Review -- Steam & Sorcery (Gaslight Chronicles #1) by Cindy Spencer Pape

 

Title: Steam & Sorcery (Gaslight Chronicles #1)

Author: Cindy Spencer Pape

Kindle Edition, 212 pages

Published March 7th 2011 by Carina Press

more details...ASIN: B004MPRZIE

Setting: London, England, 1851

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

About the book:

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.

Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess.

When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...

Merrick and his entertaining aunt are two of the most interesting people I have ever met between the pages of a book. When you add in some irrepressible children and their mechanical pets along with an adventuresome governess you have a winning cast that not only live up to the setting and idea but enhance it. I honestly don’t know how or why I waited so long to dive into this series. But the one great thing about coming to the party late is that I don’t have to wait around for the next book to come out. Cindy Spencer Pape lives up to the high expectations she set for herself with the previous stories I’ve read. In fact I think she surpassed them with this funky little steam punk adventure. As a young girl I remember watching the cheesiest shows on television about time travelling professors from Victorian England and this reminded me of them in a much more entertaining fashion. I loved the feel of nostalgia I got from this delightful story but the pleasure was due entirely to the fabulous story itself. The plot wasn’t so overly fantastical as to be unbelievable and even though the characters were quite magical they still were so very easy to relate to. I can honestly say I was not disappointed by any one of the delightful characters or any detail of this book. This author has a firm spot on the top of my to-be-read list and with this story it is plain to see why.