The Watchmaker's Daughter

India Steele is a victim of one of the oldest scams in Victorian England. She is a woman left alone by the death of her father and dismissed out of hand by her fiancé. Her fiancé, who has worked himself into her father’s good graces, inherits the father’s watch and clock shop, the shop in which India apprenticed under her father and which she had expected to run. But alas, in Victorian England women cannot inherit or own property of their own, and the Watchmaker’s Guild is unanimous in their refusal to admit a woman as a practicing watchmaker. India is homeless with nowhere to go and no real prospects for a job.

Matt Glass is a mysterious American with a problem. He must find a particular watchmaker in London to repair his watch; show more a particular watchmaker with particular skills. He has no idea of the man’s name or location, only that he is from England and was in Broken Creek, New Mexico five years previously. He encounters India and hires her to help him find the mysterious watchmaker. Having no options, she works for Glass but has reservations that he is all he seems to be. Along the way to seeking the missing watchmaker, India encounters many surprises, threats, and adventures, barely surviving many of them. One of the keenest surprises and greatest threats to her is the vulnerability of her own heart.

Flawlessly written, with excellent characterization and brimming with twists and turns, The Watchmaker’s Daughter kept me guessing until the end. It is an entertaining book with both a storyline and a lesson about people and the social conditions of the time. 5-Stars. show less

I initially thought I could explain the many problems of this book as artistic freedom but the further I read the more obvious it became that it's simply incompetence.
This story plays in the late 19th century but its women are modern feminists.
This in itself could have been an interesting exploration of how more modern self-understanding of women might play out in a fictional historical setting.
The problem is that the women are inexcusably stupid. They are the perfect example of witless fools pretending to be self-reliant strong feminists. It's honestly an insult to any modern woman to present strong females as this stupid and pathetic.
But let me continue with my original point about the setting, it's littered with a myriad of show more contradicting details about the time.
No one mistake on its own is particularly significant but the sheer amount of them shows the utter lack of care by the author.
Let me give just one example. Apples are supposedly commonly available all the time. But in reality, they are a very seasonal fruit that is only year-round available in modern times because of large-scale global trade. Again, most of these mistakes are not significant to the story itself in any way but they completely break my immersion. And this might sound like I am on some sort of mad hunt for small mistakes but that is really not the case. They are just so very obvious that I can't help but notice when stumbling across them.
This author apparently thought that putting a few 19th-century cliches and some old-timey-sounding words and phrases on top of a bunch of modern people and making most men sexist pigs would make for a decent historical setting. The women are either witless fools or witless fools pretending to be emancipated surrounded by a bunch of despicable and misogynist men.
It's shallow and lazy.
And my frustrations don't stop there either.
The romance, and that is all this book is really trying to be, a shallow and clichéed romance, is uninspired and weak. The plot is only a cover to get the romantic tension between the MC and her love interest going. We have everything from mild other guy drama to dramatic rescues of the damsel in distress to the spicy and inappropriate touches which are super sexy and totally not creepy because the dude is hot...
You name it. I am not sure if the story gets to actual smut because I dnfed too early to find out.

What drove me to drop the book was a particular scene where the MC confronts the watchmaker guild council and utterly fails to defend herself or make any relevant or logical arguments. She has a rocket launcher worth of good arguments but instead, she ends up making arguments with a sling-shot. This kind of thing will get me to drop a book almost every time.

The book is well-written in terms of flow and pacing. It is easy to read and the emotions and motivations of the characters are easy to follow. It's just very simple overall.
But there is no actual meat to the story. It's just vibes and handwaving.

tl;dr:
The book suffers from frequent historical inaccuracies and presents modern feminist ideals in a 19th-century setting in a manner that feels inauthentic.
The portrayal of women as witless fools and most men as sexist is shallow and offensive.
While the writing flow and pacing are commendable, the romance is clichéd and superficial, and the story lacks substance. show less

Thoughts on this booked in a word? OBSESSED!

This one has been on my TBR since Christmas and once I finally got to it this week, I DEVOURED IT!

After India Steele's fiance stole her inheritance and promptly dumped her, she is desperate. It isn't easy for a woman alone in 1890's London and things are about to be a whole lot worse as she's kicked out of her rented room for her inability to pay. A gifted watchmaker/repairer like her father before her, India fortuitously meets the enigmatic Matthew Glass. Mr. Glass not only offers India a paying job for a weeks time, but provides her with lodgings while he is in London from America looking for a mysterious watchmaker he met five years prior who has all but vanished. Mr. Glass's obsession show more with finding this watchmaker seems odd at first, but when India spys Mr. Glass' watch emitting strange green light that seems to seep into his veins when he appears tired and ill, rejuvenating him, she begins to wonder if there is more to his story then he is letting on. Using her connections from her previous work as her fathers assistant, India and Matthew make their rounds to all the watchmakers in London to inquire about this mysterious man who Matthew is desperate to find. When her once fellow colleagues begin to shun her, and some worse, seem to fear her, India isn't sure what to think. When rumors swirl of a dangerous American outlaw on the loose in London, India thinks she may have made a bargain with a very dangerous man indeed.

Stellar read guys! A superbly well written novel that was the perfect blend of mystery and fantasy. C.J Archer did a phenomenal job of playing her cards close to her chest with this one; I found myself rooting for India and Mr. Glass from page one even despite his shady past and uncertain agenda. The supporting characters were so well written and likable I found myself not even caring that we (the reader) weren't too sure of their past or intentions. The plot was well paced and interesting. There were quite a few moments of heart pounding action ranging from intense fight scenes to steamy lust. I'll just go ahead and let you all know now that I have a major literary crush on Matthew Glass.... I'm not even gonna lie.....as far as fictional characters go he's swoon worthy.

I am jumping into the next in the series, The Mapmaker Apprentice now and can't wait to follow along in India and Matthews next adventure! show less

Very enjoyable book, although I did think India sometimes seemed very determined to grab the wrong end of the stick with regards to all the different plot threads. Any time she came up with a theory for what was going on, I could tell it was a wrong theory, but I don't think that was all her fault. For example, she spent a good portion of the book convinced the watchmakers in London were afraid of her because two years ago they denied her entrance to the watchmaker's guild. There's no reason why she should think there's an alternate explanation in book, but from the reader's perspective it's obvious that there's something else going on.

Despite disagreeing with her assessment of what was actually going on at every turn though, I did show more quite like India and enjoyed the relationship she's starting to build with Matt. show less

{First of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2016)

India Steele, the watchmaker's daughter with a talent for fixing timepieces, expected to inherit her father's business. Instead, her fiancé tricked her out of it and dumped her, leaving her with no money and no home and, as a woman, India has no recourse. And, though her father was a member of the watchmakers' guild, they refused to accept India as a member, since she's a woman, so she has no professional support.

Matt Glass - tall, dark, handsome and well muscled - is half English, half American and has come to London with his friends and his very American cousin to find a particular watchmaker who is the only one who can mend his special watch - but time is running show more out.

India can help him with her knowledge of the watchmakers of London and so he employs her. However things don’t go smoothly for them as they realise that the watchmakers' guild has something against India when their members are reluctant to talk to her. And, as they travel around London, someone seems to be following Matt.

India realises that Matt and his friends are keeping information from her; his watch has strange properties, though he tries to hide it, and the newspapers are full of articles about ‘the Dark Rider’, a dangerous outlaw from America who arrived in England at around the same time as Matt.

On top of all this, there is the unexpected addition to Matt’s household of his very English aunt, Miss Letitia Glass, who is also the sister of the Baron of Rycroft.

What has India got herself into?

The book is set in Victorian times though it cheerfully ignores the strict propriety of the era to focus on the story of Matt’s unusual watch and the unfairness of the guild’s treatment of India. There are some moments of ...er ... close contact between the protagonists, though mild enough that the story still qualifies as young adult.

Oddly, for an Australian author writing about Victorian London, there were some Americanisms scattered around in odd places (not necessarily from the American characters) such as when the upper class English Miss Glass mentioned that someone had ‘fixed a meal’ for her.

These were small issues. On the whole, this was lighthearted and fun and easy to read. I'm looking forward to following India's and Matt's further adventures.

(October 2023)
3.5 stars show less

I was on the Kobo app looking at the free ebooks available when this one caught my eye. The front cover is stunning! Not finding a blurb, I put my keen powers of observation to use and made the assumption that this novel was going to have an historical setting and would feature the daughter of a watchmaker. "The Watchmaker's Daughter" turned out to be a delightful read, from the first page.

I loved India. She was sassy and intelligent and had me smiling all through this novel with her antics and snarky comments. The dialogue between her and Mr Glass was a highlight. If fact all the characters were great - Matt, Willie, Cyclops and Duke. It was obvious they weren't who they appeared to be so I enjoyed learning about their backstories.

I show more was actually surprised when I came to the end as I was expecting at least one more chapter. Set in Victorian England, "The Watchmaker's Daughter" was a light, entertaining read with a good mystery, lots of adventure, a touch of magic and a gentle romance. India Steele and Matt Glass are perfect together and I want to discover what adventures the author next has planned for the two of them. show less

In “The Watchmaker’s Daughter”, C.J. Archer creates a charming world of Victorian romance and light magic. It tells the story of India Steele, a 27-year-old woman on a quest to start afresh after her father’s death and her ex-fiancé’s betrayal. Set in late 19th-century London, the novel showcases a world rich in guild traditions and concealed magic. The world-building strikes a balance between historical accuracy and whimsical fantasy. I liked how Archer included a slow-burn romance in the story. The relationship between India and Mr. Glass develops slowly, avoiding the cliché of “instant love,” which is a nice change for this genre.

India stands out as a strong and determined woman, adding to the highlights of the story. show more As the daughter of a master watchmaker, her independence and skill make her a relatable and engaging protagonist. The enigmatic Mr. Glass and his crew added an element of intrigue, leaving me curious about their motives and background. The mix of British nobility, American outlaws, and magical watches was a total blast, making the adventure feel just right.

What Didn’t Resonate with Me
Although I liked the characters, I thought they could have been better developed at times. Although India’s insight and independence were well-established, the other characters, particularly Mr. Glass, needed more backstory to be fully understood. The potential for a slow-burn romance between India and Mr. Glass was there, but the attraction felt underdeveloped, lacking a believable progression.

Predictable plot twists took away from the suspense of the story. Moreover, the book often seemed more like an introduction to the series rather than a complete story. There wasn’t much of a plot and the characters didn’t really change, so it felt like I was waiting for something that never happened.

Read more at https://www.summonfantasy.com/reviews/the-watchmaker-s-daughter-a-victorian-hist.... show less