Author:
T.J. Brown
Publication
Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher:
Gallery Books
Series:
Summerset Abbey # 2
The
highly anticipated second installment in the Summerset Abbey series, which
picks up just after the climatic conclusion of book one. After Prudence’s
desperate marriage and move to Devonshire, sisters Rowena and Victoria fear
they have lost their beloved friend forever. Guilt-ridden and remorseful,
Rowena seeks comfort from a daring flyboy and embraces the most dangerous
activity the world has ever seen, and Victoria defies her family and her
illness to make her own dream occupation as a botanist come true. As England
and the world step closer to conflict, the two young women flout their family,
their upbringing, and their heritage to seize a modern future of their own
making.
“On
the long journey home, Rowena puzzled over the conversation she and Sebastian
had in the garden. Had he harbored feelings for Pru? Maybe But now that
Prudence had married, it didn’t really matter, did it?” – Finished Copy pg. 23
“Mr.
Herbert cleared his throat. ‘I will speak plainly, Miss Buxton, if that is
indeed your name, so there will be no further doubt. There is no room for women
in the sciences, my dear young lady, except perhaps as a help to their
husbands. Women just are not suited for such work. Their brains are not made
for it. And quite frankly, it will be a cold day before The Botanist’s Quarterly accepts the contributions of a woman over
those of a man who may be a husband and a father needing to earn money to take
care of his family. I don’t wish to be cruel, but that is the truth.’” –
Finished Copy pg. 65
“‘Thank
you, Sebastian. You’re a very nice man, do you know that? I think Prudence was
a fool.’” – Finished Copy pg. 101
"Martha
tilted her head sideways and regarded Victoria, ‘We have two organizations because
many women are afraid to do the real work of the cause. The Suffragettes for
Female Equality is the main organization. The Women’s Equality League is the
more exclusive, lesser-known group. It’s for those workers who have proven
their loyalty and bravery. I suppose if you’re to work for us, you’re going to
have to know.’” – Finished Copy pg. 111
"Rowena
tilted her head back and looked at the stars in the winter sky. ‘Yes. Soon I’ll
be able to fly in the sky all by myself.’ She smiled. ‘I can’t wait for that
day.’” – Finished Copy pg. 126
This
amazing series continues with another brilliant installment. At the end of Summerset Abbey, Prudence was married off
and left town leaving Rowena and Victoria still under the care of their Aunt
Charlotte. The girls face many more challenges in this book, just as they did
in the first and we explore feminist action and rights once again. This book
picks up right where the last one left off, and I was so happy for this. I
thought I was going to die after finishing the first book in this series
because I couldn’t stand to be left in the dark as to what was going to happen
to each of the girls of Summerset. This is a series that can really appeal to
adult readers and those that enjoy young adult as well. The writing and pace
are consistent throughout both books and the characters are easy to fall in love
with!
We
see all three young ladies again in this novel, just not at the same place this
time. I felt just as sad and lonely as Victoria and Rowena at the thought of
Prudence not being around. I was happy to find out that we do see Prudence in
this book and are aware of what is going on in her life as well. The book
concentrates on all three of them, just like before, but really gears towards
what is going to happen with Rowena and Victoria next, or at least that’s how I
felt. Rowena and Victoria are both very ambitious and extremely courageous, especially
for women of their time. Victoria is still trying to pursue the career of
botany, just like her father, and Rowena longs to fly across the sky all on her
own. Being a feminist myself, these books really speak to me. I am reading about
brave and highly capable women who weren’t allowed a say in their time, no
matter how much money they had. In this book, Victoria pursues a Women’s Suffragette
Society. I was stuck to those particular pages like glue.
Now
for my favorite character: Sebastian. I have loved Sebastian since he first
loved Prudence! He returns in the second installment and is just as divine and as
handsome as he was before. He still harbors feelings for Prudence in this
story, even though she is already married. I was so drawn to his character in
the first novel and wanted so desperately for him and Prudence to end up together.
He interacts more with Rowena in this second installment and I will leave it up
to you to find out if anything transpires there?! There is some more romance in
this novel and it is just as heated and as secretive as it was before!
This
is a series that will forever sit on my shelf and is definitely one that I could
see myself reading over and over again!
***A
HUGE thank you to the publishers at Gallery Books for providing me with a copy
of this book in exchange for my honest review***
No comments:
Post a Comment