The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee

*Spoiler free*

Felicity Montague is through with pretending she prefers society parties to books about bone setting—or that she’s not smarter than most people she knows, or that she cares about anything more than her dream of becoming a doctor. A year after an accidentally whirlwind tour of Europe, which she spent evading highwaymen and pirates with her brother Monty, Felicity has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of Callum Doyle, a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh; and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science. But then a small window of hope opens. Doctor Alexander Platt, an eccentric physician that Felicity idolizes, is looking for research assistants, and Felicity is sure that someone as forward thinking as her hero would be willing to take her on. However, Platt is in Germany, preparing to wed Felicity’s estranged childhood friend Johanna. Not only is Felicity reluctant to opening old wounds, she also has no money to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that will lead her from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

This is a book about strength, about overcoming challenges, and really looking at yourself and what you want to be. That message really spoke to me. Every single women in this book has a different type of strength about them, which was something amazing. And realistic.

There was strength in sharp edges and strength in the softness that comes in soft fabrics and the love of furry friends. I saw some of myself in both and neither is the right way. This book delves into the question of what strength really is and what it meant to Felicity.

Felicity wants to be a doctor more than anything and I found myself being interested in all the medical things she would talk about. Which is a goshdarn miracle for me. I might actually be interested in medicine if Felicity can teach me, haha.

Monty and Percy do make an appearance  in this book and it is fantastic to see them again. I’d forgotten how much I loved them. But, it kind of made me realize that Felicity just seems… lacking in comparison. Her character doesn’t seem as fleshed out as Monty’s and I had a harder time visualizing her. I dunno, it was just sort of weird. The actual course of events also felt flat to me, which I think is because a lot of time is focused on character development.

Some new characters are introduced and they were wonderful. I liked what they added and they were so fun to get to know!

Throughout the book, Felicity utilizes self-talk as a way to boost her confidence and feel more secure in herself. I loved this about her. The phrases she uses change throughout the course of the book as she grows. That was probably one of my favorite parts, since that is something I have used and I have seen my own phrases change as my confidence grows. I loved being able to see Felicity’s change.

In the end, this book was amazing and I can’t wait for everybody to read it. It comes out October 2, 2018; here is pre-order link if you are so inclined!

Thank you for reading!