when i chose this book, i was hoping more steampunk and mystery and less romance. what i got was Romanze, some mystery and it is not considered steampunk just because you mention an apparatus. I hardly ever read reviews before reading a book myself, After i managed to get to 22% in the book, I looked at some reviews to see if other readers had the same problem. They did. This book was a quite a bit a let down. I am not sure if i will try it at a later time. The characters were sappy, superficial and predictable. While reading the book, i wished it was done already. I stopped where i did, since live is too short to keep reading a bad book just because you want to complete it. The book was free on Amamzon Kindle, otherwise it would have been a bit upsetting. ( )

I should have looked up the definition of steampunk. Science fiction has never been a favorite genre of mine and this book falls into that category. I wasn't able to separate myself from the genre enough to enjoy this book. The characters were annoying and unforunately, this was like reading a foreign language. ( )

it's not bad but way too slow for my liking. review coming... ( )

A review of this book causes an interesting dilemma for me. I found the romantic scenes extremely exciting, yet the characters were not well developed. All the main characters were exceedingly stubborn to the point of being a little dim-witted.

The mystery, on the other hand, had me absolutely enthralled. I was sure I knew the killer and his motives (never the same) as each new piece of evidence was found. The true murderer and the true motives came as a bit of a shock!

I think Calista Taylor has the potential to take these characters to the next level, especially if she can find a way to make the characters as complex as her murder plot...

Other things I noticed:
1) lots of typos, missed words, etc.
2) All the important action happens near the end, leaving the reader with a slightly anticlimatic feeling.
3) that obnoxious Gaelic accent sounds aweful in my head, and wasn't pleasant... or necessary.

But I enjoyed it. ( )

Classic steampunk, hot and steamy with a herbal twist. ( )