Timeless

It seems like forever since I posted my own reading, partly because I did just a slew of review books and never seemed to get to my own books. But I am doing some catching up and have been reading things passed along by friends. My pal Dale and I love this series "The Parasol Protectorate" by Gail Carriger (see my earlier posts of Soulless, Changless, Blameless, Heartless). This is the 5th and apparently last installment featuring the preternatural Alexia Tarabotti, aka Lady Maccon. Married to the head of a werewolf pack, and now living in the household of a notorious vampire hive (Lord Akeldama) as a condition for her daughter to remain alive, Alexia is again up to her stylish hat brim in adventures. She--or more accurately her daughter, Prudence--has been summoned to Alexandria by the oldest vampire in the world, Queen Matakara. For what purpose is not entirely clear and it would also not be best, politically speaking, for it to be general knowledge in London that Lord & Lady Maccon were abroad at the bidding of the Queen. So Alexia contrives to have Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe, of which she is the patroness, be invited to Alexandria. Other mysteries are afoot. The God-Breaker plague appears to be spreading. The Kingair pack's beta has gone to Egypt to investigate only to return and be immediately shot dead. A secret kept by Lady Maccon and Lord Maccon's beta, Professor Lyall, has been revealed by Alexia's spiteful sister and threatens to significantly damage her marriage to Lord Maccon. The "tongue-in-cheek" tone of this book always makes me laugh as do the ridiculous terms of endearment ( e.g., my darling chamomile bud) showered upon Alexia by Lord Akeldama. Although I think this book would stand on its own, I would strongly recommend starting from the beginning if you are going to partake. I am really sorry this will be the last of the series, because I really enjoy these characters.