Dark & Dawn

Miss Dark’s Apparitions #4

by Suzannah Rowntree

Spectres, smugglers…and the heist of a lifetime in colonial Hong Kong!

Thief she may be, but Molly Dark only ever steals to benefit others—never herself.

This time Molly only wants answers about the death of her father and the worrying persistence of his ghost—answers which almost certainly lie with his former business partner, Sir Humphrey Seton. Yet from the moment Miss Dark arrives on the doorstep of Sir Humphrey’s towering Hong Kong mansion, she can’t help sensing something rotten in the stifling summer air.

Why are there so many barred windows and locked doors at Seton Castle?

Why has Lady Seton made a sudden descent into madness?

And why is the castle infested with such a catastrophic number of ghosts?

It’s just possible the answer has something to do with Molly’s own missing inheritance…but she won’t find out, not unless she’s willing to break a few of her own rules.

Not unless she’s willing to steal for herself.

And not unless she’s ready to trust her crew…including the ex-vampire who stole her heart.

Miss Dark and her rag-tag crew venture to the Far East in this whimsical gaslamp fantasy heist, in which Leverage meets The Parasol Protectorate! Join Miss Dark’s expedition to Hong Kong’s haunted colonial mansions - preorder Dark & Dawn today!

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2024

About the author

Hi! I live in a big house in rural Australia with my awesome parents and siblings, drinking fancy tea and writing historical fantasy fiction that blends real-world history with legend, adventure, and a dash of romance.

​If you like the historical fantasy of Gail Carriger, S. A. Chakraborty or Naomi Novik, you'll probably like my stories too!

You can visit me online at https://suzannahrowntree.site

GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I'm afraid I don't accept every single friend request I receive, unless we already know each other, or it looks like we have tastes broadly in common. However, please feel free to follow and interact.

Reviews

[Suzannah Rowntree]

In case you missed the notice in my newsletter, I'm excited to announce that DARK & DAWN will release on 5 April, 2024!

This time around the crew is heisting in colonial Hong Kong! Expect Vasily's return, too many fake diamonds, Nijam uttering squeals of girlish enthusiasm (yes, really!) and Miss Dark's strong opinions on literary genres!

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark & Dawn
by Suzannah Rowntree
This is probably the most suspenseful one so far. I was a bit frustrated with Molly at the beginning because she acted so snotty and unreasonable in the beginning but she goes through a lot during the book and has a totally different attitude at the end. This time the crew is in Hong Kong to try to get Molly's dad's fortune that was taken from him after he died. Lots of secrets revealed there.

[W.R. Gingell]

ahhhh i really loved that ending! no star rating bc this is a beta review and trust me i WILL be reading this one again when it's fully done. all the con/heist bits that i'd been sadly missing in the previous book are back and MORE and there is a great deal of pining, ridiculousness, and ironing of sheets.

and as usual, nijam and mimi were there to say all the things i was shouting

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

With some books, you reach the last page, shut the cover, and then have to scream internally because the author left the characters in such a perilous and tragic state that you don't know how you or they will survive to the beginning of the next book. With other books, you reach the last page, shut the cover, and still scream internally, but this time it's a scream of joy because otherwise your heart will explode with delight over what you've just read. Dark & Dawn is the latter.

Despite my delight, I shall attempt to be brief in my review, as this is a late-series book, and by this point, you probably know what to expect. I could simply say that, if you liked the last three Miss Dark books, you will be just as thrilled as I am with this one, as it continues all the good things one would expect from the series (and involves some lovely developments of characters and their dynamics to boot). Conversely, if you didn't like the last three books, you probably won't enjoy this one either (though it is the best yet in the series, so maybe you should try it anyway). And if you haven't read the other books in the series, you should go back to book one, Tall & Dark , and fix that.

I could leave this review there. But, of course, in case anyone is on the fence, I have to hit on the highlights of the book. I loved getting to delve into more of Molly's family history, discovering exactly why her father's ghost has so determinedly stuck around. I loved, as always, the crew's schemes — challenged, this time, by a forced breakdown in communications that required quite a bit of trust from everyone, particularly our Molly. I loved the new setting; as always, Rowntree does a magnificent job of bringing the historical place and time to life, with all its grime and glory. (Side note: I would not survive a single day in Belle Époque Hong Kong; there is altogether too much mildew. This has nothing to do with the plot of the book, but some of the descriptions made me internally curl into a ball with the desire to not touch anything and simply apparate out of there before I could breathe too much. I think this was Rowntree's intent, however, so good for her.) And the poetic justice in the ending? Absolutely glorious.

But we all know that, as much as I love plots and schemes and setting, what I'm really here for is the characters — and this book delivers. Oh, it delivers! We have Molly, working through her own long-held hangups and insecurities, figuring out how to really trust the rest further than she ever has before and unraveling some of the lies she's believed for a very long time. We have Vasily, figuring out at last how to be a human, not a hunter, working hard to prove himself worthy of Molly's trust and heart. (Vasily's arc, by the way, is the reason for at least fifty percent of my delight in this book.) We also see Vasily and Molly have some difficult conversations . . . and some lovely, wonderful ones too, as they're finally working out how to have a healthy relationship.

But while Vasily and Molly are on center stage, the other members of the crew also get some appreciation. Poor Schmidt has to play the front man in the con, a role to which he is not especially suited, but he does his very best. We also get more of Nijam and Schmidt and their rebuilding relationship, and there's a bit at the very end — but, of course, that's a spoiler, so I can't say what it was, only that it delighted me thoroughly. We also see quite a lot of Mimi in this book, and she's as clever and blunt and chaotic as ever, and I love her dearly.

I have only one quibble with this book, and that's at the beginning. The first two chapters cover a great deal of time and also have to catch readers up on the events of the past book, and as a result they feel very exposition-y. However, everything picks up once the crew arrives in Hong Kong, so this is less a criticism and more an encouragement to the rest of y'all to not be dissuaded in the beginning.

Also, I must yell indistinctly about the climax and conclusion again because they're so, SO good, both on the plot side and the character side. There's poetic justice and trust and sacrifice, with humor sprinkled throughout, and it's just perfect.

As always, I can hardly wait for the next book in the series. If it's half as good as this one, it will still be a delight.

[Sarah Seele · Rating 4 out of 5]

molly faces the things she’s been putting off facing (in Hong Kong) and it’s SO. GOOD.
(it’s so good in so many ways. so many. i was going to try to write a review but it’s Too Much, Jeeves…so a blog post, concerning the whole series, is in the works instead.)

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

OFFICIAL REVIEW:
This Gothic Heist takes Miss Dark and Co to Hong Kong, the place where Sir Humphrey’s fortunes were made and the place where Molly’s father died. Maybe here she will finally be able to lay a shade to rest…. Secrets are unearthed, mettle is tested, and screams and scrempt as Molly ventures into the unknown alone.

Also this is the height of romance I was kicking my feet and shrieking. This book was made in a lab just for me and I love it so much.

****
Read in beta, full review to come but

*Captain Holt Brooklyn 99 voice*: BOOOONNEEE???

That is all.

[Irina Kermong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me tell you, the pacing and the plot are CRISP in this one! Since I'm trying to stay as spoiler-free as possible, I unfortunately can't really say more about it, but if you're looking for Wilkie Collins vibes in 1890s Hong Kong, Molly and Vasily FINALLY having the important conversations (slow burn lovers, you are in for treat), Nijam and Mimi, as another review said, telling them everything we're all thinking while we all shout in relief... I guess you'll have to go and read the first book if you haven't already!

[Katie King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suzannah Rowntree has done it again! This time Molly Dark and her crew are in Hong Kong and are Molly will be faced with her biggest fear.

As Molly and Vasily experience personal growth in this book, their relationship also grows and evolves. Nijam and Schmidt are still hopelessly dancing around each other, and Mimi loves to embarrass each couple whenever the chance presents itself.

I absolutely loved Dark & Dawn, and found myself surprised by some of the different twists and turns it contains. I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble the team gets up to in book 5!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this is my favourite installment of the Miss Dark series.

The character arcs, Mimi laughing at everyone, Schmidt blushing all over the place and also being more central to the plot and more proactive. Vasily. Molly! Warren. Nijam and her sciencey stuff.

The research as always is amazing and I quite enjoyed a couple of the reflections involving Jane Eyre. Yeah, Bertha probably did need a cuppa and a chat.

I went to preorder book five and realised I had already done so.

This series is reaching "buy paperback copies" status, which is no small thing.

[Schuyler]

What TERRIFIC fun. I loved every bit of it. Can't wait for the official release!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gah, so much fun. Good setting, good plot, well done. Took approximately 5 minutes before I was laughing out loud at Miss Dark's lamentations -

"sir was, on the contrary, a fathead."

Thankfully, sir turns out to be much less of a fathead in Dark & Dawn than he has been of late. And it was delightful to watch our protagonist slowly come to realize that, basically, it takes one to know one.

This installment brings all of the fun of earlier heists. Lots of twists and shocking reveals! The bad guy is a definite, decidedly bad villain, which makes for a satisfying comeuppance. We also get a picture of the complicated legacy of British colonialism. And I've always been fascinated by Nellie Bly's undercover stint in the asylum, which this book has echoes of.

Another thing done to great effect is leveraging all of my love for Jane Eyre. Our protagonist is a governess of tumultuous education and low social standing, she speaks excellent French, she is hilarious, she sees and respects people as they are, and she has fallen for an absolute disaster of a man. And this guy...but to say more about his shenanigans would be to give too much away. I will say I enjoyed the play on the locked up mad wife trope.

Yet the Miss Dark's Apparitions series is most definitely not Jane Eyre. For one thing, the setting is completely different, both in time and location - Miss Dark lives during the Belle Époque (in the US it would have been the progressive era) and moves in circles that include royalty and literal monsters. She has traveled extensively and has even read Jane Eyre. I got the impression that our narrator (and, by extension, the author) believes there are problematic elements in that book in need of rehabilitation. I myself am a proud member of team "Miss Bronte's Masterpiece is Brilliant and Perfect," but am neither surprised nor bothered by other takes. It's all part of the fun.

Dark & Dawn generally takes a rather lighthearted and hopeful tone, even as Miss Dark works through a lot of complicated emotions about her father, the father figure who stepped in after he died, and the nature of marriage and family in general. Many readers (like myself) will find Miss Dark's anxieties and trauma very relatable. I do not believe our narrator is always reliable or correct in her conclusions, and I'm not sure this is intentional. Regardless, I applaud the author for giving readers both a riotous good time and the opportunity to ponder what sorts of things make for healthy relations between men and women, parents and children.

This is not a serious criticism, but I feel like the existence of dragons was strongly suggested in earlier books. They went all the way to Asia. No dragons.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 almost instantly solves the cliffhanger of Book 3. Just in case you want to suffer doubts like Miss Molly Dark (so many second thoughts and regrets cloud her usual good sense throughout this book), we won't tell you how things resolve on the train to Vladivostok! Nevertheless our scruffy crew of larcenous (but only for a good cause) con artists find themselves in Hong Kong. Having fled werewolves and vampires in Imperial Russia, Hong Kong seems a bit tame with only plague ghosts and mortal villains. So Miss Dark does what you should never, never do when you're planning a heist or just a straight expedition into a mysterious haunted mansion. Yes, dear readers, she separates the crew and goes it alone. Which, of course, leads to even more problems. The return of an almost fiancee further confuses our heroine. Luckily she has a number of very good friends with extraordinary skills at deception and destruction, so all is set (if not totally romantically resolved) for Book 5. A fun series for a summer beach read!

[Eli Hinze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winning entry into Molly Dark’s saga!

Twists and turns abound, and we see some old familiar faces rear their head again. I want to stay fairly spoiler free here, but suffice to say that Rowntree’s characters continue to vex and delight as their stories take shape, making me reel with anxiety and jump with excitement. (I just wish a particular chemist would accept her feelings!!!) The plot too kept me guessing, as this time around, Molly has a more limited view of her cadre’s machinations. I’m on top of my head for the next book.

I also really, really want to visit Hong Kong again!! There’s no place quite like it.

Also, the Sinophile in me loved the attention to detail re: the Opium trade, as I think people forget the British empire was the world’s biggest international drug cartel as a means of keeping by their trade balances even.

[Ka · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're here at book 4 then you know what to expect, so I'll just summarize the plot and my reactions so that I recall what happened when book 5 finally comes out (yes, I know it's already out in print, but I don't have time in my life to read books anymore, so I'm waiting for the audiobook version).

This is similar to my book 3 review, where I summarized the ending of the Miss Sharp series as well as books 1-3 of this series, just so I'll recall all the connections later. This is why I hate reading unfinished series, dammit. I have a bad memory... when I was younger, it gave me a fun excuse to reread all the previous books in an ongoing series every time a new one came out. However, as a middle-aged lady with a job, friends, dogs, and various projects, not to mention a lengthy to-read list, I no longer have the time to do that.

PLOT SUMMARY & MY REACTIONS:
So for this book I happened to pick it up directly after listening to the previous one. As I mentioned in the previous summary, Vasily stayed behind in Moscow to marry some horrible Serbian princess who he jilted earlier in life, and the rest of the party are fleeing east on the Trans Siberian railway. I don't recall them traveling through China itself, so to get to Hong Kong (the location of the story), they must have gotten to the Sea of Japan and taken a ship there.

Miss Dark pines for Vasily and realizes she loved him etc. I realize now that in my summary of the previous book, I totally forgot that there's a scene at the very end where she runs into him and confesses that she loves him and is upset that he's leaving her to get back his status and money, and he is sad but indignant, because in his mind he's doing it at least partially to save the rest of them. She also found his old sketchbook and discovers that he had drawn a ton of pictures of her (he has skillz!) and she belatedly thinks that perhaps he loved her too. Then, while traveling on the train, they see a newspaper with the headline "GRAND DUKE VASILY TOTALLY KILLED IN EXPLOSION" and she gets super upset and thinks he is dead and regrets all her harsh words, blah blah. I rolled my eyes a bit at this since Nijam suggested that he fake his own death with dynamite multiple times in the previous book.

SHOCKINGLY, he is not dead and turns up in the next chapter on the train. He runs into Molly in the hallway, confesses his luv, and they have a really passionate kiss! You'd think this is the reader's reward for all the bullshit so far! But wait, there's MORE! After that, she promptly has a brain meltdown and tells him she isn't into him anymore and he sacrificed his old identity for nothing and should just leave or something. Given how she was tragically remonstrating with herself just 10 pages before, I was like, what is this author even fucking doing??

After way too much waffling and confusion and nonsense, it's made clearer that she DOES still love him but that he is not good enough for her because he's a douchebaggy asshat who thinks of her as property (she doesn't like that he says things like, "I will seduce you" or "I want you to be mine" or similar... it feels like the dumbest possible interpretation of his words, since he clearly does not see her as a mere object even if his language suggests it; but whatever, I suppose the author has to continue postponing their relationship in order to make this series longer). It's kind of annoying when you consider that English isn't even his first language and yet this dumb semantic misunderstanding is what is separating them.

Regardless, for some reason he decides to tag along behind her like a puppy and beg for her love. Ultimately this ends up improving his character, her understanding of him, and their relationship as a whole, so I guess I'll forgive the stupidity of the premise.

In Hong Kong, Molly decides to finally investigate her dad's old business partner, Sir H. In previous books it is repeatedly stated that her dad was ruining the business (an import/export company based in Hong Kong) and then he died of the plague, after which she saw his ghost every day. In book 2, she got a few hints that things might have not been exactly as she had been told her whole life, and that Sir H might not be as upstanding as he seemed, so the gang decides to investigate her father's death and the general goings-on with the company, just in case Sir H is not totally on the up and up.

Because he's supposed to be dead, Vasily has to stay indoors and hide while everyone else does the investigative work. This leads to some humorous scenes where he learns to cook dinner, iron his own cravats, polish his own shoes, etc. Meanwhile, Nijam and Schmidt infiltrate the company while also engaging in a bit of UST (she can't bear the idea of getting with him when he doesn't have his memories of her; he doesn't want his memories back but is interested in her anyway... presumably because of her scientific genius and beauty, because it's unlikely her harpy personality drew him in).

Mimi and Molly go directly to Sir H's giant country house to pretend to be silly fluttery harmless ladies and even after everything that's happened, he buys it and lets them stay. Molly sees a ghost covered in stab wounds the moment she gets to the house and then sees her father's ghost walk down to a mysterious door and disappear into it. Later she finds this is a small church, with a tiny closet crypt containing his remains. After touching them directly, she sees a vision of Sir H having her father brutally murdered by a Chinese triad -- why, he didn't die of the plague at all! It turns out Sir H is actually the worst person ever: he's smuggling opium, and also selling it on the black market to his criminally underpaid addicted laborers, and ALSO he secretly stole Mr Dark's shares (Molly's inheritance) which is actually worth gobs of money, and ALSO he is keeping his poor wife, Lady H, locked up in her own filth because she guiltily keeps seeing the ghosts of the Chinese plague victims who she believes died because he ignored the quarantine orders... then he decides to have Molly declared legally insane and lock her up as well (if she dies, her inheritance will go to her mother and he wouldn't be able to hide THAT for some reason, so he has to keep her alive). What a complete and utter douchebag.

Into all this returns Warren Vandersnoot, the American zillionaire with the robot tentacle arm and genius mad scientist levels of technical skill. He is there visit his aunt (Lady H). He is appalled that a Vandersnoot is being treated so badly (how dare!! our family honor!!!!) and since he has the magic ability to intercept their radio headset communications, Molly is forced to destroy her transmitter and rely on her friends and their plan to bring about Sir H's comeuppance. However, now that Warren is sniffing around as well, Molly reluctantly teams up with him to catch Sir H doing something bad to a white person, since she feels nobody will care that he harmed a bunch of Chinese people (sadly, this feels very representative of the time period). After a bunch of nonsense, during which it turns out that Vasily is a master of disguise and actor so amazing that even Molly doesn't recognize him, they manage to get Sir H to see a bunch of ghosts (some real, some just a video projection) and guiltily confess all his crimes (including murdering Mr Dark) in front of a local magistrate.

In the end, Sir H is sent to an insane asylum; Warren Vandersnoot almost forces Molly to marry him at gunpoint but his aunt (who is now free) stops him; and Molly gets her inheritance (loads of money plus part ownership of the company, along with Lady H and some Chinese office workers), so she and her sisters are now filthy rich. Also, she and Vasily come to an understanding, where he says he will court her like a normal person, and she finally stops getting hung up on semantics and understands that he loves her. This is a huge relief and I desperately hope that the next book ends the series (or that there are 6 books maximum), and also that there are no more dumb misunderstandings with the two of them, because I just can't. Lastly, Vasily now sports a robot eye that can see in the dark and also magnify things. Why not.

So yeah. I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but if the next book were out in audio format I would have already bought it, because these silly books are really fun for some reason. I enjoy looking up all the historical people, places, and events which form the settings, and I've actually learned quite a bit about this time period that I didn't know before, because I wasn't that interested in this corner of history. I don't know if they are in the print version, but at the end of each of the audiobooks, the author talks for a few minutes about the actual historical people and events. the stuff she changed for the plot, and the research she did, and honestly these little segments made me appreciate the books far more than I might have otherwise.

[Jacquelyn Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so thoroughly invested in this series. It's such a fabulous combination—real Victorian political history spiced-up with monsters and ghosts. A team of quirky, gold-hearted shysters commit heists for justice. Last but certainly not least—it torments you with the slowest of slow-burn romances. And what a romance! Both characters are burdened with loads of juicy flaws and trust issues but can't stop themselves from engaging in the most razor-edged witty banter. I'm here for all of it.

This fourth installment in the series delivers all those delights in spades in the setting of a spooky, moldering Euro-transplant mansion in the remote hills of Hong Kong. Rowntree wraps her heist story up in a scathing examination of the opium trade and human trafficking that European entrepreneurs inflicted on the people of China and Hong Kong, plus there's an absolutely chilling dive into the weaponization of insanity diagnoses against vulnerable women.

But lest all that sound too heavy—while Rowntree is unflinching in the real history she throws at you, all that injustice goes down with a sweet dose of scheming, romantic entanglements, and divine comeuppance. I gobbled it up, and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

[Grace T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly and co. are back and better than ever in this newest installment!

The con/heist plot, as the gang attempts to bring down Molly's old guardian and his shady Hong Kong business dealings, is deliciously twisty; the atmosphere is positively riddled with island humidity, gothic gloom, and moldy yellow wallpaper; and both eminently-pragmatic Molly and dramatic Vasily grow in ways that brought me to the point of tears. Which I can't get into because spoilers, but if you weren't already invested in them, 1) it's impossible that this book won't fix that and 2) you need to do some soul-searching and figure out what's wrong with you because they are PERFECTION.

The word "leverage" is actually used, at long last, and there is a scene that reminded me of nothing so much as the meme which Google informs me is known as the Assassination Chain meme, which I'm not sure if that similarity was intentional but it delights me nonetheless (UPDATE: confirmed intentional by Suzannah on tumblr and i am Chuffed :D). Also have i MENTIONED molly's growth and realizations about herself and about love and accepting both? she grows dearer to me with every new book in this series.

While the explosive ending of the previous book had me somewhat surprised at the timing with which Vasily came back on screen, I am not complaining from a romantic point of view--and with that being my only slight objection on the technical side, please have some quotes I absolutely love.

I found myself being kissed in a manner which banished once and for all the idea that I had strayed into a work of improving fiction. [we love to see it]

I did consider my own happiness; constantly. It was one of the reasons I must always work so hard to put others before myself. [molly could your problematic thoughts please stop being so relatable]

All this time, I had thought myself so utterly alone; yet all the time, Vasily had been by my side--and in a way he had never been there before, so completely hidden that I had never dreamed it was he! [okay but suzannah? ms. rowntree ma'am? the theological vibes/parallels of this scene/set-up are stunning and gorgeous and drive me insane if i dwell on them for two seconds together my HEART]

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and Dawn is an absolutely delightful mix of gothic, gaslamp fantasy, cuuning con, mystery, and romance. This entry in the series sees Molly and friends in Hong Kong and a return to the full on heist/con antics and action that felt lacking in book three. Old aquaintences return as Molly discovers unexpected truths about her father's death and his business partner's degree of honesty while trapped in very humid 'castle' with villains, vengeful ghosts and a (quite sane) madwoman while cut off from the support of her friends.

I love the tone of the narration, Molly's voice is that of a staid, sensible, and respectable woman of her time while also being utterly hilarious and showing a great ability to accept the sublimely ridiculous in her stride. She undergoes a lot of personal growth in this one as she confronts secrets of her family's past, her growing romance with a certain Russian Grand Duke and her own self.

My new favourite installment in the series and I can not wait for book five!

I received an ARC and leave an honest review.

[Geetha Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the hint from her mother's letter, Molly and her crew are in Hong Kong to investigate none other than Sir Humphrey. Molly is clearly reluctant since she cannot see her old mentor as anything but a good man, but her crew are not so easily persuaded.
They have timed their arrival to coincide with Griff's departure, Molly's one time fiance, the American prosthete whose enhancements make it impossible for them to use their transmitters despite Nijam's best efforts.
In Sir Humphrey's house, Molly is met with a hostile housekeeper, secretive servants and Sir Humphrey who doesn't seem like the same person he was before. Added to the strange ghosts that she sees, and the even stranger ones that follow Lady Seton around, Molly has to wonder if Sir Humphrey is indeed a villain.
I love the character growth both Molly and Vasily has to undergo in this as also the fact that Molly is finally facing some of her own issues that had held her back. The rest of her crew are as supportive as ever, and Nijam and Alphonse still haven't sorted out their differences, mainly because of Alphonse's refusal to face his past.
The book kept me gripped throughout, and off I am to read the last book, except it's midnight, so I don't want to start it just yet.
If you love historical fantasy, mysteries, characters who are both morally grey and evolving, and an enthralling plot, you will love this book!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this latest installment in the Miss Dark's Apparitions series. This book is a grift which is fun, especially as our poor heroes must do without their communication devices and a scathing indictment of the opium trade and the people complicit in it. It is also a bit horrifying in that it draws from the actual Victorian men who declared their wives mad to get them out of the way. It was an actual thing that happened! It was horrifying, and it is portrayed in a way to show how horrifying it was.

This series is also contains one of the best redemption arcs I've ever read.

I highly recommend picking up this series, and starting with the first book.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the things I loved about book 2 of the series, but more of them.

More of the gang's hijinks and heists. More banter, more pining, more Mimi and Nijam saying The Perfect Thing. More of Miss Dark wrestling with difficult truths. More of Vasily being... well, actually, in this book, he's trying to be less Vasily and I adored it. More righting of wrongs and injustices, as best as possible.

In fact, the only thing I didn't absolutely love about the book is that it also featured more Sir Humphrey Seton & Co., and at least three times (maybe even four), that meant the book got too intense and I had to set it down for a bit before I was ready to continue on. Definitely not the book's fault!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great installment in the series. This book focuses on Miss Dark finding out what happened to her father. It's also a time of emotional growth for her as she learns that some viewpoints she developed from her childhood may be wrong. I think it is an excellent follow up to the previous book where we got a closer look at Vasily's past and family. All of Miss Dark's crew are fascinating in their own right. I am looking forward to the remainder of this series. I'm hoping for a happy ending for them all.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly's team is at it again, and this time in Hong Kong. This delightful read had me laughing and squealing with the banter, character growth, and Leverage type fun. This is my favorite of the series yet, with character arcs and relationship arcs that fulfilled what I'd been hoping for from the previous books.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoy this series

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book in the series; like the Wilki Colleen Vibes on top of leverage vibes

[Cid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended if you enjoy Fab Victorian Romance Dialogs!