#charlotte holmes series

[steviebellgirl]

jamie watson is far smarter than you think. he isn’t my accomplice. he’s no one’s accomplice.⁺˚☕️⋆｡

[amatchmadeindisaster]

I know I usually fan cast Emma as girl Jaime but she really really gives Charlotte vibes in a good girl’s guide to murder

[armory11]

In my mind, Charlotte Holmes looks like how Halsey music sounds

[d34drapunzel]

I was listening to the audiobook The Last of August, getting ready for university and suddenly this quote came up:

“It's strange to grieve for your former self, and still I think it's something that any girl understands. I've shed so many skins, I hardly know what I am now - muscle, maybe, or just memory. Perhaps just the will to keep going.”

I was stunned for five minutes. Don’t call me out like that.

[bookish-black-girl]

rambles beneath the cut because storygraph adds rereads to your yearly goal count and I'm the one person who wishes I could turn off that featureeee. I could journal these thoughts on the app but they'd be part of my first read and ew, no thanks.

I FINALLY got around to rereading the Charlotte Holmes books, one of my absolute favorite series that I just happen to...not talk about. Not here and not on my booksta.

So. In the spirit of blogging more, why not chat here!!

Firstly, this will be a later updated post because I've only reread books 1-2 and will tackle 3-4 later this year. Also, I first read these books before my frontal lobe developed and that's...is it weird that I miss the girl I was before 2019???

Anyway, my first read was strictly audio and my reread is a hybrid with heavy emphasis on audio.

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE

Rating then, 4 stars (because Goodreads is half star-phobic)

Rating now, 4.25/4.5 stars (I can't really decide, also I decided not to change my ratings on Storygraph because I don't want to change every single rating I make for every book I reread.)

I love Jamie and Charlotte now as I loved them then. Back when I was closer to their age, Jamie was 100% my choice of book boyfriend in a world where I loved many book boy characters but didn't consider them 'book boyfriends' lol.

But I missed being in Jamie's head, how melodramatic he can be, funny without ever trying to be, his relationship with Holmes, being just as annoyed with his father as he is (I can't remember at the moment if I ever grew to like James Sr. in the end..)

THE LAST OF AUGUST

Rating then, 4 enthusiastic stars + a review that commented on how I couldn't understand why the 2nd book was the lowest rated one in the series

Rating now, 4 less enthusiastic, more so jaded stars (plus, if the book ended around chapter 7 we'd be looking at 3.5 stars.)

Maybe we chalk this up to age, but this book was a lot more angsty than I remember?? Or maybe I just didn't care back then and I because I care now, I notice it. Also, I was less confused about story events than I was the first round. So yay for reading comprehension.

3 very important take aways from the reading that I want to note here.

This book's title is SO on the nose and why did it take me 5 years later to put that together?! HELP--

The Holmes Family Needs Therapy. Or to be taken out. Or both??? Or either??? As the feelings of overall annoyance linger following my reread, I believe this book was written in a way to drive home the point of just how in over their heads Emma, and Leander, and Charlotte, and Milo are, especially concerning the rather stupid war between the Holmes and Moriartys. Everyone's batshit, just saying Charlotte made a grave mistake, young girl or not, and it was August who paid the price twice. Like...damn. He tries to warn Jamie and August is the one who dies. Damn.

However I feel about Charlotte and Holmes unequally yoked, toxic friendship with romantic overtures now (back then I was eating this shit up, and now I'm like....I'm too old to ship this with the extreme fever I did?????) the Charlotte POV chapters got me again. Probably like they did the first time I read this book. Some quotes down below??

Page 252, Charlotte berating Tom for his transgressions of book 1:

"You're disloyal," I told Tom. "You proved that with Mr. Wheatley. I swear to you that if you ever give up sensitive information again--if you ever betray Watson again--I will find a way to wear you as a hot. Stop looking at my screen."

Page 257, Charlotte expressing her love for Jamie without ever saying she loves him or that she's in love with him:

Watson had laughed. His eyes crinkled at the corners. Hours ago I thought he might have been dead. "There's also a view of the river," I said, and like a miracle, he laughed again. Oftentimes, I withhold information from Watson for this very reason. He resents it, I think. My "magic tricks." I don't know if he's understood yet who the reveals are really for.

Page 258, a line from Charlotte's internal monologue:

I'm a teenage girl. He is my boy best friend. We would be everything to each other until we couldn't.

Page 259, more thoughts on Jamie from Charlotte:

...Jamie was the only escape from myself I'd ever found. When I was beside him, I understood who I was. I spoke to him, and I liked the words I said. I spoke to him, and the words he said back surprised me. Sharpened me. ...Jamie showed me myself made better. He was loyal and kind, stalwart, like the knights from the old tales, and yes he was handsome, even with a bruised face and a furrowed brow, miles away from the place we met or from the places we called home.

We spend so much time in Jamie's head, with his thoughts, and how he internalizes information, events, etc. and there's no doubt that he's in love with his best friend, but the symmetry of seeing some of those feelings reflected back is something I can't ignore. And I'm not going to.

Anyway, I think I might join the masses in book 2 being my least favorite. I'll confirm after I read books 3 and 4, but it seems that's the direction we're going in.

[armory11]

OMG i just realized the main character of the book I'm writing is basically Jamie Watson!!! HAHAHA

sometimes i forget that jamie watson is a jock AND a nerd. get yourself someone who can do BOTH !!

[rhombiee]

What do you mean the 7 book mystery reimagined Sherlock Holmes girl boss slay autistic coded queen ruffled pink dressed pastry addicted ass is a slow burn romance that’s romancing so hard?

Please for the love of god if you like Sherlock Holmes and you like tight ass mysteries and you like romance READ THE LADY SHERLOCK SERIES BY SHERRY THOMAS. Swear to god it’s taken over my life and it’s a wonderful homage to the story and a work of true immaculate writing. Imobsessed

[honeymoon2011]

Movies , series to watch during spring… 💐🌸🌻

1. Pride and Prejudice 💍😬

2. Emily in Paris 🇫🇷🗼

3. Sweet Magnolias 🌸

4. Enola Holmes 🧐🕵🏻‍♀️

5. Queen Charlotte 💐

6. Bridgerton 🐝

7. Emma 🌼

8. The crown 👑👸

9. To all boys I love before ❤️

Hi , I hope you're well !

Today it's a post about series and movies to watch during spring...

Tell me in comments if you have any idea for a next post or questions...

And I wish you a beautiful day ! 💖

[pipsbriberymuffins]

i know you by faye webster was written for charlotte and jamie. the wall is over there, argue with it if you want.

[snow-angel333]

my favorite book series has like no fans. no fandom. im the president of the fandom that's how small it is. i've never met a fan or just someone whose read the series before and its so frustrating i need someone to talk to about it i think my parents are getting tired of my overhyped monologues about this series.

[amatchmadeindisaster]

[armory11]

i just keep finding smaller and smaller fandoms...

its very sad

[this-is-lit]

A Ruse of Shadows

by Sherry Thomas

Charlotte has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip. Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive. But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?

“A Ruse of Shadows” by Sherry Thomas is the 8th book in her Lady Sherlock series, and it follows Charlotte Holmes as she and her companions—Mrs. Watson, Lord Ingram, & Inspector Treadles—attempt to find Mr. Underwood under the threat of blackmail by Lord Bancroft Ashburton.

Charlotte Holmes is back at it again in this installment of Thomas’ detective novels. The characters by this point are comfortable and familiar, with an emotional growth shown by Charlotte that is the payoff from books 1-7. The case tracks the disappearance of one of Ashburton’s underlings, which surprisingly ties into one of Charlotte’s earlier cases and leads to an accusation of murder against herself, and the reader will delight in seeing how Charlotte’s analytical mind and calm under pressure serve to extract her from a tangled web once again. As usual, the reader will become invested in the twists and turns of the case while also rooting for the happiness of the supporting characters.

“A Ruse of Shadows” is a satisfying and enjoyable read that doesn’t veer much from the equation of the previous books, but readers who have made it this far may start to wonder if the overarching conflict with Moriarty begins to grow thin and repetitive.

[aeterna-auroral-avenger]

Halfway point update because yes, I'm there already lol.

I'm still really enjoying it so far! It's definitely a different take on Sherlock and played out in a way I wasn't expecting. In a good way, of course. Right now I'm on chapter 10 where Charlotte is talking to the widowed woman at dinner.

I was listening and was like: "Huh, will she be the Watson to her Sherlock?" but I doubt it. It was more like a funny thought than anything else 😂

Narrator is still doing a good job too. So all in all, I'm enjoying myself. I might end up finishing it tomorrow since I listen to it for so many hours in a row lol. We'll see.

-Book Anon

Oooh! Good! You're really trudging along here. Oh that makes me happy; I can't believe how far you've gotten already.

I'm so pleased you're enjoying it so far. It really is a rather clever story, isn't it? I've been fascinated with Sherlock Holmes for well over 2 decades now, and this has been one of my favorite twists on the popular characters.

I say since you've made it this far, I say press on, Book Anon!

To quote Shakespeare:

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit; and upon this charge, Cry 'God for Harry! England! and Saint George!'

Go, Book Anon, go!

[likeclarabow]

seeing all your rereads is making me want to revisit my favourites as well 🥰🥰 you have suuuch excellent taste omggg (saidie?? soc??? agggtm?!?!? we love to see it)

ahh thank you!! i'm at the point in the semester where all i have the time and energy for is books i know i love and mysteries are the best ones

and I have good taste?!?!??! YOU have the best taste <333

[rhombiee]

The Lady Sherlock Series has me in a chokehold