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amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
A fun, sexy romantic adventure with vampires, werewolves, scheming aristocrats, sassy women, and a whole heap of action scenes. This story is light on the steampunk but heavy on the drama and romance, and was just what I wanted!
The main character, Honoria, is a stout leader who does all she can for the people she cares about. Her traumatic past made many of her choices sympathetic and understandable. Her modest and propriety were a perfect foil for Blade, who is about as rough and tumble as a man can get. Their banter and drama really did drive the book, even though Blade really did step into the role of an Alpha male. Still, Honoria kept up with him, and I truly loved learning her secrets to understand her better.
The world building is fun and solid for all those who love supernatural books and stories about hierarchies and spies. There were teases to some other characters who will have books of their own, and I look forward to seeing where they go, as they left quite an impression.
I was surprised at the amount of action and violence in the book, but combined with the monsters and villains, it helped to ratchet up the tension. McMaster is an eloquent writer, which helped the romance and sex scenes raise to truly engaging heights.
For lovers of vampire romance, this is a book that should definitely be on your radar. It's fun, sexy, and sweeping. Definite recommend!
The main character, Honoria, is a stout leader who does all she can for the people she cares about. Her traumatic past made many of her choices sympathetic and understandable. Her modest and propriety were a perfect foil for Blade, who is about as rough and tumble as a man can get. Their banter and drama really did drive the book, even though Blade really did step into the role of an Alpha male. Still, Honoria kept up with him, and I truly loved learning her secrets to understand her better.
The world building is fun and solid for all those who love supernatural books and stories about hierarchies and spies. There were teases to some other characters who will have books of their own, and I look forward to seeing where they go, as they left quite an impression.
I was surprised at the amount of action and violence in the book, but combined with the monsters and villains, it helped to ratchet up the tension. McMaster is an eloquent writer, which helped the romance and sex scenes raise to truly engaging heights.
For lovers of vampire romance, this is a book that should definitely be on your radar. It's fun, sexy, and sweeping. Definite recommend!
samrushingbooks's review
5.0
I don't know why I set this book aside and ignored it the past six weeks or so. It was an intriguing premise and I loved following the characters through their journey and the romance between Blade and Honoria. It took a while for the both of them (especially Honoria) to succumb to their feelings, but I think that only made their bond even stronger. I liked that Honor was smart and strong, but could be quite vulnerable as well, and it was really cool to see how Blade could switch from sounding like someone who grew up on the streets to someone cultured in just moments. They were both such wonderfully complex characters that I really enjoyed getting to know them. I hope that they pop up in the future books in some way or another; I'd like to see what comes of the revelation about Blade's CV levels. Well...I guess the only way to find out is to start reading Heart of Iron.
jackiehorne's review
3.0
2.5 Highly deceiving cover image: the heroine is a typical good girl Victorian, not a French maid/magician's assistant/steampunk babe. She's also very passive. The interaction between hero and heroine is nice, but the plot is all about saving and rescuing the girl, taking some of the burden of caring for her younger siblings off her overburdened shoulders. Not surprising to find that the climax of the book is the hero dueling the villain to "win" back the heroine. Definitely not a candidate for feminist romance. Good writing, but the world-building is slim for a fantasy/steampunk work.
birdloveranne's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic first novel! Steampunk romance that was so well crafted and well executed! I am looking forward to the next in the series!
hrtlss_grl's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
masquerader888's review
4.0
This review also posted at A Bookish Compulsion
I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters relatable, liked the plot and the incorporation of the paranormal—finding blue-bloods vs. vampires a fun dichotomy—and simply adored the world that was created in this book. The blending of historical facts with imaginative creatures worked for me and the societal structure was both fascinating and believable, if a bit under-explored—but that is only to be expected in a series—something to explore in books to come. I did have a small disconnect with the hero’s dialect and accent written into the dialogue, but after I discovered that it did have a plot purpose I was able to re-gig my mind from heavy-handed to character clue. I would also say that the “steampunk” elements in this book were, in my opinion little more than window dressing. Seam-powered mechanical servers and a few mechanical limbs—they didn’t really have an effect on the book other that a small amount of aesthetic. With a series title of “London Steampunk” I kind of expected them to play a more predominant role. I don’t feel that this hurt the book, however if one is looking for a truly steampunk read, I am not sure that I would recommend this, as it was more of a paranormal book with steampunk overtones. Perhaps further into the series the steampunk elements will develop further, or perhaps they were incorporated to capitalize on the current steampunk fascination, in either case they helped to create a beautiful cover and enhance a good book.
I give Kiss of Steel four smiling stars with every intention of picking up the next book in this series Heart of Iron with it is released. ★★★★
As a side not, I also have to add and give props to the publishing company of this one, Sourcebooks Casablanca. This is a beautifully published paperback, with quality paper that was a joy to read. As a comparison, if anyone is interested, I weighed both this book and Ilona Andrews Bayou Moon (which has just slightly more pages) and Bayou moon came in at around 8ozs while Kiss of Steel was 11ozs. The quality of the paper was substantially above the normal mass market and made this book much cleaner to read.
I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters relatable, liked the plot and the incorporation of the paranormal—finding blue-bloods vs. vampires a fun dichotomy—and simply adored the world that was created in this book. The blending of historical facts with imaginative creatures worked for me and the societal structure was both fascinating and believable, if a bit under-explored—but that is only to be expected in a series—something to explore in books to come. I did have a small disconnect with the hero’s dialect and accent written into the dialogue, but after I discovered that it did have a plot purpose I was able to re-gig my mind from heavy-handed to character clue. I would also say that the “steampunk” elements in this book were, in my opinion little more than window dressing. Seam-powered mechanical servers and a few mechanical limbs—they didn’t really have an effect on the book other that a small amount of aesthetic. With a series title of “London Steampunk” I kind of expected them to play a more predominant role. I don’t feel that this hurt the book, however if one is looking for a truly steampunk read, I am not sure that I would recommend this, as it was more of a paranormal book with steampunk overtones. Perhaps further into the series the steampunk elements will develop further, or perhaps they were incorporated to capitalize on the current steampunk fascination, in either case they helped to create a beautiful cover and enhance a good book.
I give Kiss of Steel four smiling stars with every intention of picking up the next book in this series Heart of Iron with it is released. ★★★★
As a side not, I also have to add and give props to the publishing company of this one, Sourcebooks Casablanca. This is a beautifully published paperback, with quality paper that was a joy to read. As a comparison, if anyone is interested, I weighed both this book and Ilona Andrews Bayou Moon (which has just slightly more pages) and Bayou moon came in at around 8ozs while Kiss of Steel was 11ozs. The quality of the paper was substantially above the normal mass market and made this book much cleaner to read.
alikatson's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars.
Hmm, I have a new sexy book boyfriend, Blade! He's hot, protective, and badass.
This book was great. I enjoyed the setting, an AU Victorian era steampunk London where most of the elite males are all slowly transitioning vampires.
Honora is an interesting character. We meet her as an older sister struggling to keep a roof above her family's head. She is brought to meet Blade, the man who runs the Whitechapel district, since her new home is the area under his protection.
They are both intrigued by one another and are quickly thrown together by danger and their growing feelings.
I liked Honora - she was very smart, I'm sure in another life she would have been a professor. She teaches young ladies to speak correctly, but it is obvious her true passion is continuing her father's work.
Blade was a great character. He started out quite mysterious but his tragic past and precarious current situation are soon revealed. He was really great to Honora and her family from the beginning of their acquaintance. Once they were together... *swoon*
I do wish there were a bit more steampunk elements, maybe the future books?
It took awhile but when they finally hooked up it was smoking hot. Yay!
The audio was pretty good - I liked everyone's voice except Blade who unfortunately sounded a bit like an old pirate who had smoked his entire life. I was able to roll with it, but I would have preferred something a bit more toned down.
Hmm, I have a new sexy book boyfriend, Blade! He's hot, protective, and badass.
This book was great. I enjoyed the setting, an AU Victorian era steampunk London where most of the elite males are all slowly transitioning vampires.
Honora is an interesting character. We meet her as an older sister struggling to keep a roof above her family's head. She is brought to meet Blade, the man who runs the Whitechapel district, since her new home is the area under his protection.
They are both intrigued by one another and are quickly thrown together by danger and their growing feelings.
I liked Honora - she was very smart, I'm sure in another life she would have been a professor. She teaches young ladies to speak correctly, but it is obvious her true passion is continuing her father's work.
Blade was a great character. He started out quite mysterious but his tragic past and precarious current situation are soon revealed. He was really great to Honora and her family from the beginning of their acquaintance. Once they were together... *swoon*
I do wish there were a bit more steampunk elements, maybe the future books?
Spoiler
One of things that did bug me a bit was her willingness to take Blade's help, but she didn't give him any credit for quite some time and viewed him as a dangerous creature despite much evidence to the contrary. She was so uncertain once her feelings became clear. I get that she was worried to fall into wantonness but she was already his thrall at the time.It took awhile but when they finally hooked up it was smoking hot. Yay!
The audio was pretty good - I liked everyone's voice except Blade who unfortunately sounded a bit like an old pirate who had smoked his entire life. I was able to roll with it, but I would have preferred something a bit more toned down.
kanatakara's review
3.0
Actually not bad, but somehow I don't care too much about the characters. Also the storyline has been done one too many times in romantic fantasy genre. A solid 3 stars.