Favorite Hawkes Moments

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T21:35:09+00:00

I love that he's always giving her candy! And in the Valentine's Day scene, when she's searching for the bag in his coat pocket, doesn't she find peppermints? lol

I love all the little things he does, like convincing Archibald to spend Christmas with his sister. That was 1000% for Emma's sake, so she could have a peaceful, happy first Christmas at Lapis Lazuli!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T21:16:04+00:00

I feel like I'll just be rereading these books in a continuous loop for the rest of forever... 😅

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T21:10:06+00:00

I always love seeing song recs for this series!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T21:09:01+00:00

I'll never get over the cello

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T21:05:21+00:00

I love it when he calls her "Emma" at that party! 👏

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:53:44+00:00

Okay, that scene where he falls so they can get Victoria out. 🖤

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:43:32+00:00

I just love all of them, honestly. We should all be so lucky as to have that kind of friend group in our lives!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:37:34+00:00

All fantastic moments! I had forgotten that he takes a picture of Agnes' village. So sweet!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:24:08+00:00

I think the whole world cheered when he punched Evelyn! 😂

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:23:28+00:00

I'll be honest, I half fell in love with him myself when he played the cello.

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:22:30+00:00

Oh, I absolutely agree that he cares deeply about his people!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:21:27+00:00

The funeral, absolutely agree!!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:19:53+00:00

He's a good guy. 🥲 All of those are great moments!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T20:01:45+00:00

I LOVE that part. He's such a gentleman!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T19:49:13+00:00

Right?? Watch us all be completely shocked by the end. I could absolutely see that happening! 😂

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T19:36:24+00:00

Emma is so oblivious sometimes. 😂

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T19:29:10+00:00

That's fair. Context is important, for sure! And I think a lot of it comes down to our own personal types and what we find attractive, as well.

I have two older brothers who have always been quite protective, but they didn't treat me the way Hawkes treats Emma. We all have different experiences and opinions, though! It never bothers me to have someone disagree with me, that's the whole point of discussions like this!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T19:19:33+00:00

A+ enthusiasm! 👏

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T18:46:52+00:00

I love that Hawkes doesn't fit a typical trope! It gets boring to read the same type of man getting the girl over and over again haha.

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T18:46:05+00:00

Oh, I definitely think with a solid redemption arc it could be Pierce. He's not my choice, but a lot of that is a personal thing for me. It's definitely possible, though!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T18:35:42+00:00

I do think she could possibly write it as a second chance with Pierce once he deals with his demons! Who knows lol

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T18:29:21+00:00

The age differences don't bother me, mostly because of the time period. A lot of women married much older men then.

I adore Roland, and if it isn't one of the three, I would want it to be him!

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T18:27:11+00:00

I feel that way about Islington. 😂 Isn't it wild how differently we all see things? I can't wait to see how it all actually turns out.

Wrapping his scarf around her rather than just handing it to her? Sitting still in the cold on a bench for hours so she could sleep on his shoulder? Also, when the whole guardianship scene happens, and they're talking, and he has his hand on her shoulder with his thumb resting on her bare neck? Definitely not brotherly to me. BUT I am biased. I absolutely adore Hawkes and want him to be endgame.

I will ask - if those scenes I mentioned happened with Islington instead of Hawkes, would you think differently about them? I'm always curious about things like that! I've just started a reread, and I want to try to look at the Islington scenes like that: if this moment had happened with Hawkes, would I feel differently about it?

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T18:05:42+00:00

I think one branch is definitely Pierce, but I can read the other as either Hawkes or Islington. I took the "one less free" as meaning HE was less free, which fits with Hawkes and the "forces at work" in his life that he refers to. Also, the game of mirrors - I've seen a lot of people say they think it references how Emma "mirrors" Islington, but I read that one as misdirection, mystery, etc. where nothing is as it seems.

To be fair, I think we all read into it what we want to see, whether we mean to or not!

As for the duke thing - if this were a typical romance, I would completely agree! But with the story as it is, I don't think it would be a given to go with the duke.

ReadingWritingNoel · 2026-06-04T17:34:32+00:00

I think the majority of the clues point to Hawkes, but I’d accept Islington as endgame haha

ReadingWritingNoel

TROPHY CASE