The Last of August Review

Greetings readers!

Confession time. I have this thing for Sherlock Holmes retellings or anything to do with the mysteries of Holmes.

Bigger confession: I have never read a real Sherlock Holmes book or watched the various TV and movie adaptations.

Yup.

So, I really do not know where this fascination stems from. It just is as it is. Thus, when I stumbled upon a gender-bent Sherlock last year in Brittany Cavallaro’s  A Study in Charlotte I knew I would immediately get hooked!

And I was hooked!

Revisiting the beloved characters of Charlotte and Jamie came in the sequel The Last of August!

The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro

via Goodreads

Watson and Holmes: A match made in disaster.

Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming morethan friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.

A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.

Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.

What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

I waited a whole year to read this sequel and then made myself wait a little more because I forgot about it! When I saw it at the library, I snatched it up! I loved the first book so my expectations for the second one were quite high!

What I Liked

Characters:

Jamie – Ohhhhhhhhhhh Jamie! Sweet, sweet, sweet Watson! I love this guy too much! He is the best narrator for this book! Funny, quirky and so utterly confused! It would be really hard to live and be around people like Holmes, who are walk around know-it-alls (and I mean that in the nicest way possible!) Yet, despite all the moments he feels like he is so out of place, he understands that he has a purpose in this group and that he can work with them even if he doesn’t know all the hacks and tricks of a good detective!

Charlotte – Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Charlotte! How lovely and mysterious you are! She is also rather funny, she just doesn’t know it! She is très, très INTELLIGENTE! Also, mysterious, closed off and a survivor of something so horrific. I adore Charlotte and all her detective work! I adore her ability to keep moving forward despite so many difficult obstacles! Plus, I love it when she narrates those two chapters because she is so blunt and fun!

August – Even though I thought he was coming in to make a triangle, I think he is an interesting character. He definitely brought up a lot of questions about Charlotte’s past and her family. He is after all a part of her family’s mortal enemy! I wish we had got to know him a little more, but then I remember that Jamie is narrating and he gets quite jealous!

Cross Europe Travelling: I loved that the characters moved around! London! Prague! Lots of new settings, with lots of places to discover! I loved the way the places were described and ventured through! I felt the chilly winter breezes and the sweet smells of all the Christmas treats! Just wow! I wish I could go to those places!

Romance: There was quite a bit of emphasis (I would say) on romance in this book. Jamie clearly has feelings for Charlotte, but understands that he cannot get to close to her because of her past. Charlotte tries a lot in this book to get comfortable again with being intimate. It is not easy and doesn’t happen within a scene. It is gradual, slow and honestly melted my heart. I ship it hardcore, but after that ending and reading the third books synopsis, things seem to be in danger!

Cover: JUST LOVE IT! Ahhh. I love that it gives away (not many) but some of the events in the book!

Mystery and Suspense: A very important element in these kind of books. I loved following Charlotte and Jamie on this new case. I always try and follow along to see if I can make any sense of what is happening or figure out the twist. BUT NOPE. I am no detective, I did not see any of those things happening. I loved their heist pulling and the auction scene was one of my favourite scenes in the book! Hilarious and fun!

What I Disliked

What the Heck Happened At The End? I Am Very Confused, Someone Please Explain This To Me: Yeah, I didn’t get it. Well, it’s not that I was completely lost, it’s more that I didn’t understand the significance and severity about what happened that keeps me from saying this book was perfect! I honestly need an explanation as to how the ending affected the characters! Send. Help.

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Overall, I did enjoy this book! Not as much as the first one, but I did like it a lot! The mystery, the action…perhaps a little too much romantic tension? But I still liked it either way! I cannot wait for the final book, which comes out in March! *sweats nervously* That is so far off!!!

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Recommend: Yeah! But obviously read A Study in Charlotte first because if you don’t you’ll be more confused then I am!

Let me know what you thought of this book? Any explanations as to the ending? Any Sherlockians out there angry at me for not actually knowing anything about Sherlock? XP

Happy reading!

~ Rendz