This series is so lovely but I hate to recommend books written by those with inflammatory opinions. I'm currently clearing out all of the books that were published in 2019-21 from my title feedback view!

This was a great installment to the series. It was full of the adventure and humor you expect from this series. It had plenty of twists and kept me engaged the whole time.

Incredible and moving and fun and emotional and I just simply loved everything about this book! A fitting conclusion to the Montague Siblings trilogy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the third book of this trilogy, we get to meet the youngest Montague, Adrian. Adrian is significantly younger than his elder siblings and knows nothing about them- let alone that they exist. However, after finding a spyglass that had once been in the possession of his mother, Adrian goes to places he never expected and finds the family he never knew he missed.

Reading about Adrian’s mental health issues was very difficult at first, and it is easy to see that it comes from first hand experience, but it also is something that should be better understood and spoken about by people in general. I feel like any issues with mental health are still stigmatized and this book is a great way to show how to be supportive (and not).

I have to say that I never imagined that I would fall for the characters in these books quite as hard as I did, but this has become a fun, exciting, and wonderfully diverse set of books that are quite endearing to me. It warms my heart to see Monty, Felicity, and Percy standing on their own feet and being successful despite breaking ties with their family and being forced to start over. The age dynamic is quite fun, but I like that it doesn’t ostracize any of them for long and only strengthens their relationships in the end.

The elder trio are able to take Adrian under their wing, and give him much needed support, whereas Adrian is able to help them all heal the open wound that is their family. Neatly piecing together the various broken shards. The broken ties with their parents while scabbed over, is still raw enough to inflict old pain to all of them.

Overall, I think that these books could be great stand alones, but fit seamlessly together as a trilogy. The author has created many unique characters, given them interesting personalities and interpersonal drama, and placed them in an intriguing setting. This last book brings them all together for a very satisfying ending and makes me 100% sure that I would recommend these books!

Rating 3.75
I quite enjoyed this and thought it tied up the series up nicely. I think the characterization of Adrian and his anxiety was also well done and I loved seeing the Montague siblings together on an adventure.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Simply a marvelous conclusion to this series. Adrian Montague's life already seemed to be on the brink. Torn between his cruel father's expectations and his own progressive ideals, Adrian is often frozen by his anxiety and doomed to feel he is failing the people he loves. But when he discovers that he has an older brother and sister, and that they might hold the key to unlocking the mystery of his mother's death, he steps over the line, determined to learn the truth and "cure" his mind, whatever the cost.

This was great. It was so nice seeing Monty again, and Adrian is sweet. A wonderful representation of overwhelming anxiety with a hopeful ending.

As much as I enjoyed Monty's story in the first book, I think that Adrian may be my favorite Montague. There were so many times I wish I could wrap Adrian in a hug and assure him it was all going to be okay. His determination despite his obstacles was wonderful, and you couldn't help but root for him to find the answers he was seeking. I cannot imagine not knowing about this whole other family who has been hidden from you, but I love the interactions between the siblings, in particular, the wonderful brotherly love of Monty and Adrian. I wish there was more, but am grateful for the happily ever after they all deserve. I think this may be my favorite books I've read this year.

I dnfed the book in the beginning because I wasn’t in the mood but I also don’t blame the author because I was and still in a reading slump

Not my favorite in the series. I expected different trails for the story to follow. Also as a person with anxiety it was sometimes too difficult to read about the main character because it was too real if that made sense.

This is the final installment for the Montague siblings and it was a perfect way to end the adventure. We get to meet Adrian the youngest of the siblings trying to find a way deal with his anxiety. The writing is fantastic and I just loved the story and all the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for an honest review.

The final installment in the Montague Siblings series brings a third sibling to the forefront. He’s not swaggering or bold. Instead, he’s crippled by anxiety and an obsessive disorder that is almost disconcerting. The constant worrying about imagined slights, the skin picking, the crying, are all a constant reality for Adrian Montague. He lacks any confidence and can hardly carry on a conversation with a stranger. But he has a brilliant mind, a way with words and a tender heart that endear him to his fiancé. Readers will be drawn to this sensitive soul.

Adrian becomes obsessed with an object his dead mother always carried on her person that she inexplicably left behind when she died. This sets him off on an adventure that entails pirates, a ghost ship and meeting two siblings he had no knowledge about.

As in the first novel, Lee uses her great skill as a writer to spice up the dialog as well as the sumptuous descriptions. Each of the Montague children is distinctive and Adrian is not the only troubled soul in the family. This is new territory; adding such modern sensibilities and understanding of mental illness to this historical adventure. It’s clear the author has personal familiarity with such demons and her author notes at the end address her connection to the plot. She even adds contact information for help lines.

I loved the first two books in this series, plus the companion novella, so I jumped at the chance of reading this third helping. It too was a fun, queer, historical romp. I'd really love to see more queer historical YAs get published so this is me keeping all of my fingers crossed!

First line: In my defense, I did not intend to punch Richard Peele in the face.

Summary: Adrian Montague is the sole heir to his family’s estate. He will one day be a member of parliament. He is engaged to a social activist who encourages his writings on the wrongs of society. But he has a severe anxiety disorder that leaves him apologizing, worrying and silently berating himself for every action. When he receives a spy glass belonging to his deceased mother it sets him on a journey he never expected even bringing him into contact with two siblings he never knew existed.

My Thoughts: Like the other two books in the trilogy this was witty and fun. The characters are colorful and diverse. I could empathize with Adrian on many of his feelings. Life can be hard and anxiety is real. I felt that this book could be read as a standalone but also as part of the trilogy. I am glad that we got to see old characters from the past but were introduced to many new ones along the way as well. If you love the first 2 then definitely finish the series. It completes it.

FYI: #3 in the Montague Siblings trilogy.

I’m sad to see this series come to an end! I truly didn’t expect that we would get an Adrian book, and also didn’t think I would like it so much. This series tackles a different representation with every main character that are really well done and feel very authentic. I love how Adrian isn’t held back by anything, and how he finds a family he never knew he needed. Such a harrowing but also sweet tale. Sad to close the chapter on this family. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am so sad to officially say goodbye to the Montague siblings. But wow, what a way to go.

The final installment of this trilogy, A Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, tells the story of Adrian Montague, the baby brother mentioned in passing during Gentleman’s Guide. And the very first line of this book sets the stage rather well for everything that’s about to occur.

To be totally honest, I went into this blind, with the exception of knowing that it was Adrian’s story and the other two Montague siblings would be involved. Beyond that, I knew nothing of the plot or the general story or how Monty and Felicity factored in.

And I think that made my reading of this all the better for it.

Mackenzi Lee has such a handle on this story and how she wants to tell it. More than that, she knows these characters inside and out. Their voices, their quirks, their mannerisms, all of it. Including Adrain who is new to us as a reader. But within the first three pages, I felt like I knew him as well as I knew Monty and Felicity. He’s so real and his headspace is one that I understood quite well.

I wish there had been more to the ~conflict~ of it all, and the climax came too suddenly, but beyond that, I loved this. A wonderful and fitting ending for this series and these siblings.

4.5 stars rounded down.

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee is the third and final book in the Montague Siblings series, published November 2021.

Throughout the adventure series Lee tackles so many issues, realistically portraying the characters’ struggles. This one is no different, with grief over the death of a beloved parent, verbal and emotional abuse from the other parent, and, most significantly, one’s mental health struggles, all set in the backdrop of the 1700s. Taking place nearly 20 years after the first novel, this one features the youngest Montague sibling.

4⭐️ for realistic portrayal of mental health, rollicking adventures, and just a smidge of fantasy.

This story grabbed me from the first page. Although this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand alone. I felt for Adrian with his OCD and Anxiety. He really takes quite a journey while battling some crippling feelings. The author has done a good job of portraying his feelings and the hopelessness that he can’t be cured. The blend of Monty and Felicity, Adrian’s newly discovered siblings, into his story is genuine. Their stories from the previous books in the series fit nicely into what the author has created. Without giving any spoilers, I will say It is nice that Adrian connects with another character who can relate to the overwhelming feelings of loss he has from his mother’s death. I enjoyed the adventure and the connection to such well known pirating lore.

Thank you Netgalley and Katherine Texan Books for the opportunity to review.

I don’t often do content warnings, but in this case, I think warnings for mental illness and suicide are required.

The author’s own experience with mental illness shines through Adrian’s troubled life. Adrian suffers from acute anxiety and obsessive and compulsive thought patterns to the point that he has difficulty functioning. Adrian’s thoughts are constantly spiraling out of control with terrible results—he can barely breathe, he can’t bring himself to eat or drink, he scratches himself bloody . . . He’s so terribly uncomfortable in social situations that Adrian generally wants to crawl out of his own skin. Being normal is so far out of reach that Adrian can barely imagine it, and he’s desperately afraid that he’s going to descend completely into madness. At one point, Adrian even contemplates the peace that would come with killing himself. Adrian’s torment is so vividly described in the book that it was difficult for me to read, to be honest.

Adrian’s fear of his own mind is what drives him to latch onto a quest to find out what happened to his mother in a shipwreck that occurred a decade ago. She had already suffered from the same mental ailments as Adrian, but after the wreck many of her obsessive behaviors were tied to a broken spyglass she brought home with her. After she dies unexpectedly in a fall from a cliff, Adrian decides to track the origins of the spyglass, which he has come to believe bears responsibility for his mother’s worsening madness. That search leads him to his unknown siblings, Monty and Felicity, and to the legendary ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Flying Dutchman. The earlier books included fantastical elements, so is the reader supposed to believe that the Dutchman exists, if visible only to Adrian? Or is it simply part of his disorder, as he fixates on the possibility that the spyglass belongs to the ghostly ship’s captain? Maybe the confusion is deliberate on the author’s part. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, because it’s Adrian’s belief that the spyglass is connected to his mother’s and perhaps his own mental illness that makes the ship significant in the end. For that, it doesn’t need to be real anywhere other than inside Adrian’s own mind.

Although much of the book is quite bleak, it’s not all darkness. Adrian can be funny in his own right, but—not a surprise—Monty is the source of many of the amusing bits. (Monty may be older, but he is still very much Monty.) Monty, Felicity, and Adrian have past hurts and anger to overcome, but they do reestablish their family ties and even become close by the final scenes of the book, which consist of a lovely treat for Monty fans. The story ends on a note of hope, with Adrian vowing to fight on no matter how dark his days may sometimes be.

So, the book’s not an easy read, but I’m glad I stuck with it. It was good to catch up with Monty and Felicity, and I found Adrian’s journey to be rewarding, even if it made me uncomfortable at times.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I really really liked this conclusion to the Montague siblings' series. I especially loved seeing Monty and Felicity as adults through Adrian's eyes (outsider POV is my fave). The drama of Adrian not even knowing he had siblings was very fun and hilarious (even if it doesn't make that much sense... NO ONE ever told him or let the slightest thing slip?). Adrian himself was a great character, and felt very distinct from Monty and Felicity; he has generalized anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders, though of course he doesn't have the language or knowledge to recognize it as that. Instead he berates himself for his constant worries and irrational thoughts, and believes he may be insane and destined to end up the same as his mother. When the mystery of the Flying Dutchman's spyglass crops up, Adrian is relieved that he might not be crazy after all, maybe he's just cursed!

"[I]t is so much easier to think of insanity as something other than mislaid pipework in my foundation. Let it be an external force, an unseen potter's hands sculpting me. I can be broken and mended. I can be put back together."

This makes a lot of sense for his character and helps the fantastical element of this book fit into the narrative more naturally than those elements did in the previous works of the series. (Although I don't understand why Monty and Felicity weren't more open to the idea of cursed pirate ships considering the strange things they've witnessed...) The pacing was perfect, it didn't feel overlong like parts of Monty and Felicity's books did, though I did feel like the whole Iceland portion was a teensy bit rushed. I loved the ending and how everything was wrapped up. This book felt somehow more grounded than the previous books of the series, and I found myself tearing up over the reminders that queer and non-normative people have always existed and carved homes for themselves and their communities within hostile societies. For most of the story Adrian's inner monologue was full of doubt and despair and self-loathing, so it was beautiful for the ending to be about joy and love and hope for the future.

TW: anxiety and panic attacks, depression, intrusive thoughts, self-harm, suicidal ideation, description of past suicide attempt, mention of death by suicide, death of a loved one, ableism and mental health stigma, mention of past child abuse, mention of alcoholism, disordered eating, sexism and homophobia