misssusan's review
3.0
ahh, poor imogene really had to suffer for her love in this one, i do think lefoux might at least offer an apology for stringing her along for so many months
nonetheless, at 150 pages i can't bring myself to be too mad about it. novellas really are the ideal length for this kind of plot; a whole book of the romance being denied for pointless reasons would definitely have grated
(29 is 'too young'? really? i want more creativity in my rejection excuses in the future, please and thanks)
3 stars
nonetheless, at 150 pages i can't bring myself to be too mad about it. novellas really are the ideal length for this kind of plot; a whole book of the romance being denied for pointless reasons would definitely have grated
(29 is 'too young'? really? i want more creativity in my rejection excuses in the future, please and thanks)
3 stars
lilliangretsinger's review
3.0
It was nice to return to this world that Gail Carriger has created. It made me want to go back and read the original series again.
rankkaapina's review against another edition
5.0
Well, I'm happy today is a bank holiday in Germany, so that I didn't have to wait to be off work to read this... I loved it! Well, not a big surprise there. The only negative point for me was that this was a novella. I could've read a whole book. Also, it was nice to see Alexia again. And I loved that even though there was an instant attraction, it was no means instalove. And Madame Lefoux was always one of my favorite characters. I love that she got to be happy too.
irurian's review
5.0
Absolutely perfect! Madame Lefoux (or Vieve) has always been a favourite character of mine, so I was thrilled when I found out about this series. Romancing the Inventor is everything I could have ever wanted from Carriger. <3
Despite being queer myself, I seldom read lgbt+ romances (too much tragedy, usually). It was refreshing to see a lesbian romance that didn't rely on tired tropes. Plus a happy ending is always welcome, in my opinion.
Even with the short length of the book, Imogene is a well developed character who has some seriously strong chemistry with Vieve. The pairing seems completely natural and I wish I could read more about them.
Although Imogene is a bit more delicate than Carriger's usual leading ladies, I feel like that gave us more insight into Carriger's world. We get to see familiar faces through a different perspective and I felt like that gave me a new appreciation of certain characters. Who knew that Channing could be so nice?
Oh & did we get a confirmation of Alexia's bisexuality? I mean, it's been hinted at before, but more visibility is always welcome.
Overall, I am loving these novellas so far. Can't wait for more of them!
Despite being queer myself, I seldom read lgbt+ romances (too much tragedy, usually). It was refreshing to see a lesbian romance that didn't rely on tired tropes. Plus a happy ending is always welcome, in my opinion.
Even with the short length of the book, Imogene is a well developed character who has some seriously strong chemistry with Vieve. The pairing seems completely natural and I wish I could read more about them.
Although Imogene is a bit more delicate than Carriger's usual leading ladies, I feel like that gave us more insight into Carriger's world. We get to see familiar faces through a different perspective and I felt like that gave me a new appreciation of certain characters. Who knew that Channing could be so nice?
Oh & did we get a confirmation of Alexia's bisexuality? I mean, it's been hinted at before, but more visibility is always welcome.
Overall, I am loving these novellas so far. Can't wait for more of them!
ericawrites's review
5.0
Pretty much the book I've been waiting for in this universe, centering on lesbian romance.
sarsev's review
2.0
Cute, but really severely lacks emotional depth. It's rare enough to find an f/f historical romance, so I'm willing to give this a lot of credit just for existing, but also a relationship between characters requires a little more foundation than just "she's hot and good at math" and "she's the first lesbian I've ever met." That's fine for an initial attraction, but it's not fine for the basis of the whole romance arc. And it is the whole romance arc, here.
Also, did anyone else find all the discussion of age difference, when we're talking about characters who are like thirty and thirty-eight, to be a little weird? Like, you're both grown-ups in your thirties. It's not as though one of you is a teenager or something. Genevieve even claims, at some point, to be twice Imogene's age, even though they're maybe nine years apart, tops, and supposedly both good at math. It's strange.
.
While this is reasonably enjoyable to read, I just...expected better. A lot better. Especially because everyone seems to like this one so much, and hold it up as a good example of f/f historical/paranormal romance. And at the end of the day, this one is actually just...barely okay.
(To be fair, though, I didn't like the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series, either, and never continued with the others. So it might just be Carriger's style that doesn't work for me, and that's just a matter of personal preference).
Also, did anyone else find all the discussion of age difference, when we're talking about characters who are like thirty and thirty-eight, to be a little weird? Like, you're both grown-ups in your thirties. It's not as though one of you is a teenager or something. Genevieve even claims, at some point, to be twice Imogene's age, even though they're maybe nine years apart, tops, and supposedly both good at math. It's strange.
Spoiler
And using the threat of sexual assault from Henry as a way to push them together really creeped me out. It was like the historical romance version of that trope that comes up in romantic suspense when the heroine is nearly assaulted, and then for some reason immediately jumps the hero's bones. It's creepyWhile this is reasonably enjoyable to read, I just...expected better. A lot better. Especially because everyone seems to like this one so much, and hold it up as a good example of f/f historical/paranormal romance. And at the end of the day, this one is actually just...barely okay.
(To be fair, though, I didn't like the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series, either, and never continued with the others. So it might just be Carriger's style that doesn't work for me, and that's just a matter of personal preference).
katereads2much's review
5.0
*Update From Second Read 5/18/18*
I liked this even better on my reread which is saying something, but also makes sense. When I read this, I had read the Finishing School Quartet and the first two Custard Protocal books, but all that I'd read of the Parasol Protectorate was [b:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314020848s/6381205.jpg|6569140]. There was a lot about the plot and Madame Lafoux's past that I hadn't yet read and it was so much better to have recently read that history (I read the Parasol Protectorate series all the way through in the last few weeks) made clear when I re-read this one. I was always a little confused about how the Countess ended up in Woolsey and why Madame Lafoux was going to have to work for them for so many years. So yes, I loved it the first time, but I loved it even more this time.
*5/18/18 Update Complete*
I do love Gail Carriger's sense of humor and I have always, always loved Genevieve so to finally see her happily entangled is just such a joy and a balm to my heart. I would so love to see Imogene and Lefoux show up in the Custard Protocol books. I would love for one of them (or both!) to meddle with Primrose and Tasherit sooooo much. I have no idea if that will be a thing but I can hope! This whole world is so close to my heart anyway and getting an f/f story is just such an incredible joy. This is a gem of a story. The plot was definitely more intense than I anticipated too - it had me on edge all the way through.
I liked this even better on my reread which is saying something, but also makes sense. When I read this, I had read the Finishing School Quartet and the first two Custard Protocal books, but all that I'd read of the Parasol Protectorate was [b:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314020848s/6381205.jpg|6569140]. There was a lot about the plot and Madame Lafoux's past that I hadn't yet read and it was so much better to have recently read that history (I read the Parasol Protectorate series all the way through in the last few weeks) made clear when I re-read this one. I was always a little confused about how the Countess ended up in Woolsey and why Madame Lafoux was going to have to work for them for so many years. So yes, I loved it the first time, but I loved it even more this time.
*5/18/18 Update Complete*
I do love Gail Carriger's sense of humor and I have always, always loved Genevieve so to finally see her happily entangled is just such a joy and a balm to my heart. I would so love to see Imogene and Lefoux show up in the Custard Protocol books. I would love for one of them (or both!) to meddle with Primrose and Tasherit sooooo much. I have no idea if that will be a thing but I can hope! This whole world is so close to my heart anyway and getting an f/f story is just such an incredible joy. This is a gem of a story. The plot was definitely more intense than I anticipated too - it had me on edge all the way through.
katereads2much's review against another edition
5.0
*Update From Second Read 5/18/18*
I liked this even better on my reread which is saying something, but also makes sense. When I read this, I had read the Finishing School Quartet and the first two Custard Protocal books, but all that I'd read of the Parasol Protectorate was [b:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1314020848l/6381205._SY75_.jpg|6569140]. There was a lot about the plot and Madame Lafoux's past that I hadn't yet read and it was so much better to have recently read that history (I read the Parasol Protectorate series all the way through in the last few weeks) made clear when I re-read this one. I was always a little confused about how the Countess ended up in Woolsey and why Madame Lafoux was going to have to work for them for so many years. So yes, I loved it the first time, but I loved it even more this time.
*5/18/18 Update Complete*
I do love Gail Carriger's sense of humor and I have always, always loved Genevieve so to finally see her happily entangled is just such a joy and a balm to my heart. I would so love to see Imogene and Lefoux show up in the Custard Protocol books. I would love for one of them (or both!) to meddle with Primrose and Tasherit sooooo much. I have no idea if that will be a thing but I can hope! This whole world is so close to my heart anyway and getting an f/f story is just such an incredible joy. This is a gem of a story. The plot was definitely more intense than I anticipated too - it had me on edge all the way through.
I liked this even better on my reread which is saying something, but also makes sense. When I read this, I had read the Finishing School Quartet and the first two Custard Protocal books, but all that I'd read of the Parasol Protectorate was [b:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1314020848l/6381205._SY75_.jpg|6569140]. There was a lot about the plot and Madame Lafoux's past that I hadn't yet read and it was so much better to have recently read that history (I read the Parasol Protectorate series all the way through in the last few weeks) made clear when I re-read this one. I was always a little confused about how the Countess ended up in Woolsey and why Madame Lafoux was going to have to work for them for so many years. So yes, I loved it the first time, but I loved it even more this time.
*5/18/18 Update Complete*
I do love Gail Carriger's sense of humor and I have always, always loved Genevieve so to finally see her happily entangled is just such a joy and a balm to my heart. I would so love to see Imogene and Lefoux show up in the Custard Protocol books. I would love for one of them (or both!) to meddle with Primrose and Tasherit sooooo much. I have no idea if that will be a thing but I can hope! This whole world is so close to my heart anyway and getting an f/f story is just such an incredible joy. This is a gem of a story. The plot was definitely more intense than I anticipated too - it had me on edge all the way through.