Book Review: Magnificent Devices, Steampunk Adventure by Shelley Adina

This is full of action and impressive steampunk creations.
Magnificent Devices, a steampunk adventure novel (Magnificent Devices)
by Shelley Adina

• File Size: 397 KB
• Print Length: 231 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1939087023
• Publisher: Moonshell Books (October 4, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Genre: Steampunk
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: October 4, 2012
An air voyage to remember turns into a disaster no one may survive.
With her orphaned charges, Lady Claire Trevelyan joins the Earl of Dunsmuir’s family on an airship voyage to the Americas. If she can stay out of Lord James Selwyn’s way until her eighteenth birthday, she will be of age and cannot be forced into marriage. What she doesn’t know is that Lord James is in the Americas, too, with Andrew Malvern closing in on him—and the wonderful device he stole. But when a storm cripples the airship and air pirates swoop in like carrion birds, Claire and the children must live by their wits to make their way across a harsh landscape. Will Andrew ever see her again and right the wrong he believes he has done? Will Lord James succeed in his monumental thievery? And how exactly does Rosie the chicken evade the soup pot?
Tighten your goggles, pull on your gloves, and prepare yourself for stratagems and strangeness in the third book in the series, Magnificent Devices!

Review:
Lady Claire and her young ‘flock’ of orphaned children travel in a fancy airship to America on the way to Canada. A storm blows them off course and cripples the ship allowing them to be captured by air pirates. When the pirates board their airship one of Claire’s companions appears to have betrayed them. The Mopsies and Tigg manage to hide to become a hidden weapon.

Claire ends up imprisoned by the head pirate in the Texican Territory. A flash flood presents a chance for escape with Claire being rescued by the pirate’s step-daughter, Alice. Alice is an inventor too, and surprised to learn that Claire works for Alice’s idol, Andrew Malvern. Alice maintains the pirate airship and creates automatons from the scrap pieces of ships diverted by the pirates. The pirates plan to divert another airship, one with Lord James who is coming after Claire.

Claire and the Mopsies have to make a daring break on another personal flying contraption that Alice built. They are all but lost in the desert until Alice and Jake swoop down to rescue them. Claire and Andrew are reunited at Santa Fe but the danger of the pirates and Lord James continues to follow them. Lord James kidnaps Claire and heads out on the railroad. while Andrew is put into a pinnacle cell - not a true jail cell but a cave on top of a mountain outgrowth. If the prisoner doesn’t roll off to his death he will starve there.  More fancy flying and daring rescues are needed to save Andrew and Claire.


The steampunk elements really abound in this story.  There is the fancy airship complete with moonglobe lighting and gondola cabins. Then there are the rough creations of the pieced together pirate ship, automatons and so much more. The plot is full of danger and action and woven throughout is the warmth of the children and the sweet romance building. There was a minor head hop that I noticed mostly because I was listening to the Kindle read to me. But it was a minor bump and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I actually read this book, number 3, first and this one is my favorite. It was a great read on its own but I do think it would have been better read in order. I found this completely delightful.

I won books 1-3 of this series.

Book Review: Her Own Devices: A Steampunk Adventure (Magnivient Devices) by Shelley Adina

I love this series!

Her Own Devices: A steampunk adventure novel (Magnificent Devices)

Shelley Adina

• File Size: 384 KB
• Print Length: 223 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 146813437X
• Publisher: Shelley Adina (December 22, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Genre: Steampunk
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2011

Book 2 of the Magnificent Devices series!

Escaped lunatics, lost children, vengeful lords, and love. Really, the situation is becoming quite impossible.

Seventeen-year-old Lady Claire Trevelyan, left alone after the Arabian Bubble financial disaster claims home and family, now leads the cleverest gang in the London underworld. Between outwitting a rival gang, inventing a device that will net her and her scientist employer worldwide fame, and keeping her mother from marrying her off, she can almost forget that a powerful lord wants to get closer ... and if he succeeds, can destroy it all with a single word ...

Review:
Book two picks up and continues the story of Lady Claire - once a young girl of seventeen who is was scheduled to make her curtsey to the Queen a few weeks before her father died and she ended up living on the streets. Now she has become a lady of resources, known as “The Lady of Devices” with a ‘flock’ of orphans as her chargers and helpers.

She has begun working with Andrew, a young scientist who is looking to create a better combustion engine. Andrew does the design experiments while Lord James, his partner and the money man, talk to railroad moguls who would be interested in buying the invention if proven.

Claire learns that the lightning rifle she took from a rival gang has a mechanism that was designed by another female scientist. Unfortunately the brilliant Dr. Craig was shunned by her peers and committed to Bedlam. Lady Claire sets out to visit the Doctor and, learning that she has been wrongfully ‘imprisoned’, arranges a break out with her clever crew.

Lord James coerces Claire to become his fiancé. She reluctantly agrees with the terms that it will be a four year engagement while she attends University and she will get her name on the Patent for the new engine. Claire figures the engagement will protect her place in society and keep her mother at bay. That is until Claire learns that Lord James has no intention of keeping to the terms Claire set. He has gone to her mother and arranged to marry her before she can gain her independence at 18.

Claire and Andrew grow closer as they incorporate Dr. Craig's device to their engine. But now Claire must flee London to stay away from James. A surprising visit brings a family reunion and new friends, Lord Dunsmuir and his wife Lady Davina, who offer Claire a way escape by not just any travel but a luxury airship, the Lady Lucy. They are even willing to bring along the children. As they make plans for their next adventure to Canada news comes in of theft and betrayal.

This is a lively, fun read. Lady Claire is wonderfully brave and resourceful and the children, plus chicken, add spunk and sass.  I am enjoying the storyline and ready for the adventure in Book 3.

I am so glad I won books 1-3 in this series.

Mailbox Monday May 13, 2013

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
For MAY: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Abi at 4 the Love of Books. 
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) but is now hosted at Mailbox Monday and through various blog hosts.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. 

I received two Audio review titles this past week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

REVIEW

I received two Audio review books from AudioBook Jukebox.
Audio Downloads:

Inherit the Stars, The Giants Series, book 1
by James P. Hogan

The Empty Mirror
by James Lincoln Collier

Still Lots of requests I need to reply to.

Won

None this week.

Purchased

None this week.

Free

I downloaded only a handful of free Kindle Titles linked through Free Par-tay, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Review.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? May 13, 2013

This meme starts at Book Journey!

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This was another good week of reading.  I finished three books and posted four reviews, two with Giveaways. (In my brain I did four reviews but in reality I didn't.) I also posted the weekly Mailbox Monday meme, Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Snapshot, Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I visited a handful of Monday posts early in the week and I visited Saturday Snapshot posts at the end of the week.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• It's Monday What are You Reading? May 6, 2013.

• Mailbox Monday May 6, 2013.

• Kindle Fire Giveaway May 2013. Ends 5/30/13.
  

• Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop May 7th - 13th. Ends 5/13/13.
  

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Cowboy Take Me Away by Jane Graves, Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.5.

• Audible Book Review and Cassette Giveaway: Loyalty In Death by J.D. Robb, Crime Thriller, Futuristic; my rating 4.25.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway May 10, 2013. Open Worldwide. Ends 5/16.
  

• Saturday Snapshot (5/11/13) Happy Mother's Day
  

• Book Review: Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina, Steampunk; my rating 4.75.
  

• Sharing Beyond Books #99 Comment Giveaway 5/11/13. Ends 5/17.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement - Happy Mother's Day May 5, 2013.
  

Finished Reading:

1. Print

Undone (The Amoveo Legend)
by Sara Humphrey 
An enjoyable read.
Review and ARC Giveaway to post this week.
Click on the title for book description.

2. eBook/Kindle

Secretly Smitten Anthology
Colleen Coble (Author, Contributor), Kristin Billerbeck (Contributor), Denise Hunter (Contributor), Diann Hunt (Contributor)
All four titles are lovely. I will post a review this week.

Click on the title for book description.

3. eBook/Kindle

Brilliant Devices: A steampunk adventure novel (Magnificent Devices)
Shelley Adina
More danger and fun in this final installment.
I will be posting a Giveaway for a set of the books.
Click on the title for book description.

Line Edits/Releases:

New children's title: 
There's a Monster in Mommy's Tummy by J.D. Pooker, Illustrated by Christy Caughie
There seems to be a monster in mommy's tummy. It growls a lot, especially in the morning. What does it look like? Does it have one eye or two? Maybe it has long yellow claws and sharp white teeth. Mommy says to tame a tummy monster, you have to feed it.

There's a Monster in Mommy's Tummy is an adorable and fully illustrated children's book that reveals the answer to a question kids often wonder about. Why do tummies growl?
Genre: Childrens, 3-6 years

Currently reading:
1. Audible

Inherit the Stars, The Giants Series, book 1
by James P. Hogan
This is an older Sci Fi work that looked interesting.
Reviewing for Blackstone Audio through AudioBook Jukebox.
Summary
The man on the moon was dead. They called him Charlie. He had big eyes, abundant body hair, and fairly long nostrils. His skeletal body was found clad in a bright red spacesuit, hidden in a rocky grave. They didn’t know who he was, how he got there, or what had killed him. All they knew was that his corpse was fifty thousand years old—and that meant this man had somehow lived long before he ever could have existed.

© 1977 by James Patrick Hogan

2. Print

Barefoot in the Sun
by Roxanne St. Claire
The writing pulled me in to the story.
Reviewing for Forever, Hachette.
Book Description
Release date: April 30, 2013 | Series: Barefoot Bay (Book 3)
A Barefoot Bay Novel
When running is all you've ever known . . .
Caught between fight and flight, Zoe Tamarin has always picked flight. Since she was rescued from a nightmare childhood by her great-aunt Pasha, they've been on the move, never staying in one place long enough to risk exposing their precarious past. But now that they've reached the sun-baked shores of Barefoot Bay, Zoe may have to stay and fight-for her aunt's life . . . and for a love she ran from years before.
Sometimes the bravest act of all is to stand still.
Oliver Bradbury came to Florida to start over, as both a doctor and a father to his eight-year-old son. He never expected life to hand him a second chance with the woman he lost years ago-but one look at Zoe Tamarin and he knows he'll do whatever it takes to prove that this time, he can be the man she needs. But when demands of family and friendship threaten to shatter their rekindled passion, Oliver must heal Zoe's lifelong wounds with more than hot kisses . . . but will that be enough to keep her from flying off with his heart?

3. Print

Heart of Iron London Steampunk Book 2
by Bec McMaster
I am looking forward to this sequel Steampunk.
Reviewing for Sourcebooks.
Book Description
Release date: May 7, 2013
"Deftly blends elements of Steampunk and vampire romance with brilliantly successful results...darkly atmospheric and delectably sexy."—Booklist Starred Review for Kiss of Steel

In the mist-shrouded streets of London's dreaded Whitechapel district, werewolves, vampires, and a clockwork army are one step away from battle...

No One to Trust

Dangerous. Unpredictable. That's how people know the hulking Will Carver. And those who don't like pretty words just call him The Beat. No matter how hard Will works to suppress his werewulfen side, certain things drive him beyond all control. And saucy Miss Lena Todd tops the list.

Lena makes the perfect spy against the ruling Echelon blue bloods. No one suspects that under the appearance of flirtatious debutante lies a heart of iron. Not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can't wrap around her finger and the one man whose kiss she can never forget. He's supposed to be protecting her, but he might just be her biggest threat yet...

I continue to listen to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. [Reading and listening on MP3.] I am studying with the Tyndall One Year Bible this year, hoping to read daily along with my DH.

Line Edits: Several more releases being prepared for the next few weeks. I am still doing more Smashword conversions in between print formatting.

I have fewer books lined up for May, so I can pick some more that I want. Eight Nine of these are print which means two print books a week that may be harder... I will probably get one or two of them on Kindle for quicker reading (listening). The print books are looming but I'm digging in.

May Scheduled:
May 22:  Review + Giveaway: New Wings by Donna Stanley (Glass Road PR)
Other Giveaway Hop to be added

Sourcebooks: (Both release 5/7)
     Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster
    
Hachette - Forever
     Barefoot in the Sun by Roxanne St. Claire
     The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson 
     Haven Creek (A Cavanaugh Island Novel) by Rochelle Alers
     The Sweet Spot (Sweet on a Cowboy) by Laura Drake
     It Had to Be You by Jill Shalvis 

NetGalley
    Complete for this month

Harlequin
     Better Than Chocolate (Life in Icicle Falls) by Sheila Roberts
 
Audios
     Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan
     The Empty Mirror by James Lincoln Collier
     Hexed: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 2 by Kevin Hearne

Author Titles
     TBD 

From TBR Collection - TBD
Won Book - Lady of Devices.
Free Kindle/Nook or Smashwords: TBD

Sunday Words of Encouragement - Happy Mother's Day! May 12, 2013

This morning our Pastor's wife shared a message that was on her heart.
She pointed out that mothers are about "family." She opined that God created man because He wanted family and the Gospel is a message of adoption into God's family.
Mrs. P told us about the TV reality show: Duck Dynasty. A&E promoted the program as a family living the American dream of "Money, Family and Ducks" but the family changed the motto to "Faith, Family and Ducks."  The family promotes these values:
Respect - love and forgiveness.
Loyalty - join in family activities; value family time.
Discipline - show the right thing to do and discipline with love.
Happy Home - the home should be the happiest place, a refuge from the world, a peaceful place.
Parents need to slow down from our rushed lives and recognize marriage and family as priority.

To get our attention Mrs. P played a version of this song.
It is surprising and funny!

A Verse for Today

Proverbs 1:8-9 ESV 
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, (9) for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

Thank you Lord for mothers, families and unconditional love.