fuonlyknew

I’m excited to be hosting a stop for the Artifact Hunters tour that features Nefertiti’s Heart and Hatshepsut’s Collar by A.W. Exley.   This series is new adult / Mystery / Steampunk, recommended for ages 16+ (there’s some mature content). The tour runs March 3-14th.  Check out the tour page for the full list of tour stops.

Nefertiti’s Heart (Artifact Hunters #1) by A.W. Exley

Page Count: 284 pages

Published: February 4th, 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press

Genre: NA/Mystery/Steampunk

Recommended Age: 16 and up

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*****

My Review

Many people tagged this as steampunk, but I’m going with a Victorian murder mystery with elements of steampunk. For instance, there are mechanical horses that pull the carriages, cyborg servers, and mechanical artifacts.

I would have liked to see more of those elements, but the murder mystery more than filled the gap. The way the victims were slain had  an ancient ritualistic feel to them and were pretty brutal. The author kept me hopping from suspect to suspect and it was in no way obvious who the killer was.

I was also expecting more swashbuckling action as Nathaniel Lords was a sky pirate with his own airship. He does play the dual roles of villain and hero quite well. He sent the thugs to recover an artifact and they almost killed Cara. Later, I’m sure he’s glad they didn’t.

After many years away, Cara returned to London to settle her father’s affairs upon his passing. Not surprising, she’s only interested in the money to be had. Afterall, he did sell her into slavery to protect his precious artifacts. If she can follow his clues and recover them, she’ll be a very rich woman. Luck was on her side when the thugs attacked her, because she survived.

About the characters. There weren’t many I connected with. I did become fond of Cara, but some of her choices didn’t feel quite right. After her traumatic past, she seemed to accept Nates attention rather easily.

Maybe it’s because of her past that she was willing to let him assume the alpha role and stay under his wing. How do I know what’s the appropriate response and actions. That’s where fiction steps in and takes you where it does. I just let go and enjoyed the ride.

The romance between the two main characters is rather quick and hints at something more serious to come.

While Nefertiti’s Heart wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it was entertaining and my favorite part, the serial murderer, was very well done. I’m thinking the next book, Hatshepsut’s Collar, will have more fun and intrigue, and like with most books in a series, be even better. I’ll be reading it to find out.

4 STARS

*****

Stop back by tomorrow for my review of Hatshepsut’s Collar!

*****

Cara Devon has always suffered curiosity and impetuousness, but tangling with a serial killer might cure that. Permanently.

London, 1861. Impoverished noble Cara has a simple mission after the

strange death of her father – sell off his damned collection of

priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when aristocratic beauties start

dying of broken hearts, an eight inch long brass key hammered through

their chests. A killer hunts amongst the nobility, searching for a regal

beauty and an ancient Egyptian relic rumored to hold the key to

immortality.

Her Majesty’s Enforcers are in pursuit of the murderer and they see a

connection between the gruesome deaths and Cara. So does she, somewhere

in London her father hid Nefertiti’s Heart, a fist sized diamond with

strange mechanical workings. Adding further complication to her life,

notorious crime lord, Viscount Nathaniel Lyons is relentless in his

desire to lay his hands on Cara and the priceless artifact. If only she

could figure out his motive.

Self-preservation fuels Cara’s search for the gem. In a society where

everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure

out who to trust, before she makes a fatal mistake.

Hatshepsut’s Collar (Artifact Hunters #2) by A.W. Exley

Page Count: 274
Published: November 13th, 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press

An ancient Egyptian artifact is driving Queen Victoria insane, and that’s not top of Cara Devon’s growing list of problems.

Viscount Nathaniel Lyons is a man of numerous secrets, but there is one in particular that threatens his fledgling relationship with Cara. Stunned by Nate’s revelation, and before she can absorb the ramifications of his actions, he is arrested, charged with treason and imprisoned in the grim Tower of London. He stole something the mad queen wants, and only has days to deliver, before his date with the executioner.

Although sorely tempted, Cara can’t let him die on Tower Green, not when their connection means she would share his fate.

Only together can Cara and Nate figure out how to wrestle Hatshepsut’s Collar from around the queen’s neck, before she plunges Britain into a world war. The search for answers sends Cara to the opulent Winter Palace of St Petersburg and the frozen depths of Siberia, with every step shadowed by an enemy with his own dark plans.

Anita Exley’s Biography:

Books and writing have always been an enormous part of A.W. Exley’s life.

She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.

Today, Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.