#stalking jack the ripper

[darklesmylove]

enemies to lovers be like

[madamevandeleur]

Why does posting for a new fandom feel like walking into a bar and having everyone just stare at you. Like I'm sorry I'm new here pls don't hurt me

[pipsbriberymuffins]

you either read ya mysteries and try work out the mystery or you twirl your hair around your finger while you read about the romance. im the latter.

[derangedthoughtssideblog]

when I finally have friends who like reading but I can't ask them for book recs because these mfs like everything and can't be trusted

[darlingod]

When someone criticizes a book or character that I love:

[draculaswidow]

[amrubrum]

reasons why thomas cresswell is one of the best and most underrated book men

has the sorest, biggest sweet tooth and is not afraid to make it known

he's quite literally the most intelligent man alive

his deductions are too impressive (seriously how can he even do that like????)

is audrey rose's number 1 fan

is SO down bad for audrey rose

audrey rose's simp

literally the biggest flirt alive

made and designed SEVERAL custom shoes and slippers that are practical and pretty for audrey rose because she missed wearing her slippers because of her injury

not to mention had a special dragon knob cane with a hidden blade inside made for audrey rose so that she'll always have a piece of him with her no matter where she is or if she's in danger (i need him so bad plss)

he is mischief personified

is a feminist

lets audrey rose be free and do whatever she pleases and is so supportive of whatever she does

never EVER thinks of audrey rose as less than just because she's a woman

is always making sure that audrey rose gives him her consent whenever they kiss and or do the deed

always making sure that audrey rose is comfortable

has the most amazing, badass, and hilarious older sister

is literally so patient

INTELLIGENT please his intelligence is so sexy

the biggest flirt EVER

outranks the wadsworths and their extended family yet you'd never even notice because he's so humble about it

"my love for you is a constant in a sea of variables."

[purplebass]

2024 books - stalking jack the ripper by kerri maniscalco

"Those who deserve respect are given it freely. If one must demand such a thing, he’ll never truly command it. I’d rather be a lowly wretch on the streets than live in a house full of cages. Do not lecture me on propriety when it’s a virtue you so grossly lack."

[mysteryofvampires]

Girlhood is falling in love with too many fictional characters.

[questionmarklive]

I'm such a slut for historical dramas following young couples who fall in love while doing the stuff society says they're not supposed to do

i need more, give me more

[vampireprose]

When I was adventuring between the pages of a book, I wasn't sad over things I was missing outside.

- Kerri Maniscalco

[magicisinbooks]

"I will love you until the world stops spinning or my heart ceases to beat, Thomas Cresswell. Even then I'm not sure my love will ever be content to leave you."

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco

[shadowturtlesstuff]

Audrey rose spends most of the series questioning whether Thomas loves her and whether she loves him. But on page 11 of book 1 she literally describes him as: 'as if Leonardo da Vinci painted him himself.' Shes so obsessed with him in that classroom and he is so obsessed with her.

They are the definition of both fell first but she was in denial yet they both fell equally as hard

[artsbygih]

Audrey Rose and Thomas are 100% spooky season vibes

[booklover-s]

Every time I reach the last book in a favorite series that I have been reading for months - sometimes years -, that has accompanied me at various moments in my life, that each book was a small dose of the euphoria of living in that universe, that made me smile, cry, love their characters and feel comforted by them:

[thepictureofsdr]

i think one of my favourite things about stalking jack the ripper is the well written way in which men influence audrey rose’s life and how that plays into her relationship with thomas

one of my favourite moments in the whole series is when she pulls the dagger out of the cane in ctd, and she says “thomas. my brilliant, cunning, prepared man.”

it’s the climax of HER series, and she’s fighting the final obstacle alone. there isn’t going to be some man who swoops in to save her and the day and fix everything, as it should be. but unlike so many other series that butcher the strong female trope, love and moments of weakness and relying on others are never seen as a bad thing. audrey so often saves the day, not because some some author has had a man do all the work and then pawn the victory on to the woman or because she’s some cold loner who refuses any sort of connection (which isn’t always a bad thing but something commonly criticized), but because she actively relies on people and eventually allows them in. throughout the whole series her mental impacts are acknowledged, she opens up to thomas, she relies on liza and daciana and ileana. and this is how the series is able to maintain an empowering tone despite its time period.

it’s through this willingness to let other people in that audrey is able to move through her worlds restrictions, and this is how the men in her life are written so well, (doing what they can in the context of the time they live in). from her uncle to her father, no man ever does anything for her. she’s simply given opportunities to prove herself (which are also huge privileges but we know how rare even that was in her time), to do what she’s always been able to do, but not always been able to have the stage to show it. in efh she acknowledges how her uncle and thomas have given her an opportunity, not just merely allowed her to be there on a whim but given her a way to prove its where she belongs, and given her their trust and faith in her skills.

and thats why i love that scene from ctd, its such a beautiful culmination of audrey rose and thomas’s relationship. its a blatant acknowledgment of how he learned to care for her in way that doesn’t smother her, how he actively learned and grew from their conflict in hpd. thomas doesn’t defeat the enemy for her, hell he isn’t even there, but he still finds a way to help her. he doesnt take over from her, doesnt tell her what to do, his love and care keep her up and give her what she needs to get things done on her own, a running theme in the series. the people she loves are consistently there for her, and give her the strength to get things done on her own. arguably the most beautiful symbol is the cane itself, how its existence is a reminder of thomas and it gives her strength, not because he’s there to take over for her, but because even a reminder of his love and support for her is enough to give her a boost to be successful in her own right

tl;dr i just really love how the men in the series don’t see women as fragile and in need of a saviour, but as capable people sometimes in need of a leg up or a shoulder to rely on