A review by avid_reader_sf_and_f
Claws and Contrivances by Stephanie Burgis

4.0

After being totally charmed by Scales and Sensibility (Regency Dragons, #1), I was so very happy to see that Claws and Contrivances, the second in the Regency Dragons series, Claws and Contrivances was out. Claws and Contrivances is an utter delight, it has so many wonderful tropes that I enjoyed. A wonderful heroine, a bookish and somewhat distracted hero, a fake betrothal, dragons, a romance, more dragons, a sinister villain and a magical ending with found family and true character growth.

I was so pleased to see that Mr. Aubrey, the distractedly academic from Scales and Sensibility returned as our hero: he might be oblivious to the usual social graces and forever have his nose is buried in a book, but when he needs must he delivered and with a remarkable kindness and determination.

This story brings with it a whole new cast of characters to meet and fall in love with (or utterly detest,) with some that link directly back to Scales and Sensibility. Unlike Elinor’s sad state of affairs in Scales and Sensibility, her sister Rose is ensconced among distant family who are actually likeable and have come to care for her as one of their own. You will, over the course of the book, grow to love each of the new family members. Thankfully, each get their moment in the sun, working their way into the story and your heart, so you'll be sad to leave them behind as the story comes to an end.

This was a very cozy and entertaining story and one I very much recommend.