In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Felicity Montague must use all her womanly wits and wiles to achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor—even if she has to scheme her way across Europe to do it. A must-have for fans of Mackenzi Lee’s extraordinary and Stonewall Honor-winning novel.
A year after an accidentally whirlwind … novel.
A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of 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 window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own 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 leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.
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Especially poignant with some of today’s issues, seeing a fierce female led-cast was a drink of cold water on a summer day. And you really can’t get any better than Lee’s gorgeous, descriptive, and emotive writing.
Just finished this as an audiobook and would highly recommend it, especially for a young adult looking for a smart, unapologetic female protagonist. I did think Felicity was a bit more “one note” than her older brother, Monty — the biggest facet of her characterization is that she wants to be a doctor, and while it’s true that 1700s society pits itself against her at every turn, I did want more motivation than that. That said, I still rooted for her the entire time! Also I loved the amazing friend dynamic between Felicity, Joanna, and Sim (Sim was by FAR my favorite character) and I love that Lee sidestepped well-trod YA romance beats (beats she uses to wonderful effect in Monty’s story, mind you) by casting Felicty as aroace — there definitely isn’t enough representation in YA in the department. Lee always seems to be thinking constantly about how to write diverse characters without overstepping any bounds, and that’s no small feat when you’re also writing historical fiction. Hats off to the author for this wonderful tale of friendship, sea monsters, surgery, and piracy!
Ms. Lee didn’t disappoint. Much like Monty’s an Percy’s romp in her previous book, this one is full of great characters, great adventures and a lot of humor. Ms. Lee is a master of the imperfect character something that absolutely delights me. Her use of historical facts mixed up with fantasy offers her the perfect backdrop for social commentary that would surely get the approval of Jane Austen.Great fun, great read. Loved it.
This book had me smiling from ear to ear by the end. It was an absolute delight to read. It wasn’t quite the romping adventure book the first of the series was, but it was just as entertaining in its own way. I loved seeing the cast of female characters, all with goals of their own, plotting and planning and making shit happen without relying upon the men in their world. I told a friend it read like a feminist manifesto from the 1700s as a letter to todays girls and if I could I’d make it required reading for every teen girl. The women in this book are amazing. They show different kinds of strength, proving you don’t have to be one thing or another to be accepted. You can just be you and that can be enough. The friendships and the feminism were the highlights for me, along with the cameos from Monty and Percy of course. I got sucked into this world and finished both books in 2 days flat. I only wish there was more.
I was impressed by how strongly this book got to me, probably because of how I related to the main character on multiple levels. Felicity’s strong desire to be the woman she wants to be, pushing back against a society that is disinclined to let her is inspiring. She’s also a wonderfully written ace character, and I’m a sucker for those.
I love the Montague siblings and their adventures. Felicity’s book does not disappoint in great storytelling and interesting characters. It was great to have the two books tie together and I love the way the books ended, leaving the reader to plot the next adventures on their own. I see that there’s another book coming with the younger brother, and I can’t wait for the reconciliation of the family and to hear more about Monty, Percy, and Felicity.
Tolstoy doesn’t even go here.
I stayed up late reading this and alternately giggling and trying not to shout “hell yeah!” I love the feminist message, the lively humor, and the positive portrayal of female friendship.
Audible Review
Overall 5 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 5 out of 5 stars
#GirlPower
I’m so glad I decided to listen to The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy instead of just reading my hardback. The audiobook was fantastic, the narration amazing! Moira Quirk did an outstanding job bringing this story to life! She had so many different characters to voice and I was so impressed with her performance. I was scrolling through some reviews on GR and a few mentioned the narration, and not in a good way, and I don’t understand that at all! They compared it to The Gentleman’s Guide narration, and well, that was a book about a male, narrated by a male- what’s to compare??? Any way, I thoroughly enjoyed this narration.
This was a really entertaining listen, so enjoyable.
The story did drag just a bit in the beginning, but it all ended up being necessary as the story built towards its denouement. (I’m not sure I’ve ever used that word in a review before, but it’s fitting for this one.)
I love Felicity’s character- she’s all about female empowerment and I loved it!
She’s such a strong character, steadfast in her convictions, but I was happy to see her come to some realizations about herself as the story progressed.
I loved that this was a strong #girlpower tale, without being overly preachy. I liked that it showed young females in such a positive light, and that there’s really nothing that can hold them back!
I am really loving this series and I can’t wait for Adrian’s story. It’s going to be hard to say good-by to the Montagues! Maybe Mackenzi Lee will surprise with a little bonus story for Felicity like she did for Monty and Percy!
While not the wild romp of the first book, Felicity’s story offers a fierce feminist message and great ace representation. I loved how her friend Johanna was shown to be strong in a way very different from Felicity, but still worthy of respect. And of course, it was wonderful to see Monty and Percy again.
The first book in the series was so fabulous, but Felicity’s tale is excellent in its own right. Loved the strong female characters and exploration of friendship, and also loved seeing an asexual heroine. Great mix of history and fantasy as well. Percy and Monty do play a supporting role, which I really enjoyed. This was a fast-paced YA adventure that I definitely recommend!
I knew I was going to like this book. After how much I loved Gentleman’s Guide and everything else I’ve read by Mackenzi Lee, this was a given. My expectations were astronomically high, but I thought there was no way I could love it more than Gentleman’s Guide. I think I may have been proven wrong.
And, zounds, I was not prepared for how this book would seize me with both hands, shake me up, and leave me laughing through tears with my heart ready to burst.
This book felt like a balm for every time I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough to succeed or make my mark in a world dominated by men. It smoothed out the parts of my soul hardened by telling myself I’m not enough. It was a tribute to the women who paved the way and the women who still fight today to exist and take up space. In a world where being a woman with a voice sometimes feels like an open invitation for all the toughest lashes the world can offer, this book told me that it’s okay to feel weak and powerless and trodden down, as long as I keep fighting for myself and all other women. This book made me feel like I could take on the world and win. It made me want to celebrate being a woman, complex and powerful and shaped by all the ones who came before me and made it possible for me to be proud all of these things.
And somehow it did all of that in less than 500 pages.
The story follows Felicity Montague, one of the main characters in Gentleman’s Guide, about a year after the events of that book. Though she has her heart set on becoming a doctor, the fact that she’s a woman bars her from enrolling in any medical schools. Felicity does not give up easy, though, and she begins her quest to achieve her dream no matter the cost.
Ah, Felicity. Stubborn, prickly, strong, clever, angry, opinionated Felicity. Again, I already loved this character thanks to Gentleman’s Guide, but this book made me love her 500x more.
This type of historical badass girl, a girl slightly out of her time but doing everything she can to make her own place in the world, has always been a favorite of mine (ever since Felicity Merriman of American Girl – I’m sensing a theme here).
Despite that, the book veers away from one of my least favorite tropes in this time of story, in which said historical badass girl puts down other girls who fit more neatly into the expected gender roles of the time. It’s just another version of the “not like other girls” trope, acting superior for rejecting femininity. And although Felicity might start out thinking along these lines, she grows to recognize her prejudices. We even have a major plot point that involves female characters using something traditionally feminine (their petticoats) as a weapon of sorts. And I love it.
Not only that, but Felicity refuses to compromise her dreams and her character, even when she’s told it’s the only way she can exist and succeed in this world. Unfortunately, these are still things that women are told today: play by the rules set by the patriarchy and you might achieve at least a quarter of what you hope for. But Felicity shows us that we don’t need permission or validation from men to be who we want to be.
Plus! She’s aromantic asexual and her story does not revolve around finding romantic love! As long as she has her friends and family around her she can be happy!
In addition to Felicity, we have a whole cast of amazing female characters, in particular Sim and Johanna, who I won’t say much about because of spoilers. But these characters are amazing. And, of course, the return of some old favorites, like Monty and Percy (HOORAY!) and Scipio and his crew!
The writing has the same electric, quick cleverness as in Gentleman’s Guide, but its voice is uniquely Felicity’s. The strength of Mackenzi Lee’s writing truly comes through, since she’s able to write two such incredible books in different voices. It’s hard to beat the humor of Gentleman’s Guide, but this book was still hilarious. There were scenes were I was giggling out loud or groaning in second-hand embarrassment.
This book manages to tell an interesting and clever story about the situation of women in the 1700s, in addition to touching on subjects of European colonialism, race, the ways that medical institutions profit from poverty, and so much more. Mackenzi Lee does not simplify history for us – she presents it to us in all its complexities and intersectionalities.
Most importantly, though, this book showed how far we still have to go in terms of opportunities and rights for women. Some of the scenes in which men explain to Felicity why her dreams are unrealistic felt painfully familiar, reminding me that, though this book takes place centuries in the past, it’s grounded in the reality of women’s struggles today. However, Felicity shows us that when women work together and support each other, we are powerful and unstoppable, and we do not need to justify the space we take up in this world.
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee is book two in her Montague Siblings series. Continuing a year after the events from book one, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Ms. Lee brings us a new adventure featuring Felicity Montague, the sister of Monty Montague. When Felcity’s desire to enroll into medical school is stopped by the administrators because she is a woman, Felicity hatches a plan to try to land a position under a doctor she idolizes, Doctor Alexander Platt. However, he’s currently in Germany to be married to her estranged childhood friend, Johanna Hoffman. So, in order to fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor, Felicity sets off on a grand adventure where she meets a mysterious young woman, Simmaa Aldajah from Algiers, who is willing to pay Felicity’s way to Germany in exchange for information from the Hoffman’s. However, once Sim’s real intentions are revealed, Felicity finds herself on another path than she originally intended.
Mackenzi Lee’s novel is fun, fast-paced, and stars a strong group of women. Felicity, Sim, and Johanna really drive the novel. Each character individually is a star in their own right but combined they do not outshine each other, and instead burn brighter and stronger. I particularly enjoyed their scenes together and how they join synergistically, support each other, and overcome their obstacles to get to the end. The ending of the novel is perfect. It was satisfying, though I personally want more of their adventures.
Overall I very much liked The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee and wholeheartedly recommend it for more reasons than I can count.
(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)
I could never get a bead on where this story was headed, so it was full of surprises all along the way. With a diversity of interesting female characters and a dash of magic, this was a worthy sequel (Plus, more Monty and Percy!)
Wow, what a great book; I absolutely loved it! Felicity is such a lovable character and her journey to find her independence is admirable. So many other great characters as well that really make the story so interesting. I loved this book way more than Gentlemen’s Guide. This is a must-read!
Real feminist historical fiction starring three fierce girls who know what they want and aren’t afraid to pursue it.