Adrian Montague has a bright future. The sole heir to his father’s estate, he is an up and coming political writer and engaged to an activist who challenges and inspires him. But most young Lords aren’t battling the debilitating anxiety Adrian secretly lives with, or the growing fear that it might consume him and all he hopes to accomplish. In the wake of his mother’s unexpected death, Adrian is also concerned people will find out that he has the mental illness she struggled with for years.
When a newly found keepsake of hers-a piece of a broken spyglass—comes into Adrian’s possession, he’s thrust into the past and finds himself face to face with an older brother he never knew he had. Henry “Monty” Montague has been living quietly in London for years, and his sudden appearance sends Adrian on a quest to unravel family secrets that only the spyglass can answer.
In pursuit of answers about the relic, the brothers chart a course to locate their sister Felicity. But as they travel between the pirate courts of Rabat, Portuguese islands, the canals of Amsterdam, and into unknown Artic waters, the Montague siblings are thrown into one final adventure as they face a ghostly legend that threatens their whole family
The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzie Lee might just be my favorite of the series, though it’s hard to say, because each book has its own unique strengths. But this one hit me differently, and I think a big part of that is the anxiety representation.
While I don’t struggle with everything Adrian faces, the way his social anxiety is portrayed felt incredibly real to me. There’s a moment early on, when he’s trying to hand out pamphlets to strangers, and I had to pause and just sit with that for a second. It was so exactly how I feel in those moments, trying to do something that seems simple to others but feels utterly overwhelming. The dread, the second-guessing, the inner spiral… Mackenzi Lee nailed my thoughts in their situations exactly.
And that wasn’t just a one-off. Throughout the book, Adrian’s fears, compulsions, and inner battles are handled with care and nuance. It’s messy, sometimes painful, but never reduced to a trope or a plot device. He’s a full character, not a diagnosis.
Highly recommended, especially if you’re looking for mental health rep that feels both grounded and empathetic.
What I also loved is how the story weaves his personal struggles into a much larger adventure. There’s mystery, danger, high seas, family drama, and a truly satisfying emotional arc. Seeing Monty and Percy again was a bonus, but it was Adrian’s journey that kept me hooked. This isn’t a fast-paced book, but it’s full of feeling and growth, and I really appreciated that.
We get to see more of the Montague siblings, and seeing Felicity, Monty, Adrian and Percy slowly getting used to their new family dynamics was both comforting and relatable.
The mix of people who are different from what society expects them to be, and yet manage to find their own way and happiness was also a joy to read.
