Book Review: Rooks and Romanticide by J.I. Rake

Title: Rooks and Romanticide
Author: J.I. Rake
Genre: Steampunk, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Sensual
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: July 28, 2015 by Dreamspinner Press 

In an alternate world, Romeo and Juliet are gunslingers. Verona gives way to a steampunk Victorian London. The victims of turf wars are dumped in an alley they call Lovers’ Lane, and the moment the son of his family's enemy touches his face, Cain's revenge is poisoned by love. Fate would have it no other way.

Levi Ruslaniv is the heir to the Ruslaniv family gang, but ridiculous ancient feuds do not interest him. Cain Dietrich’s vengeful hatred for the Ruslaniv family is rooted deep, since he believes the Ruslanivs arranged for the murder of his parents. But his encounter with Levi pierces him deeper than hatred ever could.

With bullets and blazes of glory, schemes, spies, and pack mentalities, loyalty runs as deep in the veins as passion or revenge, and there is only one way to end the fighting. From the start it was inevitable—a bloodstained fate for children with bloodstained hands, and the streets of New London will never be the same.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Lesley

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

Book Review: Steam Me Up, Rawley by Angela Quarles

Title: Steam Me Up, Rawley
Series: The Mint Julep & Monocle Chronicles, Book 1
Author: Angela Quarles
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: Review copy provided by author
Published: January 14, 2015 (self-published)

In an alternate Deep South in 1890, society reporter Adele de la Pointe wants to make her own way in the world, despite her family’s pressure to become a society wife. Hoping to ruin herself as a matrimonial prospect, she seizes the opportunity to cover the recent Jack the Ripper-style murders for the newspaper, but her father's dashing new intern suggests a more terrifying headline—marriage.

Dr. Phillip Rawley’s most daring exploit has been arriving at his new home in America in a hot air balloon. A tolerable sacrifice, if it means he can secure the hand of his new employer’s daughter in a marriage of convenience. But Adele works, she's spirited, and she has an armored pet monkey running her errands. Not only does she not match his notions of a proper lady, she stirs up feelings he’d rather keep in tight control.

With Adele hunting down a headline and Dr. Rawley trying to protect and pursue her, a serial killer is spreading panic throughout Mobile, Alabama. Can Adele and Rawley find the murderer, face their fears, and discover true love?

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: J9

Book Review: Wilder’s Mate by Moira Rogers

Title: Wilder’s Mate
Series: Bloodhounds, Book 1
Author: Moira Rogers
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Steampunk, Western
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: personal shelf
Published: March 8, 2011 by Samhain Publishing

Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication—keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira’s only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn’t going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel’s life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn’t worth saving. Besides, if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.

Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: The Kraken King by Meljean Brook

Title: The Kraken King
Series: The Iron Seas, Book 4
Author: Meljean Brook
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by NetGalley
Published: November 4, 2014 by Berkley

A former smuggler and thief, Ariq—better known as the Kraken King—doesn’t know what to make of the clever, mysterious woman he rescues from an airship besieged by marauders. Unsure if she’s a spy or a pawn in someone else’s game, Ariq isn’t about to let her out of his sight until he finds out…

After escaping her fourth kidnapping attempt in a year, Zenobia Fox has learned to vigilantly guard her identity. While her brother Archimedes is notorious for his exploits, Zenobia has had no adventures to call her own—besides the stories she writes.

But when she jumps at the chance to escape to the wilds of Australia and acquire research for her next story, Zenobia quickly discovers that the voyage will be far more adventurous than any fiction she could put to paper

Book Review: Forged by Desire by Bec McMaster

Title: Forged by Desire
Series: London Steampunk, Book 4
Author: Bec McMaster
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: Review copy via NetGalley
Published: September 2, 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Captain Garret Reed of the Nighthawk guard has a deadly mission: capture a steel-jawed monster preying on women. He hates to put his partner, Perry, in jeopardy, but she’s the best bait he has. Little does he realize, he’s about to be caught in his own trap.

Perry has been half in love with Garrett for years, but this is not exactly the best time to start a relationship—especially when their investigation leads them directly into the clutches of the madman she thought she’d escaped.

Book Review: Noble Metals by L.A. Witt

Title: Noble Metals
Author: L.A. Witt
Genre: Steampunk, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: July 14, 2014 by Riptide Publishing

Ever since Robert Belton gambled away the money to stake his claim in the Klondike gold fields, he’s been stranded in Seattle working as a prostitute. When an attractive customer needs help hauling provisions to the frozen north, Robert eagerly volunteers.

Dr. John Fauth is only searching for one thing, and it isn’t gold. He needs platinum for the prototypes of his revolutionary inventions, and if he doesn’t find it in the Klondike, his university career—and his research—is over.

Getting to the Klondike is a grueling, dangerous journey, and just hours after leaving Seattle, John and Robert find themselves in over their heads. John is carrying an invaluable device that his competitors will do anything to get their hands on. And as the cold nights and mutual desire pull John and Robert closer together, they discover that they have much more to lose than gold or platinum.

Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless
Series: Parasol Protectorate, Book 1
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: October 1, 2009 by Orbit

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Reviewed By: Emily from Oh Magic Hour

Mini-Review: Teacups and Roses by E.T. Malinowski

Title: Teacups and Roses
Author: E.T. Malinowski
Genre: Steampunk Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Published: December 11, 2013 by Dreamspinner Press

The second son of one of the wealthiest men in the city, Perry Loughton longs for simple comforts but fears nobody will want him for anything but his name and his money. While working as a steam cab mechanic to distract himself from his worries, Perry meets tea shop owner Alex, and soon shy Perry wants more than their casual association. With an optimistic heart and a natural talent for clockwork, Perry hopes his gifts will convey the feelings he can’t yet express in words.

Alexander Fitzgerald lives a quiet life with his handsome boyfriend Marcus. Alex just wishes the passion between them carried beyond the bedroom. Then the anonymous handcrafted gifts he begins receiving make Alex more and more curious about their maker, and the intricate devices might be the key to what’s missing from his life.

Release Day Book Review: Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

Title: Heart of Iron
Series: London Steampunk, Book 2
Author: Bec McMaster
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy from publisher via NetGalley
Published: May 7, 2013 by Sourcebooks

In Victorian London, if you’re not a blue blood of the Echelon then you’re nothing at all. The Great Houses rule the city with an iron fist, imposing their strict ‘blood taxes’ on the nation, and the Queen is merely a puppet on a string…

Lena Todd makes the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a sympathizer for the humanist movement haunting London’s vicious blue blood elite. Not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can’t twist around her little finger, and the one man whose kiss she can’t forget…

Stricken with the loupe and considered little more than a slave-without-a-collar to the blue bloods, Will wants nothing to do with the Echelon or the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds a coded letter on Lena—a code that matches one he saw on a fire-bombing suspect—he realizes she’s in trouble. To protect her, he must seduce the truth from her.

With the humanists looking to start a war with the Echelon, Lena and Will must race against time—and an automaton army—to stop the humanist plot before it’s too late. But as they fight to save a city on the brink of revolution, the greatest danger might just be to their hearts…

Two Mini-Reviews: M/M Cowboy Steampunk in Two Parts by Rebecca Leigh

Title: The Outlaw
Author: Rebecca Leigh
Genre: Steampunk Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: August 2010 by Dreamspinner Press

Outlander Kell Laughlin has been charged with murder, and though Damian Junter is assigned to find him in Terra Noir, the bounty hunter has his doubts about his quarry’s guilt. Damian won’t kill an innocent, so he must find Kell and get to know him—and the truth—before dispensing justice. It’s a decision that will lead to passion between them and expose political intrigue in the ruling aristocracy, endangering their lives and changing the world Damian knows forever.

Book Review: Skies of Steel by Zoë Archer

Title: Skies of Steel
Series: The Ether Chronicles, #3
Author: Zoë Archer
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Sensual
Source: Edelweiss
Published: October 9, 2012 by Avon Impulse

In the world of The Ether Chronicles, the Mechanical War rages on, and appearances are almost always deceiving . . .

The prim professor

Daphne Carlisle may be a scholar, but she's far more comfortable out in the field than lost in a stack of books. Still, when her parents are kidnapped by a notorious warlord, she knows she'll need more than quick thinking if she is to reach them in time. Daphne's only hope for getting across enemy territory is an airship powered and navigated by Mikhail Denisov, a rogue Man O' War who is as seductive as he is untrustworthy.

The jaded mercenary

Mikhail will do anything for the right price, and he's certain he has this mission—and Daphne—figured out: a simple job and a beautiful but sheltered Englishwoman. But as they traverse the skies above the Mediterranean and Arabia, Mikhail learns the fight ahead is anything but simple, and his lovely passenger is not entirely what she seems. The only thing Mikhail is certain of is their shared desire—both unexpected and dangerous.

Book Review: Mongrel by K.Z. Snow

Title: Mongrel
Author: K.Z. Snow
Genre: Steampunk, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: December 2010 by Dreamspinner Press

Hunzinger's Mechanical Circus, a rollicking seaside carnival where imagination meets machinery, seems like the only bright spot in the dreary city of Purinton. But a shadow is cast there one day by a tall, cloaked figure striding down the boardwalk and behaving in a most eccentric way -- a man with strange eyes and strange ears and a mark at the base of his throat. He's Fanule Perfidor, commonly known as the Dog King, and he isn't welcome at the Circus. No resident of Taintwell is. They're all Branded Mongrels, and they're officially shunned.

So it's understandable that Will Marchman, a young patent-medicine salesman, is wary when Perfidor approaches his stand and begins asking questions. Much to his chagrin, Will is beguiled as well. When the two men meet again at a public house in the city's seediest district, all prejudice falls away. Lust takes over, then affection. An affair is born.

The naive but plucky pitchman soon becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest. Fanule suspects that Alphonse Hunzinger and Purinton's civic leaders are responsible for the disappearance or incarceration of countless Branded Mongrels. But why? As Will's passion and regard for his tormented lover grow, he's determined to help Fanule get answers and prevent any further persecution...or worse.

With the aid of a dead and dismembered witch, a vulgar bounty hunter, and a dapper, voracious vampire, Fan and Will take on a group of ruthless enemies. If only they can stay together and stay alive long enough to see their plan through...

Book Review: Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

Title: Kiss of Steel
Series: London Steampunk, #1
Author: Bec McMaster
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: NetGalley
Published: September 1, 2012 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

He craves her like no other...

Honoria Todd has no choice. Only in the dreaded Whitechapel district can she escape the long reach of the Duke of Vickers. But seeking refuge there will put her straight into the hands of Blade, legendary master of the rookeries. No one would dare cross him, but what price would he demand to keep her safe?

Ever since Vickers infected him with the craving, Blade has been quicker, stronger, almost immortal—and terrified of losing control of the monster within. Honoria could be his perfect revenge against the duke…or the salvation he never dared to dream of.

Book Review: Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee

Title: Like Clockwork
Author: Bonnie Dee
Genre: Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy from author
Published: December 2010 by Carina Press

Victoria's work with automatons has gained her renown and changed the face of London. But her concern that the clockworks are taking too many jobs away from humans, creating social unrest, is ignored. Given the ugly mood of the underclass, she fears more outbreaks of violence similar to the murder spree of the notorious Southwark Slasher.

Dash, unemployed thanks to the clockworks, has pledged fealty to The Brotherhood, a group determined to bring about the downfall of the automatons by any means necessary. His plan to kidnap Victoria goes awry when the unorthodox scientist pledges her assistance to their cause.

Despite their opposite social classes, a bond grows between them, and Victoria begins to feel emotions she never expected for the passionate Dash. But when the Slasher strikes close to home, Dash and Victoria realize that the boundaries of polite society are far from the only threat to their happiness...

Book Review: The Blacksmith’s Lover by Heather Massey

Title: The Blacksmith’s Lover (Amazon)
Series: The Clockpunk Trilogy, #2
Author: Heather Massey
Genre: Historical Romance, Steampunk
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: June 1, 2012 by Red Sage Publishing

The year is 1840. On the run after being caught in a scandalous incident, scullery maid Sarah Bailey must find refuge before her vengeful former mistress has her killed. When she stumbles upon a blacksmith’s shop in need of an apprentice in West Boylston, Massachusetts, she applies for the position.

Viktor is a brawny, reclusive blacksmith who creates strange clockwork and steam-powered devices. The gruff man makes it clear that Sarah’s plight is no concern of his, but ghosts from his past dictate otherwise. Viktor agrees to protect the spunky maid, but only until her trail of henchmen runs cold.

Sarah quickly discovers that the fire of this blacksmith’s forge runs volcanic hot. Unable to resist one another, she and Viktor begin a lust-filled affair. But how long will their idyllic arrangement last before Sarah’s former mistress destroys it?