I’ve read Kirsten’s Series, so when I heard about her newest adventure, a steam punk paranormal suspense, I had to read it.
The title is perfect and the cover art is spectacular. That’s two things I look for in a book.
How important is that when you are choosing a book to read?
Check out my review and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
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Steam and Sensibility
Sensibility Grey, #1
Genre: Steampunk Paranormal Suspense
Author: Kirsten Weiss
Print Length: 235 pages
Publisher: Misterio Press
Publication Date: March 17, 2014
ASIN: B00J2MY35A / ISBN: 0985510390
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MY REVIEW
When Sensibility Grey’s father dies, he leaves her to fend off the creditors. She manages to retain just a few of his things. One of them being his journal.
That journal lands Sensibility in a world of trouble. Someone wants what’s in those pages, and they follow her as she travels to San Francisco to live with her Uncle Corbin.
Once her ship docks in San Francisco, Sensibility can’t help but notice no one is around. It’s 1848 and the gold rush is happening. Every man has rushed to strike it rich, leaving very few in the town.
It appears that Sensibility is left at the docks. Her Uncle never arrives. She knows it’s not wise for a young lady to be alone. All kinds of bad things can happen. So when a stranger attacks her from behind and drags her into an empty shack, she fears the worse. Turns out, though she doesn’t trust the stranger, she needs her. There are some pretty bad men outside, looking for her. They have her uncle and now they want her. Or rather, they want his journal, and they are prepared to do whatever it takes to get it.
The first thing that jumped out at me in this book was the descriptive writing. I visualized the empty sea port and the dusty, abandoned looking town. I could almost smell the brine of the salt water and feel the dry heat burning down on me. And I could almost hear the silence.
Sensibility is true to her name. She may be a bit naive, but she’s smart and confident, and doesn’t tend to panic. Well, except for a few times, and I didn’t blame her for those. I would have too.
The author gave me some bad guys to loathe, and a couple of characters that I wasn’t too sure about. One claimed to be working for the government, but something about her didn’t sit well with me. She was too secretive and too pushy.
The other was a lawyer. Enough said. Just kidding. At first, I wasn’t too sure about him, then I decided he was a good guy. Then I thought, nope, he’s a bad guy. Then I just kept reading to find out.
There were humorous scenes and witty dialogue to ease the suspense now and then. I thank the author for the break as this was such a tangled web of intrigue, suspense, and adventure. Quite lively.
As this is a pre-steam novel there were’nt too many nifty creations. Sensibility tinkered with a couple and I believe any new creations of hers would be even more amazing than her father’s. She has a knack for it. There was one near the end that was quite scary. The author got really creative with what’s used to power the machines. It added a bit of a supernatural element to the read and I could see where it might have repercussions if it wound up in the wrong hands.
If you enjoyed the old television series Wild, Wild West or watched the movie starring Will Smith you’ll visualize this adventure as it plays out.
You don’t have to be a steam punk fan to enjoy Steam and Sensibility and I highly recommend you give it a try.
4 STARS
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California Territory, 1848. Gold has been discovered, emptying the village of San Francisco of its male population. Steam-powered technology is still in its infancy.
At 19, Englishwoman Sensibility Grey has spent her life tinkering in her father’s laboratory and missing the finer points of proper British life. But when her father dies in penury, she’s shipped to San Francisco and to the protection of an uncle she’s never met.
The California Territory may hold more dangers than even the indomitable Miss Grey can manage. Pursued by government agents, a secret society, and the enigmatic Mr. Krieg Night, Sensibility must decipher the clockwork secrets in her father’s final journal, unaware she’ll change the world forever.
Magic, mayhem, and mechanicals. STEAM AND SENSIBILITY is a pre-Steampunk novel of paranormal suspense set in the wild west of the California gold rush.
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo
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Author Kirsten Weiss
Kirsten Weiss is the author of the Steampunk novel, Steam and Sensibility, and the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mysteries: the urban fantasy, The Metaphysical Detective, The Alchemical Detective, The Shamanic Detective, andThe Infernal Detective.
Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.
Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes paranormal mysteries, blending her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.
Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer reruns and drinking good wine. You can connect with Kirsten through the social media sites below, and if the mood strikes you, send her an e-mail at kirsten_weiss2001@yahoo.com
AUTHOR CONTACT LINK:
Goodreads ~ Newsletter ~ Google+Page
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GRAND PRIZE: Signed copy of Steam and Sensibility
RUNNERS UP: 3 runners-up will each receive an eBook of Steam and Sensibility
Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.
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