Review: 3.5 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2013
So a couple of quick housekeeping notes:A)  So IBPA and/or Netgalley gave me auto approve rights for all books by IBPA on Netgalley.  How do I get me some of that for Carina Press titles?  Come on Carina.  You know you love me and my crazy reviewsB)  Netgalley should be liable for all books I must purchase when they give me a later book in a series or they shouldn't let me read them at all.  I'm just kidding Netgalley, please don't cut me off.  I need my fix of new releases.C)  Why have I not read this series before now?!?  Seriously?  A steampunk series put out by Carina press.  How did that... *goes back and looks at the previous covers* oh right, one of the cover models reminds me of someone I don't like.  I remember now.Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way.  And took some time for the bitter taste prompted by those less than pleasant memories to fade...  Let's talk Cards & Caravans!Let me just start (yes, I'm calling it start) by saying that there are two things I never mess with, just in case: Voodoo and Gypsies.  It might not be real, but why take the chance?  I know better than to poke a bear.  As a result to this natural and totally healthy aversion, I read everything I can about them and have a mild obsession with them.  So steampunk with a gypsy circus setting?  And it takes place in Scotland?  EFFE YES, I AM SO THERE.And man, am I glad that I was.It starts with a sham of a witch trial, which turns into a prison break, which becomes a middle of the night flight from "the law" in the dead of night in a circus caravan.  If I had a tail, it would be wagging right now.  Instead, I'm doing an absurd little chair dance.I really liked Connor and Belinda.  I felt like not only were they genuine characters, but that they shared a real spark.  Because of the situation in which they met and their obvious physical attraction, it's not hard to believe that affection would've developed quickly.  Especially taking into consideration the time period and what marriage was like back in "the day".Which is my way of warning y'all right now, this is a case of lust at first sight that develops into love.  Now I personally have never had an issue with this kind of plot device, but I know it tweaks some people's knobs.  If you're one of those people... well give it a chance anyways because... Gypsies, circus, steampunk and there's a kilt.Oh did I not mention that before?Yeah, Connor gets all dressed up in a suit coat and kilt.  Which is one of my all time favorite outfits and I'm still trying to convince my husband it's the way to go at formal events.I honestly did not realize it was book five when I started reading it.  The first inkling I had was when they kept talking about Wink and Liam and I was all "oh... I bet they have a book..."  Now, I love the world, but I don't know if I can go back.  I like Connor now, and knowing that he was a cog in the wheel of someone else's romance might sour things for me.  Or I might just hate Wink right out of the gate.  Hard to say.That being said, if you pick this book up first, you'll be able to catch up pretty quickly.3.5 stars.