The Last of August: Brittany Cavallaro
Rating: *****
The Last of August is a perfect follow up to the first book in the Charlotte Holmes series, A Study of Charlotte. A Study of Charlotte left me with a bit of a book hangover and a craving to continue the series. In the first book, the characters are set up and the mysteries begin to chase after them. But with a duo such as Watson and Holmes mysteries are certainly going to follow them and that is where we find our dear characters in The Last of August.
Book one left me feeling very satisfied but with the knowledge that there would definitely be more, after all, not all of the pieces were picked up so neatly at the end of the book. There was still so much more to figure out and considering an age old rivalry is rearing back up the lives of Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are definitely about to get even stickier. Of course you add in the fact that the main characters are teenagers dealing with normal teenager drama as well as a framed murder in book one and multiple attempts on their lives you can see why they would want to spend a little quality time together during their Christmas break.
It was nice to see the characters at the beginning of the book having a somewhat normal life, or at least as normal as one can have with Charlotte Holmes being involved. The fact that Jamie's mother isn't completely on board with their friendship (and potential for something more) makes things a little stressful at the Watson home but that is nothing compared to the awkwardness and intense vibes given off once the duo continue their vacation at the residence of Holmes. It is there that the plot really begins to come into play.
We finally meet the Leander Holmes, the one Holmes man that Jamie Watson's father used to solve mysteries with and what seems like may be and even deeper relationship than that. Leander seems to be accepting of Watson in Charlotte's life but when he suddenly goes missing and Holmes' mother is poisoned the Watson and Holmes duo take off to try and solve yet another mystery. Charlotte is sure that the old Holmes rival Moriarty is behind all of the events but doesn't know how.
With school being out of the way for the break, something new comes into play to strain the fragile relationship between Charlotte and Jamie, a certain non-dead August Moriarty. He has many different roles to play throughout the book and his character reminds me a bit of one Severus Snape. I found myself constantly questioning throughout the book is he actually aligned with Charlotte Holmes or does his non-death bother him so much more than he lets on? Is he some how behind the events at the Holmes residence? His character added so much more depth to the story, not just from the ambiguity of his alliance but also from his interest in Charlotte Holmes. This of course creates a controversy from our main storyteller, Jamie Watson as he is clearly interested in Charlotte Holmes even if he doesn't always admit it to himself.
The relationship between the two main characters also takes a new spin during this book. An admittance of sorts that they are both interested but so many issues that keep holding them back, including the struggles Charlotte has over intimacy. Jamie of course struggles with his own position of wanting more intimacy but also not pushing the subject on Charlotte and taking things at her pace. You can really see how much both characters struggle in wanting what is best for the other but also knowing what their own wants and needs are. I'm hopeful for a Charlotte and Jamie pairing and look forward to seeing more interactions between them and how their relationship might develop.
This series is a really wonderful read and is perfect for anyone who is looking for a good mystery with a small helping of romance. The Charlotte Holmes series is a fun and fresh take and I think it will please many Sherlock Holmes fans.
Were you at all surprised by the ending of the book? What did you think that the title was going to refer to? Do you like how the Watson and Holmes relationship is developing or do you find it to be too fac
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