Book Review: Of Silk and Steam by Bec McMaster

Title: Of Silk and Steam
Series: London Steampunk, Book 5
Author: Bec McMaster
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: March 3, 2015 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Enemies. Allies. Lovers.

When her beloved father was assassinated, Lady Aramina swore revenge. The man responsible is well beyond her grasp, but his dangerously seductive heir, Leo Barrons, is fair game. When Mina obtains evidence proving that Leo is illegitimate, she has the means to destroy both the killer and his son, a man who troubles her heart and tempts her body.

A woman of mystery, Mina's long driven Leo crazy with glimpses of a fiery passion that lurks beneath her icy veneer. He knows she's hiding something, and he's determined to unravel her layer by silken layer. He just doesn't expect the beautiful liar to be the key to overthrowing the corrupt prince consort… or to saving his own carefully walled-off heart.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: J9

In a Nutshell: Another great addition to this stellar steampunk series.

Why I Read This Book: Series fan!

What I Liked: Mina and Leo’s relationship is a slow burn that I loved watching. Leo could easily manipulate Mina with both his help and his seduction but he doesn’t. He wants Mina to want him, he thinks long term and is never petty—all of which I loved! This is illustrated early on when he helps Mina from the bath. Leo can tell Mina doesn’t really want to be nude in front of him so instead of a forced seduction, he simply keeps his eyes on Mina’s face and talks to her about the danger they were just in. Leo treats Mina with respect and consideration, even when they disagree. Mina’s got an icy veneer but as Leo proves worthy of her trust, she opens herself emotionally and sexually to him and I just loved this romance.

What I Also Liked: This author writes one of my favorite steampunk worlds. It’s got the requisite mechanical components like boats, and limbs on humans, and crazy contraptions, but it’s also got vampires and werewolves. The plot centers on the corrupt prince consort and Mina and Leo’s involvement with destroying him. This adds the perfect amount of intrigue to the romance and kept me glued.

I also loved how we get to see couples from previous books in the series, especially Leo’s sister, Honoria and her husband, Blade. The cast of characters are simply wonderful here and I enjoyed them all.

What I Didn’t Like: This book starts slooowly, I nearly gave up. I’m glad I didn’t because it turned out to have a wonderful romance and the steampunk world just gets better as the series continues.

IMO: Steampunk fans must read this series and this book.

J9’s Rating:

J9’s reviews for other books in this series:
Kiss of Steel, Book 1
Heart of Iron, Book 2
Forged by Desire, Book 4