The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
When the blindsided and heartbroken Lucy Muchelney is forced to watch her ex-girlfriend marry a sweet man that even she can’t hate, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. The only thing Lucy knows she can turn to is science. When she receives a letter asking if she knows of anyone who can translate a French astronomy publication, Lucy knows exactly who is up to the job: herself. She packs her bags and takes off to London to surprise Catherine St Day, the Countess of Moth, in hopes of translating the texts and entering the science world under her own name. What Lucy finds is that her fellow scientists are not accepting of her sex. On the bright side, she has found a new friend, confidant, and supporter in Catherine that’s lingering on the edge of something more.
After reading the third book in the series, I knew I had to start this series from the beginning. However, one can read the books in whatever order they wish because they each act as a standalone with a different storyline and cast of characters. I have to say that the first installment was absolutely spectacular. We follow Lucy, who is being pressured by her brother to give up astronomy and get married. He even wants to sell off her telescope even though it won’t bring much money in. Of course, Lucy is an astronomer and refuses to give up science due to her sex, so she fights like hell to get recognized as a scientist. This is the main plot, but if you want to roll up for the romance, it follows very closely behind the main plot.
Since I read the third book already, I knew that Lucy and Catherine would get together and fight their way over any hurdles that came their way. Knowing this beforehand did not take anything away from the book. If anything, I went in knowing that I was about to be treated to a great romance written with care and a hot, romantic flame. These two characters had such great chemistry on a friendly and romantic front that I was excited about watching their relationship develop very early on.
Since Lucy is an astronomer, the science plot was heavy handed. If reading about astronomy or any kind of science talk is not your thing, this may not be your cup of tea, but I think that one can overlook this in favor of the great cast of characters along with a wonderful romance story. I do think that each of the plots were interesting to follow, though I can’t say how realistic the actual science talk is since astronomy is not my area. That said, I did think it was interesting to read and see how Catherine was incorporated into the science world through art and love.
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