Follow Me
Grab my feed
Posts
All Comments
Wanna Shop?
2013 Reading Challenge
Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) has
read 0 books toward her goal of 75 books.
New-To-Me Authors
2013 reading goal:
15 new-to-me authors.
1) Stacy Gail
2) Heather Massey
3) Sidney Bristol
4) Ann Mayburn
5) Thea Harrison
6) Virna DePaul
7) Mary Quast
8) Molly Harper
9) Eleri Stone
10) PJ Schnyder
11) Kait Ballenger
12) Denise L. Wyant
13) Lucy Monroe
Sunday Snippets
More Blogs
original images by marin & papaija2008 at FreeDigitalPhotos.com
banner designed by Jennifer from Books Make Me Happy
Showing posts with label Kate Cross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kate Cross. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Review: Touch of Steel by Kate Cross
Touch of Steel
Author: Kate Cross
Release Date: Dec. 4, 2012
Publisher: Signet
Clockwork Agents #2
ISBN: #978-0451238825
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Format(s): Paperback (352 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
The Wardens of the Realm are a group with extraordinary abilities, dedicated to protecting England from any threat. But in this steam-powered world, there’s a fine line between enemy and ally…
Reeling from her brother’s death, beautiful American spy Claire Brooks has vowed revenge on the member of The Company who she believes to be responsible: Stanton Howard. But when she chases the man to London, Claire is captured by the Wardens of the Realm and placed in the custody of the Earl of Wolfred, the dashing Alistair Payne.
Seeing the prospect of retribution slipping away, Claire convinces Alistair that she has defected and will help him take down The Company. As they travel via steam liner, Claire and Alistair must pretend to be engaged. Claire can’t deny the growing attraction she feels for her pretend husband, but when Howard is finally within her reach, she will have to decide whether her true loyalties lie with The Company or with her heart
What Una is talking about:
|
As a recent convert to the world of Steampunk, I may not understand it all, but I do love it! Ms. Cross’s latest installment in the Clockwork Agents series, Touch of Steel is just as mesmerizing as the first book, Heart of Brass. If you want to just jump in on this book, feel free, but the connections of the characters will be stronger if you read the first book. Plus, it was a great read.
Touch of Steel begins with Claire Brooks, a Company agent following Stanton Howard, another agent with the Company – one she believes killed her brother. The Company has done nothing to punish him so she takes it upon herself to avenge her brother, Robert. Racing along the rooftops, both suffering gunshot wounds, Stanton gains the upper hand and throws Claire off the roof and gets away. Claire’s fall is broken by a passing carriage and she is taken into Warden custody. Her only hope to stay alive and get back on Stanton’s trail is to appeal to a fellow former agent and friend, Luke.
Alistair, an agent with the Wardens and the Earl of Wolfred, is recovering from being almost killed by an enemy spy. It seems Alistair tends to be attracted to the wrong women, and this last one almost succeeded in killing him. When his best friend, Luke, Lord Huntley, finds himself in a tight spot between an old friend’s cry for help and his wife, Alistair steps in to help. When first confronted with Claire, Alistair’s ingrained distrust and dislike for the Company is strong. However his bias is challenged as he and Claire work on this mission together.
I thoroughly enjoyed Touch of Steel. The romance was passionate and woven nicely into the race to catch the killer. The intrigue that Alistair and Claire engage in together (and with each other) is enchanting. Ms. Cross’s storytelling is gripping while mesmerizing. All of the little devices and creations enhance the rich Victorian-esque world. I love the juxtaposition between the stifling British society and the role of the female agents. It could be very convoluted but I find it is not. I enjoy the mannerisms and etiquette being in contrast at times to the action at hand.
Although some major plot points were fairly easy to figure out, I still enjoyed the way the story played out. Alistair and Claire’s connection and their precarious positions were not magically wiped away. Even though the resolution came quickly, it was not without its danger or anxious anticipation. Touch of Steel is a fabulous sequel to Heart of Brass. Considering the closure of the novel, I am intrigued to see what the next novel in the Clockwork Agents will bring.
Una’s Rating:
|
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Labels:
4 stars,
Clockwork Agents series,
Kate Cross,
romance,
Signet,
steampunk,
Una Review
|
0
comments
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Sunday Snippet #111
Heart of BrassAuthor: Kate Cross
Novel of the Clockwork Agents #1
Publisher: Signet
Released: 1 May 2012
REVIEW HERE
A shadow moved across the alley as the lazy fingers of a wet dawn slowly crept in. Arden glanced up, excepting to see Inspector Grant.
Instead she saw a dirty man in need of a shave and a dentist. Her heart stopped at the sight of him. She knew him. She had seen him just a few moments ago through the prostitute's eyes.
Frantically, she groped for the pistol she always carried in her bag. The killer came at her fast. For a second she was too terrified to scream, her mind flashing through the gruesome catalog the woman's eye had given her. Her normal calm, or facsimile of it, disintegrated like sugar into tea as his filthy hands reached for her. She opened her mouth...
There was a snap, and the killer crumpled to the ground beside his victim, his head turned at an impossible angle, sightless eyes bulging and wide.
She might have felt relief if she hadn't looked up and met her husband's bright gaze.
There were few people who could manage to look imposing and dangerous - and altogether too gorgeous - when dripping wet, but Lucas was one of them.
Inky hair fell over his forehead as water trickled down the lean planes of his face. Shadows deepened the lines around his eyes and mouth, made the grim smile on his lips all the more frightening.
Rain poured off the long leather coat that hung from the strong breadth of his shoulders - exaggerated by the leanness of the rest of his frame. He crouched before her, paying no attention to the body of the prostitute or the man he had just killed with the apparent ease of swatting a bug.
"What is it about you that makes people want you dead?" he asked, eyes glinting unnaturally bright in the gray morning.
Arden's fingers closed around the pistol in her bag. Now that the first threat to her safety was gone, she wasn't about to let this one get the better of her. "Part of my charm, I suppose." He chuckled and she added, "Why didn't you let him? He would have done the job for you."
His gaze locked with hers, and what she saw there sent a shiver down her spine. "You're mine," he growled.
"Yours to kill, you mean." It was tempting to let him do it. She didn't want to die, but he thought of him being able to kill her ... Well, what was the point of going on when so much of her life had been about him and he was lost forever?
She needed a drink, or perhaps a good slap.
His hand came up, and she fought a flinch. Instead of grabbing her already bruised throat, he cupped her cheek. She had the pistol out of the bag.
"Are you going to shoot me?" he asked with a smile, fingers rough against her skin. "Do you think a bullet can stop me?"
Arden placed the end of the barrel against the underside of his chin. "I doubt they thought to armor you here."
He grinned, white teeth flashing in the fading gloom. "That's my girl."
She froze, gaze searching his face for some sign of recognition. "How do you know I'm your girl?"
His grin faded, the light in his eyes turned to ice. He dropped his hand to her neck, but instead of squeezing, he gently stroked the tender and battered skin. "I don't know. But you are, aren't you?"
God, it hurt to swallow; her throat was so tight - a condition that had nothing to do with the strength of his touch, but rather the gentleness of it. "Yes," she whispered, but did not move the pistol.
His brows dipped. "Why can't I kill you? I remember ... I know I've tried to do this before, but failed. I resolved to do it, but when I'm with you, killing you is the last thing I want to do."
The suggestive timbre of his voice ignited a flame inside her. It had been so long, but intimately she remembered all the times he had spoken to her in that tone - and what generally followed.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Review: Heart of Brass by Kate Cross
Heart of Brass
Author: Kate Cross
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Signet
Clockwork Agents #1
ISBN: #978-0451236593
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Format(s): Paperback (398 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Arden is an undercover agent for one of the most powerful organizations of this steam-powered world—the Wardens of the Realm, a group with extraordinary abilities, dedicated to protecting England against evil.
Arden Grey enjoys a life most women in 1898 London can’t even dream of: she has the social status, wealth, and independence of a countess. She also has the ability to witness the final moments of a murder victim’s life. But ever since the disappearance of her husband, Lucas, none of this means anything to her. Until one night, when Arden spies a man watching her—a man she recognizes as her missing husband.
He’s been ordered to assassinate Arden as retribution for her part in the killing of a Company agent. Luke remembers nothing of his life before The Company, a corrupt agency that has erased his memory. Even so, something prevents him from completing his assignment. There is something familiar about his lovely target, something that attracts him and fills him with dread. For he knows that if he doesn’t kill her, someone else will—and kill him as well.
What Una is talking about:
|
Steampunk is a relative new genre to me. Meljean Brook was the author responsible for introducing me to this genre. Now, with Ms. Cross’s new series, the Clockwork Agents, I am finding steampunk to be right up my alley – a beautiful symbiosis of historical romance and paranormal/science fiction (depending on the author’s mythos).
Heart of Brass begins with Arden on the job, so to speak. As a Clockwork Agent for the Queen, she assists Scotland Yard with investigations. However, some feel that it is not the right place for a lady of her stature. This particular investigation is a gruesome murder of a young aristocratic woman – and it seems that our killer is a member of the upper crust. Later that evening, as she slumbers, she is awakened by an intruder who tries to kill her. The only problem is that her murderer is also her lost, presumed dead, husband Luke. However, Luke, upon seeing Arden, finds he is unable to complete his mission – and for the first time in the past seven years he can remember.
This novel unravels slowly and deliciously. I enjoyed the pace of the interactions of Arden and Luke. Their story is a gripping read and from the snippet at the end of the novel, we will get more of their ongoing story in upcoming books. But before I get ahead of myself, there seemed to be several story strands in this novel. The first being the challenge of Arden, who pined for the return of her husband, only to have her wish granted… with a few drawbacks. Luke has no memory of Arden, only faints wisps – most he cannot grasp.
However, Luke’s impaired memory is not the only problem. He has been physically altered to be a Company assassin. This means he could stand as a traitor to the Wardens and the Country, a crime punishable by death. In Heart of Brass Luke is not the man she remembers, and Luke, as he discovers more about his “old” self, finds he is in some ways a much better man now. Due to his memory loss and the path of his life since being abducted, Luke is truly a different person.
As Arden struggles with not only Luke’s condition but also their rekindled relationship, she also endeavors to solve the mystery of the murdered woman and other murders that seem to follow. Complicating matters from the beginning is her brother-in-law who wants to assume the family title by declaring Luke dead by absentia. Arden must also delicately balance the affections of Luke’s best friend who would be more than willing to “replace” Luke in Arden’s life. Arden has struggled the past years holding out hope while it seems everyone else had given up on Luke’s returning. All these differing plot points weave together well in setting up this new series and the world it lives in.
Heart of Brass is a great read for someone who wants to test the waters of steampunk. It is not as heavily science based but geared a little more towards historical romance. One of the aspects I truly enjoy is the dichotomy of Arden – being a good “lady” of the period while also being a brilliant inventor and working for the good of the realm. I enjoy how the historical societal norms clash with the way technology and its advancement seems to eradicate the difference between the genders. Caught in the middle are the more aristocratic females and those middle class females who are recognized for their exemplary abilities, but are, of a different class level.
If you have been interested in trying steampunk, I would highly recommend Heart of Brass the debut novel in the new Clockwork Agents series. It is an engrossing and enjoyable read.
Una’s Rating:
|
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Labels:
4 stars,
Clockwork Agents series,
Kate Cross,
romance,
Signet,
steampunk,
Una Review
|
3
comments
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Grab My Button
