The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Readers have compared The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, L. M. Montgomery, and Jean Webster.
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Books in this series (8 books)
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Readers have compared Beth Brower's writing to Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse, and L. M. Montgomery.
THE YEAR IS 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Readers have compared Beth Brower's writing to Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse, and L. M. Montgomery.
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London Neighbourhood of St. Crispian's. But Emma's plan for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian's.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
“What a lovely bible,” Mrs. Tribly said.
“Isn’t it just?” I replied, hoping she would not ask me to read a favorite verse aloud.
I do not believe the psalmist wrote,
Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest,
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
This afternoon touched on the second, much to my pleasure.
The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. It is The Season she must help Arabella secure a husband, while navigating the threat of Aunt Eugenia, the unflagging adoration of Charles Goddard, and the amusing unpredictability of St. Crispian’s. But the secrets of her trusted friends are what might very well bring about disaster.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Readers have compared The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, L. M. Montgomery, and Jean Webster.
The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. It is The Season she must help Arabella secure a husband, while navigating the threat of Aunt Eugenia, the unflagging adoration of Charles Goddard, and the amusing unpredictability of St. Crispian's. But the secrets of her trusted friends are what might very well bring about disaster.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Readers have compared The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, L. M. Montgomery, and Jean Webster.
The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. It is The Season she must help Arabella secure a husband, while navigating the threat of Aunt Eugenia, the unflagging adoration of Charles Goddard, and the amusing unpredictability of St. Crispian's. But the secrets of her trusted friends are what might very well bring about disaster.
Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Readers have compared Beth Brower's writing to Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, P.G. Wodehouse, and L. M. Montgomery.
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Emma is for everyone
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2025I'm not gonna lie, it took me about 2.5 books to really get the vibe and feel less confused and more into what was going on. But then I was HOOKED! I love Emma's wit. I love the characters and the relationships. There is real depth and heartache to people's stories and relationships, but overall you're always feeling positive, sweet vibes. I laughed out loud a LOT, and I definitely ugly cried at least once. These books just have everything you could want. I will give a WARNING though: I thought the series ended with book 8 and was panicking reading that book, but there are going to be a lot more. So be prepared for the withdrawals you'll feel as you sit around waiting impatiently for the next books to come out.
3 people found this helpfulHelpful - Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2025What a riot! Absolutely love this series. The sarcastic wit of Emma M. Lion had me laughing out loud, which I have never down while reading a book. I joyfully absorbed these books as quickly I could so that I did not find myself reading them on a plane. What would the people around me think if I randomly broke out laughing?! Well done, Ms. Brower!
- Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025I read the entire series in four days. It was so well written, thought provoking, poignant and laugh out loud funny that I hoped it wouldn’t end.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2025The first three books were gifted from my sister to my daughter for Christmas. My sister, who loves to read,told me she has bought and gifted the first 3 books more than 8 times and has the kindle version as well. She gave it such a high recommendation that my curiosity got me to pick one up. I haven’t read anything since I was younger and I can’t put the books down. I ordered the remaining 5 books hard copy as well. I want to support this author as much as I can. It’s just low stress, happy reading. I love the format and the characters are so relatable. I now recommend it to everyone I know that needs something to read. I can’t say enough about how much I love these books! 📚
- Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023I haven’t talked to a single person that has read this series that hasn’t been filled with delight and love for Emma. And I can’t stop recommending it to everyone. At this point we’re 6 (almost 7) books in and I cannot wait for it to be a complete series. It’s full of charm, wit, compassion, growth, grief, friendship, wonderful literary references, and a hopefulness that is so endearing. The characters are so fun to follow in their journeys and the setting is such a fun part of the story, it’s almost a character in itself. I feel like I would give up everything to go live in St. Crispians in a heartbeat 💕
5.0 out of 5 starsI haven’t talked to a single person that has read this series that hasn’t been filled with delight and love for Emma. And I can’t stop recommending it to everyone. At this point we’re 6 (almost 7) books in and I cannot wait for it to be a complete series. It’s full of charm, wit, compassion, growth, grief, friendship, wonderful literary references, and a hopefulness that is so endearing. The characters are so fun to follow in their journeys and the setting is such a fun part of the story, it’s almost a character in itself. I feel like I would give up everything to go live in St. Crispians in a heartbeat 💕Emma is for everyone
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2022Delightful, whimsical, witty, humorous and heartfelt. Wow...After reading all 5 books, I find that I did not want Emma M. Lion's story to end just yet. I can't wait for Book 6!! I read all 5 books again and find myself smiling the entire time. These books are my absolute favorite now. They are SO beautifully written...Please write quickly, Ms. Beth Brower!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2022The author is a literary genius, that’s all there is to it. These books are witty, charming, delightful, and an absolute must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction. I would love to see this series made into a tv series someday!
- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2023I can’t get enough of Emma! So witty and always in scrapes! Please don’t ever end this series!
About the author

Like many of my siblings, I would sneak out of bed, slip into the hallway, and pull my favorite books from the book closet. I read my way through the bottom shelf, then the next shelf up, and the shelf above that, until I could climb to the very top shelf, stacked two layers deep and two layers high, and read the titles of the classics. My desire to create stories grew as I was learning to read them.
Subsequently, I spent my time scribbling in notebooks rather than listening to math lectures at school.
I graduated with a degree in literary studies, and have spent several years working on the novels that keep pounding on the doors of my mind, as none of my characters are very patient to wait their turn. I currently live in Salt Lake City with my wonderful chemist husband, and books in every room of the house.