An Unsuitable Heir

4.5 stars for this book; 5 stars for the trilogy as a whole. While Pen and Mark weren't my favorite couple in the series (I adored the sweetness of Clem and Rowley's relationship from An Unseen Attraction and who didn't fall madly in love with unrepentant shyster Justin Lazarus from An Unnatural Vice?) I thought KJC did an amazing job having Pen explain what it was like to live in a body and society as a gender queer (non-binary?) individual. My heart just ached for Pen to find peace and acceptance, and every time Mark came through for Pen I wanted to cheer (and the one major time that he didn't, I felt sick to my stomach).

I didn't think KJC would find a way to resolve the missing heir plot AND give Pen a true HEA, but of course she pulled if off, albeit with several red herrings and a sleight of hand. And she must have realized what a gem she had in Justin, because he plays a more prominent role in the resolution than any of the other MCs from the previous books (poor Rowley barely gets a mention).

As always, the Victorian atmosphere is described to perfection, and although the London fog has lifted, we have the incredibly Gothic Crowmarsh castle, moat and all, and plenty of opportunities for creepy occurrences to take place within its twisted corridors.

Hats off to KJC for crafting a memorable trilogy that featured MCs not usually seen in historical romance - people with different abilities, genders, ethnicities, sexualities and (coughJustincough) morals. Although the series is over, I'd be happy to see the ongoing adventures of Braglewicz & Lazarus, intrepid Private Enquiry Agents. They could solve interesting cases while meeting with all of their loved ones at the Jack and Knave pub to strategize. Until that unlikely wish is fulfilled, I'm off for a series re-read.

ARC of the book gratefully received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.