A Hanging at Lotus Hall (The Steampunk Detectives, #2) by Corrina Lawson – Review

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5 stars, Book Review, Corrina Lawson, historical, magic, romance, series, Steampunk

About A Hanging at Lotus Hall by Corrina Lawson

Family secrets are the most dangerous…

All is not well at Lotus Hall, the home of the Dukes of Bennington, powerful mages who sit at the highest levels of power in the British Empire.

Consulting detective Gregor Sherringford, youngest brother of the current duke, is summoned home by his mother, the Dowager Duchess, after the mysterious arrival of a family member long presumed dead.

Joan Krieger, Gregor’s investigative partner and lover. accompanies him. In her experience, families bring nothing but grief. Besides, she’s no proper match for Gregor, with her reputation as a “fallen” woman, and being from a Jewish merchant family.

Her fears are realized after their arrival at Lotus Hall. The duke is distant, Gregor’s mother is concealing a secret, Gregor’s other brother is hiding an affair, and the other guests, important members of the Metaphysical Society, warn Joan of dire consequences if she continues to use forbidden magic in her investigations.

When one of the signature Sherringford inventions is used to kill, uncovering the truth behind all the facades becomes imperative. For someone is hunting Sherringfords and unless they can all learn to trust each other, their family will be utterly destroyed.

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Review of A Hanging at Lotus Hall

From page one, heroine Joan Krieger is placed in a situation that will be challenging to navigate. Why? Because she is a woman that wields magic. Make that a Jewish woman that wields magic. Illegally, since only men are considered to be able to handle the power of magic. But Joan’s challenge came in the form of an offer to be the first to teach girls at a mage school. Does this mean that society is ready to accept female mages?

Add all this to the fact that Joan is both the magical apprentice and lover of Gregor Sherringford, the 3rd son of a duke, and you can see that Joan’s life is not uninteresting.

When Gregor’s mother asks him to return home and bring Joan with him, the game is afoot. While only an attempted murder has occurred at this time in the book, the trip home sets up the circumstances for the real murder. Suddenly Gregor is the detective, with Joan as his assistant and everyone, from Gregor’s brother Jared (the Duke) to his niece, Anne, is a suspect.

This country manor murder mystery is both classic and original. The setting, the Sherlockian elements (down to the name of Moriarity), the family dynamics – those are all time-honored ingredients of many very good mysteries. Add the mage factor, the changing mage society in England and the conflicts that go with that and you have a fresh twist on the English manor murder mystery.

Intertwined in the mystery is the ongoing story of Gregor and Joan. Their relationship is solid, but on a wood foundation sort of way, as opposed to bedrock. Gregor is extremely protective and uncommunicative. These are Joan’s pet peeves and her reason for holding back. This is a couple that will always be interesting, but I would really like to see their relationship mature to more of a partnership. Hoping that A Hanging at Lotus Hall is not the last book in the series, I will be patient!

Gregor and Joan are the main characters, but this book is full of fascinating supporting characters. Gregor’s mother Vai, the returned-from-the-dead Edward Dale, and older brothers Jared and Nick. Just to name a few. Pay attention to each and everyone for clues if you wish to solve the mystery.

I read book one in the Steampunk Detectives series, The Curse of the Brimstone Contract, in 2015. At that time, I was really getting into steampunk. So I ate it up. Similarly, I devoured A Hanging at Lotus Hall. This book is for anyone that enjoys a complex plot, great character, and mystery with twist.

Many thanks to the author who provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

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Highlander Ever After (The MacGregors: Highland Heirs, #8) by Paula Quinn – Review

Tags

4 stars, Book Review, favorite series, historical, historical romance, Paula Quinn, Scotland, series

About Highlander Ever After by Paula Quinn

They tried to resist a marriage of convenience…
As the clan chief’s son, Adam MacGregor is duty-bound to marry a royal heir. Yet when he meets his bride—a beautiful but haughty young lass who thinks he is nothing more than a common savage—he realizes she’s more than he bargained for. But the more Adam gets to know his new wife, the more intent he is on proving her wrong about him.

But can they resist each other?
Sina de Arenberg wants nothing to do with the unsavory MacGregors, especially the fierce Highlander she now calls husband. But the more time she spends with the man she married, the more she sees his honor and courage. Just when she thinks there might be a future for her and Adam, Sina is called back to court. England isn’t the place she remembers, though, and soon she’ll be forced to choose between the life she once knew, and the Highlander who has captured her heart.

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Review of Highlander Ever After

First I am going to say something that might sound critical, but it will be followed up by praise, so hang in there. There is a sameness to the Highland Heirs books. With slight twists on character backgrounds and the conflicts that arise within and without the relationship between the heroine and hero, each book in the series takes a predictable path.

So why do I keep reading this series? That is easy. Paula Quinn is a master storyteller with the ability to grab my reader’s heart and give it over to witness a new MacGregor couple in the making. Her characters are strong and bold and passionate and make me want to follow their tale to the ultimate happy conclusion. With plenty of bumps and jolts between the initial meeting of the couple and their happily ever after, the result is a can’t-put-it-down historical romance that often manages to make me tear up at least once. Sometimes more often.

This time, in Highlander Ever After, the bleary eyes came when one of the dogs endeared himself/herself to Sina or Adam (and me). I’m sure dog lovers will appreciate the beast Goliath.

I have read many of Paula Quinn’s McGregors Highland adventure/romance books, include several in the Highland Heirs series. Each and every book is full of passion and heart combined with just the right amount of adventure to make a truly great tale. Highlander Ever After is no exception.

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Vesta’s Clockwork Companions by Juli D. Revezzo – Review

Tags

4 stars, Book Review, clockwork, historical, Juli D. Revezzo, romance, Steampunk

About Vesta’s Clockwork Companions

When Vesta Bartlett, a wealthy alchemist and inventor, arrives in England to finalize an arranged marriage and help overhaul a family friend’s outdated ironworks, she never expects to find the family so secretive, nor to develop feelings for her fiancé’s younger brother, Henry.

But the growing attraction between Vesta and Henry is just the beginning of their troubles. Things really heat up when they’re drawn into a secret project for Queen Victoria’s military, one that requires Vesta’s knowledge of clockwork and Henry’s iron.

An epidemic has wiped out all the dogs in Britain, and beyond. If the military fail in their effort to restore the species, a clockwork creation may be all that stands in the way of a world without canine companionship.

Are Vesta and Henry up to the challenge?

 

Review of Vesta’s Clockwork Companions

Vesta is a young women, trained by her father in metallurgy and alchemy. She needs more practice to develop her skills, but thanks to her very talented father, Vesta is on her way to becoming one of the best. She is not only skilled, but also quite inventive. Vesta creates clockwork pieces. She is also curious, compassionate and highly intelligent. Everything you want in a heroine.

Henry is the younger son of the Colchester family. It is obvious he has a thing for Vesta from the beginning, but she is betrothed to his older brother Percy. Henry is smart, book smart and street smart, and is the only one in the family that can make sense of the family business. Henry and Vesta share the traits of both common sense and a sense of adventure. They get along just fine if you know what I mean!

I would have liked more background on Vesta’s father, Jonathon Bartlett. There were quite a few hints about his past, but the details were not really filled in. And I think he is potentially a cool character, since he is such a talented alchemist and all round good father.

I would also like more background on the relationship between the two families – the Colchesters and the Bartletts. Yes, they knew each other before, but again, the details are vague. The Bartletts are from America and the Colchesters reside in England. More history would really add to the character development. Exactly how did Vesta and Percy come to be betrothed? It is obvious the two are not suited for each other. Considering the American culture, it does not make sense that Vesta would be forced to marry someone she not at all suited for. (Thank heavens, they all come to the same realization by the end of the book.)

Henry’s friend Acton is an interesting figure. He seems a bit of a gangster, but maybe that is a role he plays. He also seems a bit of a bleeding heart. So what, exactly, is he? Like I said, interesting. It is Acton that leads Henry and Vesta into their clockwork adventure with the upper echelon of England.

It took quite a while to get to the actual “clockwork companions” part of the story. You may call it build up. I’m not sure it was all necessary. There was a whole secondary plot line in addition to Vesta’s clockwork creations. The story of the Colchesters and their ironworks and the story of Vesta’s clockwork creations do overlap a bit, but the connections existed pretty much due to Henry. That is, he is in the Colchester family and he is involved in the clockwork aspect of the story.

The cover image for this book shows a man with a mechanical arm. Vesta is not the arm creator, nor is the man with the metal arm Vesta’s love interest Henry. The man is an incidental minor character. So the cover is a bit deceptive. Still, it is a cool cover.

I don’t know if a series is intended. Vesta’s Clockwork Companions is a standalone novel. But there is potential for more, since there is a dramatic scene near the end. There is plenty of room for character growth and there may be some conflict coming from the Queen of England. So….. I’d like to see more of Vesta and Henry and the fate of the clockwork companions.

Family matters, steampunk, national security and romance make up the tale of Vesta’s Clockwork Companions. I found this book to be sometime humorous, always engaging and entirely entertaining.

The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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