Steampunk Romance
Novelette
Blurb
One man has swiped bounties from Viola, the Brass Violet, for years. Longstanding rivals, they’ve only had brief encounters, and if she had a choice, she’d avoid him entirely. When he saunters into her bar with an offer to work together on a job, the proper response would be to shoot him down and send him back to Shantytown. However, curiosity’s a wicked beast, and Viola needs to know why, after so many years of stealing her marks, he’d approach her now.The man is insufferable, annoyingly cavalier, and tends to stir up memories she’d rather forget–but she needs assistance on this job and he’s offering aid and blueprints which could cut their work in half.Given the intense way he looks at her though, working together isn’t all he has in mind. Van Clef is known for his persistence and, with his charm, he wins women over effortlessly. Viola’s not so easy though–she’s wise to his tricks. But if he wants to play the game, she will gladly rise to the challenge. By the end of this bounty, she’ll be the one leaving him in the dust.
My Review ***** FIVE STARS
Fun and Flirty Steampunk Adventure
Stolen Petals is a fun and flirty steampunk read with plenty of sexual tension between the main characters Viola and Van Clef (Edward) and a rollicking and adventuresome plot.
I liked and admired the character of Viola, a strong yet vulnerable woman who has dragged herself up in the world from lowly roots to be one of the best bounty hunters around. We find out about her back story as the tale unfolds and I loved how the author pairs her with Edward, a rival who is a bit of a ladies man who tempts her against her better judgement. Edward labels Viola the ‘Ice Queen’ and I was kept guessing as to his true motivations.
Indeed, it is a battle of wills in terms of who will triumph in terms of the bounty and also in terms of their developing relationship. Will Edward get his way and seduce Viola or will Viola manage to rebuff his advances whilst still keeping her heart intact? Indeed, can this scoundrel of a man be trusted at all?
I found the descriptions of the Steampunk world of New London and Shanty Town created by the author to create just the right level of atmosphere to allow me to escape into an alternate world without detracting from the storyline and the romance between Viola and Edward. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the night time streets and the apparel of the characters, especially Viola and Edward’s special ‘tricks’ of their trade! There is more to both Viola and Edward than meets the eye and the author packs a lot into the novelette.
I really enjoyed the read and recommend it to fans of both Steampunk and historical romance. I would certainly not hesitate to pick up another read by the author.
Reviewed by Tina Williams
A copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.
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This sounds great, particularly the author managing to create an atmosphere without swamping the storyline. I think that’s something lots of writers struggle with!
http://libbycole.wordpress.com
Thank you for your comment Libby. I agree, for although I love to escape into different time periods or fantasy worlds etc. I don’t like the descriptions to obscure the storyline either. I’m not a writer but I think that could be a temptation especially when writers are seeking to make their story as authentic as possible. 🙂
Yeah I definitely think a lot of authors think they need to put in as much description as possible, but after a while I glaze over!