Review: Recommended Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2011
If Steam and Sorcery is an example of Steampunk Romance I'm going to put this genre on my favorites list.The time is 1851. Queen Victoria is on the throne of England. On the surface the era appears unchanged from the one we know from history. All is not as it seems.Sir Merrick Hadrian is a Knight of the Round Table. He is descended from Arthur's original knights - who were were completely different from the knights portrayed in legend. Merrick is gifted with magic. His secret duties include disposing of vampires, rogue werewolfs and other supernatural beings who endanger the mechanical Victorian England.Life becomes extremely complicated when five gifted children help him defeat several vampires. He suspects one of them is descended from a Knight. He takes all five children into his home to protect them from the revenge of the vampires. Chaos erupts in his orderly household so he hires a governess and then promptly falls in love with her.Caroline Bristol is not the frumpy governess she tries to appear. An instant rapport grows between her and the children, but she also has a hidden talent - or fault as she thinks of it. Her other problem is the instant attraction she develops for her employer.The two adults and five children must solve the riddle of the vampires. Merrick and Caroline also have the difficulty of fighting their growing desire for each other.I thought Steampunk Romance differed from ordinary romances by having machines appearing in unlikely times of history, particularly Victorian times. Ms. Spencer Pape has certainly placed her story in the correct era. The wonderful machines in her book also make it steampunk. George the mechanical dog is a particular favorite of mine. Her inclusion of the paranormal and magic is so natural it gives the story a well deserved richness in tone. Humor lightens the world of the paranormal which can often be dark and scary.The characters are people you could imagine in your everyday life. Caroline is a feisty young lady who refuses to allow any male employer to take advantage. Merrick is determined not to marry. What wife would allow him to chase vampires and werewolves? Five children ranging in age from nine to sixteen add a contrast between being funny, and at times distressing.Definitely a book I would recommend. Truth be told, I couldn't put this one down.Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews