dealing with the ramifications of that last book (i.e. Stoker admitting his feelings for Veronica and the two of them deciding to further their relationship). They’d gotten a letter from Lady Wellie reporting that their return was in dire need, stating it was a matter of life or death. See, Jack the Ripper is running rampant around London currently and, even worse. The Crown Prince (Veronica’s half brother) has given a precious diamond to a woman that is not his betrothed – the absolute scandal. Veronica and Stoker are tasked to retrieve this diamond to reserve the Prince’s reputation while debating their decision to further their relationship; both of them are feeling suddenly nervous and it is so fucking fun and cute to see them tiptoe around each other, especially when this investigation leads them to a brothel. It’s fun and interesting. If you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series so far, you’ll enjoy this one just as much.

Review – Spoilers

Veronica and Stoker have had everyone eating out of the palms of their fictional hands through this entire series. It hasn’t been a ‘will they;won’t they.’ It’s been a ‘when will they and, please, for the love of all things holy, let it be soon.’ I was flustered and excited when Stoker admitted his love for Veronica in the last book. I mean, ‘I don’t love her enough to kill for her. I love her enough to die for her.’ I beg your pardon? Are you joking me right now? I love it, I’m in. And then saying that he knew Veronica hadn’t run away due to being pregnant, but would have done whatever she needed of him if she were, such as going to any surgeon appointments or giving the baby his name? You got me bamboozled. Men, read this series and take some fucking pointers. Stoker is it.

– These books trive off of the relationship between Stoker and Veronica. The two of them are best friends, no one ecould ever know them better than the other. It was wonderful enough watching these solve mysteries together based on that relationship alone. We have so many shows and books of two or more people who are besties solving crimes together and it works. Some of my favorite shows have this dynamic such as Criminal Minds, NCIS, Sherlock, Bones, ect. We see this dynamic so ofen and, at least for me, it never gets old. It can feel so rewarding watching these people build their relationship slowly and through hardship. This dynamic sets up such incredible loyalty to one another and the pair are almost always perfectly paired/balancing of one another. It just works. And I’d be lying if I said seeing a man get shot to protect the woman he loves didn’t do something for me, okay?

– The mysteries are not always the strong suit of these books. With criminal minds or NCIS, it’s the crimes that draw you in and the relationships that keep you watching. This series is the opposite, but it also looks like the series is aware of that. Veronica’s hlaf brother, Eddy, has made an oopsie and given a precious diamond to the owner of a brothel that he is close friends with. This is not great considering he is the future King and must protect his reputation at all costs – plus he’s getting married soon. Veronica says no at first; she’s tired of being a pawn for her famly -the royal family- to use. But, there is also (although very small) suspician that the future King, Eddy, is the Ripper and Veronica is compelled to learn the truth.

– Turns out, it was all a set up. Stoker is shot once again and Veronica gets to bond with family. She gets to meet her brother and learn that he is indeed spoiled and childish but he’s also sweet and they both have the potential to love another if they were ever given time to do so. As with the other books, Veronica meets other women who have to build careers or reputations for themselves by various means. I love this series for being a romance first -and it is- but still giving Veronica her own agency and acknoledging the story of other women. Even Stoker occationally has a difficult time understanding why women occationally make the decisions that they do. It’s a consistent and important theme within the series. I also appreciate that the Ripper was not discussed as someone who is mysterious and creepy but in an almost…godly way is the only word I can think of? He’s given a nearly celebrity status even within our own world. In this, he’s there, yes, but the focus is on the women that he is killing and J.J. (who I’m really excited to see potentially build a friendship with Veronica) wanting to interview these women and write about why they have turned to prostitution.

– This series is so nice and cozy to me. The ending wtih Veronica and Stoker deciding to give in adn be with one antoher finally has me so incredibly excited to read the next one. I can’t wait to see how this makes small changes to their dynamic. I don’t expect it to change much, but they are ablke to be open about their feelings now and I’m excited to see what that looks like! All in all, it was just as good and interesting as the rest. Honestly, it’s the fifth book in the series, so I assume everyone whose gotten this far also likes the series. It isn’t make any drastic changes that I see leaving readers this far in feeling irritable. It’s just wonderful and feels like a warm hug.