To most people, the realm of magic is the stuff of nursery rhymes and dusty libraries. But for Capt. Gabriel Huntley, it's become quite real and quite dangerous...My Thoughts: Hello, there, new series that I'm really digging, how are you today? When I originally chose this book to read I thought it would be a little more steampunky than it was. Not that I'm complaining or anything because it ended up being a beguiling mix of swashbuckling adventure (whenever I write "swashbuckling" I immediately think of pirates. There are no pirates in this book but there's still swashbuckling adventure. Isn't that a conundrum?), mysticism, and romance with the slightest smattering of steampunk. It worked and it worked well.
In Hot Pursuit...
The vicious attack Capt. Gabriel Huntley witnesses in a dark alley sparks a chain of events that will take him to the ends of the Earth and beyond—where what is real and what is imagined become terribly confused. And frankly, Huntley couldn't be more pleased. Intrigue, danger, and a beautiful woman in distress—just what he needs.
In Hotter Water...
Raised thousands of miles from England, Thalia Burgess is no typical Victorian lady. A good thing, because a proper lady would have no hope of recovering the priceless magical artifact Thalia is after. Huntley's assistance might come in handy, though she has to keep him in the dark. But this distractingly handsome soldier isn't easy to deceive...
I have to applaud Zoe Archer for making me feel the scenery of Mongolia. In fact, the setting is nearly a character in itself- it flows and shows its temper and gives Gabriel and Thalia a chance to get to know one another. It's fascinating and lovely. It's dangerous and unpredictable.
As for Gabriel and Thalia, they were fantastic characters. Gabriel has spent the last 15 years as a soldier and while he's great at tactics and issuing orders, he's not so good at being in mixed company. Fortunately for him Thalia isn't your normal Victorian lady. She's determined and she's not bound up by what society expects from women of her time. Quite frankly, she and Gabriel were downright hot together.
I was impressed by the scope of this book. It felt big. It felt well-realized. It felt like it was our world skewed slightly to the side. I'm pleased to know that there are three more books that'll let me dive into this world a bit more and get lost in it.
More books by Zoe Archer
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I truly believe EVERYONE loves this series, except for me. I bought all 4 due to all the wonderful reviews that rave about the series. I just couldn't get into them. I feel like something is wrong with me because of this. I think every review I wrote for the series I mentioned I am the lone weirdo who didn't enjoy them. Great review. Glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteVanessa: Lol! I've had that happen to me before. It's disconcerting to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI was really impressed by the worldbuilding. That's an important thing for me so it plays a big part in how I feel about books. :)
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Great review! I like this book, I have to say for me the rest of the books in the series were no where near as good, but this book I really enjoyed. It is really shallow but I got them all because this has the best set of covers!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
Under the Covers: Good to know. I have books 3 & 4 already (love those Kindle freebies!) but I still have to pick up #2. I think I'll hold off a bit on buying it and work on plowing through that TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteLauren: You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it!
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