Sunday, July 17, 2011

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina


Lady of Devices, a steampunk adventure novel (Magnificent Devices)Description:
London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin's son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices.

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .
I thought a good way to end steampuk week would be with an independently published book. The colorful cover and curious title caught my eye and so on to the review...

This book reminds me much of a regency romance where the heroine, strong in her brain, does not want to make a good marriage just to breed heirs. She wants to do something with her life and be something more than society allows. Her father is usually absent trying to make a new combustion engine the new big thing. His daughter who is skilled in science knows the folly of such an adventure at this time and tries to sway his opinion back toward the stable energy of steam. After her father's folly and finding herself at the mercy of others, Claire's adventure truly starts to come to fruition. She meets a rag tag bunch of street kids and strikes a bargain. In this bargain she begins to teach them to use their brains to become more honest citizens. She becomes their leader.

Toward the end of the tale we meet again some of her "friends" who turned their back in her time of need. Now she may find out how precarious her social situation becomes. Is she still a lady worthy of marriage? Can she go into her chosen field of study and gain recognition? Will there be love in her future? Love triangle? These questions are left to all of us at the end of the book. Yep. It's a cliffie! However, despite my hatred of cliffies... I will say that I enjoyed Clair's adventures and want to know how she will get herself out of her new predicament. I give this book 4 stars. So, if you want your steampunk with a regency flair... you have found it. This one was fun.

You can get this book for $2.99 at Amazon and Smashwords.

21 comments:

  1. I detest cliffhangers! :(
    But I find the premise too tempting, especially because you described it as "steampunk with a regency flair".

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  2. for a book thats independently published, this one looks great! will have to put it on my to read pile.

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  3. hmmm I will wait until the 2nd book comes out because I am not a fan of cliffhangers aka the reason I waited to read the whole Fever series :) I just can't do it LOL

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  4. I love a good cliffhanger, I love this cover.

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  5. That cover and the title drew me as well, but I need some resolution by the end!

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  6. I do not like cliffhangers if I don't have the segual in my tbrpile. ;) This steampunk novel sounds great, I like a strong heroine. ;)

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  8. Not bad for an independent novel but...well...I wonder how much steampunk there is in this one. It sounds more like a romance with some steampunk background. And yes, I would like to wait for the sequel. Cliffhangers are bad for my nerves. ;) The previous post had to be deleted - take it for a proof.

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  9. Oh no :( is this the end of steampunk week? It has been fun though :D

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  10. Dude... I am epically in love with this cover!!! And four stars from you is PLENTY good enough recommendation for me!!

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  11. Oh wow. I like the sounds of this one. And a great idea with the independent book. :) Thanks!

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  12. Ooh, sounds good! I like the Regency angle rather than the Victorian one we see so often in steampunk. Definitely adding this one to my TBR pile. Thanks for the rec!


    Smiles!
    Lori

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  13. This looks good! And its only 2.99, I must buy! Thanks for the review! Because of you I am getting more and more books on steampunk!

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  14. Cliffhangers!!!! :) :'( I'm so torn...lol

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  15. I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers but this sounds like a great adventure and love that cover!

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  16. Claire's adventures certainly seem to put her through the ringer. But I foresee that only making her stronger. Not sure about the cliffie, but those are some interesting questions you posed. ;)

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  17. i like the sounds of this one. i don't mind the cliffies so much as long as the adventure is a fun one.

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  18. Regency steampunk sounds too interesting to pass up, especially at that price! I do love that cover as well.

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  19. it definetly had more steampunk then romance! I got it for a couple books on my Kindle and just finished it and i want more!

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  20. Thanks, Melissa, for featuring Lady of Devices! It was probably the most fun I've had writing a book (after 18 or so published with NY publishers) because steampunk rolls the horizons of possibility back to allow for fun :)

    The sequel, Her Own Devices, will be out as soon after Christmas as I can manage (got another book to finish before then). And then I plan book 3, Magnificent Devices, in the summer of 2012.

    BTW, it does have a Regency feel but it's set in 1889. There were steam engines during the Regency, thanks to the great Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick, but they didn't really come into their own until 1841, when the Industrial Revolution got going, which is why so much steampunk is set after that date. Okay, history factoid ended! LOL

    Thanks,
    Shelley
    www.shelleyadina.com

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  21. Hey Melissa.

    I kept thinking this book sounded familiar to me. And it does! I met the author briefly at the Seton Hill book signing. By the time I got back to her, her books where sold out! :) Sounds like one worth selling out of. Thanks again for the great review. I'm going to see about getting a copy. I have a book mark here with the book information on, I'll have to work on that. :)

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