Juliana Gray (1)

I loved this. Quirky, charming, full of humor, mythology, and adventure against the regimented backdrop of Edwardian society. A heroine of decided talents and opinions, a frivolous companion of unexpected depth, ghosts (...or hallucinations...but what does it matter?), a soupçon of romance, and a duke lost amidst the Aegean Islands.

It's the kind of book that defies easy categorization but suits all my reader's sweet spots right down to the ground. I can't wait to see what adventures await show more Miss Truelove in future books. show less

If you look at my "read" shelf, you know I love a good story about a woman disguised as a man. I also love a good case of mistaken identity. This book has BOTH. Emilie disguises herself as a (male) tutor in the household of the Duke of Ashland in howling wilds of Yorkshire. While she meets with someone from her past while dressed as herself (female), she is ALSO mistaken as Ashland's every-other-Tuesday lady of the night. DOUBLE TROUBLE, YES.

Ashland was seriously disfigured in battle, with show more scars covering most of his face and missing his right hand. There is no fairy-tale transformation where suddenly his scars are gone making him handsome again, or giving him his hand back (or even a replacement hand). Instead Emilie is able to see his scars and missing hand as a part of him, and love him (and by extension them) just as he is. I do so love a story where the person is loved for their entire self, without some transformation or being required to change into someone or something else to suddenly be worthy of love. Instead all it takes is the right person so really see you in your entirety, and love you precisely as you are. Now *that's* a love story.

This is the first in a series, and from the ending of this book it sounds like books #2 and #3 likely run concurrently with the events in this book (centered around Emilie's sisters, who are also in hiding disguised as men - um, YES PLEASE.) At one point she meets up with her sister who is also in hiding as a man, and it's clear there's a major story going on with her sister - I'm going to go ahead and assume that's book 2 (which you'd better believe I've got requested at my local library right now!) show less

Intriguing, sometimes hard to follow story of Emmeline Truelove, researcher, who is sent to the remote Orkney Islands in 1906 to investigate a “selkie suit” but then finds herself (and her lover) in the 13th century in the same location.

In 1906, the Duke of Olympia and his assistant Emmeline Truelove are called to the Orkney Islands to investigate an artifact purported to be a Selkie skin. Along the way, some important papers are stolen from Miss Truelove on the train. This book failed to draw me in and hold my attention. I found it confusing from almost the beginning. Some parts are simply too unbelievable, and others are missing connections needed to help readers process the action. Perhaps someone who enjoys the fantasy show more genre more than I do could make the needed stretches. I abandoned the book about 40% of the way into it. I received an electronic galley of the book for review through NetGalley. show less