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Set in 1883, Emma M. Lion returns to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s, hoping for a quiet, studious life. But things don’t go quite as planned thanks to her quirky cousin Archibald, her strong-willed Aunt Eugenia, and the rather unusual people who live nearby.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

Through her very honest (and sometimes embarrassing) journals, Emma shares her daily life at Lapis Lazuli House—with plenty of wit and a playful sense of humor along the way.
Readers often say Beth Brower’s writing feels like Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, P. G. Wodehouse, and L. M. Montgomery.
I don’t do many book reviews, but I wanted to do a blog post for these journals because I am totally addicted to them! These are books that make me laugh out loud and I will admit sometimes squeal with delight.
Emma is quite the character. She is head strong, stubborn, funny, and determined. She has been cheated by her uncle after her parents have died and this sets up the whole story. If you love Jane Austen but find her writing challenging to read, you are going to LOVE Emma Lion. It. has the Austen flare but writing to fit today’s time.
One of my favorite things is the banter. Oh, how I love a book with good banter. You find it with the men characters in the books (I am team Pierce at the point, I’m on book 4-but many readers want her with another) you find the banter with her friends and even her servants.
I love that they are journals. If you have been around here long you know I love letter/journal types of books. The chapters are short so you can get a journal entry in and go do things you need to do and get a couple more in later.
Another thing I love is the supporting characters. They are just fantastic, and they have so many wonderful traits that make them all unique. You will even love the characters you hate, if you know what I mean. You won’t be able to see what they will be up to next.
In the books Emma is building a personal library (I won’t tell you why because it is a spoiler) but I am going to do a separate post sharing all the books in her library. In every journal she adds to it! They would all would make great books for your own personal libraries.
The audio is FANTASTIC! They are narrated by Genevieve Gaunt who is just fabulous with all the voices. You truly can’t go wrong listening or reading them. All the journals are on Kindle Unlimited, which is just amazing! You can read about what I say about Kindle Unlimited here!
I will warn you, book 1 starts a little slow. Many people have read book one and say, what’s the fuss about? You must keep going-by book 3 I was so addicted, and I hear book five and you are completely sucked in. Beth Brower is such a talented writer. She has other books that people love as well.
The Books of Imirillia (3 books in the series)
If you are in a reading slump, want a comfort read, or just an amazing story to get swept away in, you must pick up journal 1 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion and just start reading. You are going to love it!
The audio books are now on sale on Audible. The eBooks are available on Kindle Unlimited.
You can also buy them in paperback, or hardback (slightly different covers). I love the look of the paperback ones because they look like journals.
If you have been wanting to get out of a reading slump or just start something addicting for you summer reading this is a series to try!
Other posts you may enjoy:
- Rory Gilmore List
- Best Epistolary Novels That Will Sweep You Away
- Comfort Reads for When Life Feels Heavy
- The Top 10 Books I Read in 2025
