{Book Review} The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

 

This is the second novel in the Montague Siblings series. This novel focuses on Felicity Montague and her aspirations in becoming a doctor. The problem is, a lady becoming a doctor in England in those days was unheard of. Those positions were for men only and women were expected to be at home cooking, cleaning, having children, etc. Women weren't meant to be employed in a "man's" world. Felicity, however, is bound and determined to change all of that ... at least for her, if not for all women.

When the novel begins, Felicity is in Edinburgh, which is where she was headed after her tour with Monty and Percy in the first novel. Edinburgh has the most elite university for those wishing to study in the medical field. Felicity has written letter after letter requesting to be tutored, enrolled in the university, or taken on as an apprentice ... SOMETHING that'll get her on her path to be a doctor. While in Edinburgh, Felicity works at a bakery to earn a wage while writing her letters and waiting for acceptance. The owner of the bakery is smitten with Felicity and proposes marriage. The proposal both scares and infuriates Felicity at the same time. She leaves Edinburgh and heads to London where Monty and Percy live.

Felicity arriving in London starts a chain of events that takes Felicity on another, unexpected, grand adventure. Will she finally become accepted into a university to learn medicine or is she destined to live the life of a simpering housewife she so despises?

Here's what I liked about the novel: The adventures Felicity are involved in are entertaining and they keep the story moving. I also enjoyed the fact that it made me feel angry about the injustices of women in English society during that time ... which also made me think of the social injustices that women still go through today.

Here's what I didn't like about the novel: I thought the ending was lackluster. It just fell flat and didn't round out the novel like it could have.

The first book in the series, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, was exciting and sexy and thrilling. Since then the series has steadily declined. I really hate that, too, because I was so looking forward to an excellent series that I could add to my favorites list. Oh, well. C'est la vie.