Blog Tour - Book Excerpt: Off Kilter (A Buffalo Steampunk Adventure) by Laura Strickland

About the Author:

Born and raised in Western New York, Laura Strickland has pursued lifelong interests in lore, legend, magic and music, all reflected in her writing. Though her imagination frequently takes her to far off places, she is usually happiest at home not far from Lake Ontario with her husband and her "fur" child, a rescue dog. Author of Scottish romance Devil Black as well as The Guardians of Sherwood Trilogy, she is pleased to say that His Wicked Highland Ways is her eighth title for The Wild Rose Press.

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Excerpt from Off Kilter:

James switched his gaze to the three people who had just disembarked, two men and a woman, and promptly lost all the breath in his body.

They made an unlikely enough trio—one of the men willowy and slender, clad in a splendid suit that screamed wealth, the other broad and squat if also well-dressed. James dismissed both of them almost immediately, for the third of the group gathered all his attention and focused it the way a mirror gathers light.

"That his doxy?" Latham persisted.

She wore one of the new tailored gowns of some thin fabric that fluttered around her slender body in the breeze off the water. Strawberry-blonde hair clustered round her head in a woven crown of curls and even from fifty paces away James could see the delicate perfection of her features. She stood between the two men like a doe trapped by wolves, and something about her demeanor bespoke the fact that she longed to flee. Suddenly James wanted to tear the two men apart with his bare hands, rescue her, change her world. He knew he could do it too; at that moment he could best anyone.

"Nice piece," Latham muttered. "Wouldn't mind the job of guarding that."

And just as abruptly, James wanted to tear Latham apart also, a visceral reaction that flowed from the core of his being outward to his fists.

"Button it," Tate snapped before James could. "That's our client, Mr. Sebastian Boyd—one of the wealthiest men you'll ever meet."

And with him, James amended in his head, the most beautiful woman he'd ever hoped to behold.



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Off Kilter (A Buffalo Steampunk Adventure)
Adult Fantasy Steampunk
Published: 28 August 2015

James Kilter has few illusions about himself. Maimed in a boiler accident when young and routinely reviled by those he encounters, he’s no prize for any woman. He’s content working security for a good friend until he sees Catherine Delaney disembark from an airship one May afternoon. Her fragile beauty calls up all his protective instincts. But will she accept a monster as her defender?

Having traded her own safety to save her young sister, Cat Delaney has landed in the hands of a ruthless, wealthy man who intends to use her as a pawn to his avarice. Alone in a strange city, she has nowhere to turn except to the very man hired to keep her from running. Can she trust James, with his ruined face and crusader’s spirit? Dare she give him her heart?

Amazon

Off Kilter (A Buffalo Steampunk Adventure) Blog Tour Arranged By Magic of Books Promotions.

Weather Witch Blog Tour: Why Philly...? by Shannon Delany

Read My Mind is super happy to be part of the WEATHER WITCH blog tour today! Thanks to Shannon Delany and The Author's Taproom, who is hosting the tour. This upcoming YA takes place in my current and home town residence, and I got a chance to ask Shannon Delany: Why use Philadelphia as the setting for a steampunky, historical paranormal?

About The Author:
Shannon Delany has always been surrounded by books! Her aunt was a head librarian and her father was always trying some new creative endeavor. She grew up with a fierce love of history and studied social studies education and foreign language and culture in college.

After substitute teaching in every grade level and subject area in Pennsylvania and Maryland she taught for five years in Florida and then moved back north to be around family.

With the birth of her son she decided to become serious about writing and worked freelance jobs until she landed a contract with St. Martin's Press for the 13 TO LIFE series--all because of a contest one critique partner warned her against!

Website | Goodreads


***

I have an absolute love of Philly. I grew up an hour outside of the city and got to visit it pretty frequently. I enjoy New York City, but Philly has a warmth and a colonial feel that seems to steep into even the tallest and most modern of buildings. From the waterfront to Society Hill, the Fabric District, South Street and Reading Terminal Market--there is truly something for everyone and yet it's not overwhelming. Philly doesn't try to crush you...

...Philly embraces you.

Philly is also a strong supporter of the arts and art education. I respect that so very much!

Philly has a rich and readily accessible and welcoming history which draws people in and makes me want to return and research more and more. And although the Philadelphia I use in the Weather Witch series is definitely fictitious (I mess with the geography and take certain liberties with the history I adore) there is still enough of Philadelphia there that I hope people are made curious about the city and want to learn more--and visit the City of Brotherly Love!

***


EXCERPT:

The young man no longer stuck to the shadows, no longer waited until nightfall to work his
magick--or mischief as those Grounded would claim. He was tall and broad of shoulder with
dark hair and gray eyes and a coolness about him that made people think of first frosts and
snowfalls. And with good reason.

Because Marion Kruse was a cold-hearted young man.

Truth be told, He wanted nothing more than to return to a simpler time. A time he didn't wander
the roads and towns doing small things to amuse himself and set others to wondering. He wanted
nothing more to be back at his mother's feet, reading books about pirates and scoundrels that
made her laugh and tell him and his brother to never grow up to be wicked--that goodness was its own reward.

He wanted nothing more than to grow fat on Chloe's generously proportioned biscuits and call
her "nanny" again. Nothing more than to go fox hunting with his father and friends (even that
frustrating pretty boy Rowen Burchette) and dance with an attractive girl.

He wanted nothing more than to go back to before he'd been Made.

But Marion had been taught that going back was nigh unto impossible.

Blurb:
In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!

Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!

But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

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Book Review: The Chosen by Theresa Meyers

Blurb:
Attorney by day, demon-hunter by night, Remington Jackson is used to being on the sunny side of the law, even in the Wild West. But it’s showdown time, and Remy and his brothers are getting desperate. They don’t have the relic they need to slam the door shut on evil—so Remy is going to have to find and steal part of it.

Enter China McGee, shapeshifter, thief, beauty, and current prisoner. When Remy offers her freedom in exchange for a little light-fingered help, she’s pretty sure she’s going to end the association with a good old-fashioned seductive double cross. But there’s something about fighting through a jungle full of Mayan ruins that makes you want to settle down together. China could change. Remy might be special. But none of that matters if the devil takes them all...


THE CHOSEN is the third book in THE LEGEND CHRONICLES about three brothers, Colt, Winchester, and Remington, hunters who live in a world full of Darkin (demons, vampires, shapeshifters) and have embarked on a journey to fulfill a prophesy none of them are quite sure they believe. Colt and Winchester have had their adventures and found their match in two strong women. Now it is Remington's turn. This series is full of action, romance, danger and some elements (like steampunk and a western-like setting) that can draw all sorts of readers.

I MUST start with the characters. Remington and China McGee team up to try to find a portion of an important relic. Because the three novels in the series happen simultaneously, and even share several scenes, the reader has a special treat in getting to see the dynamics of the brothers and the women who are accompanying them on their quests as a group as well as coupled up. Though I thought that Colt was going to firmly stay my favorite of the Jackson brothers, I was also really intrigued by China McGee. Meyers has the ability to flesh out both hero and heroine throughout the story. Neither character is completely dependent on the other; they truly work together, and even if it is begrudgingly, it is clear that each one plays to their own strengths.

Meyers has also built a cool world where many different creatures exist. Blending action, adventure, romance, danger, secrets and betrayal in a steampunky-fied old west world, there is something for everyone who enjoys speculative fiction and/or romance. Start the series with the first book, THE HUNTER, and you won't want to stop until the last page of THE CHOSEN!

Book Rating:
14/15
4.5 star
A


About The Author:
The progeny of a slightly mad (NASA) scientist and a tea-drinking bibliophile who turned the family dining room into a library, Theresa Meyers learned early the value of a questioning mind, books and a good china teapot.

A former journalist and public relations officer, she found far more enjoyment using her writing skills to pen paranormal novels in the turret office of her Victorian home.

She’s spent nearly a quarter of a century with the boy who took her to the Prom, drinks tea with milk and sugar, is an adamant fan of the television show Supernatural, and has an indecent love of hats.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads


This book was provided by the author via Bewitching Book Tours, with no other compensation except for the expectation of an honest review

Steampunk Spectrum(1)

Blurb:
Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!


I really, really enjoyed reading PHOENIX RISING. First, it was actually an audiobook read for me. Sometimes, it can be hit or miss with audiobooks. Though the vast majority that I've listened to have been good, sometimes the narrator just won't be the voice that I want to hear. Or even seem to reflect the tone of the book or characters correctly. No worries on that front here. The narrator's intonation is spot on for Ministry boss, Dr. Sound, and the slight changes he makes to mirror Eliza's New Zealand accent works well. Even Books sounds just like I would imagine.

As for the story, PHOENIX RISING is a mix of mystery, steampunk and action. It's cheeky and well-paced, with Eliza and Books' relationship and interaction being important to the way the characters get things done, but still not overshadowing the inherent adventurousness of the novel.

Read if you liked:
The Iron Seas (series) by Meljean Brook
Katherine "Kitty" Katt (series) by Gini Koch

Book Rating:
12.5/15
4 stars
A-

Goodreads
Barnes and Noble | NookBook | Book Depository | Amazon | Kindle | Audible


Blurb:
The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.


GOD SAVE THE QUEEN is more of an urban fantasy steampunk. The world is one that has been changed by the fact that the British Empire still reigns because the queen is undead. This book explores class system under the guise of vampires, half-breeds and other creatures that bump in the night. Xandra's father is a member of the ruling class that she is sworn to protect, but never quite belong in. She lives in a dark, gritty world where secrets are being kept, and Xandra will have to be the one to uncover them.

Like in PHOENIX RISING, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN has a bit of the cheekiness that I have come to associate with British steampunk. It's a little darker, and I think a little more exclusively for urban fantasy readers who are open to steampunk. For me, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN was a fairly quick read, but the world itself was built well through Kate Locke's exposition and the characters dialog.

Read if you liked:
Rhiannon's Law (series) by J.A. Saare
Firelight by Kristen Callihan

Book Rating:
14/15
4.5 stars
A+

Goodreads

Blurb:
Former ballerina Callie Carlisle is determined to rebuild her life with her new mechanical limbs. She's just learned to accept the enhancements that saved her from certain death when she experiences uncontrollable twinges and flashes of light that obscure her vision. Terrified of literally falling apart, she resists telling her husband. Jasper's already vowed to keep her out of harm, and she doesn't want to worry him further.

When the War Office's General Black arrives with an urgent mission—rescue the doctor who created Callie's enhancements—she has no choice but to accept. A rogue agent and former patient of the scientist believes the biomechanical modifications he received are killing him, and he's out for revenge.

Callie must reach the doctor before it's too late. But with an overprotective Jasper at her side, and her alarming symptoms getting more frequent, will she be able to hold herself together long enough to save the doctor... and herself?


BROKEN PROMISES is the continuation of Callie and Jasper's story that started in FAR FROM BROKEN, which can be found as an individual novella, or in the anthology A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS. The first part of their story must be read, in order to understand what goes on here. Callie has had to give up her dreams of being a ballerina and learn to live with the new mechanical limbs she possesses.

What drew me to J.K. Coi's writing in the first place is her ability to evoke strong emotion with Callie and Jasper. Both are damaged characters, not just in mind and spirit. BROKEN PROMISES is at heart, a romance, but the steampunk aspect is seamlessly integrated. The world is steampunk and the story is romance.

Read if you liked:
Unbound (series) by Rachel Vincent

Book Rating:
11.5/15
3.5 stars
B+

Goodreads
NookBook | Carina Press | Kindle

Let's Talk About Steampunk

The sub-genre of steampunk has been growing in favor with mainstream fantasy, romance, and science-fiction fans. What I love about reading steampunk books is that the worlds seem much more inclusive than a plain Victorian historical. There is more room for racial diversity and women can be scientific, mathematical, inventors and more.

But, there are still many readers who don't know where to start when it comes to steampunk, even if they are open to reading books that fall under the sub-genre. To that end, I thought that I could comb through the books that I have read that are, or even marginally involve steampunk, gaslamp, gaslight or alternative Victorian themes.

Doing a regular feature that has several books and an abbreviated review for each book, would expose my readers to some of the different steampunk books out there. Hopefully, some will come to love steampunk as much as I do. Or if they are already in love, will suggest new reading material.

So, check out the first post at Steampunk Spectrum(1) featuring:

Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #1) by Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris

God Save The Queen by Kate Locke

Broken Promises by J.K. Coi

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

Guest Post: Cindy Spencer Pape On Victorians and Steampunk

Whee! Cindy Spencer Pape has a guest post at Read My Mind today to promote her newest steampunk romance, MOONLIGHT AND MECHANICALS. This series is a great one to read if you love romance, but aren't sure yet if you want to dip your toes in the steampunk pool. Trust me, you'll fall in love with Wink, the other ragtag Hadrian orphans, and Liam, Wink's love interest. You'll love the "mechanicals" as much as the "moonlight".

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



It’s The Little Things

One of the oddities of writing steampunk is that even though it has elements of science fiction and fantasy, it also requires historical research. My world is alternate history, meaning that the timeline differs from the real one in some ways but does maintain a lot of similarities. With each thing that comes up for my characters, I have to decide if something is the same as it really was in the 1850s, or if it’s different. Then I have to think about how and why those differences occur, and what their effect is on the rest of the world surrounding the story.

One fascinating tidbit made me realize that even the tiniest details of everyday life have changed beyond recognition in the last hundred and sixty years. One of my invaluable resources for daily life is a book called Beeton’s Book of Household Management. Originally published in segments between 1859 and 1861, this brick of a tome quickly became the housewife’s bible, and it gives menus as well as careful instructions about how many things should be dealt with in a well-run household.

Like making toast.

Seriously. I did a double-take too. There are not just one, but TWO recipes in the book for making toast. (Dry and buttered.) For any of us alive today, unless we’re camping or the power is out, making toast is something any 4-year old can do. Put the bread in the toaster and push the button.

According to Mrs. Beeton, however, making toast is a delicate procedure. She starts with telling us to use a loaf of household bread (different than cottage bread, though I’m not sure how) that is a couple of days old, since stale bread makes better toast than fresh. Then you cut it about ¼ inch thick (remember, it didn’t come sliced) and trim the crusts. Finally, you put it on a long-handled toasting fork and hold it in front of “a very clear fire.” You move it back and forth to get an even color, and toast it slowly to avoid blackening. Then you turn it on the fork and do the other side.

So there you have it. What takes us a minute of waiting, took a Victorian housewife or cook several minutes of work in front of a hot fire. Somehow it’s always the little things that remind me how much life has changed. (Mind you, in my steampunk books, I’m quite certain Wink would have devised an automated toaster by 1859.)


Thank you, Cindy! I've really grown to like the steampunk sub-genre over the last couple of years, and one thing that keeps me coming back is the fact that every author has a different way to tweak and incorporate the steampunk tech with the Victorian lifestyle.


MOONLIGHT AND MECHANICALS: GASLIGHT CHRONICLES #4

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...

Goodreads
NookBook | Carina Press | Kindle

ARC Review: Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

Book: DEAD RECKONING
Author: MERCEDES LACKEY and ROSEMARY EDGHILL
Genre: YA FANTASY/WESTERN/STEAMPUNK
Published: June 2012, BLOOMSBURY

Series: none
Source: Around The World ARC Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone – until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren’t rising from the dead of their own accord... but who would want an undead army? And why?



My Review:
When steampunk is mentioned, most people think of a Victorian setting, but DEAD RECKONING integrates the steam sensibility into a western setting, and does it well. I've only read Mercedes Lackey's high fantasy books, and though I enjoyed every single one that I read, I was really happy to see her branching off into a new genre, especially in the YA category.

DEAD RECKONING tells the tale of a disparate group of young people that find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving the disappearance of a whole town, the possibility of a zombie army, and a creepy cult that has created a religion around a fanatical leader, and the idea that reanimation is holy. Even with the relative ease that this book can be read, there is still a fair amount of meat to it, owing to the writing skills of both Lackey and Rosemary Edghill.

Though some of the background of the main characters, Jett, Honoria and White Fox is revealed as the story unfolds, DEAD RECKONING keeps its focus on the three trying to figure out the truth behind the zombies. Honoria's science blends nicely with Jett's street smarts and White Fox's tracking skills and intellect. They make a good team and I like how each one has their chance at POV, while not narrowing the rest of the plot.

DEAD RECKONING is a good read for someone looking for a book that straddles the line between western, steampunk and paranormal/fantasy. It has a nice adventure plot, mixed with two smart female characters, and an interesting male character. It is the type of book that would appeal to both sexes over 12, and has appropriate language and content for those readers also. The journey swept me along, the plot wrapped up satisfactorily for the pace, and DEAD RECKONING is a stand-alone that stands on its own.

4/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 12.5/15 (3.5 stars)

Highly Recommend, if you liked:
The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers

Find Mercedes Lackey at:
Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Find Rosemary Edghill at:
Website | Journal | GoodReads

Book Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Book: DEARLY, DEPARTED
Author: LIA HABEL
Genre: PARANORMAL/STEAMPUNK YA
Published: October 2011, BALLANTINE BOOKS DEL REY (RANDOM HOUSE)

Series: Dearly series #1
Source: Publisher via Authors After Dark Reader Convention

From Good Reads:
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

My Review:
DEARLY, DEPARTED was the perfect book for me. I say this now because, while I will rave about a book in a review, I do try to stay a little professional. That might go out the window as I write about DEARLY, DEPARTED. So, what had me so excited? Paranormal YA with steampunk elements? A future-world, post-apocalyptic, vaguely dystopian setting? A rebellious, but not silly female main character? An intelligent zombie army? Yes. All that and more.

This story grabbed me from the first chapter and never let go as I followed Nora through her New Victoria. The world-building and her characterization is amazing. Even though some of the chapters alternate from other characters points-of-view, Nora is the star, and she shines. I even appreciated the info dump that explains how New Victoria came to be. Why? Because it didn't take me out of the story, and it flowed organically.

If you like your zombies to be only of the shambling, brain-eating, empty-eyed variety, then DEARLY, DEPARTED is not your book. Sure, there are the zombies that have succumbed to the affects of the Laz. But there are also smart, brave, "normal" zombies that have formed an army to help save the remainder of humanity. I don't subscribe to the idea that zombies only belong to horror. I don't need zombies to be cast as the villain for me to call them "real".

I loved the adventure and thrills in this novel. I loved New Victoria and the steampunk elements in this novel. I really liked Nora and Pamela. In my opinion, Lia Habel has written one of the most innovative and enjoyable YA novels of 2011. The End.

4.5/5 for plot
5/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 14/15 (5 stars)

Must Read, if you liked:
Die For Me by Amy Plum
Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fischer
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Find the author at:
Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Purchase book at:
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Available formats: Print (Hardcover), NookBook, ePub, Audiobook, Kindle

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A Flash Of Fiction 1 (September) Steam and Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape

Book: STEAM AND SORCERY (GASLIGHT CHRONICLES)
Author: CINDY SPENCER PAPE
Genre: FANTASY/STEAMPUNK
Published: March 2011, CARINA PRESS

Series: GASLIGHT CHRONICLES #1
Photographs and Phantoms (Gaslight Chronicles #1.5)
Source: Publisher via NetGalley, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.

Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human...

I Liked -- Plot: Steampunk is growing into a popular sub-genre, and I have wholeheartedly embraced it. While I like the machinery and the airships and the danger that can go along with steampunk stories, Pape's novel had more of the historical aspect included in the plot, and I always enjoy reading about Regency/Victorian England, so it was just the right thing to capture my attention. There was a great balance between the heat between the hero and heroine and the steampunk element. As an equal opportunity science-fiction, fantasy and romance lover, all of the right spots for me, were hit with STEAM AND SORCERY.

I Liked -- Character: There wasn't any one character that I liked more than the rest. Pape truly rounded out both the male and female main characters, so that neither one seemed flat or superfluous or even only there to spotlight the other. What I really liked though, was the fact that the children that Caroline Bristol was supposed to be in charge of, did not fade into the background. In other words, they were characters and important to the story other than putting her in the sphere of Hadrian in order to create a romance between the two.

My Rating: 14/15 (4.5 stars) Must Read

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Book Review: Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker

Book: FLASH GOLD
Author: LINDSAY BUROKER
Genre: STEAMPUNK/FANTASY
Published: March 2011

Series: none
Source: Author via Book Lovin' Bitches E-Book Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered "dogless sled" in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father's alchemical masterpiece.

With her modified rifle and a pocketful of home-made smoke bombs, Kali wouldn't normally hide from a confrontation, but taking on a whole airship single-handedly is a daunting task. Unfortunately, the other racers won't assist her--they're too busy scheming ways to sabotage her unorthodox sled.

When a sword-slinging stranger shows up, wanting to hire on as her protector, she's sure he has ulterior motives, but he's the only one interested in helping her. The question is...why?

My Review:
I've previously read work by Lindsay Buroker, and have been very impressed with the amount of detail that goes into her adventure stories. Because she does write true adventure books. They might fit under genres or sub-genres like fantasy, science-fiction or steampunk, but the one thing that Buroker writes well is a rip-roaring adventure story.

FLASH GOLD is no exception.

This time around, Buroker brings to the page Kali MacAlister and her extremely mysterious "partner", Cedar. I have to admit that I really wanted to learn more about Cedar. FLASH GOLD doesn't really explain his background, just how he came to be in Kali's orbit, and why he seemed so eager to help her in a sled-race across the Yukon. I found myself wanting Buroker to bring up his history, or delve a bit deeper into his background. In fact, I remember having the same feeling about her character, Sicarius, in ENCRYPTED, and feeling so psyched when he had his own story, THE EMPEROR'S EDGE.

Kali was just as fascinating a character. Though she is a woman alone in the Yukon (or perhaps, because she is), Kali is no shrinking violet. There are times when Cedar jumps in to help her from villains, but there are just as many times that she is utterly capable of taking care of herself, even in the face of people who aren't that concerned about whether they capture her dead or alive.

The steampunk aspect of the novel really captured my attention. This is one of the things that I love about reading Buroker's books. Yes, they are undeniably fantasy, but she always adds a little something in each story line that makes it unique and intriguing. In ENCRYPTED, there was code and code-breakers. In THE EMPEROR'S EDGE, there was counterfeiting. Each story is driven by an idea that seems like it's never been done before.

FLASH GOLD could certainly never be confused or lumped in with anything I have read before. Even with the brevity of the page numbers, this is a complete story that I enjoyed reading. Fans of a pronounced romance might hesitate with this one, but any readers who love an adventure, a little bit of danger, and a woman who can make mechanical dogs, will want to check this book out.

4.5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 (4 stars) Highly Recommend

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Tour Participation:

Advance Review: Wilder's Mate by Moira Rogers

Book: WILDER'S MATE
Author: MOIRA ROGERS
Genre: PARANORMAL ROMANCE/STEAMPUNK/EROTIC ROMANCE
Published: March 2011, SAMHAIN PUBLISHING

Series: Bloodhounds #1 (planned series)
Source: Author, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication—keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along...

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.

My Review:
So, here's the thing. When I open a Moira Rogers book, I totally expect to see flames every single time, because this author knows how to write books that are on FIRE. I found that WILDER'S MATE was no exception to the Rogers' powerhouse book collection. Rogers knows how to write good paranormal shapeshifter romance. The RED ROCK PASS series focuses on wolves, while the SOUTHERN ARCANA series has cat shifters, wolves and magic, oh my! But, WILDER'S MATE is the first book in a new series, BLOODHOUNDS, and I can't wait for more.

In WILDER'S MATE, the titular character is a dangerous hunter. As a bloodhound, he has better than human instincts. And when the moon is high, he has a hotter than fire sexual appetite that must be appeased. Somehow, Wilder struck me as less civilized than any of the authors' previous characters. He's dark, on a mission, and it seems like his human face is the mask, while the animal-the bloodhound-is his true form.

As with all of the characters that Rogers brings to life, both Wilder and Satira are both complex characters with fleshed-out back stories that are slowly revealed throughout the book. While their attraction to each other overwhelms many of the pages, and spills into HOT HOT HOT encounters, make no mistake, there is a fabulous story being told otherwise. And, there's steampunk! It's like Rogers can bring together many different themes, and create the perfect storm of romance, action, and adventure every single time they write a story.


5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 14/15 (4.5 stars)

Must Read, if you liked:
Never Have I Ever by Alisha Rai
On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
Blood Lust by Zoe Winters

Links for the author and books:
* Website
* Twitter (Bree)
* Twitter (Donna)
* GoodReads
* Facebook

Purchase at:
* Barnes and Noble
* Samhain Publishing
* Amazon

Available formats: E-Book

A Flash Of Fiction: Day One (JUNE)

Book: CHANGELESS
Author: GAIL CARRIGER
Genre: PARANORMAL ROMANCE/HISTORICAL ROMANCE/STEAMPUNK


I received this book from my local public library
Picture courtesy of Good Reads

Overview:
Lady Maccon (nee Alexia Tarabotti) makes a return appearance in CHANGELESS, a follow-up to SOULLESS by Gail Carriger. In this novel, Lady Alexia discovers that almost the whole of London's supernaturals (the vampires and werewolves) are suddenly human. What could have caused such a thing to occur?

Lord Maccon, Alpha werewolf for the London pack, finds himself unable to change form also, after sneaking off to Scotland. Lady Alexia finds that she must trouble herself to follow her husband, in order to discover the reason for the abundance of humanity all around her.

Of course, returning to her husband's old pack, also means that she has to meet the in-laws, such as they are. But, Alexia tries to handle herself with as much aplomb as possible while fending off the amorous advances of both her husband, and their mysterious guest, Madame Lefoux. While ignoring the animosity from Lord Maccon's previous pack members, uncovering vampire secrets, and engaging in such entertainment as unwrapping a decades-old mummy, Lady Alexia provides as much delightful entertainment in CHANGELESS, as she did in SOULLESS!


I Liked -- Plot: I did enjoy reading about the development in Lady and Lord Maccon's personal relationship, as well as the mystery that they are charged in solving. But, the stronger steampunk elements in this second novel were what appealed most strongly to me. I was really interested in hearing about the aethographor that played a seminal part in the plot. And, after Alexia's adventures "floating", I found it hard not to imagine jumping at the chance to take part in a dirigible ride, if the occasion should ever come to be!

I Liked -- Character: Though he didn't have as large an involvement in CHANGELESS as he did in SOULLESS, Professor Lyall remains one of my favorite characters, so far in the series. He is the perfect foil to Lord Maccon's rather brash, rowdy, so very werewolf personality. Carriger describes Lyall as being much less imposing, as a man, than her own husband. However, even the most unassuming man can be a fearsome werewolf.


My Rating: 12.5/15 Highly Recommend

EXAMINED: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Book: SOULLESS
Author: GAIL CARRIGER
Genre: STEAMPUNK/PARANORMAL ROMANCE/HISTORICAL ROMANCE


This book is from my local library
Picture courtesy of Good Reads


EXAMINATION
Gail Carriger has reimagined the Victorian era to include vampires, werewolves, and the soulless. Her female main character, Miss Alexia Tarabotti, belongs in this third category. She is otherwise known as the preternatural; vampires and werewolves being supernatural.

Miss Tarabotti suffers some of the worst difficulties that may plague a woman in her time. Namely, being a spinster, Italian and soulless. So, of course, she is quite surprised and put out when a ravenous vampire attempts to attack her, whilst she has tea. One of the very few that can ward off the supernatural by returning them to their human state with skin contact, it seems quite a mystery why she would be the chosen victim of a vampire.

This mystery kicks off the story in SOULLESS. Miss Tarabotti is joined by Lord Maccon of the BUR (Bureau of Unnatural Registry), who also happens to be the local werewolf Alpha. Together they will have to navigate the best of London's society to find out why werewolves and vampires are going missing. Aided by Lord Maccon's Beta and the vampire Lord Akeldama, Alexia sets off to prove that she is not involved in the recent disappearances.

I had seen this book in the bookstore many times before I even picked it up. Then, I read the back cover several times. Each time, I passed on the novel, for one superficial reason or another. Finally, I decided that I was going to read it. (Mostly, because I had a craving for something steampunk, but I wanted something a little lighter than the usual steampunk fare.)

The first sentence, though rather simple, really drew me in. I couldn't stop reading. I couldn't stop laughing. But most of all, I couldn't stop rooting for the heroine, Miss Alexia Tarabotti. She does an admirable job of warding off the undesirables with her parasol. That includes the wax-faced man who seems intent on her death, and her odious mother, a great parody of the 'proper' Victorian woman.

Her relationship with Lord Maccon has a decidedly scandalous nature to it, for the Victorian time. Carriger has written these scenes very well. After all, Miss Tarabotti is well past the age of expecting marraige; therefore, she has more freedom than the average woman. And she doesn't expect to trap Lord Maccon. Also, considering that werewolves, vampires and dirigibles are a part of everyday life, one can forgive the sexual encounters of the two, which (mostly) happen in private. 

Because I tend to read fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, I am used to reading about vampires and werewolves. But, SOULLESS had a new take on the phenomenon. She manages to seamlessly incorporate the supernatural into known historical events (such as the rise of the British Empire) and create a reasonable explanation for their existence.

What I really liked about Carriger's novel was all of the different strings that she brought together to tell the story. There is the historical aspect to the novel. There is steampunk. There is paranormal romance. And somehow, they coexist with humor for a really absorbing read.

My Examination Results:
3/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language


10.5/15 Recommend