Book Tour Review: Moonlight and Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape

Blurb:

London, 1859

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time—and their escalating feelings for each other—Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late...


MOONLIGHT AND MECHANICALS is the fourth book in the GASLIGHT CHRONICLES by Cindy Spencer Pape. Having read the previous books, I was excited to see that Wink was getting her own story, and that she was to be paired with Liam, a werewolf. Pape has filled this series with not just mechanical wonders and steampunk themes, but also with some paranormal entities, and I enjoy her skillful blending of different elements. One of the great things about Pape's writing, is that she is adept at blending adventure and romance, while also making the steampunk/gaslight elements an integral part of the book.

Wink is one of the orphans that the couple in the first book, STEAM AND SORCERY, adopt. She's all grown up now, and I liked seeing some of the personality from both her parents (despite not being biological) come together. Her character is not superficial in any way, and along with Liam's alpha male tendencies (though not alphahole) the two clash and combine throughout the book in a captivating way. Not only that, but there is a subplot of adventure and suspense that kept me reading, just as much as the romance did.

I would suggest MOONLIGHT AND MECHANICALS as a very good addition to anyone's reading list who likes both romance and science-fiction/fantasy. There's enough of both to keep readers interested (especially if you enjoy Theresa Meyer's THE LEGEND CHRONICLES or Zoe Archer's THE BLADES OF THE ROSE) and invested in the characters, the plot and the series as a whole.

I've read the series to date, in the numerical order, however, the stories are all independently contained and can be read alone. I would suggest starting with STEAM AND SORCERY, but only because it sets up the Hadrian family members. Well that, and I also think the other books are pretty fabulous in their own right!

Book Rating:
14/15
4.5 stars
A+


Goodreads
NookBook | Carina Press | Kindle

About The Author:
Award-winning author of over forty popular books and novellas in paranormal, historical, and erotic romance, Cindy Spencer Pape is an avid reader. According to The Romance Studio, her plots are “full of twist and turns that keep the reader poised at the edge of their seat.” Joyfully Reviewed said, her “colorful characters and plot building surprises kept me spellbound,” and Romantic Times Magazine says her “characters are appealing, and passionate sex leads to a satisfying romance.”

Cindy firmly believes in happily-ever-after. Married for more than twenty-five years to her own, sometimes-kilted hero, she lives in southern Michigan with him and two college-age sons, along with an ever-changing menagerie of pets. Cindy has been, among other things, a banker, a teacher, and an elected politician, but mostly an environmental educator, though now she is lucky enough to write full-time. Her degrees in zoology and animal behavior almost help her comprehend the three male humans who share her household.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

This book was provided first by NetGalley, then Bewitching Book Tours, in exchange for my honest review only