Guest Post by Mary Wine, Author of A Lady Can Never Be too Curious

Good Morning!

It’s great to be blogging today and doubly so because I’m really excited about ‘A Lady Can Never be too Curious’. When I first began to tinker with the idea of writing a Steam Punk, I found myself diving into history. 

History is full of odd and often curious things. After all, we humans have always enjoyed being entertained, so it stands to reason that many of our ancestors had crazy ideas of how to blow off steam. In the Victorian era, science was advancing, providing living comforts such as gas lights and violas. Today, with our iPods, a record player which needs to be hand cranked might seem like very small comfort but if you’ve ever been out camping without anything but the wind, you’ll understand that having music at your fingertips was just as wonderful to the Victorians as an iPod to our teenagers.

I love my iPod too.

But constructing a book from research is a little more complicated. I am still a romance author and needed a great story. Steam Punk is a fiction and yet, oddly based in a bit of fact. There were people who believed steam powered engines were the future. Gasoline was a byproduct and proved to be far less expensive.

Still, I was fascinated by the idea of creating a portion of society that tinkered with steam powered machines. In a way, a bit like the Masons. A society, within the Victorian society, with secret rules and an oath of allegiance. Let’s add to that a very curious young lady, brought up among the rules of Victorian society. Part of me wanted to give her a place to go where her gender didn’t prevent her from following her dreams wherever they might take her.

My Illuminist are people of science. I say people because gender isn’t considered. Anyone may join, so long as they can pass the entrance exam. But just like in Victorian society, you are either one thing or another and once you accept the lapel pin of the Illuminist Order, upper society will shun you.

I hear a lot of readers asking just what Steam Punk is and the short definition is ‘Victorian Sci-fi’.  At its core, A Lady Can Never be too Curious, is still a great historical read and a wonderful romance. I hope you’ll consider giving it a try. Pop over to my website, MaryWine.com, for an excerpt.

Cheers!

Mary Wine

MaryWine.com

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Book Review: A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious by Mary Wine

I really enjoyed the premise of this story but I felt it got overwhelmed with the intimate encounters. 

A Lady Can Never be Too Curious

by Mary Wine

• File Size: 985 KB
• Print Length: 321 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1402264801
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 7, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008B8A7C4

Genre:  Steampunk, Paranormal, Romance
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

Beneath the Surface of Victorian Life Lies a Very Different World...

Hated and feared by the upper classes, the Illuminists guard their secrets with their lives. Janette Aston's insatiable quest for answers brings her to their locked golden doors, where she encounters the most formidable man she's ever met.

Darius Lawley's job is to eliminate would–be infiltrators, but even he may be no match for Janette's cunning and charm...

Review: 

Janette has an insatiable desire for learning instilled, somewhat secretly, by her mother.  Her society conscious father insists that she be prim and proper and that she have nothing to due with the Illuminists, an organization of scientists.  Janette sneaks into the Illuminist compound and slips into a lecture.  There it is discovered that she has certain unique skills that make her valuable to the Illuminists and their enemies, the Helikeians.

Darius is the head of the Illluminist Guard and he finds himself reluctantly attracted to Janette. He doesn’t believe she could ever leave her privileged society to become part of the Illuminists. Then Janette’s father sends her to a mental doctor to straighten her out and remove her interest in the Illuminists. Darius and his friend rescue her and he sets himself as her personal protector even if she does threaten his control.

Janette is glad to have Darius’ help but isn’t so happy that he wants to make decisions for her and tell her what to do. She is thrilled to pass the Illuminist exam and be allowed to train. She is to study as a novice for a year before taking the oath. There is trouble in the ranks though when certain authorities show up insisting that her skills be put to use before her year is up.

I really enjoyed the underlying story of the battle for the crystal energy source and I loved the steampunk elements with all of the inventions used by the Illuminists in the 1843 setting.  There is also an interesting view on the fine line of male and female equality. Janette is a wonderfully strong character seeking independence and willing to explore the free love attitude of the Illuminists. Darius is brooding and resistant but also dedicated, loyal and a grand protector. There seemed to be some experience in his past that made him distrust Janette but I never quite figured out what that was.  There are other characters who have some conflict and may be paired off in the further books.

Unfortunately, the plot of this story was overshadowed by bantering, resisting ‘foreplay’ between Janette and Darius that soon moved into rather graphic sexual encounters. It got to a point where another intimate scene would begin and I would say “Come on! Get on with the story.”

There are numerous traitors in the Illuminists organization and it seemed that the guard was doing little to discover their identities. Several actions near the end didn’t quite make sense and there are loose threads which I hope will get resolved in the next book.  Having two thirds of the book as love scenes, no matter how creative, is more than I want to wade through.  If you like your stories with strong characters, a mysterious and interesting ‘good versus evil’ plot and steamy romance you should like this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darius has lots of warnings for Janette:

You long for something you know comes with consequences. Reaching for it will cost you the security of the position you currently occupy. Location 334

The ride will be intense, but it will have to end eventually. Reality will be waiting, I assure you. Location 3127.

Thank you to Sourcebooks who provided this book from NetGalley.