The series appeals to me on a number of levels. Julia herself is a fantastic character and her growth throughout the novels is amazing. She's a dormant little mouse to start with, but as she discovers her true self, she begins to blossom. Her family -- she's one of nine siblings -- are all fantastic. I love reading about her siblings and how they just literally waltz into her life. Seriously, the beginning of the fourth book has Julia's meal in Europe interrupted when two of her siblings just randomly show up and everyone acts like it's a normal thing. The mysteries are engaging as well, though I do admit to largely skimming the third book because I was so eager to see what happened to Julia and Nicholas that I skipped ahead to their scenes. I wound up staying up until 9 a.m. this morning to finish all three books if that says anything.