Yeah, this was bad.


I love when authors/movie directors make classics in a whole new light. What I mean by that, is I love when books/movies add their own take/characters/perspective/retelling to a well loved world, and cast of characters. I loved the Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro. In fact it was one of my favorite series of 2019. I also loved the Netflix Original movie Enola, which was one of my favorite movies of 2020. And I was enjoying this book up until page 200. Before that it felt like a bad fan fiction. After that, it felt like I had to suspend my disbelief while I read an elaborate fan fiction.


One of my problems with this book, was the fact that everyone, and when I mean everyone, I’m talking everyone is descended from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s OG Sherlock characters in this novel. It was fine when we had Joanna, who is descended from Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. That sounded so cool, and was what interested me in this book. I mean Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler?! The baby has to be a super genius. And she was, but not in a good way. It was also fine that Watson had a son, Dr. John Watson Jr., but then it got dumb. Watson’s maid is the daughter of his original maid. The main Scotland Yard detective is the son of the Scotland Yard detective in the OG Sherlock. Hell even Toby the dog found love and reproduced, and had puppies. They named one of them Toby Two who is the dog sniffer in this book. It got ridiculous and stupid.


Then we have the awful, stomach roiling, barf induced romance. I’m a person who loves romance. Give me a cheesy, cringey romance? I will most likely, still root for it. I’m a person who will romanticize just about anything (except serious topics). I love romance. But this, this my friends is where I draw the line. The insta-lovey, eye rolling, stomach turning, attraction in here was disgusting. I literally gagged from how gross Joanna and John are together. Ugh I’m getting PTSD just thinking about it. After having one conversation together they say to each other,


”You’re so beautiful.”

You’re so handsome.”


Ugh, gag me with a spoon


The romance in here could have easily worked if the characters had more chemistry, and longer build up. I love a romance that goes through the installments in the series, and this romance could have done exactly that. We could have still had the instant attraction, but them actually getting to know each other, and the build up between books. But this is not acceptable. God give holy water to thee, and as much strength as you can muster, to help me out of the troubling time. I don’t how long my memories with be tainted so, with this awful romance, but I beg of your assistance. Amen.


Moving on...


The way the author wrote Watson in here is absolutely unforgivable. Watson, in this book is so slow. It didn’t feel like Watson’s character at all, and his son didn’t have a bulb any brighter either. Joanna was ultimately the only smart character in here, and it didn’t make sense. Watson is very smart, and I’d imagine his son to be as well. Writing Watson to be stupid is an act of treason.


Anyways, overall this was bad. I might still continue on because I like to suffer, but this was just really bad. To be fair I did enjoy myself for the first 200 pages, but idk we shall see.