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Cover of The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

Mackenzi Lee

480 pages

A swashbuckling, fiercely feminist romp that trades romance for ambition, science, and the unbreakable bonds of female friendship.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like embarking on a breathless, globe-trotting carriage ride with your most brilliant, unapologetically prickly friend. The narrative moves at a brisk, swashbuckling clip, trading the traditional romantic subplots of historical YA for a fierce exploration of ambition, science, and aromantic identity. Its atmosphere is spirited and empowering, grounded by a wry, pragmatic narrative voice that sharply critiques period-typical misogyny while maintaining a buoyant sense of fun. As the journey unfolds, the emotional texture shifts from isolated defiance to a warm, hard-won appreciation for female solidarity. It is a delight for anyone who loves sharp-tongued heroines, historical romps with a modern sensibility, and stories that prove platonic devotion can be just as epic as any romance.

Mood
  • spirited
  • adventurous
  • empowering
  • lively
Tone
  • wry
  • pragmatic
  • witty
  • feminist
  • irreverent
Pace
brisk
Themes
female ambition · aromantic and asexual identity · dismantling internalized misogyny · platonic devotion · women in STEM
The writing
Sharp and highly readable, the narrative voice blends historical flavor with a distinctly modern, sarcastic wit.
The arc
The protagonist moves from a prickly, isolated independence to discovering the profound strength and necessity of female solidarity.
Who it's for
Readers who crave fierce, unapologetic heroines, swashbuckling historical adventures, and stories that champion platonic love over romance.
Content notes
  • period-typical sexism
  • mild violence
  • peril

About the book

Felicity Montague is through with pretending she prefers society parties to books about bonesetting--or that she's not smarter than most people she knows, or that she cares about anything more than her dream of becoming a doctor.

A year after an accidentally whirlwind tour of Europe, which she spent evading highwaymen and pirates with her brother Monty, Felicity has returned to England with two goals in mind--avoid the marriage proposal of Callum Doyle, a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh, and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a small window of hope opens. Dr. Alexander Platt, an eccentric physician who Felicity idolizes, is looking for research assistants, and Felicity is sure that someone was forward-thinking as her hero would be willing to take her on. However, Platt is in Germany, preparing to wed Felicity's estranged childhood friend, Johanna. Not only is Felicity reluctant to open old wounds, but she also has no money to make the trip.

Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity's way, so long as she's allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl's true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

This description comes from the publisher. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is the second book in the Montague Siblings series, the first of which is The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

Description from Open Library.

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