The Queen and the Knave is the fifth and final installment of her Dread Penny Society Proper Romance novels and Ms. Eden expertly brings all the threads she’s been building in the first four books to a satisfying end in this Victorian mystery romance.
In The Queen and the Knave, Moirin Donnelley is trying to keep all of the people she loves that are part of the Dread Penny Society safe—but they are disappearing one by one. She turns to a constable that she trusts, Fitzgerald Parkington, and they both are drawn into the web of the self-proclaimed “Tempest” and their deadly plans for everyone in the Dread Penny Society—including Moirin. Danger is around every corner with lives are on the line and readers will be on the edge of their seat to see who survives the Tempest.
This is a fast-paced tale combining adventure and romance along with two “penny dreadful” stories in the middle of it all. (And the best news is that Shadow Mountain recently put out all the short "penny dreadful" stories that have previously been interspersed in all of Sarah Eden's Dread Penny Society novels and are now in one collection---including three new never-before-seen stories! Ms. Eden has a distinctive voice for each "line" of these gothic Victorian tales that includes mystery, adventure, romance and of course, ghost stories. This collection is a definite must-have for Sarah Eden fans!)
But back to the The Queen and the Knave. This story features locations all throughout London and the details and descriptions will have the reader feeling as if they are right there with the characters. Moirin is a complicated heroine, but her need to save those she loves is so admirable and in line with what we’ve come to know about her. Fitz or “Parky” is one of those heroes that readers will sigh over as he does his best to do what’s right, all while hiding his own pain from his past. Their slow burn romance and moments of light-heartedness are sweet and their connection is so easy, yet their circumstances make it complicated. This is a bit of an ensemble book as well, since characters from each of the previous books in the series appear in this final story as it leads to the exciting conclusion. I love the full-circle feel at the end of this book, and this whole series is definitely going to have a place on my keeper shelf. Be sure to block out enough time to read because once you start this book, you won’t want to stop!
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