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Computer technician Jack Fletcher is no hero, despite his unwelcome reputation as one. In fact, he's just been the victim of bizarre circumstances. Like now. His sister happens to disturb one of his nanoelectromechanical system experiments, and now they aren't where they're supposed to be. In fact, they're not sure where they are when they wake up to see a woman with the reddest hair Jack has ever seen--and a gun. Octavia Pye is an Aerocorps captain with a whole lot of secrets, and she's not show more about to see her maiden voyage ruined by stowaways. But the sparks flying between her and Jack just may cause her airship to combust and ignite a passion that will forever change the world as she knows it. show lessTags
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I've forced myself through a lot of mediocre books, but this one I gave up on after 130 pages. I was disappointed on a number of levels: for one, I love steampunk and was intrigued at a romance using the setting. I've also heard a lot of good things about MacAlister's books. So what went wrong here?
The characters.
The characters are all caricatures, completely over-the-top and too wacky to be believed. The male lead comes across as a pig. The first time he meets the heroine, all he can focus on are her boobs and other body parts. Then every other time he meets her it's the same thing. At one point, along with the rest of her airship crew--they have a FULL DISCUSSION on her beauty and body parts, right in front of her. Um, excuse me? show more She's supposed to be a mature airship captain in her 30s, but she comes across as wishy-washy and completely inept as a commander. A case in point: she's been captain of this crew for a week, and her annoyingly-over-the-top Spanish crewman claims to possess her and has thrown himself at her naked, and what does she do? Nothing. She's embarrassed, like a school girl dismissing a boy's crush. The guy should be in the brig.
There's also the male lead's sister, who causes their transference to this alternate steampunk version of Earth by being Too Stupid to Live. I could cope with that as an initial plot device, but when she continued to be TSTL, she became the most annoying character of all. Which was really saying something with this cast. show less
The characters.
The characters are all caricatures, completely over-the-top and too wacky to be believed. The male lead comes across as a pig. The first time he meets the heroine, all he can focus on are her boobs and other body parts. Then every other time he meets her it's the same thing. At one point, along with the rest of her airship crew--they have a FULL DISCUSSION on her beauty and body parts, right in front of her. Um, excuse me? show more She's supposed to be a mature airship captain in her 30s, but she comes across as wishy-washy and completely inept as a commander. A case in point: she's been captain of this crew for a week, and her annoyingly-over-the-top Spanish crewman claims to possess her and has thrown himself at her naked, and what does she do? Nothing. She's embarrassed, like a school girl dismissing a boy's crush. The guy should be in the brig.
There's also the male lead's sister, who causes their transference to this alternate steampunk version of Earth by being Too Stupid to Live. I could cope with that as an initial plot device, but when she continued to be TSTL, she became the most annoying character of all. Which was really saying something with this cast. show less
I tried. I tried so hard.
The main character, Jack, is the most insufferable asshole in romance history. He's a nerdy Quaker nanoelectrical engineer who loves cons and Steampunk and hasn't met a woman he can't seduce. Oh and everyone thinks he's Indiana Jones. From the second he's introduced to Octavia, the love interest, he treats her like dirt. Even if you wake up on a dirigible and believe yourself to be at a convention, you should no openly oggle a woman's breasts. You certainly cannot touch them, or her, after she tells you to stop. You should never make a woman so uncomfortable with her body that you force her to button her coat so you'll stop sexually harassing her. And if you do all of these things, she will not fall madly in show more lust with you. And I will not read your terrible novel where this seems like a logical and reasonable course of action.
I stopped reading once on page 89, when Jack and Olivia "share" their first kiss.
ENTHUSIASTIC CONSENT. PLEASE LEARN THE CONCEPT, AUTHORS.
But, despite how badly that line pushes my buttons, I soldiered on until page 111-112 when I actually threw the book across the room. Emphasis mine.
So you pumped a crewmember for information on this woman you just met, found out about the greatest tragedy in her life, confronted her about her dead parents, and then, what, felt bad when your dick wilted? I can totally see why your secretary, who you mock behind you hand, wants another go. I'm going to stop there. Let's not ruin what we have, Jack. show less
The main character, Jack, is the most insufferable asshole in romance history. He's a nerdy Quaker nanoelectrical engineer who loves cons and Steampunk and hasn't met a woman he can't seduce. Oh and everyone thinks he's Indiana Jones. From the second he's introduced to Octavia, the love interest, he treats her like dirt. Even if you wake up on a dirigible and believe yourself to be at a convention, you should no openly oggle a woman's breasts. You certainly cannot touch them, or her, after she tells you to stop. You should never make a woman so uncomfortable with her body that you force her to button her coat so you'll stop sexually harassing her. And if you do all of these things, she will not fall madly in show more lust with you. And I will not read your terrible novel where this seems like a logical and reasonable course of action.
I stopped reading once on page 89, when Jack and Olivia "share" their first kiss.
"I'm going to kiss you, Octavia Emmaline Pye."
"You may refer to me as Captain Pye, and I decline your offer," I said, a bit breathless to be true. *snip*
"Your mind says no, but your body says yes," he said, gently, persistently tugging me closer to him.
ENTHUSIASTIC CONSENT. PLEASE LEARN THE CONCEPT, AUTHORS.
But, despite how badly that line pushes my buttons, I soldiered on until page 111-112 when I actually threw the book across the room. Emphasis mine.
I shook away the memory of her mouth so softly enticing beneath mine and made an effort to focus on the words that emerged from between those delectable, delicious lips. "Sorry, you asked me what? Oh, what would interest us both? I though you could tell me a little bit about your father."
Her gaze left my lips, the pupils flaring. "My father? Robert Ansthruther?"
"Yes. Matt said you were missing him. I take it he's dead?"
"He's gone, yes." She bowed her head. "And I do miss both him and his wife, Jane. As I mentioned, they were my foster parents, not my true parents, but I could not love them more if they had been."
"Does it upset you to talk about them?" I asked, my erection dying in the face of her grief. I wanted to comfort her, to take her in my arms and protect her from the sadness in the world, but I had as suspicion if I touched her, my dick would take control again.
So you pumped a crewmember for information on this woman you just met, found out about the greatest tragedy in her life, confronted her about her dead parents, and then, what, felt bad when your dick wilted? I can totally see why your secretary, who you mock behind you hand, wants another go. I'm going to stop there. Let's not ruin what we have, Jack. show less
This is absolutely the best alternate universe / steampunk / romance / pirate adventure I've ever read. It's also the ONLY alternate universe / steampunk / romance / pirate adventure I've ever read and, with any luck, will the the last.
It's all terribly silly, with great chunks of action off-page and summed up in a sentence. One chapter ends with our protagonists locked up and facing certain execution, and the next begins with them running down an alley and telling each other how lucky it was that XXX happened so that they could escape. They also have a tendency to leap upon each other's bones any time they have five minutes to spare, despite the press of events (like needing to escape from the bad guys or rescue someone).
The only show more saving grace of this book is that it doesn't take itself at all seriously. The sex scenes are uniformly PG-rated, the steampunk technology is kept firmly in the background, and the characters -- if highly unbelievable -- are at least amusing. show less
It's all terribly silly, with great chunks of action off-page and summed up in a sentence. One chapter ends with our protagonists locked up and facing certain execution, and the next begins with them running down an alley and telling each other how lucky it was that XXX happened so that they could escape. They also have a tendency to leap upon each other's bones any time they have five minutes to spare, despite the press of events (like needing to escape from the bad guys or rescue someone).
The only show more saving grace of this book is that it doesn't take itself at all seriously. The sex scenes are uniformly PG-rated, the steampunk technology is kept firmly in the background, and the characters -- if highly unbelievable -- are at least amusing. show less
Jack Fletcher and his sister, Hallie, are involved in a nanotechnology accident that causes them to travel, not through time, but sideways to a Victorian science fiction-like world. They end up on a ship manned, or Captain-ed, by Octavia Pye. Octavia is suspicious of her unexpected guests. Jack cannot believe his luck, that he has landed in the steampunk world he adores. Along their journey they are attacked by pirates, Hallie is taken away, and they are dealing with the resistance to the king ...all while Jack and Octavia develop a relationship.
The book was quirky and humorous, very enjoyable. This was my first foray into Steampunk and Katie MacAlister, and I will definitely be back!
The book was quirky and humorous, very enjoyable. This was my first foray into Steampunk and Katie MacAlister, and I will definitely be back!
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Pros: The warmth and humor in this book are laugh-out-loud funny.
Cons: It took me a little while to get to know the characters and really care about them.
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Jack Fletcher's life keeps taking unexpected turns, leaving him (despite his protests) with the reputation of a hero. In another unexpected turn, his sister interferes with one of his delicate nanoelectrical experiments, casting the two of them into another place. To their surprise, they've found themselves on the airship captained by Captain Olivia Pye. Olivia's got her hands full enough with her new ship and crew on her maiden voyage as a captain, but she's unexpectedly developing a soft spot for Jack. He's not immune to her either, and the two of show more them find themselves growing closer together through the perils of airship flying. But when Jack's sister is kidnapped by the Emperor's guards, they find themselves in a race to save her life.
After reading Gail Carriger's amazing Soulless,the steampunk genre has become one of my new guilty pleasures. That's why I was so excited to review "Steamed", and Ms. MacAlister doesn't disappoint! I adored the dynamics between Jack and Olivia (which had a lot to do with the absence of a lot of both characters' shame about their sexuality). There are also a lot of really fun interactions between the crew of Olivia's airship, as if they are all one big family.
I have to admit, though, that I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy watching these characters fall in love at first; it takes them a little while to start reacting to more than just what's happening to them at the moment. When the sparks really start to fly between Jack and Olivia is when the story really opened up its world and sucked me in.
What I adored the most about Jack and Olivia's relationship is the manner in which they approach their sexuality. I read a lot of historical romances, and I loved the fact that other than (mostly) outwardly honoring Victorian notions of propriety Olivia is not only not a virgin but not ashamed of sexual desire. It makes for a VERY refreshing change from all of the proper misses with strange new yearnings that I seem to see. Jack's perspective on love, and the resulting way that he decides to convince Olivia that she loves him, had my husband and I laughing until we were in tears.
Ms. McAlister's warm humor is evident throughout the book, from Jack and Olivia's interactions to the crew members heckling each other. There's another howlingly hilarious scene where one of the crew members tries to show Olivia and Jack exactly why he's back on the ship so early, and why he can't go back to his previous company. Picturing their faces was priceless. I won't tell you any more for fear of spoiling it, but it's a wonderful piece of raunchy humor that simply shouldn't be missed.
The adventure is a fun one to get lost in, but there are several political elements and I was never quite certain what all of their purposes and goals were. I suspect that those who are more familiar with the genre may find it a bit easier. That being said, that minor confusion really didn't detract all that much from my enjoyment of the book. It also made the peril seem more real, because many times I was just as bewildered as Jack was.
Jack's bewilderment can also be comical at times, because before he got sucked into this timeline, he was a steampunk fan. It's great to watch his ideas of what steampunk should be become readjusted in the face of his new reality. His seeming obsession (to Olivia) with goggles being a part of dress actually sparked a rather comically heated discussion between the hubby and I over whether or not goggles were necessary for something to be steampunk. (Ah, geeks in love...) In a way, it's as if Ms. MacAlister is poking gentle fun at some of the more common tropes.
If you're looking for a book about two characters who love each other and aren't ashamed to show it, this book is a great read. Ditto if you like witty humor and wordplay. Although some of the political elements can be a bit confusing at times, the human element more than makes up for it. I just loved watching the characters banter back and forth, letting their uniqueness drive a good deal of the humor. I've seen plenty of relationships with that same element, and so it made an ostensibly historical romance much more relevant to my world. Much like steampunk fuses Victoriana with technology, this book fuses slightly more modern warmth and humor with the feel of a historical. I loved it, and I can't recommend it enough! show less
Cons: It took me a little while to get to know the characters and really care about them.
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Jack Fletcher's life keeps taking unexpected turns, leaving him (despite his protests) with the reputation of a hero. In another unexpected turn, his sister interferes with one of his delicate nanoelectrical experiments, casting the two of them into another place. To their surprise, they've found themselves on the airship captained by Captain Olivia Pye. Olivia's got her hands full enough with her new ship and crew on her maiden voyage as a captain, but she's unexpectedly developing a soft spot for Jack. He's not immune to her either, and the two of show more them find themselves growing closer together through the perils of airship flying. But when Jack's sister is kidnapped by the Emperor's guards, they find themselves in a race to save her life.
After reading Gail Carriger's amazing Soulless,the steampunk genre has become one of my new guilty pleasures. That's why I was so excited to review "Steamed", and Ms. MacAlister doesn't disappoint! I adored the dynamics between Jack and Olivia (which had a lot to do with the absence of a lot of both characters' shame about their sexuality). There are also a lot of really fun interactions between the crew of Olivia's airship, as if they are all one big family.
I have to admit, though, that I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy watching these characters fall in love at first; it takes them a little while to start reacting to more than just what's happening to them at the moment. When the sparks really start to fly between Jack and Olivia is when the story really opened up its world and sucked me in.
What I adored the most about Jack and Olivia's relationship is the manner in which they approach their sexuality. I read a lot of historical romances, and I loved the fact that other than (mostly) outwardly honoring Victorian notions of propriety Olivia is not only not a virgin but not ashamed of sexual desire. It makes for a VERY refreshing change from all of the proper misses with strange new yearnings that I seem to see. Jack's perspective on love, and the resulting way that he decides to convince Olivia that she loves him, had my husband and I laughing until we were in tears.
Ms. McAlister's warm humor is evident throughout the book, from Jack and Olivia's interactions to the crew members heckling each other. There's another howlingly hilarious scene where one of the crew members tries to show Olivia and Jack exactly why he's back on the ship so early, and why he can't go back to his previous company. Picturing their faces was priceless. I won't tell you any more for fear of spoiling it, but it's a wonderful piece of raunchy humor that simply shouldn't be missed.
The adventure is a fun one to get lost in, but there are several political elements and I was never quite certain what all of their purposes and goals were. I suspect that those who are more familiar with the genre may find it a bit easier. That being said, that minor confusion really didn't detract all that much from my enjoyment of the book. It also made the peril seem more real, because many times I was just as bewildered as Jack was.
Jack's bewilderment can also be comical at times, because before he got sucked into this timeline, he was a steampunk fan. It's great to watch his ideas of what steampunk should be become readjusted in the face of his new reality. His seeming obsession (to Olivia) with goggles being a part of dress actually sparked a rather comically heated discussion between the hubby and I over whether or not goggles were necessary for something to be steampunk. (Ah, geeks in love...) In a way, it's as if Ms. MacAlister is poking gentle fun at some of the more common tropes.
If you're looking for a book about two characters who love each other and aren't ashamed to show it, this book is a great read. Ditto if you like witty humor and wordplay. Although some of the political elements can be a bit confusing at times, the human element more than makes up for it. I just loved watching the characters banter back and forth, letting their uniqueness drive a good deal of the humor. I've seen plenty of relationships with that same element, and so it made an ostensibly historical romance much more relevant to my world. Much like steampunk fuses Victoriana with technology, this book fuses slightly more modern warmth and humor with the feel of a historical. I loved it, and I can't recommend it enough! show less
When Jack and his sister Hallie are involved in a lab accident, they wake up to find themselves in a steampunk alternate universe. Octavia is the captain of the airship where Jack and Hallie suddenly appear, dressed in strange clothing. But Octavia finds herself drawn to Jack despite his odd manner and dress. So when headstrong Hallie is kidnapped and imprisoned by the emperor’s men, Olivia agrees to help Jack at all costs.
Steamed is a light and fun romance in a fabulous steampunk world. The characters are humorous and incredibly likeable. The story was predictable and seemed rushed. But the strengths were the worldbuilding and eccentric characters. I would love to see another story set in this world. Hopefully, the author will bring show more us back here again! show less
Steamed is a light and fun romance in a fabulous steampunk world. The characters are humorous and incredibly likeable. The story was predictable and seemed rushed. But the strengths were the worldbuilding and eccentric characters. I would love to see another story set in this world. Hopefully, the author will bring show more us back here again! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Sounded like it could be an amusing, light read from the cover blurb, but turned out to be oh so disappointing.
I was hoping for a steampunk novel with perhaps a little steamy romance thrown in. Instead, I got an overblown erotic romance with some flimsy steampunk trappings.
The female lead, Octavia Pye, a rare female airship captain, looked on the surface like an interesting character but by a third of the way into the book had devolved into a completely unbelievable mishmash of uncertainty and oddly prudish sex-kitten. I totally lost faith in her as a "leader", and the list of past lovers she'd had that turned out to be key elements of the plot was ridiculous.
The characterization of the male lead, Jack Fletcher, on the other hand, was show more all over the place. When first introduced, before the alleged steampunk elements come into play, he seems to be a bookish, professorial type. Once the action heats up, he suddenly becomes a combination of super action hero, MacGyver and lecherous pervert.
I'm kind of sorry I finished the whole thing, but I had passed my self-imposed "quit if you don't like it by 50 pages" cut off point and it hadn't gotten too bad. Unfortunately, it just got worse the farther I went. The steampunk setting was poorly done; the supporting characters were such stereotypical caricatures that it was painful; the revelations about the characters' secrets were either haphazard or built up to with such intense drama that the ultimate reveal was a let down.
And the dialog...oh don't get me started. The dialog was so trite and ridiculous that I cringed in most of the scenes in the second half of the book. Especially in what were ostensibly supposed to be romance scenes. The sex scenes in this novel were laughable -- I'm assuming they were supposed to be light but passionate. But they came off as jokes. And there was NO romance...it was all just sex. By the last 50 pages, I got to the point that I didn't even care if they were executed after getting caught having sex in a secret passage of the imperial palace -- frankly they deserved to be killed!
Sigh...I'm only giving it 1 1/2 stars for the idea behind it and the cover illustration. What's between the covers was a disappointing mess. show less
I was hoping for a steampunk novel with perhaps a little steamy romance thrown in. Instead, I got an overblown erotic romance with some flimsy steampunk trappings.
The female lead, Octavia Pye, a rare female airship captain, looked on the surface like an interesting character but by a third of the way into the book had devolved into a completely unbelievable mishmash of uncertainty and oddly prudish sex-kitten. I totally lost faith in her as a "leader", and the list of past lovers she'd had that turned out to be key elements of the plot was ridiculous.
The characterization of the male lead, Jack Fletcher, on the other hand, was show more all over the place. When first introduced, before the alleged steampunk elements come into play, he seems to be a bookish, professorial type. Once the action heats up, he suddenly becomes a combination of super action hero, MacGyver and lecherous pervert.
I'm kind of sorry I finished the whole thing, but I had passed my self-imposed "quit if you don't like it by 50 pages" cut off point and it hadn't gotten too bad. Unfortunately, it just got worse the farther I went. The steampunk setting was poorly done; the supporting characters were such stereotypical caricatures that it was painful; the revelations about the characters' secrets were either haphazard or built up to with such intense drama that the ultimate reveal was a let down.
And the dialog...oh don't get me started. The dialog was so trite and ridiculous that I cringed in most of the scenes in the second half of the book. Especially in what were ostensibly supposed to be romance scenes. The sex scenes in this novel were laughable -- I'm assuming they were supposed to be light but passionate. But they came off as jokes. And there was NO romance...it was all just sex. By the last 50 pages, I got to the point that I didn't even care if they were executed after getting caught having sex in a secret passage of the imperial palace -- frankly they deserved to be killed!
Sigh...I'm only giving it 1 1/2 stars for the idea behind it and the cover illustration. What's between the covers was a disappointing mess. show less
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Author Information
102+ Works 26,134 Members
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Awards and Honors
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Steamed
- Original publication date
- 2010-02-02
- People/Characters
- Octavia Pye; Jack Fletcher; Mister Llama; Halle Fletcher
- Dedication
- My heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to Aleta Pardalis, Zita Hildebrandt, and Kat Robb for all their support, no matter how wacky things get. I hope you all enjoy this taste of something new and different.
- First words
- "Good morning, Jack.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"First and only mate," she added, melting in my arms.
- Original language
- English
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Statistics
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- 552
- Popularity
- 53,419
- Reviews
- 40
- Rating
- (2.67)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 9
