Review: Her Ladyship's Curse
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 28, 2013
I tried logic. "I presume your husband's first wife died before he married you?" When she nodded, I asked, "How is it that she would even know about you, much less cast a curse on you from the grave?" (p. 6-7)Charmian Kittredge, aka Kit, doesn't believe in magic. She's based her business on that belief, "disenchanting" those who fall for parlor tricks and charismatic mages or tellers. Whenever someone comes to her and says they're cursed, as Lady Diana Walsh does, Kit knows there's a logical solution, and she investigates until she finds the truth.But getting involved in Lady Walsh's case brings Kit a world of trouble. Before she knows it, she's almost arrested, attacked by snuffmages, drugged, and oh yeah, pursued by a deathmage.The world Viehl has created for HER LADYSHIP'S CURSE is an interesting one, and probably one of my favorite parts of the book. It's an alternate version of San Francisco, but in a world where the Crown still rules. There's a lot of steampunk devices, from carris (steam-driven carriages) to a tube system that delivers items from building to building, that make life easier. Unfortunately, independence for women isn't one of Rumsen's advances, and Kit struggles to run a business and live her life the way she wants in a male-dominated world. And while the worldbuilding was one of the things I liked best about the book, there were a few times when I was confused about how the world had come to be. I think the short length of the book (more on that later) prevented me from learning as much as I would have liked.I had a love-hate relationship with Kit. She's pretty bold and brassy, and has to be in order to live as a single woman in Rumsen. There's even a point where she dresses up like a native in order to get into an area only males can access. But whenever she encounters Lucien Dredmore, deathmage of Toriana, her personality totally changes. Kit HATES Lucien, and rightfully so -- he's not a nice guy. There was a time when he even gagged her and put his hands on her, without her consent, but when they kiss -- still without her wanting to -- she melts. I know some readers like that kind of thing, the Alpha male getting what he wants. But I'm not one of them, so I had a hard time with the attraction between them.What I did like about HER LADYSHIP'S CURSE, other than the alternate America, was the mystery of Lady Walsh's curse, Kit's past, and Kit's friends. While reading, I had no clue how the first two would conclude, and at the end of the book, I still don't know. But it was a nicely twisty ride, with some clues that magic may be real after all. As for Kit's friends -- one's a brothel owner and the other is the premiere dressmaker in the city. Just like Kit, they have colorful personalities, and I look forward to reading more about them.I'm not sure why the publisher did this, but I believe HER LADYSHIP'S CURSE is the first half of a book. It's about two hundred pages, so there's not a ton of room for worldbuilding or relationship development. We get a whopping of a cliffhanger and then see "Read part 2 to find out what happens next!" If, like me, you're not a fan of being left hanging, wait until October so you can read both parts of the book.==Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.