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amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve read a few Anne Renwick novellas and I have to say that they always provide me with a great time.
This story following the two romantic leads was fun, smart, sexy, and a great book to unwind with. The story was pretty fun and it moved at a good pace, with secrets and discoveries being added to keep the tension up.
I loved the chemistry between the leads and found myself rooting for their happily ever after. A great story for anyone looking for something quick, light, sweet, and romantic!
This story following the two romantic leads was fun, smart, sexy, and a great book to unwind with. The story was pretty fun and it moved at a good pace, with secrets and discoveries being added to keep the tension up.
I loved the chemistry between the leads and found myself rooting for their happily ever after. A great story for anyone looking for something quick, light, sweet, and romantic!
labyrinth_witch's review against another edition
3.0
A short novella in the steampunk medical espionage world of Anne Renwick. Characters are well formed, emotionally intelligent, and equitable relationship.
By far my favorite quote:
"Was there anything more alluring than a strong, competent woman?" (pg 11)
For those who strongly dislike the damsel in distress motif, and are looking for the strong, capable heroine (and the men who desire them) - this book and this series is for you!
By far my favorite quote:
"Was there anything more alluring than a strong, competent woman?" (pg 11)
For those who strongly dislike the damsel in distress motif, and are looking for the strong, capable heroine (and the men who desire them) - this book and this series is for you!
jugglingpup's review against another edition
3.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I have attempted to read steampunk before, but it just never felt right to me. The stories I was attempting just weren’t doing it for me, so when I saw a romance steampunk up for grabs I went for it. I can usually get behind a romance novel. It seemed like the perfect chance for me to start into the genre for real.
So fun fact: Renwick has Ph.D is biology. Her understanding of biology gave me more hope that the medical mystery element of the story would be handled in a more believable fashion than so many others that I have seen. I was not wrong. All of the science may have been 100% made up for all I know, but it read like it was legitimate to me. It didn’t seem forced or faked as a way to make the story worked. The explanation seemed like it would actually make sense even if I knew more biology than I do.
The romance was eh for me. There was the idea that these two characters loved each other already and were able to get over their issues to potentially be together again in just a matter of a few days after five years of no contact. It felt far fetched and really anti-climatic. I needed a bit more drama to make this love story really pop for me. As it stands, it felt like I had jumped into the middle or the end of a romance. I missed all of the angst and feelings. It was just an eh romance plot.
The sex was also pretty eh. The scenes were not long or graphic. The dirty talk and the use of language wasn’t the worst, but “sheath” for vagina just made me laugh instead of dragging me in. I do have to give props for consistent condom usage. I am not impressed that there is yet another hung male hero of a romance novel. I am impressed that after five years of celibacy and only one encounter in her life, that the main heroine was able to take such a large penis without a single thought. So yay for condoms, but boo for the actual sex.
Overall, this left me with an eh book. I did enjoy it. The writing was fun, but I felt like there were so many lost opportunities to heighten emotions both within the romance plot and the Russian spy plot. None of it had me devouring this book looking for answers. It was a leisurely stroll. So I will probably read more books by this author, but I will wait until I want some more fluffy pieces so I can really enjoy them fully.
I got an ARC of this book.
I have attempted to read steampunk before, but it just never felt right to me. The stories I was attempting just weren’t doing it for me, so when I saw a romance steampunk up for grabs I went for it. I can usually get behind a romance novel. It seemed like the perfect chance for me to start into the genre for real.
So fun fact: Renwick has Ph.D is biology. Her understanding of biology gave me more hope that the medical mystery element of the story would be handled in a more believable fashion than so many others that I have seen. I was not wrong. All of the science may have been 100% made up for all I know, but it read like it was legitimate to me. It didn’t seem forced or faked as a way to make the story worked. The explanation seemed like it would actually make sense even if I knew more biology than I do.
The romance was eh for me. There was the idea that these two characters loved each other already and were able to get over their issues to potentially be together again in just a matter of a few days after five years of no contact. It felt far fetched and really anti-climatic. I needed a bit more drama to make this love story really pop for me. As it stands, it felt like I had jumped into the middle or the end of a romance. I missed all of the angst and feelings. It was just an eh romance plot.
The sex was also pretty eh. The scenes were not long or graphic. The dirty talk and the use of language wasn’t the worst, but “sheath” for vagina just made me laugh instead of dragging me in. I do have to give props for consistent condom usage. I am not impressed that there is yet another hung male hero of a romance novel. I am impressed that after five years of celibacy and only one encounter in her life, that the main heroine was able to take such a large penis without a single thought. So yay for condoms, but boo for the actual sex.
Overall, this left me with an eh book. I did enjoy it. The writing was fun, but I felt like there were so many lost opportunities to heighten emotions both within the romance plot and the Russian spy plot. None of it had me devouring this book looking for answers. It was a leisurely stroll. So I will probably read more books by this author, but I will wait until I want some more fluffy pieces so I can really enjoy them fully.
shanaqui's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was really fascinated by the idea of Anne Renwick's A Trace of Copper. Steampunk set in Wales, with a female Indian doctor main character and chasing down a mysterious disease -- sounds like it has my name on it, right? And there were things to like about it, though the infectious disease concepts are introduced in ways that feel really clunky to me. Sometimes it manages to bring across genuine concepts in epidemiology, and then sometimes they miss something blindingly obvious like starting to plot the known cases on a map. (Granted, they don't have many cases yet, but how else do they really plan to track the spread they're fully expecting to occur?)
I also cringed hard at Piyali using the names of infectious diseases to swear. Just... super pretentious. If you want me to believe this is a biologist, you don't need to have her doing something a child might do to show off what long words they've learned. At first when she exclaimed "schistosomiasis!" I thought she was making a diagnosis and the author was just laughably off-base with how schistosomiasis is contracted, what it does to the body, etc... but nope. She's just using it as an exclamation instead of "oh my goodness!" or "oh no!"
Aaand then the two main characters were too busy boning to keep their minds on the politically and epidemiologically important disease they were meant to be tracking and attempting to cure. I'll give a pass on their supposed mechanism of cure and the speed of it working (and indeed of them finding a cure), and of the fact that they totally ignored the likelihood of resistance arising if you're gonna use a monotherapy... because I expect this was written by a layperson and it's sweet that they made this much of an effort to begin with. I suspect it'd go down easier for someone who doesn't study infectious diseases, though.
I also cringed hard at Piyali using the names of infectious diseases to swear. Just... super pretentious. If you want me to believe this is a biologist, you don't need to have her doing something a child might do to show off what long words they've learned. At first when she exclaimed "schistosomiasis!" I thought she was making a diagnosis and the author was just laughably off-base with how schistosomiasis is contracted, what it does to the body, etc... but nope. She's just using it as an exclamation instead of "oh my goodness!" or "oh no!"
Aaand then the two main characters were too busy boning to keep their minds on the politically and epidemiologically important disease they were meant to be tracking and attempting to cure. I'll give a pass on their supposed mechanism of cure and the speed of it working (and indeed of them finding a cure), and of the fact that they totally ignored the likelihood of resistance arising if you're gonna use a monotherapy... because I expect this was written by a layperson and it's sweet that they made this much of an effort to begin with. I suspect it'd go down easier for someone who doesn't study infectious diseases, though.
cmbohn's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
This was really silly. It had promise but the plot was a mess.
hopeamarsu's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
timap's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Piyali, the Indian female lead, though that when Evan, the male English lead, returned from his travels, she’d have finished her studies and they would become engaged. But he never responded to her letter. Now she is sent, as an agent of the Crown, to Evan’s village to investigate situation. A situation that leaves them spending a lot of time together and him admitting that he does want her but he has a problem and so do many of the villagers...
This novella is dual POV, well written, and cute. I appreciated the ethnically diverse lead in Piyali, and the genuine prejudice she faced as medical doctor who was a woman of colour. I appreciated that Evan was active in speaking up on her behalf but thought he could really communicate better, not just with her but overall.
This novella is dual POV, well written, and cute. I appreciated the ethnically diverse lead in Piyali, and the genuine prejudice she faced as medical doctor who was a woman of colour. I appreciated that Evan was active in speaking up on her behalf but thought he could really communicate better, not just with her but overall.
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Going into this book I was pleasantly surprised with the Mysterious/adventurous tone and plot that this book had. I had only read one book from this series previously and it focused more on the romance than adventure.
I also really liked how Piyali and Evan's relationship developed. It started off rocky but they were also professional to each other. I have seen too many books where these rocky relationships where they are still meant o have feelings, treat each other like utter trash. Here both parties still acknowledge the other's professional opinions and were able to put aside feelings to work towards their common goal.
The ending was a bit out there and strange but I've got no issues with it. I'll have to see what else Anne Renwick's steampunk world will offer with her other books.
I also really liked how Piyali and Evan's relationship developed. It started off rocky but they were also professional to each other. I have seen too many books where these rocky relationships where they are still meant o have feelings, treat each other like utter trash. Here both parties still acknowledge the other's professional opinions and were able to put aside feelings to work towards their common goal.
The ending was a bit out there and strange but I've got no issues with it. I'll have to see what else Anne Renwick's steampunk world will offer with her other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Murder
nixwhittaker's review against another edition
5.0
This book promised to be the perfect fit for me. Steampunk, check. Strong female character, check. Bi racial couple, check. Bechdel test, pass. Lovely cover, check. Okay, the last isn't really needed for a good read but it certainly helps with my expectations. And the story did deliver.
We have our very competent Dr who got ghosted by her love when he came down with a mysterious illness. It is all the fault of a blue frog from deep in the Amazon jungle. I would have liked a few more tension filled moments between the two but their romance is sufficient for the story which more revolves around the mystery of the blue frog.
I can't believe I'm going to write this as I hate commas but I thought there could have been a more judicious application of my arch nemesis as there is occasionally an odd phrasing that could have been helped with a little more grammar.
Anne has created a very rich world but is great in that she lets us figure it out for ourselves. I hate people who tell too much instead of just letting us exist in the world. That is what happens here with references to mechanical pigeons as communication and Aether that allows for things not capable usually in this world. I love the tension with the two girls who are chasing after our love interest. The author doesn't shy away from using medical jargon but gives enough for us to understand. It certainly gives another layer or reality as this is two colleagues working together, of course they would have their own language.
Sarah, a secondary character by far steals the show in this book. I'd be happy to call her a friend any day.
I did think it funny that the bad guys were from a country that were actually allies with England at that stage. It made me realise how much US media has biased our view of some countries.
The answer to the mystery is quintessentially steampunk. Which I loved.
I didn't like that our very self assured Dr apologised for her love interest being a douche bag. He should have written. They also did the mistake I find in so many movies. They spend too much time kissing when they should be hurrying to fix their problems. But then I'm not a romantic in real life and it jolts me out of the fairy tale when they do something so silly as play nookie instead of apprehending the bad guys.
I know I've whined but that isn't a bad thing. I really got involved into this book and highly invested in their story which means this book is a complete success even if some things annoyed me. I'm glad I wasn't disappointed by my check list.
We have our very competent Dr who got ghosted by her love when he came down with a mysterious illness. It is all the fault of a blue frog from deep in the Amazon jungle. I would have liked a few more tension filled moments between the two but their romance is sufficient for the story which more revolves around the mystery of the blue frog.
I can't believe I'm going to write this as I hate commas but I thought there could have been a more judicious application of my arch nemesis as there is occasionally an odd phrasing that could have been helped with a little more grammar.
Anne has created a very rich world but is great in that she lets us figure it out for ourselves. I hate people who tell too much instead of just letting us exist in the world. That is what happens here with references to mechanical pigeons as communication and Aether that allows for things not capable usually in this world. I love the tension with the two girls who are chasing after our love interest. The author doesn't shy away from using medical jargon but gives enough for us to understand. It certainly gives another layer or reality as this is two colleagues working together, of course they would have their own language.
Sarah, a secondary character by far steals the show in this book. I'd be happy to call her a friend any day.
I did think it funny that the bad guys were from a country that were actually allies with England at that stage. It made me realise how much US media has biased our view of some countries.
The answer to the mystery is quintessentially steampunk. Which I loved.
I didn't like that our very self assured Dr apologised for her love interest being a douche bag. He should have written. They also did the mistake I find in so many movies. They spend too much time kissing when they should be hurrying to fix their problems. But then I'm not a romantic in real life and it jolts me out of the fairy tale when they do something so silly as play nookie instead of apprehending the bad guys.
I know I've whined but that isn't a bad thing. I really got involved into this book and highly invested in their story which means this book is a complete success even if some things annoyed me. I'm glad I wasn't disappointed by my check list.
aquariandancer's review
4.0
Elemental Web Tale Book Two. Elemental Web Chronicles Book Two.Five.
Dr. Piyali Mukherji has been summoned by the Queen's agents to help a small Welsh village cure a strange blue lesion. As the town's pharmacist, Evan Tredegar will be her main point of contact. What the town doesn't know is that Evan proposed to Piyali years ago, and she turned him down. Now, Piyali is ready to rekindle the relationship that they lost, but Evan has a secret that prevents him from going there. As the mysterious lesion spreads, Piyali and Evan must untangle the web of secrets and lies in Aberwyn before the town is completely lost.
If you're looking for a short, lite-Steampunk story with mysteries, magical and otherwise, this is the book for you!
Audio Review:
Anais Inara Chase gives life to the characters and grounds the magical elements in reality.
Dr. Piyali Mukherji has been summoned by the Queen's agents to help a small Welsh village cure a strange blue lesion. As the town's pharmacist, Evan Tredegar will be her main point of contact. What the town doesn't know is that Evan proposed to Piyali years ago, and she turned him down. Now, Piyali is ready to rekindle the relationship that they lost, but Evan has a secret that prevents him from going there. As the mysterious lesion spreads, Piyali and Evan must untangle the web of secrets and lies in Aberwyn before the town is completely lost.
If you're looking for a short, lite-Steampunk story with mysteries, magical and otherwise, this is the book for you!
Audio Review:
Anais Inara Chase gives life to the characters and grounds the magical elements in reality.