The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth – Review

Tags

4 stars, Book Review, Elizabeth Chatsworth, historical, humor, mystery, romance, Steampunk, Victorian England

About The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth

In 1897, a fiery British aristocrat and an inept US spy search for a stolen invisibility serum that could spark a global war.

Miss Constance Haltwhistle is the last in a line of blue-blooded rogue inventors. Selling exotic firearms under her alias, the ‘Brass Queen,’ has kept her baronial estate’s coffers full. But when US spy, Trusdale, saves her from assassins, she’s pulled into a search for a scientist with an invisibility serum. As royal foes create an invisible army to start a global war, Constance and Trusdale must learn to trust each other. If they don’t, the world they know will literally disappear before their eyes.

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Review of The Brass Queen

Two words: Steampunk fundom.

There is more to The Brass Queen than that, but basically, it is all about the fun.  That is, there is a mystery, there is romance, there is adventure.  But there are these larger than life characters that do outrageous things while while uttering outlandish dialog.  So, fun!

Constance, the heroine with a goggle collection, invents and makes weapons (of mass destruction).  I know, it seems an odd profession for a woman of the Victorian age.  What is even odder is that she does it incognito.  She sells her weapons under the name of the Brass Queen.  She a) is not very discriminating about who she sells to and b) needs to hire a good manager to avoid shipping snafus.  One particular snafu has the client wanting her dead.

Trusdale, American spy, becomes the reluctant partner of Constance as they search for the kidnapped scientists.  There is supposed to be a romance between these two.  I found the adventure and the humor kind of overshadowed any romanticism.  However, Constance and Trusdale make an interesting, bumbling, team that overcome several ridiculous obstacles with a combination of a little skill and a great deal of luck.  It was easy to imagine this story playing out in movie format with witty dialog, cool gadgets and lots of explosions.

An over-the-top bad guy with a mustache to twirl is the perfect complement to the hero and heroine.  Lucien is devious, ambitious, over-confident and throws grand garden parties.  Relentless in his pursuit of Constance, Lucien’s final confrontation is fast approaching.  This is evident from the moment you meet him.

While I enjoyed the story, the characters of The Brass Queen were not the kind I could connect with.   If the intent is to turn this into a series, more character development is needed.  However, as a stand-alone story, The Brass Queen, filled with humor and adventure, is steampunk fundom!

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The Rising Rooks (The Viper and the Urchin, #9) by Celine Jeanjean – Review

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5 stars, Adventure, Book Review, Celine Jeanjean, fantasy, favorite series, series, Steampunk

In 2016, on January 16th my very first Whiskey With My Book review was for The Viper and the Urchin. The name of the book was later been changed to The Bloodless Assassin with the original title becoming the series name. Today, on the 5th anniversary of my first blog post, my review is for The Rising Rooks, the last book in the series. It has been a very fun and entertaining journey with Rory, Longinus and the rest of the crew. Hopefully, you have had a chance to read about their adventures.

About The Rising Rooks by Celine Jeanjean

The Rising Rooks, the Rookery rebels, are mounting an attack against Garrata that they hope will destabilise her enough to weaken her grip on Damsport.

But not only does the mission fail, its failure causes a rift between the Rising Rooks and the rest of Damsport.

Rory and Longinus find themselves retreating to the Rookery without support from the rest of the city and without resources. They’ll have to use all their ingenuity and inimitable style to somehow get to Garrata.

Whether it’s cutting Rory’s hair, robbing a post office, or creating dastardly poisons, Rory and Longinus fight with everything they’ve got.

Will they succeed, or will they fail to free Damsport? If they go down, at least they’ll be going down in style…

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Review of The Rising Rooks

Finale’s are hard to read.  When the characters have become near and dear to your heart, the last adventure is approached with trepidation.  Will everyone get their HEA?  Are you happy with the ending?  Do you wish there were more?  I’ve read my fair share of series finales of series that I loved, only to find the author totally messed up the ending. 

And then there is The Rising Rooks.   This book is really just another Viper and Urchin story.  It includes all the usual wonderful, endearing characters, Rory, Longinus, Rafe, Cruikshank, Adelma, the Marchioness and all their colorful and varied associates: Susie the restaraunteer , Mercy the miopic horder/analyst, Tess the ever-patient, sweet-tempered maid, Kriss the owner of the Old Girls Arms, Rafe’s father Lord Standarr and children Tommy, Pip and Alice.  Also, old friends from Azyr: Urzo, Reheeme, and Tabir.

The usual suspects make their appearance also:  Myran, Garata, Voynia.  Though Myran is less a suspect now.

The Rising Rooks also bring together elements of the overall story arc that remind you have where you have been on this journey.  The Rookery, Damsport, the trolley, the shipyards, the palace, the underground, Azyr, Airnia, The Old Girl’s Arms, and Susie’s coffeehouse.  

Rory has always been a heroine.  Whether it is her astute observations, her connections, or her unwavering support for her friends, Rory is the shining light in these stories.  In Rising Rooks, Rory’s mysterious history is revealed.  Longinus is the unflappable fashion plate who’s observations have been an unending source of both wisdom and hilarity.  In Rising Rooks, Longinus comes face to face with what he has been searching for.

With the amazing characters, and colorful settings combined with the current plot that began with The Veiled War, the finale is a glorious climax to a wonderful series.  I am sad to see it end, but I am also very happy with how it ended!

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

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The Veiled War (The Viper and the Urchin, #8) by Celine Jeanjean – Review

Tags

5 stars, Adventure, Book Review, Celine Jeanjean, fantasy, favorite series, series, Steampunk

About The Veiled War by Celine Jeanjean

Adelma is out of action
The Varanguards are suspended
And Longinus is going on a blind date
Things are taking a turn for the disturbing in Damsport.

Rory and Longinus have their hands full. Adelma is in a bad way, and it will take a lot of work to bring her back to herself.

On top of which, Longinus has to prepare for a blind date. The premium matchmaking service he joined assures him that she’s his soulmate. The pressure in selecting the right outfit is, therefore, immense.

Distracted and occupied, it takes Rory and Longinus a while to realise that a number of worrying changes are slowly happening in Damsport. On top of which the Marchioness refuses to see anyone, and Lady Martha is nowhere to be found.

What is happening in the Mansion? And who or what is behind the odd changes taking place in the city?

Rory and Longinus are about to face some challenging times—and not just because Longinus is determined to make avocado shirts the next hot fashion item.

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Review of The Veiled War

The Veiled War is the penultimate book in the Viper and the Urchin series.  Penultimate is such a big word.  And fitting because The Veiled War is a big part of the story.

While Viper Longinus and Urchin Rory are the characters that hold the series together, this is really an ensemble story.  Adelma, Cruikshank, Rafe and even the kids, Pip, Alice and Tommy all have critical roles in The Veiled War.

The title refers to the subtle, underhanded way that Damsport’s enemies are attacking the country.   But the veil will be lifted in a blatant and horrible way when the children of the Rookery are rounded up for ‘education’.

I am drawn to this series because of the wonderful characters. Adelma would lend her strength to any of her friends in a heartbeat, whether she is sober or not.  Cruikshank is the conscience of the group, which has her ruefully regretting her invention of the certain weapons.  Pip, Alice and Tommy, using their street smarts, do their best to ‘educate’ the people that rounded them up.

Longinus has an unequaled sense of fashion and can make anything look fabulous. And in this story, Longinus is looking for love (in all the wrong places).

Then there is Rafe.  In The Shadow Palace, we saw a darker side of Rafe, and in this book, that less that perfect side returns.  I didn’t like Rafe in this book.  Rafe’s one redeeming quality is that he makes Rory see the best in herself.  In my eyes, Rafe has a long way to go to become a hero.

Rory has always been a heroine.  Whether it is her astute observations, her connections, or her unwavering support for her friends, Rory is the shining light in these stories.  I loved the scene where she takes Rafe to task and then, later, does the same to someone else on behalf of Rafe.

There is definitely a cliffhanger ending in The Veiled War.  The final book in the series, The Rising Rooks, is due to be released in early January.  I have no doubt I will be as eager to read that book as I will be sad to see the series end.

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

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