This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
Well, I’ve completed the Emma M. Lion books that exist so far; volume 9 is on the way but the pub date is unknown. I finally am in that large club of readers who love this set of books and sing their praises. For, yes, I am a convert.
Volume 8 covers May and June of 1884. Emma is 21 and fully a part of the group of friends who savor the “alchemy” of their really special relationship. This book is much longer than previous ones (earlier books were novellas, and this is a standard-length novel). A lot happens in these two months. (Emma goes through a lot of ink!)
For most of June, the friends are together (Pierce not as much as the others) at Stonecrop, Islington’s family estate in Derbyshire. Brower’s descriptions of the place make it feel real and absolutely an Eden.
In previous books, there were a lot of silly, quirky events, and I found myself chuckling. In volume 8, there are some smaller things that warrant smiles, but this book feels a lot heftier, as it digs into especially one character’s past. And it’s not light. And how the friends work together to address the discovery of these past experiences is a significant part of the story, at least in the second half.
There are still a lot of questions for the reader (and for Emma) about her relationship with Pierce. How will it proceed? Will it at all? Will this be the one that lasts? So many possibilities, especially as there will be many more books to come covering several more years.
I’ve settled in well with Emma and her friends and this whole cast of characters. Now when I read another book that’s a period piece, I can’t help comparing it in some way to Emma (not in quality or how much I like it, but in just things that pop up.)
There’s a lot to savor in volume 8. I’ll probably come back around and start from the beginning next year after a new one comes out.
Rated: Mild. Profanity includes 4 instances of moderate profanity, about 10 uses of mild language, and 2 uses of British (bl-) profanity. Brief kisses. Two scenes of men engaging in boxing/fist fights. There are some mentions of past child abuse, which was ongoing and at times severe.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 8 on Amazon.
