Steam and Sorcery
By: Cindy Spencer Pape
Narrated by: Helen Stern
This book has a governess hired to teach/care for a handful of street orphans that each have special gifts. The man that hired her was saved by the kids when they helped fight off vampires! He took them in and needed someone to care for them. It's a fun story. Each kid is a special character. Has a happy ending. ( )

A fun read! Very steampunk. ( )

This is the first book in the Gaslight Chronicles, there are eight books in this series. This was a sweet and fun read, set in a unique world. I loved that there were a lot of different elements blended together here. You have some Arthurian mythology, vampires, werewolves, sorcery, steampunk elements, and romance. There is also a lot of mystery and some action.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook is very well done. I actually got this through Audible Escapes and was impressed with the narration quality. There have been some complaints that later books in this series are more novellas than full length novels.

I really enjoyed the blend of topics and genres in this story. I thought the book was well written and fun to listen to. I really enjoyed Caro's relationship with the children she is governess to. I thought the interactions between her and Merrick were well done too.

Overall this was just a fun little steampunk romance read. It had engaging characters, a sweet story, an intriguing mystery, and creates a world that’s an interesting blend of different genres. I plan on continuing the series and would definitely recommend if you are into steampunk romance with some unique Arthurian and fantasy elements. ( )

A fun read, I'll definitely be continuing the series. Romance, adventure, a bit of Arthurian connection, mechanical pets and more. ( )

This novel fits it’s boring title perfectly. It contains both steam powered machines, magic, and it is incredibly generic and bland.

The steam technology feels like a tacked on gimmick to take advantage of the popularity of the steampunk genre. The technology doesn’t really play any sort of role in the story besides providing a backdrop for a tired romance.

The plot revolves loosely around vampires, I’m sorry, Vampyres, attempting to assemble an old machine that makes a potion that would allow them to blend into society. However, the vampyres are curiously absent from most of the tale, appearing only three times during the course of the novel and each time they seem to get weaker. At first Sir Merrick struggles to take on two by himself. During the second attack he alone takes out 5 or 6 of them. And by the end he seems to be mowing them down by the dozen.

The plot crawls along at a snail’s pace, going into mind-numbingly detailed accounts of perfectly ordinary dinners, parties, evenings at the park, and so on.

The central love story isn’t really that interesting either. Merrick and Caroline are attracted to each other, but society keeps them apart. Only, wait, no it doesn’t, let’s get married, the end.

Honestly, don’t waste your money on this generic, tasteless fluff. The best thing I can say about it is that the writing is excellent and the book is very well edited.

Two stars, and that only because I am impressed by the quality of the writing. ( )