About the Book

Title: The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed #2)
Published: 2014
Series: The Dispossessed
Swoonworthy Scale: 7

Cover Story: Look Over There
BFF Charm: Heck Yes
Talky Talk: Sister, Sister (Brother, Gargoyle, Other Guy …)
Bonus Factors: Sexy Gargoyles
Anti-Bonus Factors: Bridge Book Blues, Love Triangle
Relationship Status: Sucked Me Back In

Spoiler Alert: Danger, Will Robinson! The Lovely and the Lost is the second book in the Dispossessed series. If you have not read the first book—The Beautiful and the Cursed—turn away now. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. If you have read the first book, however, feel free to continue below. I will refrain from major spoilers in my review, but there might be hints at plot points and details about the story.

Cover Story: Look Over There

This cover, while lovely at first glance, doesn’t really make sense to me in anything other than that it’s eye-catching. The woman on the front doesn’t match the description of the main female characters, her outfit is definitely not appropriate for a high-society woman from the 1800s, and what is she looking at? Is she lost?

(I’m sorry.)

The Deal:

The mind-opening and life-changing incidents that happened to the Waverly siblings in The Beautiful and the Cursed left them in the middle of a battle between the forces of good, evil and the variety of humans that lie between. Ingrid and Gabby are willing to join in the fight in their own ways, but Grayson wants little to do with the whole situation. And although fallen angel Axia has been thwarted—for now—a new evil has arisen that threatens the siblings in new ways.

BFF Charm: Yay x2

2 BFF charms

As the Waverly sisters have gone through hell (literally, in Ingrid’s case) and come out on the other side basically unscathed, they’ve gotten stronger and more kickass. They’re no longer willing to be demure society ladies, particularly not after learning how much more they could be. In The Beautiful and the Cursed, the girls were only coming into their own, and in The Lovely and the Lost, they continue on the journey toward being people I’d definitely gravitate toward.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7

For a novel that takes place in the 1800s, there’s a surprising amount of swoony moments in The Lovely and the Lost. Not quite as many as I would have liked—and I thought I’d have to go without any sort of swoon between my OTP, which made me all sorts of impatient—but there’s enough to tide me over until the next book. I guesssssss.

Talky Talk: Sister, Sister (Brother, Gargoyle, Other Guy …)

There are a lot of main characters in the Dispossessed series. Not only do we hear from the Waverly siblings, but we also hear from their friends/love interests. It gets a tad confusing at times, particularly telling the women and men apart from each other, but Page Morgan has chosen (wisely, in my option) to tell the story in third-person omniscient narration, and so names each character as their sections begin. This definitely lessens the confusion. Also, she’s done a pretty good job at making each character different enough that they’d be recognizable regardless.

Bonus Factor: Sexy Gargoyles

I know, it sounds crazy. But even when they’re being described as “horrific monsters,” the idea of a living and breathing gargoyle, at least those in this series, is an intriguing one. And when they’re in human form, they’re often all dark and broody, which is highly appealing (even when you the characters know better).

Anti-Bonus Factor: Bridge Book Blues

A stone bridge over a still pond in a forest

The Lovely and the Lost does feature a different storyline than the first book in this series, but it didn’t quite catch my attention. The dropped hints of the Big Bad from book 1 just made it feel like I needed to get through this book to get to the third where, I’m assuming, she’ll play a larger role.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Ongoing Love Triangle

Jacob, Bella, and Edward from Twilight

I had hoped that the love triangles that reared their stupid heads in The Beautiful and the Cursed would have resolved some in the second book in the series. One did, even though it’s in no way resolved, but the other continued … and even got a bit worse. The “impossibility” of one of the legs of one of the triangle relationship didn’t find any sort of resolution either, and it makes me sad. I really want these relationships to work out.

Relationship Status: Sucked Me Back In

Oh Book. You know just what to say to keep me wanting more. I know, deep down, that we’re not exactly soulmates, but we have fun when we get together, and sometimes, that’s just what I need.

FTC Full Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book with my own monies. I received neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. The Lovely and the Lost is available now.

Mandy (she/her) is a manager at a tech company who lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, son, and dogs. She loves superheroes and pretty much any show or movie with “Star” in the name.