It's easy for me to say that I've become a fanboy of this series. Few other books can straddle the fence so well between sympathy for all the dead and sheer enjoyment of all the frivolities. :) 
 That being said, this one is much less of an emotional roller coaster than all the rest, with one exception. Something good happens. As in, gather ye rosebuds as ye may, good. I won't say much more than that, especially since we're put through a ghost story, the burning of St. Mary's, the burning of London, itself, crashing boats, and "MADNESS??? This is SPARTA!" 
 Suffice to say, I had a really great time. :) 
 Oh yeah, there was yet ANOTHER car crash. Thanks, Max. Jeeze. And this time all of St. Mary's comes to jeer, too. 
 And that was awesome. :) 
 Yes, this is popcorn fiction, but I will make one little stipulation. It's also pretty serious SF time travel meant for serious history buffs, and the author knows very well how to manipulate the freaking hell out of us readers. She's an awesome writer, and she practically pulls out all the stops for every single book. 
 I just wanted to say, I'm hella-impressed. :)