Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk, book 1) by Bec McMaster
Genre: Steampunk
Edition Reviewed: Ebook
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Kiss of Steel (1)
When Nowhere Is Safe
Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the last safe haven. But at what price?
Blade is known as the master of the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood-craving he's been quicker, stronger, and almost immortal.
When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel—or that she could be the very salvation he's been seeking.
Review:
This was a great historical romance. Honoria was an interesting female lead. I like how it emphasized how cruel and harsh it was for woman in that time period. Society basically made it impossible for woman to avoid becoming a prostitute. It's a sad truth. It was bad for women to work or have a profession. By protecting women society made them become part of a work force that it frowned upon.
I loved Honoria's determination to take care of her family and protect them. She knew when to fold and when to push on. Blade was the perfect counterpart for her. Shockingly he wasn't the typical mysterious male. It soon become clear that he was a compassionate and respectful lead. The way he treated Honoria was wonderful. Normally by the time the PNR ends I feel like the woman should have slapped the guy and told him where the crap to shove it. Instead I felt like Honoria was in the wrong most of the time, but I understood where she was coming from.
The quality of the writing was wonderful and I could see the world in my minds eye. Sadly the world building wasn't what I had hoped for. The time period felt real, but the steampunk themes where underdeveloped. The society with vampires and werewolves was so well thought out and developed with an alternative history that I was baffled how badly the technology was lacking. There are robots and a few “steampunk” things. But they were never described. What did the robots look like? How did they tick exactly? It was vague and it seemed like more of the technology was randomly talked about then actually present in the book.
Overall as a romance it was great. The society of vampires was well realized. But I felt like this could have been just another Victorian with a vampire twist than a steampunk. Hopefully the next book addresses this issue. At this point the Steampunk felt like a gimmick to lure in fans. However, I loved the setup and character Kiss of Steel introduced and I want to see them in their own stories. Not to mention I want to see a revolution in this London/Britain. Down with the blue bloods! Not to mention I want to see how other male leads will be. It was so wonderful to have a male lead who wasn't a total jerk.
Sexual Content: Sexual humor, standard romance/sex scene, some frank thoughts/discussions about prostitution as a career choice and such. Some darker themes, but overall pretty standard.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
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| Kiss of Steel (1) Heart of Iron (2) My Lady Quicksilver (3) Forged by Desire (4) Of Silk and Steam (5) Mission: Improper (6) | Kiss of Steel (1) | Kiss of Steel (1) Heart of Iron (2) My Lady Quicksilver (3) Forged by Desire (4) Of Silk and Steam (5) Mission: Improper (6) |
1 comment:
Hello nicce post
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