Steam & Sorcery
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
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. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever metand out of reach for a mere governess.
When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...
76,400 words
Cindy Spencer Pape
Cindy Spencer Pape 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 grown sons, along with an ever-changing menagerie of pets. Award-winning author of more than 40 books, 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.
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Reviews for Steam & Sorcery
31 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5*sigh* (a good one)
I didn't expect to like this story this much. It is a fairy tale. Even though it is a romance, that is not what drives the story. Romance starts much later. Before that you have a group of gifted street urchins fighting vampires and protecting each other, an aunt who isn't afraid to say or do what she likes and two main characters who are not annoying (you have to admit that in most of the historical romances, one of the two does something stupid at least once). - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spunky, strong characters. Would be a wonderful series to hear the rest of their stories!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My thoughts:I enjoyed this story very much. I have come to love steampunk and this is a fabulous example of genre. The characters are delightful! Well developed, interesting, and lovable. The author has done a fantastic job of disarming the reader and depositing the children directly in your heart. Sir Merrick is a treat and Miss Caroline Bristol is wonderful. The unexpected romance is an added bonus. Social class be damned!The story flows smoothly and is filled with gripping intrigue, unusual adventures, and monsters. It is clever, creative, and well written. Well worth a read!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Both the author, Cindy Spencer Pape, and the Steampunk genre are new to me. I enjoy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, so I thought this book might be a good fit, and I was right. I'm usually a critical reader, but enjoyed the writer's style a lot. This was one book I was very sorry came to a close. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Victorian England, interesting clockwork machines, dirigibles, paranormal elements, a mystery, romance including steamy sex, and a warm domestic scene with the children. (Somewhat the same feeling as reading "Little Women", not that I'm comparing the two books in any way at all). The author did a great job of making all of this work, keeping me engrossed till the very end. And yes, it was a HEA (happily ever after) but that just made smile. For the most part, characters were very well defined, but there were a lot of them. At the end, I admit I had a small problem remembering some of the peripheral players. There was just enough Steampunk for me in this novel. Any more focus on machinery or odd inventions might had put me off some. Steam and Sorcery is a good introduction to the genre and will satisfy many readers, I think. Definitely worth a read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Steam & Sorcery, there’s steampunk, there’s romance, and like Gail Carriger’s books, there are supernaturals afoot. (I love a transparent title.) On the steamy side, there’s a wonderful romance between our plucky heroine Caroline, a young woman forced to earn a living as a governess after being cast out by her relatives due to her illegitimacy, and our rugged hero Merrick, a Knight of the Order sworn to protect queen and country from all manner of threats. Their chemistry is lovely and the development of their relationship made me smile, particularly Merrick’s tendency to sneak kisses.The five kids in the story are all great little people. They must have been fun to write since they were so entertaining. My favourite is probably Wink, with her love of gadgetry, but all of them are adorable. Hopefully there will be more of them in future stories!Cindy Spencer Pape does a great job of incorporating the steampunk and fantasy elements into Steam & Sorcery. They coexist in her world in a way that is authentic and fun. There are lots of little details that add to the steampunk atmosphere, plus there are historical figures like Charles Babbage whose work figures into the storyline in a very organic way. Likewise, the fantastic elements of the story are well thought out. I loved the fact that the Order harkens back to Arthurian legend and that the exposition about the order is incorporated in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you’re being bombarded by history. (The fact that her vampyres stink reminded me of Keri Arthur‘s Riley Jensen books for a quick moment but the two concepts of vampirism are different enough that it was just a passing thought.)Another story set in this world, Photographs & Phantoms, is being released on the 25th and I look forward to reading that short story in the near future. It was available for free as a pre-order on the Carina site a couple days ago, which is when I downloaded it, and it was still available last I checked. Get your copy before it’s too late!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a historical, paranormal romance. It takes place in England during the time of a young, married Queen Victoria. It also includes magick. Sir Merrick is a Knight of the Round Table whose task is to control vampires, rouge magicians and other wrong-doers. Caroline is the governess he hires to care for his five gifted wards. She is part faery. They fall in love while caring for the children and trying to thwart a scheme that would let the vampyres take over England. Lovely romance and cozy family story too.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll be honest, when I received this ARC, I was excited and a bit apprehensive. Excited, because it's a steampunk, and well, let's face it --- steampunk is awesomesauce. Apprehensive, because this book involves vampires and I'm pretty much burnt out on vampire stories nowadays.Cindy Spencer Pape, a new-to-me-author, did a good job with "Steam & Sorcery". Even though there are vampires, they do not dominate the story. Instead, the story focuses more on Sir Merrick Hadrian, a gang of misfit children with powers and their governess, Caroline Bristol.A story reminiscent of "Sound of Music", but with paranormal elements. With vampires, werewolves and half-faes, "Steam & Sorcery" is full of action as well as romance.Four stars.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a way to cut my teeth on an author! Wow! I was utterly blown away by this book. I think the only thing that had me upset about this book was having to put it down to do other things! The characters really popped off the pages. I could picture each one in my mind. The descriptions were fantastic. I felt like I was transported another time and place. At first, I was worried whether she could marry steampunk with magick, but she definitely succeeded beyond my expectations. I do wished that she would have used Aunt Dorothy much more though. She was such a plucky woman that she could have added a little more to the story. Hopefully, there will be a book about Aunt Dorothy.In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.