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Glass Library #2

The Medici Manuscript

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One book can change your life.

Finding an old manuscript in the attic has always been a fantasy of Sylvia’s. She just never expected the fantasy to come true, or for it to lead her to answers about her mysterious family.

The silver clasps binding the pages contain rare magic – the same magic that might run through Sylvia’s veins. To discover a link to her ancestors means understanding the book itself, but it’s written in a code that proves difficult to crack. The only thing she knows for certain is that it was once owned by the Medicis, the powerful family that controlled Renaissance Florence.

With the help of Gabe and his friends, Sylvia investigates the book’s origins. But following the clues throws up more questions – questions they need help answering. Trusting others is not Sylvia’s strong suit, but with Gabe at her side, she becomes capable and confident. Until their trust is shattered when the book is stolen.

Uncovering the thief proves dangerous, particularly when someone is also trying to kidnap Gabe. With his own mysteries to unravel, Gabe’s private life becomes more complicated. Sylvia tries to keep her distance but staying away from someone as magnetic as Gabe is impossible.

With so many distractions, can they find the thief before the book is lost forever? Or will the secrets contained within its pages remain unsolved and will Sylvia’s past continue to be a mystery?

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2023

1532 people are currently reading
3532 people want to read

About the author

C.J. Archer

100 books5,687 followers
C.J. Archer is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of historical mystery and historical fantasy novels including the GLASS AND STEELE series, the CLEOPATRA FOX MYSTERIES, the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES and THE GLASS LIBRARY series.

She has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, 2 children and Coco the black and white cat.

Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book. Join via her website: www.cjarcher.com

You can follow her on social media to get the latest updates on her books:

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 729 reviews
Profile Image for Kristen.
2,612 reviews89 followers
April 21, 2023
I was okay with the first book in this series and willing to give book two a try. It was a disappointment and I did not end up finishing it.

My main issue with it was that there was an excessive focus on Sylvia's "unrequited" attraction to Gabe. There was just too much "boo-hoo" and "poor me" because I like him and he's engaged to someone else. Ho-hum.

I wanted more about Sylvia's family and background and whether she is actually magic but the romance stuff was just too overwhelming for me. I was bored with that and not willing to hang around until the part I really wanted took centre stage.
Profile Image for Susan Tunis.
1,015 reviews300 followers
April 8, 2023
It's really beginning to feel like C. J. Archer is writing the same book over and over.
Profile Image for Ninmir Aborl.
32 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2023
The interpersonal relationships are identical to the original series and it's boring

Flighty best friend who has more depths than her nature suggests? Check.

Large, intimidating-looking man with a heart of gold who secretly-not-secretly loves flighty best friend? Check.

Main protagonist who is a meek but surprisingly capable woman? Check.

Men falling over themselves to ask her out despite not giving them any reason to think she's interested in them? Check.

Main male protagonist wants main girl but can't because of social reasons? Check.

Willie never growing as a person or learning a lesson? Check.

Unfortunately, I can go on longer. Just reread the first two Glass and Steele books. They're exactly the same.
Profile Image for Linda Lassman.
746 reviews8 followers
March 9, 2023
I loved the original Glass & Steele series and was excited for the Glass Library series featuring the next generation. I thought Sylvia and Gabe were engaging new characters and I particularly liked Sylvia and how she stood up for herself. This second entry in the series did not disappoint--except that it ended on a bit of cliffhanger. The book was well-plotted and slowly revealed more about the characters, as well as introducing new ones that I hope we'll see more of in future books. One thing I particularly appreciated about this book was that it reflected more of the effect of WWI on those who had fought and survived it. I'm very eager to read the next volume!
Profile Image for Jess.
3,610 reviews5 followers
March 9, 2024
I continue to be very charmed by this book and these characters! I am glad the mystery of Gabe's "magic" wasn't belabored much longer and I'm equally glad that the series is continuing to take steps to explain Sylvia's family magic. I also appreciate Willie's WLW preferences being on page when it would be equally easy to leave it off. Looking forward to very slow build romances we're heading towards, for both Gabe and Sylvia and Daisy and dude whose name is currently escaping me. Thank you again to Ana for suggesting these!!
Profile Image for  Lidia .
1,147 reviews94 followers
April 26, 2024
The plot is not spectacular but the characters I found myself caring for them a lot so next volume here I come!
Profile Image for Loulou.
383 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2023
Dnf with 1 hour 35 minutes left of listening to go. I just can't.
Willie is apparently in her 60s yet behaves like a loudmouthed 6 year old. I don't care that she 'cares deeply ' about Gabe and has history with his parents and Cyclops. She ought to be locked in a shed somewhere.

Sylvie is wet and it's really beginning to grate. Yes, yes it's set in the 20s but it's magical fiction not historical fact.

Gabe is also pretty wet frankly.

The whole 'thing' between Alex and Daisy is very dull and slows the story down that whole scene at the nightclub was pointless to the actual story as far as I can recall.

I don't really care about Gabe's big secret, I'd already worked it out, so the big reveal was more a case of please can we just bloody well get on with it.

I'd been hoping we'd find out about Sylvia's mysterious family/mother blah blah but no we have to piss about having an 'investigation' tracking down the manuscript which got stolen cos the magical glass case is no longer magical. Ffs.

By this point I've stopped caring about Sylvia's family mystery. I supposed she's from some amazing magical dynasty and mysterious Mummy Sylvia was actually Marian whatever the last silversmith's name was who ran away and hid from baddies.
But I'm probably wrong and don't even care.

I actually liked that there was no explicit sex in this, that makes for a refreshing change (I'm not a prude but often the sex becomes the story). Although the story has been very long winded so perhaps it's not so good.

Narration was pretty good.

I can't remember if it's this book or the first one but here in Britain we generally use letter or post boxes not mail boxes and don't say 'gotten'.

I have covid grump.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Belle.
121 reviews
March 11, 2023
At first, I struggled to get into this second instalment of The Glass Library series. I can’t quite put my finger on it - maybe because I’ve recently gone back and re-read The Freak House books which had a consistently faster pace. Perhaps I should have re-read The Librarian of Crooked Lane as a refresher instead.

Regardless, it didn’t take me long to warm up to the story. Actually, I need to throw a spoiler warning up so I can get it all up there.

I am SO GLAD the engagement/love triangle side-story got nipped in the bud (I hope?). I am so very happy to wait for Gabe to sort his self out, wait for the fog to lift etc. I don’t know if I could have handled Sylvia pining over an engaged man for any length of time.

Also, thankful Gabe came clean about his magic and the mystery has moved towards Sylvia’s own magic. Just waiting for India and Matt to make an appearance now!

Actually, the pace of the story really picked up after the slow beginning and I smashed out the last 3/4 of the book in an afternoon.

It was delightful overall, I enjoyed the mystery and it was nice to have a few new characters. Probably closer to 4.5 stars rating but I’m fairly biased.

Will obviously be waiting for September to roll around to see what happens next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Eve.
549 reviews15 followers
gave-up-on
April 10, 2023
I liked the first novel well enough, but 13% into the second one, it all seems too similar. I'm already tired of Willie's attitude. Characters seem too one-dimensional.
Profile Image for Prashiie.
175 reviews
April 17, 2025
“When you enjoy what you do, it’s not a hardship.”

I had a lot of fun reading this book. One of the reasons is the diverse set of characters, each with their own peculiarities in addition to the interesting mystery involving an encoded book connected to a silver magician and somehow also to the Medici family of Florence. The plot is set in a world still recovering from the aftermath of World War I. It was interesting to read about the impact it had on common people—especially women—and the returning soldiers.
“Four years of war changed everyone. Young women left at home became more confident and capable after doing jobs usually reserved for men. Parents of soldiers became fearful when their sons departed for the front and immeasurably sad when they didn't return. The men who did return were altered in all sorts of ways. Some were left too traumatized to function in society. Some came back reserved, unable to talk about their experiences. Others were more carefree, determined to live every day to its fullest. Some returned angry, and others were filled with guilt at having survived when their friends had not. Most had difficulty adjusting to the new world that war ushered in.”

Another thing reflected upon is the exploitation of desperate women by producers. Though this isn’t necessarily tied only to that time period.

Overall, the plot developed slowly, allowing for a deeper exploration of the story. Ever the journalist at heart, Sylvia is determined to crack the code and shed light on her own lineage. After her life was turned around in the previous book, she finally feels alive and well. She has a great employer, a nice landlady, and good friends such as Gabe, Daisy, and even Willie in her own way. The investigation that follows introduces some new characters, many of whom seem to take a fancy to her, much to Gabe’s annoyance. Sylvia is in a better situation now and in this book Gabe’s life is also moving forward in the right direction. The events in this book made him reflect on himself. He decides to turn his life around, ultimately Ivy and Gabe were a bad match from the start! Sylvia and Gabe, however, share many similar traits. They both are humble, treat others well—even staff and servants, which was frowned upon at the time—and resonate on the same wavelength. There were quite a few cute romantic moments between them.

In a magical world, it was only to be expected This event is probably a reference to the previous book series Glass and Steele. But I am intrigued, so I will definitely give that series a try as well. I can't wait to explore this side of Sylvia in the following books!
Profile Image for Kat.
1,147 reviews19 followers
May 15, 2023
Sylvia believes she has no magic, but after being so drawn to the Medici Manuscript, even she begins to wonder about that possibility. I loved the books about India Steele, and now her son, but I’m not sure it’s really holding my interest quite as much as the original series did. It’s good as magical mysteries go, but not so compelling that I just can’t wait to get a hold of the next installment. It’s a good series, but I wouldn’t call it great. The audiobook is extremely well done tho if you prefer that.
Profile Image for Peggy.
Author 2 books42 followers
November 8, 2025
Another pleasurable novel by C.J. Archer. Sylvia Ashe is a compatible main character and narrator, and I enjoyed the book-centered plot.
Profile Image for Shawn.
193 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2023
This book was only okay. I’m not sure I’ll continue with the series, but there are elements I would like to see play out. In spite of the fact that the magical elements in this series are understated and rather boring, I still want to know if the main character is truly magical and what her family history is. I just wonder if I’ll be able to get through the humdrum mysteries and lack of activity in these books to ever get my questions answered. I started this series because I love this author’s Cleo Fox murder series, but these books seem to lack the charm and chemistry between characters that that series has.
Profile Image for Kiki.
44 reviews2 followers
September 23, 2025
oouuu things are heating up! broken engagements, potential magical powers? theft? I love it all. I'm honestly quite surprised that I'm enjoying these books as much as I am, considering they were a random find... but these are easy to read and follow, there's like one plot hole, but very minor, so besides that it's coherent. and it's a cozy read so I'll definitely keep on reading them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Megan.
97 reviews3 followers
August 2, 2023
I am really enjoying this series. It is clean so I can listen to the audio tape with my child around. The storyline is interesting and light and the characters are great. Look forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe).
693 reviews496 followers
May 28, 2023
Such a fun quick read. I've been really enjoying the authors writing. I love the mysteries, I really love the characters and I've been enjoying the romance.

I did not realize this was a sequel series, so now I must go back to the first series while I wait for book 3, but I want it now.
Profile Image for Angieleigh.
987 reviews121 followers
June 28, 2023
It's been a little bit since I read the first book in this series, but I was easily able to get back into this amazing world that CJ has created. I love each of the characters, even if certain ones (Willie, for example) get on my nerves at times for being so incredibly rude to Sylvia, who has never deserved anyone to be less than pleasant to her!

So much happened, but I never felt that I couldn't follow along as Gabe's Big Secret was finally revealed. I had been right all along, but it was still nice for everyone to finally be on the same page and know. And then we learned a secret about Sylvia towards the end that wasn't exactly a secret.

Daisy and Alex's chemistry is still off the charts and we learned more about her when Gabe and Sylvia went to visit an old friend of Daisy's. However, Willie needs to grow up. I have yet to come across anything that even makes me think she has any redeeming qualities, other than her fondness of Gabe, but even that gets annoying because she won't stay out of his business.

I am thankful that Gabe

I can't wait until September for the next installment.
Profile Image for Natelle.
693 reviews5 followers
September 27, 2025
Sylvia Ashe has settled into her new job at the Glass Library. Studying the ancient times under her care gives her the opportunity to learn more about magic. It also brings her contact with Gabriel Glass, who works with Scotland Yard. When one of the books goes missing before they have a chance to decipher it, the two team up again with their intriguing cast of friends to find the book and hopefully other answers.

Another fun read in this series. I love the care that goes into getting historical details right. I just wish the characters weren’t so secretive about the magic aspect of their reality.
Profile Image for Lauren.
223 reviews6 followers
June 2, 2023
*Borrowed on Kobo*

An enjoyable read, I didn't find it as exciting as the first Glass Library (The Librarian of Crooked Lane) and there was too much of the "unrequited" love trope. Which is not my favourite thing, but it might be for some. Then there was the whole she doesn't have magic, but then she does?

There just didn't seem to be much of the Medici mystery. I was really hoping for more, the Medici's are such a prolific family in history, it just seems such a shame that it wasn't used more.
I will be getting next book, hopefully there's "more", if you know what I mean.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chrissy Garwood.
Author 10 books6 followers
April 24, 2025
A good story

Between finishing Book 1 in this series and starting this one (Book 2) I went searching to see how many books there were still ahead. The series is still being added to, so there is a promise of more mysteries to solve. Some of the original unanswered questions from the first book were resolved in this one, and more added to the list for those curious to see how Sylvia’s story unfolds.

I enjoyed meeting new characters and catching a glimpse of what life was like in the years immediately after World War I.
Profile Image for RivkaBelle.
1,110 reviews
April 4, 2023
This series is fun - I think this second installment was even better than the first, and cannot wait for the third to come in September.
Multiple layers of mystery: what is the Medici Manuscript? Who stole it? What is Gabe's secret, and why/who is responsible for continued kidnapping attempts? And what's the deal with Ivy and/or Mrs Stanhope?
Love the character dynamics, especially the "supporting cast".
And still very much would like to work in the Glass Library.
Profile Image for Sonia Sundberg.
165 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2025
Listened to audio; well narrated. By book two in the series the characters are well known. It's interesting seeing their relationships evolve. One thing nags at me though... back in book one, why did Gabe's parents leave for an extended trip to America so soon after their beloved son returned from war? Wouldn't they want more time with him after he'd been gone for four years? And here in book two, there is no mention of their return. Seems weird.
40 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2025
Although I didn't live during the era in which the book series was written, the setting still feels nostalgic. Like when I watch black and white movies. I enjoy the setting and development of characters very much. Its a relief from the fast paced and lascivious books that flood my feed these days (which I do also enjoy reading). This has been an intriguing mystery series that I do adore now. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Sylvia's ancestry develops.
Profile Image for Genny MacLellan.
43 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2025
2.5 rounded up for readability.

Totally fine. This is the second book in the Glass Library Series, and I probably won’t read any more. The fantasy, romance, and mystery were all a little light for me. I simply wasn’t invested in the “small mystery” of this book (the missing Medici Manuscript) or the larger mystery of the series (is Gabe a magician? Sylvia? Anyone?). There are a few cool characters, and they did a few cool things, but nothing that will stick with me.
Profile Image for Michelle Fritz PA.
1,361 reviews98 followers
March 16, 2023
This was another intriguing tale filled with sensational scenes that will leave you needing more! Why do C.J. Archer's books always end too soon? These characters are entertaining and so well written. This is a world that I'd happily get lost into. When magic and mayhem are tossed into the mix, you know that you're in for one unforgettable experience.
841 reviews6 followers
April 1, 2023
I so enjoyed the original series of Glass and Steel and this spinoff is just as good. That the author made sure to bring into this book many of the original characters made it so Great. I love this Author's writing and the Narrator too. The Narrator does such a good job and brings the story and characters to life.
97 reviews2 followers
May 22, 2023
I'm enjoying this series! Love the audio; the narrator is good at accents and differentiating the characters.

A librarian, some magic, mysteries to solve, possible romances, intrigue. I'll keep going with the series; may investigate other books by the author.

(sorry, not feeling wordy tonight)

Profile Image for Erin.
788 reviews
April 30, 2024
I love these historical fantasy mysteries from CJ Archer. There’s a slow burn romance as a side plot with a colorful cast of characters. Great when you want a quick read with some magic and adventure. You do need to read them in order to fully understand the plot as each novel builds from the previous one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 729 reviews

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