Moírín Donnelly give so much for the Dread Penny Society and she’s getting exhausted. When members start to disappear, she in desperation gets the help of Detective Constable Fitzgerald Parkington to help her. We continue to pursue “The Tempest” in this latest novel in the Dread Penny Society series. I always enjoy these stories and look forward to each one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I apologize, and thank you for the free arc of this book but unfortunately I could not finish this novel.

The Queen and the Knave by Sarah M. Eden is the perfect conclusion to what has been a superior Historical Romantic Suspense series. Of the many things I will miss now that I have turned the final page in the final book, I will miss Eden’s outstandingly vibrant and unique characters the most. These fictional people have wheedle their way deep into my heart. I won’t soon forget any of them. In The Queen and the Knave, the star of the story is, hands down, Móirín (pronounced Maureen…at least that’s how I heard the cute, old Irish guy say it on YouTube). Oh my word, is she the BEST heroine ever. Móirín is one of the strongest women ever. She is so smart and so self-less. She never, ever wants recognition for all the good she does; in fact, she prefers to stick to the shadows of life. And Móirín is hilarious. She says some of the funniest things in this story. Which is good because there are some INTENSE moments in this book. I needed her comic relief. I also needed all the Fitzgerald Parkington I could get. What a hero! He is 100% the perfect match for Móirín, and I was cheering the whole journey for them to become more than just friends. What I love so much about Fitz is his fearlessness and his integrity. Fitz will do the right thing every single time no matter what, and he never runs from a fight. He also has a huge heart for the downtrodden, the most vulnerable, and those who cannot protect themselves. Yes, Fitz is a handsome gentleman, but what makes him swoony is his innate need to protect. Heroes like Fitz will always steal my heart! As far as the suspense goes, this story is utterly superb. Because this is book five, readers who have been following along since book one already knows the villain. But the journey to defeat the villain is harrowing. There were moments I didn’t see coming, there were moments I held my breath, and there were moments I cried. I cried a lot actually. I really love these characters and to not know what was happening to one of them, to several of them really, because of the villain had me so stressed. I actually had to put the book down a little more than my average read because I just could not handle potentially losing any of these endearing characters. Over five novels, they’ve all become like family to me. Because of this, I really do recommend not reading this series out of order. Sure, you could read each book as stand-alone, but I don’t recommend it. You would lose the family feeling and deep connections to the characters overall.

The Queen and the Knave is a fantastic Historical Romantic Suspense and the best ending to what has been one of my most favorite series ever. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love highly engaging storylines filled with intense suspense, if you enjoy a well-written, clearly well-researched Historical story, and if you love strong and memorable and endearing characters then this is definitely the book for you. I loved every minute of this book, and I know you will too!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

***4.5 stars***

This was the perfect end of the series. I love the different characters that make up the Dread Penny Society. Sarah M. Eden's attention to detail is amazing. I don't know how she can keep all the characters and their individual storylines straight.

The Dread Penny Society is scattered. The Tempest is taking control of London and kidnapping members of the Society. Moirin (who shocked me in the last book) teams up with Detective Parkington to follow the clues and save the city and her friends before it's too late.

This story will keep you invested and "on the tip of your toes". I adored this book.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

It's a really good book with a good story, usually my HR is more regency focused so victorian era was a new thing but Sarah had me good, the thing is i didn't know it was a series and this was the last book of it, so i needed a bit of context about the story.

An amazing and fantastic ending to the series! We get updates on all of the characters in this grand finale and the mystery was very good.
Many thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this conclusion to the series and I really loved getting to know Móirín’s character more fully, since she is someone that has intrigued me from the very beginning of the series. The dynamics between her and Fitz were a lot of fun to read and I thought that the conclusion of the plot line that has been at the heart of all of the books was very well done. I do however think that, as the series has gone on, I have gotten less and less invested in the characters and their stories; this book was better in this regard than the couple before it in the series, but still does not match how good the first book was. This was definitely a successful way to end this fun and unique series!

I enjoyed this much more than the previous book. It was much less repetitive - probably because it had more substance to fill the pages and a lot more action. All the plot threads get tied up in a very satisfying ending.

I loved Moirin's flirting with Fitz by playfully calling him names and bantering with him. And I loved how much he loved it and took it in stride. I do love a good romance based on sarcasm and banter.

The reveals in this one were surprisingly unexpected which was nice. it kept me reading and invested in the story.

Overall I loved this series and am excited to see what Sarah Eden does next.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an early copy for review.

First sentence: Moirin Donnelly had been called a great many things in her twenty-seven years, but "naive" was not one of them.

Premise/plot: The Queen and the Knave is the final book in the Dread Penny Society clean romance series set in Victorian England. I've read, reviewed, and loved them all. Each novel stars its own heroine (and romantic hero), but characters from ALL the book series are present and part of the continuing story. The novels also include penny dreadful novellas written from the fictional characters.

This one is all about the SHOW DOWN between the good guys and the bad guys. In many ways, all the books have been leading up to this big show down... This one is more action-based than previous ones.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this one. I have always looked forward to reading the new book in the series each year. I do think the series resolved well. I wish I had time to reread the whole series and revisit all the couples.

I would recommend if you enjoy [clean] historical romance novels with some mystery and suspense.

What a fabulous ending to the Dread Penny Society books! It wrapped up the series so well. The story was engaging and fun. Definitely a page turner. A great story and so well written.
This is a series you need to read in order. Each of the books build on each other. I’m so happy we finally got Moirin’s story! It was worth the wait.

This was well worth the wait! The culmination of a five book series, this book answers all the questions and wraps up the overarching villain story of the series and sees all our favourite Penny Dreadfuls with happily ever afters!

Our final, and most secretive Penny Dreadful, Móirín Donnelly, the Dreadmaster herself, finally has to come out of the shadows, reveal herself to the society, and take on the criminal mastermind known as The Tempest all on her own… or does she!

Always there in the shadows, Fitzgerald Parkington has been the detective of choice for the Penny Dreadful Society, even though he has had a love-hate relationship with Móirín from the get-go. But with the penny dreadful’s disappearing from the street, Móirín has to depend on Fitz in order to save her friends and herself!

This was the finale. I have been waiting for, and it was everything I could’ve wanted. I love to seeing two side characters. Come out of the shadows, and then to the spotlight in the story. Móirín and Fitz make a great pair and are delightful. Opposites attract pairing that you can’t help but root for!

This wraps up the main story arc for the Penny Dreadful Society, but I definitely would come along again, to see more penny dreadful find their happily ever after hours and fight more crime on the street!

Penny Dreadfuls Included:

The Queen and the Knave by Mr. King
In which a queen is threatened to lose her kingdom by an evil witch, who turns her into a pine marten, during daylight hours, only to be saved by her trusty guardsmen, who has been her friend since childhood.

Poise and Pru- Detectives for Hire by Chauncey Finnegan
Two quirky, elderly women beat their boredom by opening their own bumbling detective agency, and investigate a murder in their small town.

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing for my review copy. Opinions are my own.

Sarah M. Eden is one of my favorite authors, and certainly my favorite romance author. Her books are funny, sweet, romantic, and clean. I got to attend a writing workshop from Sarah a few months ago in Provo, and I'm happy to report she is just as hilarious in person as she is on the page.

The Queen and the Knave by Sarah M. Eden, as is the entire Dread Penny Society series, is a slight departure from Eden's usual writing. It's a mystery with romance involved. I normally don't care for mysteries, but it's Sarah Eden! So, of course, I devoured all the books in this series.

The Queen and the Knave is a thrilling culmination to the series. After the bomb dropped at the end of The Bachelor and the Bride, Eden offers a very satisfying ending a good series.

To fully enjoy Queen, you should read the other books in the series first; otherwise there's a whole cast of characters that you don't yet care about (but absolutely love if you've read the other books).

The romance in this story just kind of happened. That's fine overall, because plot is so important to this story in particular, but, still… I read Eden because I love her romances.

As with the other Dread Penny Society books, there are Penny Dreadful stories interspersed among chapters. The ones in Queen are the best since Lady and the Highwayman (which holds my favorite penny dreadfuls).

This was an absolutely amazing story! You couldn't ask for more. From the suspense to the romance with some humor rolled in. I grew up with my grandmother on the Penny Dreadful stories. I'm actually glad that I had already read the other stories in this series because in this case I believe it makes this story alot easier to understand and read!

This is the fifth and final installment of her Dread Penny Society Proper Romance novels and Ms. Eden expertly brings all the threads she’s been building in the first four books to a satisfying end in this Victorian mystery romance.

In The Queen and the Knave, Moirin Donnelley is trying to keep all of the people she loves that are part of the Dread Penny Society safe—but they are disappearing one by one. She turns to a constable that she trusts, Fitzgerald Parkington, and they both are drawn into the web of the self-proclaimed “Tempest” and their deadly plans for everyone in the Dread Penny Society—including Moirin. Danger is around every corner with lives are on the line and readers will be on the edge of their seat to see who survives the Tempest.

This is a fast-paced tale combining adventure and romance along with two “penny dreadful” stories in the middle of it all. (And the publisher recently put out a collection of all of the penny dreadful stories from the series and includes three never-before-seen stories.) The Queen and the Knave features locations all throughout London and the details and descriptions will have the reader feeling as if they are right there with the characters. Moirin is a complicated heroine, but her need to save those she loves is so admirable and in line with what we’ve come to know about her. Fitz or “Parky” is one of those heroes that readers will sigh over as he does his best to do what’s right, all while hiding his own pain from his past. Their slow burn romance and moments of light-heartedness are sweet and their connection is so easy, yet their circumstances make it complicated. This is a bit of an ensemble book as well, since characters from each of the previous books in the series appear in this final story as it leads to the exciting conclusion. I love the full-circle feel at the end of this book, and this whole series is definitely going to have a place on my keeper shelf. Be sure to block out enough time to read because once you start this book, you won’t want to stop!

I love this series and this was the perfect conclusion. The characters are extremely well written and everything was wrapped up beautifully. No loose ends, no intense angst. Every moment grabbed and kept my attention and I found myself flying through the pages to find out what would happen next.

At first, I was skeptical about how a relationship between the two main characters would play out, but true to Sarah Eden fashion they grew together and truly needed and completed one another.

Another win from Sarah Eden!

This has been a long awaited conclusion to the series where all the loose ends are tied. We are introduced to the identity of the ‚dreadmaster‘. Cannot say much without giving away spoilers; except that this is why we waited for 5 book! Its a thriller, romance, murder mystery, historical, even fairy tale…so many genres all rolled into one. Sarah M Eden has to be one of the most underrated authors of our times who takes us on a magical journey! I am sad that this is the concluding book, but I hope Sarah keeps this series and all the characters alive and tell more of such stories! Can’t wait for more. Thank you Netgallery for this ARC in return of an honest review.

I. Can’t. Even. I’m not even sure what to put in a review. I’m absolutely devoted to this series and this last book brings everything and everyone together to the best kind of conclusion. It’s a bit gritty and swoony and lovely all in one. It’s suspenseful in all the ways and I had to close the last page with a sigh. And then sit and marinate in it ever since. Absolutely fantastic characters and writing! Cannot recommend enough! But start at the beginning. Is it possible to just pick this up out of order? Yes. But don’t do it! Read every single one of them!

There can be only one queen.

First, this is NOT a standalone. You absolutely MUST read the other books in the series in order to really enjoy this one. In fact, I was wishing I had re-read the last 1 or 2 books as the friendship between our FMC and MMC picks up from interactions seen in previous books!

The romance was very sweet. They are friends at the start of the book, but become friends to more quickly. But Móirín wasn’t always so trusting… There’s a puzzle (or multiple puzzles) to be solved and it keeps the story moving along at a quick pace! Of course, the penny dreadful stories reflect what’s happening in the actual story. Fitz was so good to figure things out and try to be so helpful without taking over. He recognizes the strength of Móirín and does his best to support her. The enemy was a worthy villain that you can just love hating on.

I really enjoyed this wrap up to the series. I loved seeing all of our favorites come back in this book and even some secrets revealed! The found family aspect is fantastic. I highly recommend the whole thing! And if you haven’t read it - you’re in luck because you won’t have to wait to read the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC.

Loved it!
I enjoyed seeing all the characters from previous books make appearances.
I was wondering how the author could possibly wrap everything up in a satisfactory manner, but she did!
I love the romance and the mystery and I really enjoyed the side penny dreadful stories. It was wonderful!
It could maybe be read as a stand-alone, but I honestly think it wouldn’t make much sense- you would be missing a lot of important back story. I would suggest reading them all in order. You will enjoy them.

When first starting the Dread Penny Society series, I had no idea what world I was entering in but I knew I wanted more of it. Now, Sarah M. Eden has just released this finale and it's everything I had hoped for and more. 

Sarah has a way with words that captures your attention. She writes stories with characters that you end up caring about. We become almost invested in their lives that makes you want to keep reading about them.

While I'm sad that we are done with this era of sorts, The Queen and the Knave did not disappoint. There is mystery, suspense and romance. The perfect combination in my opinion.

To sum it up, the first 4 books are like starting a puzzle and this book is like putting the last few pieces in place to create a masterpiece. 

Definitely not a standalone. I would for sure read the others before this one.