It's hard not to like the Pepper's, both Molly and Cassandra, though maybe a bit more of Molly. They've had to survive some hard knocks in life from the passing of her father to the ruination of their business to the scraping through mud of the family name, but as their family saying goes...Peppers never give up! Something to remember when things are looking severely down and all seems lost....just sayin'. I really loved Molly's spunky nature, relative quick thinking on her feet, and her ability to charm an audience when need arises. Her devotion to her mother is heartbreaking in its strength, but it's certainly not one-sided, which brings us to Pepper number two.

Cassandra Pepper is Molly's mom, and while limited in street smarts, she's a whip at anything with gears, steam power, or otherwise inventor-ish. Seriously, some of the gadgets and gizmos she created are astounding and I agree with her...the public deserves to know her name...as well as the rest of the female inventors out there lurking in the shadows just waiting for their moment to shine...and shine they will! The devotion she shows to Molly is heartwarming, and the love they have for their new family of two is present in all they do. Even when they are exasperated with each other, you can still see how much they care, and when things turn from bad to worse, the first thing on the other's mind is seeing them safely home again. We should all be so lucky to have family so dear...or even a friend, which brings us to our new chosen family member of sorts.

Emmett Lee never intended to leave behind the new life he was forging. His path was set after so much upheavel and my heart hurt for him, but sometimes fate has a different life for us in mind, and thus begins his adventure of a lifetime. He'll rise from the shadows to leave his own footprints in the sand, telling the world that LEE WAS HERE and don't you forget it! He's whip smart at all the mechanics of inventing and while suffering from his own losses in life, he'll find a new family to call his own because it's not all about blood relations, but about who we're willing to let into our hearts, and throw ourselves out a window with. Am I right? 😉

In the end, we have a good bit of history with a large helping of dastardly deeds and twisty turns to spin it all together into one fabulous adventure! ( )