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Bustlepunk Chronicles #1
Wanted: One Scoundrel
(26,000 words)
All suffragette Esme Smith wants is a man. A scoundrel to be precise. Someone who can be persuaded to represent her political views at men-only clubs. As the daughter of the richest man in Australia, Esme can afford to make it worth the right man's while.
Fresh off the boat, American inventor Jed Reeve is intrigued by Esme's proposal, but even more interested in the beauty herself. Amused that she takes him for a man who lives by his wits, he accepts the job—made easier by the fact that he already shares her ideals. Soon, he finds himself caught up in political intrigue, kidnapping and blackmail, and trying to convince his employer he's more than just a scoundrel...
All suffragette Esme Smith wants is a man. A scoundrel to be precise. Someone who can be persuaded to represent her political views at men-only clubs. As the daughter of the richest man in Australia, Esme can afford to make it worth the right man's while.
Fresh off the boat, American inventor Jed Reeve is intrigued by Esme's proposal, but even more interested in the beauty herself. Amused that she takes him for a man who lives by his wits, he accepts the job—made easier by the fact that he already shares her ideals. Soon, he finds himself caught up in political intrigue, kidnapping and blackmail, and trying to convince his employer he's more than just a scoundrel...
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Schwartz
110 books565 followersAustralian science fiction and fantasy author.
Avid reader.
Jenny Schwartz has a degree in sociology and history, and a lifelong fascination with understanding people. Her character-driven science fiction and fantasy novels explore other worlds and how people navigate strange situations and complicated emotions, while retaining their sense of self. Her plots are twisty and unexpected.
***
I've curated my bookshelf to share books which I hope readers of Caldryn Parliament will enjoy. With the older books, please be aware that they are a product of their times and read with care.
Avid reader.
Jenny Schwartz has a degree in sociology and history, and a lifelong fascination with understanding people. Her character-driven science fiction and fantasy novels explore other worlds and how people navigate strange situations and complicated emotions, while retaining their sense of self. Her plots are twisty and unexpected.
***
I've curated my bookshelf to share books which I hope readers of Caldryn Parliament will enjoy. With the older books, please be aware that they are a product of their times and read with care.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 12, 2025
Review of all three parts of a serialized, steampunk romance novel
Full disclosure: I’m not a devoted fan of steampunk, but I do enjoy historical romance that attempts to avoid anachronisms, and I was intrigued to see how this author would handle the alternate historical version of the late Victorian era in a steampunk format.
The three books in this trilogy must be read in order. Because this series is actually one long book divided into three parts, this review is for the whole trilogy. This series occurs in 1895 in a steampunk, fictionalized, sanitized version of the real-world city of Fremantle in Western Australia.
Esme Smith is a beautiful, shapely, intelligent, educated, extremely assertive, 22-year-old suffragette. Her political goal is universal voting rights for women and people of color, including East Indian immigrants and the native Australian people, the Nyungar.
Jedediah (Jed) Reeve is a 30-year-old, handsome, charming, educated, highly intelligent, financially independent inventor from a wealthy San Francisco family. His father is a US Senator. Jed travels frequently in order to confer with fellow inventors around the world. He has come to Australia to study the motion of kangaroos in order to apply its type of motion to his invention, a self-propelled "bounding-vehicle" powered by kinetic energy. (Jed's version of an automobile is treated in the story as some kind of wonderful accomplishment, but the description of it makes it sound as if it would be as uncomfortable as riding a bucking bronco and guaranteed to create whiplash injuries.)
Esme is up against wealthy white men who want to maintain all political power for themselves. She hires Jed to act as her go-between, standing up for her universal-suffrage principles in men-only clubs.
Similar to Jed, Esme's father is an inventor who struck it rich during the gold rush in Australia and is currently one of the wealthiest men in the whole of Australia. However, he has no interest in pursuing politics himself. He supports Esme's goals, but in the background. Which is why she has not considered using her father to represent her to the powerful men in Perth. Though her father has gained an enormous amount of gold already from his mine (the gold rush in Western Australia began in 1893), he has continued to dig for gold rather than relaxing with the massive amount of money he already has and working on his inventions. This choice is tangentially and vaguely motivated. I could only guess that it was due to grief because his beloved wife died in an unspecified accident two years before.
I enjoyed the no-sex romance between Esme and Jed for the most part. They are both honorable people and only have eyes for each other. They are not presented as asexual robots in the author's attempt to keep sex out of the story. It is obvious they are physically attracted to each other, but it is demonstrated in a discreet fashion that will not offend readers who prefer a so-called "clean" romance.
In terms of Esme's story goal as a suffragette, I was very disappointed in its resolution at the end of the third book. Throughout all three books, Esme is absolutely determined that she cannot marry Jed unless he thoroughly accepts her as a suffragette and is willing to be equal partners in their relationship, respecting her as a strong and self-sufficient human being. It has been typical of historical romances for the past 40 years that they must include the anachronistic Western ideal of an equal partnership in the HEA of marriage between the FMC and MMC. I assumed through the first two books almost to the end of the third book that that's what was going to happen. From my perspective, since Jed is footloose and fancy free and Esme is strongly rooted in Australia, the only resolution that made sense to me would have been for Jed to settle with Esme in Australia. Instead, without any angsting whatsoever over the decision, Esme is presented, in a manner that is utterly inconsistent with her previously vigorously stated values, as perfectly happy to give up all of her connections and influence in Western Australia as a rich, privileged white woman, to move to the city of San Francisco, where she will be an immigrant and an outsider. There was no attempt to mitigate this issue by stating that, as she is marrying into a powerful political family, she could certainly join the suffragette movement there. However, even if that had been included, it still wouldn't correct the fact that nothing she might achieve in the USA regarding voting rights would have any impact on the plight of the downtrodden in her native country, where she has invested all of her previous political efforts for years.
In terms of the action-adventure portion, to create a climactic scene with two separate villains in two of the books, Esme displays a lack of common sense when she falls for the exact ploy that each bad guy uses to convince her that, in the first instance, her father, and the second instance, Jed, has been kidnapped, so that she can ride to the rescue.
I knew very little about Western Australia in 1895 prior to reading this book, but I was intrigued enough to research it. Americans who don't bother to do that will definitely be much more able to suspend disbelief and accept the world-building offered by this Australian author. I would imagine that Australian readers will have a more difficult time, though, because this series diverges drastically in multiple significant ways from what actually existed in 1895, far beyond what can be explained by the magical pseudoscience that is a central feature of the steampunk genre.
This is one area that does have quite a bit of historical accuracy: The suffragette movement existed and was successful sooner in Australia than in the USA. White women achieved the vote in 1899 in Western Australia and in 1902 for all of Australia, as opposed to 1911 in California and 1920 for the whole USA. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 explicitly excluded Indigenous, Asian, and African women (and men) across most of Australia.
These are areas of frustrating historical inaccuracy in this series:
Feminist dress reform, especially abandoning unhealthy tight corsets, still existed in 1895, but bloomers were promoted by feminists in the 1850s and largely abandoned by the 1860s because of public ridicule. In the 1890s, in order to more safely be able to ride bicycles, divided skirts were worn by athletic feminists, not bloomers.
The story is set in the real-world town of Fremantle in what is inexplicably referred to as the Swan River Colony. (In the real world, the Swan River Colony was renamed the Colony of Western Australia over 60 years before in 1832.) In 1895 in the real world, Fremantle had a population of between 10,000 and 12,000. This is not a small town. However, the fictional Fremantle of this series is presented with the type of cohesion and familiarity between the residents that will be instantly recognizable to readers who enjoy the idealized, fictional small towns of Hallmark movies and the fictional, tiny Southern town of Mayberry of the Andy Griffith Show from the 1960s. Similar to those fantasy towns, in this series, everybody knows everybody else's business.
In addition, in this fictional Fremantle, there is a substantial population of East Indians, but in the real world, there is no indication of that existing in Western Australia in 1895. More realistically, there would actually have been a significant population of Chinese who had come to Australia for the Gold Rush, but there are no Chinese represented in the world-building of this series. In fact, Esme pointedly claims that Chinese people had not immigrated in noticeable numbers to Western Australia in response to Jed's descriptions of Chinatown in San Francisco.
In 1895, Fremantle was nothing like it is described in this novel. Municipal water and sewer infrastructure only began to be built in stages starting in 1911, and full implementation took almost a decade, until 1920. The indoor toilets and hot-and-cold running water in Esme's home did not exist in 1895, and no attempt is made to give a steampunk explanation for them. Before public sanitation, Fremantle homes used cesspits and/or backyard privies, which frequently overflowed, especially in winter. Lack of proper drainage caused human and animal waste to pool in yards and streets, contributing to a persistent foul odor and toxic air, as well as making it a disgusting slog to navigate the unpaved streets. In addition, privies and cesspits were often located dangerously close to wells, contaminating drinking water, which frequently led to outbreaks of typhoid, diphtheria, dysentery, and enteritis.
This novel includes a brief and superficial mention of the Nyungar. In 1895 in the real world, there were around 2000-3000 Nyungar living traditionally on their ancestral lands with their own dialects and cultural practices. They (and anyone of non-European descent, especially Chinese and East Indians) were denied the vote until 1962. This is far later than Native Americans in the USA, who gained that right in 1924. Native Australians were also forced onto missions and reserves under state legislation, similar to the reservation system experienced by Native Americans, only their living conditions were even worse. (Note that, though there was no direct connection with the voting rights movement in Australia, in a similar historical time frame, it was not until the enforcement mechanisms in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the USA that true universal suffrage, regardless of race, became the nationwide standard.)
The gold rush in Western Australia occurred in Kalgoorlie. The distance between it and Fremantle is 384 miles. In 1895, traveling that distance by horse, riding over constant rough terrain, would have taken between 15 to 21 days depending on weather, resources, and individual circumstances. It is highly improbable that the villain in the first book could have easily and quickly made that journey, and the presentation of the speed of traveling that route by Esme, Jed, and Esme's father is equally improbable.
Full disclosure: I’m not a devoted fan of steampunk, but I do enjoy historical romance that attempts to avoid anachronisms, and I was intrigued to see how this author would handle the alternate historical version of the late Victorian era in a steampunk format.
The three books in this trilogy must be read in order. Because this series is actually one long book divided into three parts, this review is for the whole trilogy. This series occurs in 1895 in a steampunk, fictionalized, sanitized version of the real-world city of Fremantle in Western Australia.
Esme Smith is a beautiful, shapely, intelligent, educated, extremely assertive, 22-year-old suffragette. Her political goal is universal voting rights for women and people of color, including East Indian immigrants and the native Australian people, the Nyungar.
Jedediah (Jed) Reeve is a 30-year-old, handsome, charming, educated, highly intelligent, financially independent inventor from a wealthy San Francisco family. His father is a US Senator. Jed travels frequently in order to confer with fellow inventors around the world. He has come to Australia to study the motion of kangaroos in order to apply its type of motion to his invention, a self-propelled "bounding-vehicle" powered by kinetic energy. (Jed's version of an automobile is treated in the story as some kind of wonderful accomplishment, but the description of it makes it sound as if it would be as uncomfortable as riding a bucking bronco and guaranteed to create whiplash injuries.)
Esme is up against wealthy white men who want to maintain all political power for themselves. She hires Jed to act as her go-between, standing up for her universal-suffrage principles in men-only clubs.
Similar to Jed, Esme's father is an inventor who struck it rich during the gold rush in Australia and is currently one of the wealthiest men in the whole of Australia. However, he has no interest in pursuing politics himself. He supports Esme's goals, but in the background. Which is why she has not considered using her father to represent her to the powerful men in Perth. Though her father has gained an enormous amount of gold already from his mine (the gold rush in Western Australia began in 1893), he has continued to dig for gold rather than relaxing with the massive amount of money he already has and working on his inventions. This choice is tangentially and vaguely motivated. I could only guess that it was due to grief because his beloved wife died in an unspecified accident two years before.
I enjoyed the no-sex romance between Esme and Jed for the most part. They are both honorable people and only have eyes for each other. They are not presented as asexual robots in the author's attempt to keep sex out of the story. It is obvious they are physically attracted to each other, but it is demonstrated in a discreet fashion that will not offend readers who prefer a so-called "clean" romance.
In terms of Esme's story goal as a suffragette, I was very disappointed in its resolution at the end of the third book. Throughout all three books, Esme is absolutely determined that she cannot marry Jed unless he thoroughly accepts her as a suffragette and is willing to be equal partners in their relationship, respecting her as a strong and self-sufficient human being. It has been typical of historical romances for the past 40 years that they must include the anachronistic Western ideal of an equal partnership in the HEA of marriage between the FMC and MMC. I assumed through the first two books almost to the end of the third book that that's what was going to happen. From my perspective, since Jed is footloose and fancy free and Esme is strongly rooted in Australia, the only resolution that made sense to me would have been for Jed to settle with Esme in Australia. Instead, without any angsting whatsoever over the decision, Esme is presented, in a manner that is utterly inconsistent with her previously vigorously stated values, as perfectly happy to give up all of her connections and influence in Western Australia as a rich, privileged white woman, to move to the city of San Francisco, where she will be an immigrant and an outsider. There was no attempt to mitigate this issue by stating that, as she is marrying into a powerful political family, she could certainly join the suffragette movement there. However, even if that had been included, it still wouldn't correct the fact that nothing she might achieve in the USA regarding voting rights would have any impact on the plight of the downtrodden in her native country, where she has invested all of her previous political efforts for years.
In terms of the action-adventure portion, to create a climactic scene with two separate villains in two of the books, Esme displays a lack of common sense when she falls for the exact ploy that each bad guy uses to convince her that, in the first instance, her father, and the second instance, Jed, has been kidnapped, so that she can ride to the rescue.
I knew very little about Western Australia in 1895 prior to reading this book, but I was intrigued enough to research it. Americans who don't bother to do that will definitely be much more able to suspend disbelief and accept the world-building offered by this Australian author. I would imagine that Australian readers will have a more difficult time, though, because this series diverges drastically in multiple significant ways from what actually existed in 1895, far beyond what can be explained by the magical pseudoscience that is a central feature of the steampunk genre.
This is one area that does have quite a bit of historical accuracy: The suffragette movement existed and was successful sooner in Australia than in the USA. White women achieved the vote in 1899 in Western Australia and in 1902 for all of Australia, as opposed to 1911 in California and 1920 for the whole USA. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 explicitly excluded Indigenous, Asian, and African women (and men) across most of Australia.
These are areas of frustrating historical inaccuracy in this series:
Feminist dress reform, especially abandoning unhealthy tight corsets, still existed in 1895, but bloomers were promoted by feminists in the 1850s and largely abandoned by the 1860s because of public ridicule. In the 1890s, in order to more safely be able to ride bicycles, divided skirts were worn by athletic feminists, not bloomers.
The story is set in the real-world town of Fremantle in what is inexplicably referred to as the Swan River Colony. (In the real world, the Swan River Colony was renamed the Colony of Western Australia over 60 years before in 1832.) In 1895 in the real world, Fremantle had a population of between 10,000 and 12,000. This is not a small town. However, the fictional Fremantle of this series is presented with the type of cohesion and familiarity between the residents that will be instantly recognizable to readers who enjoy the idealized, fictional small towns of Hallmark movies and the fictional, tiny Southern town of Mayberry of the Andy Griffith Show from the 1960s. Similar to those fantasy towns, in this series, everybody knows everybody else's business.
In addition, in this fictional Fremantle, there is a substantial population of East Indians, but in the real world, there is no indication of that existing in Western Australia in 1895. More realistically, there would actually have been a significant population of Chinese who had come to Australia for the Gold Rush, but there are no Chinese represented in the world-building of this series. In fact, Esme pointedly claims that Chinese people had not immigrated in noticeable numbers to Western Australia in response to Jed's descriptions of Chinatown in San Francisco.
In 1895, Fremantle was nothing like it is described in this novel. Municipal water and sewer infrastructure only began to be built in stages starting in 1911, and full implementation took almost a decade, until 1920. The indoor toilets and hot-and-cold running water in Esme's home did not exist in 1895, and no attempt is made to give a steampunk explanation for them. Before public sanitation, Fremantle homes used cesspits and/or backyard privies, which frequently overflowed, especially in winter. Lack of proper drainage caused human and animal waste to pool in yards and streets, contributing to a persistent foul odor and toxic air, as well as making it a disgusting slog to navigate the unpaved streets. In addition, privies and cesspits were often located dangerously close to wells, contaminating drinking water, which frequently led to outbreaks of typhoid, diphtheria, dysentery, and enteritis.
This novel includes a brief and superficial mention of the Nyungar. In 1895 in the real world, there were around 2000-3000 Nyungar living traditionally on their ancestral lands with their own dialects and cultural practices. They (and anyone of non-European descent, especially Chinese and East Indians) were denied the vote until 1962. This is far later than Native Americans in the USA, who gained that right in 1924. Native Australians were also forced onto missions and reserves under state legislation, similar to the reservation system experienced by Native Americans, only their living conditions were even worse. (Note that, though there was no direct connection with the voting rights movement in Australia, in a similar historical time frame, it was not until the enforcement mechanisms in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the USA that true universal suffrage, regardless of race, became the nationwide standard.)
The gold rush in Western Australia occurred in Kalgoorlie. The distance between it and Fremantle is 384 miles. In 1895, traveling that distance by horse, riding over constant rough terrain, would have taken between 15 to 21 days depending on weather, resources, and individual circumstances. It is highly improbable that the villain in the first book could have easily and quickly made that journey, and the presentation of the speed of traveling that route by Esme, Jed, and Esme's father is equally improbable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2024
A short story to start a series. An utterly delightful, easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had everything- clever steampunk inventions, a feisty heroine, a clever hero, kidnapping, a smarmy villain who is vanquished in the end and a lovely little romance.
March 30, 2014
Review first posted on BookLikes: http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...
Every now and then I need to try something new. Expose myself to unfamiliar ideas and experiences. Whether in real life or as a reader - though both worlds are of course necessarily intertwined. In reading, I like experimenting with new authors and new genres, new ideas - even points of view that may challenge my own.
Wanted: One Scoundrel is just such an experiment.
I do not generally read romance because - well, unless it is disguising a dramatic existential dilemma it just doesn't hold my interest. It just one of those things where you cannot alter tastes and preferences. But every now and then I will pick up a romance novel to see if my tastes have changed. So far, they have not.
Another reason for picking up Wanted: One Scoundrel is that I have never read any steampunk stories. In fact, I had to google "steampunk" just to find out what it was. Again, I enjoy trying new things.
So, how did I fare on this adventure into terra nova? I enjoyed it. It was a fun afternoon of light reading with some quirky characters that very much reminded me of the old tv series Remington Steele.
Similar to Laura Holt in Remington Steele, Esme Smith - the heroine of Wanted: One Scoundrel - finds herself discriminated against because she is a woman and hires a man to overcome the gender bias and pursue her goals acting through her deputy.
Unlike Laura Holt, however, Esme Smith's purpose is far more radical than to merely make a living as a private eye. Esme seeks to change politics and fight for women's suffrage. What ensues is an entertaining caper.
There are some elements of the book that left me cold but, again, this is probably because I really don't care for romance stories. There are also a couple of scenes that did not make much sense to me - but then, hey, I read James Bond novels: Suspension of disbelief is not new to me. And after all, it is a light read with some great historical details about Australia as well as some funky and amusing interludes:
"She blinked, then smiled. “I would never be so unsubtle. Although…” She reached up and slid a pin from the pert hat. “I ordered these from an American suffragist catalogue called ‘Modern Tools for Modern Women.’ It’s rather like a Swiss Army knife.” An array of clever gadgets unfolded from the unsharpened end, including tweezers, scalpel blade and a needle. “Ingenious.” He handed it back to her. “What else did the catalogue advertise?” She refitted the pin. “Laughter capsules which I believe contain nitrous oxide. Guaranteed to enliven the dullest evening,” she quoted the catalogue with droll amusement."
Every now and then I need to try something new. Expose myself to unfamiliar ideas and experiences. Whether in real life or as a reader - though both worlds are of course necessarily intertwined. In reading, I like experimenting with new authors and new genres, new ideas - even points of view that may challenge my own.
Wanted: One Scoundrel is just such an experiment.
I do not generally read romance because - well, unless it is disguising a dramatic existential dilemma it just doesn't hold my interest. It just one of those things where you cannot alter tastes and preferences. But every now and then I will pick up a romance novel to see if my tastes have changed. So far, they have not.
Another reason for picking up Wanted: One Scoundrel is that I have never read any steampunk stories. In fact, I had to google "steampunk" just to find out what it was. Again, I enjoy trying new things.
So, how did I fare on this adventure into terra nova? I enjoyed it. It was a fun afternoon of light reading with some quirky characters that very much reminded me of the old tv series Remington Steele.
Similar to Laura Holt in Remington Steele, Esme Smith - the heroine of Wanted: One Scoundrel - finds herself discriminated against because she is a woman and hires a man to overcome the gender bias and pursue her goals acting through her deputy.
Unlike Laura Holt, however, Esme Smith's purpose is far more radical than to merely make a living as a private eye. Esme seeks to change politics and fight for women's suffrage. What ensues is an entertaining caper.
There are some elements of the book that left me cold but, again, this is probably because I really don't care for romance stories. There are also a couple of scenes that did not make much sense to me - but then, hey, I read James Bond novels: Suspension of disbelief is not new to me. And after all, it is a light read with some great historical details about Australia as well as some funky and amusing interludes:
"She blinked, then smiled. “I would never be so unsubtle. Although…” She reached up and slid a pin from the pert hat. “I ordered these from an American suffragist catalogue called ‘Modern Tools for Modern Women.’ It’s rather like a Swiss Army knife.” An array of clever gadgets unfolded from the unsharpened end, including tweezers, scalpel blade and a needle. “Ingenious.” He handed it back to her. “What else did the catalogue advertise?” She refitted the pin. “Laughter capsules which I believe contain nitrous oxide. Guaranteed to enliven the dullest evening,” she quoted the catalogue with droll amusement."
November 12, 2011
In 1895, Esme Smith is the daughter of the richest man in the Swan River colony, if not the whole of Australia. She's campaigning for equality: for men and woman, rich and poor, internationally descended and indigenous. But as a woman, she's not permitted to enter gentlemen's clubs, so she needs a puppet. Enter Jed Reeve, an American who's the perfect scoundrel for Esme to train.
This is more historical than steampunk - the technological aspects seem only as set design, and not plot-centric. This is disappointing, because I WANT devices to be centre stage - they're vital for true steampunk.
But even though Wanted: One Scoundrel is more historical than mechanised, I really enjoyed this. I've never before encountered a steampunk set in Australia, so the location here is easier for me to identify with, and a welcome change from the seemingly endless parades of English- and American-based corset-and-bustle dramas.
And I actually believe the relationship, and wanted it to happen - which I almost never do, so this is a big compliment to the author's considerable talents. Esme and Jed don't have silly misunderstandings to create a "darkest hour" - they're smart, likeable characters who don't turn into insufferable gits once they fancy each other.
In fact, the STORY is more central than the romance, and this is another brilliant difference that lifts this novella above its peers. I certainly hope to read more Australian steampunk from Jenny Schwartz.
P.S. I still don't know what a "scoundrel" is.
This is more historical than steampunk - the technological aspects seem only as set design, and not plot-centric. This is disappointing, because I WANT devices to be centre stage - they're vital for true steampunk.
But even though Wanted: One Scoundrel is more historical than mechanised, I really enjoyed this. I've never before encountered a steampunk set in Australia, so the location here is easier for me to identify with, and a welcome change from the seemingly endless parades of English- and American-based corset-and-bustle dramas.
And I actually believe the relationship, and wanted it to happen - which I almost never do, so this is a big compliment to the author's considerable talents. Esme and Jed don't have silly misunderstandings to create a "darkest hour" - they're smart, likeable characters who don't turn into insufferable gits once they fancy each other.
In fact, the STORY is more central than the romance, and this is another brilliant difference that lifts this novella above its peers. I certainly hope to read more Australian steampunk from Jenny Schwartz.
P.S. I still don't know what a "scoundrel" is.
July 21, 2012
This sweet romantic tale lacks "mature" sexual content but it abounds in deep, meaningful themes -- politics, racism, history, family ties, friendships, the effect ignorance and cruelty can have on a community and the positive things good people can do to counter it.
This was part of a steampunk Christmas collection, but to me the steampunk elements felt a bit jarring in an otherwise well-written and interesting narrative. It read like an excellent period piece (which might be due to the fact that the author has a degree in history)... until the occasional offhand mention of a clockwork doorman, a bug collection gadget or a steaming coffee contraption. The out-of-nowhere mention that the hero wants to build a conveyance based on kangaroo hopping just seems silly within the seriousness of the other issues in the plot. I personally would have enjoyed the story more as either a straight period piece set in Victorian Era Australia OR as an alternate-reality less-realistic story where the steampunk elements played a larger and more relevant role. That's my only criticism, and it didn't prevent me from enjoying this tale.
I very much love that the characters were accomplished, well-rounded adults attracted to each other WITHOUT acting like emo introspective angsty teenagers who forget everything else in life except each other for 100 pages! I wish more romance authors would do that.
This was part of a steampunk Christmas collection, but to me the steampunk elements felt a bit jarring in an otherwise well-written and interesting narrative. It read like an excellent period piece (which might be due to the fact that the author has a degree in history)... until the occasional offhand mention of a clockwork doorman, a bug collection gadget or a steaming coffee contraption. The out-of-nowhere mention that the hero wants to build a conveyance based on kangaroo hopping just seems silly within the seriousness of the other issues in the plot. I personally would have enjoyed the story more as either a straight period piece set in Victorian Era Australia OR as an alternate-reality less-realistic story where the steampunk elements played a larger and more relevant role. That's my only criticism, and it didn't prevent me from enjoying this tale.
I very much love that the characters were accomplished, well-rounded adults attracted to each other WITHOUT acting like emo introspective angsty teenagers who forget everything else in life except each other for 100 pages! I wish more romance authors would do that.
December 16, 2011
Esme has big ideas for her Australian city, but being a woman keeps her out of the political swim. So she decides she needs a “scoundrel” -- someone clever and charming and unscrupulous -- to be her front man. Jed is not quite the scoundrel he appears -- but he’s only too willing to play a part that will keep him closer to the luscious Esme.
This seemed a bit of an odd man out in the A Clockwork Christmas anthology: it’s a light story, and the steampunk elements are so mild, I had difficulty telling what was actual historical detail and what was invented. (Though there was an amusing section about designing cars built like kangaroos, and mechanical devices were helpful in bringing about the happy ending.) It’s also very low on steam of the sexy kind. I found Esme implausibly progressive for a woman of her time -- though I suppose that’s one way of creating an alternative history -- and the politically motivated sections seemed preachy. Overall, cute but thin.
This seemed a bit of an odd man out in the A Clockwork Christmas anthology: it’s a light story, and the steampunk elements are so mild, I had difficulty telling what was actual historical detail and what was invented. (Though there was an amusing section about designing cars built like kangaroos, and mechanical devices were helpful in bringing about the happy ending.) It’s also very low on steam of the sexy kind. I found Esme implausibly progressive for a woman of her time -- though I suppose that’s one way of creating an alternative history -- and the politically motivated sections seemed preachy. Overall, cute but thin.
December 17, 2012
This one was promising and didn't have the tacky sex scene. I was liking it all the way up until the end? I use a question mark because the story just sort of, stopped. I literally flipped forward and backwards to see if I skipped a page or something. Then, I wondered if there was some glitch in the electronic version. It really felt like the ending was missing. I'm not sure what to think? If this is not a format problem and is truly how the story was written, then it clearly has no ending and is not finished. It wouldn't take much to make it less jarring and provide a more satisfying conclusion. I want to give it a higher rating, but the ending was just too...well, incomplete.
Read
January 21, 2013Well, um, that was cute, I guess. It's set in Australia, which is why I read it. Sometimes I notice strangely bare shelves and it bothers me. The historical perspective, technology (very mildly steampunk), plot and characterization are remarkably convenient and lacking all tension, which I think is actually a bit of a flaw - theres never really any conflict. Otherwise, well, cute.
July 12, 2012
I loved both the sense of Australian history and the steampunk element. The Women's Advancement League has my vote and who couldn't be but entranced by a scoundrel.
February 3, 2024
2.75-3 meh stars. Written in the early 2010s this shows an author’s early work. Steampunk novella about Esma, a rich Australian suffragette, wanting a scoundrel she can pay off to represent her ideas in the gentlemen’s clubs. Her uncle comes home and says he found the perfect man, an American that just arrived in the country by the name of Jed.
What I liked: I liked the inventions and their ideas and enthusiasm.
What didn’t work for me: Too many played up stereotypes that felt like low hanging fruit, plot-wise.
I think I like her sci-fi better than steampunk. Though the last steampunk by her I enjoyed. But, in all honesty, this was an earlier work that was less polished than her later series.
What I liked: I liked the inventions and their ideas and enthusiasm.
What didn’t work for me: Too many played up stereotypes that felt like low hanging fruit, plot-wise.
I think I like her sci-fi better than steampunk. Though the last steampunk by her I enjoyed. But, in all honesty, this was an earlier work that was less polished than her later series.
July 3, 2023
Australian Jenny Schwartz specializes in science fiction and fantasy with a strong element of romance. The folks at Carina Press, a subdivision of Harlequin, usually do historical romance without a hint of fantasy. Wanted: One Scoundrel, Schwartz’s first Carina Press installment of the Bustlepunk Chronicles, is steampunk with very little steam. Our heroine is a suffragette in Fremantle who hires a handsome American to sit in on political meetings in male-only venues. Along the way, there is some talk about Tesla and airships, but the romance and politics are always centerstage.
March 15, 2025
4.5 stars. Interesting historical set in Western Australia during their gold rush, a period I hadn't read about before. I really enjoyed the setup and both characters. The plot felt a little spotty (likely because this was a novella), but I was definitely hooked.
February 13, 2012
Originally reviewed here: http://tsanad.blogspot.com/2012/02/re...
The story opens with her realisation that, since her main political opponent has somehow arranged for all political debates to take place at gentlemen's clubs, she needs a male spokesperson to be a figurehead leader. Unfortunately, all her present male supporters are too busy with their own affairs to devote sufficient time to actually leading a political party. So, with the aid of her captain uncle, she set about finding herself a newly arrived scoundrel ("fresh off the boat" -- would that there weren't other connotations to that phrase) whom she intends to pay to be her puppet.
Enter Jed. A conveniently unknown American recently arrived from England with her uncle's (steam-powered) ship. Jed quickly agrees to be the front-runner for her political party and a friendship/attraction blossoms between them (well, it is also a romance story).
Esme's main rival is an old-money easterner (insofar as there is any aristocracy in pre-federation Australia, he seems to be a prime example). Unlikeable to the bone, he doesn't seem to realise that Esme finds his desire to prevent anyone that isn't male, white or rich (or, really, anyone that isn't him or his friends) from voting abhorrent. He started off merely an arrogant prat, but this escalated for the climax in an exciting way, I thought. (No spoilers.)
The steampunk elements are scattered throughout the story. For example there are the steam powered boats that make it to Swan River from England in a matter of weeks, not months, miscellaneous minor steam-powered contraptions and even forays into electricity and magnetism (Tesla gets a very brief mention, too). From a scientific point of view, I found no obvious faults, although I'm a little sceptical of the kangaroo-inspired land vehicle mentioned at one point.
As I implied at the start, the thought of a steampunk story set in Australia made me very keen to read this and I was not disappointed. I hereby encourage more Australian authors to write Australian steampunk. Steam + gold rush allows for a wealth of material to draw from.
Speaking of the gold rush, being an easterner myself, I only really know a bit about Victoria's gold rush, and next to nothing about Western Australia's (arguably, I know more about Western Australia's current mining boom than any of the past). It was nice to read about a slightly different gold rush. I even learnt about the significant Indian population of the time (cf Chinese miners in Victoria).
The writing was ever so slightly clunky in places, mostly when there was an instance of head-hopping (between Esme and Jed) within the same scene. I also found the story got more amusing as it went along -- after a slightly uneventful beginning -- and I really enjoyed the climax and ending. It had my laughing out loud a few times in the second half. I loved Esme, who was strong, progressive (obviously) and kept her head in trying circumstances. Overall, I recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in steampunk or Australian history.
4 / 5 stars.
The story opens with her realisation that, since her main political opponent has somehow arranged for all political debates to take place at gentlemen's clubs, she needs a male spokesperson to be a figurehead leader. Unfortunately, all her present male supporters are too busy with their own affairs to devote sufficient time to actually leading a political party. So, with the aid of her captain uncle, she set about finding herself a newly arrived scoundrel ("fresh off the boat" -- would that there weren't other connotations to that phrase) whom she intends to pay to be her puppet.
Enter Jed. A conveniently unknown American recently arrived from England with her uncle's (steam-powered) ship. Jed quickly agrees to be the front-runner for her political party and a friendship/attraction blossoms between them (well, it is also a romance story).
Esme's main rival is an old-money easterner (insofar as there is any aristocracy in pre-federation Australia, he seems to be a prime example). Unlikeable to the bone, he doesn't seem to realise that Esme finds his desire to prevent anyone that isn't male, white or rich (or, really, anyone that isn't him or his friends) from voting abhorrent. He started off merely an arrogant prat, but this escalated for the climax in an exciting way, I thought. (No spoilers.)
The steampunk elements are scattered throughout the story. For example there are the steam powered boats that make it to Swan River from England in a matter of weeks, not months, miscellaneous minor steam-powered contraptions and even forays into electricity and magnetism (Tesla gets a very brief mention, too). From a scientific point of view, I found no obvious faults, although I'm a little sceptical of the kangaroo-inspired land vehicle mentioned at one point.
As I implied at the start, the thought of a steampunk story set in Australia made me very keen to read this and I was not disappointed. I hereby encourage more Australian authors to write Australian steampunk. Steam + gold rush allows for a wealth of material to draw from.
Speaking of the gold rush, being an easterner myself, I only really know a bit about Victoria's gold rush, and next to nothing about Western Australia's (arguably, I know more about Western Australia's current mining boom than any of the past). It was nice to read about a slightly different gold rush. I even learnt about the significant Indian population of the time (cf Chinese miners in Victoria).
The writing was ever so slightly clunky in places, mostly when there was an instance of head-hopping (between Esme and Jed) within the same scene. I also found the story got more amusing as it went along -- after a slightly uneventful beginning -- and I really enjoyed the climax and ending. It had my laughing out loud a few times in the second half. I loved Esme, who was strong, progressive (obviously) and kept her head in trying circumstances. Overall, I recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in steampunk or Australian history.
4 / 5 stars.
October 17, 2012
The review of Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz appeared first on The Rekindled Reader.
I really should’ve liked this.
The book has a fantastic start.
Esme Smith is a strong-willed 22 year old, daughter of the richest man in Australia, and staunch supporter of the women’s suffragist movement. She has a problem, however. Many of the political discussions are held at men’s clubs where she can’t participate. She needs a man to advocate for her cause. More particularly, she needs “a well-dressed, well-spoken man” who will “do as he’s told.”
And that scoundrel happens to be Jedediah Reeve – an American and, unbeknownst to Esme, an inventor and son of a senator. He takes the job not because he needs money, but because he’s intrigued by Esme.
As the two work on promoting the cause, Esme becomes attracted to Jed, although she struggles to keep it purely professional. And Jed tries to control his jealousy over the haughty, powerful Nicholas Brambury, who wants nothing more than to woo Esme.
And that’s about what this book covers – in an uninteresting, droning manner. It amazed me that the author could flatten such promising and dynamic characters. The Esme who was looking for her scoundrel at the beginning shriveled up into an unemotional shell of her former self. Jed wasn’t awful, but instead of being intrigued by and following in love with Esme as he got to know her, he just sort of went from intrigued by to possessive over. If there were any deep conversations or opportunities for them to get to know each other, they certainly weren’t mentioned in the part of the book I read.
Also, this was advertised as a “Christmas” novel. Other than occurring during the time when there were holiday festivities – none of which played a role in the plot – this had nothing to do with Christmas.
I was baffled.
But I went into this as a preview to Courting Trouble and thought maybe the purpose was just to introduce the characters. I would’ve liked an exciting plot, but whatever. The next book was probably a lot better. At this point, I would’ve given Wanted 3 stars.
I know this isn’t fair, but I felt compelled to take another star off when I started Counting Trouble.
I really should’ve liked this.
The book has a fantastic start.
Esme Smith is a strong-willed 22 year old, daughter of the richest man in Australia, and staunch supporter of the women’s suffragist movement. She has a problem, however. Many of the political discussions are held at men’s clubs where she can’t participate. She needs a man to advocate for her cause. More particularly, she needs “a well-dressed, well-spoken man” who will “do as he’s told.”
And that scoundrel happens to be Jedediah Reeve – an American and, unbeknownst to Esme, an inventor and son of a senator. He takes the job not because he needs money, but because he’s intrigued by Esme.
As the two work on promoting the cause, Esme becomes attracted to Jed, although she struggles to keep it purely professional. And Jed tries to control his jealousy over the haughty, powerful Nicholas Brambury, who wants nothing more than to woo Esme.
And that’s about what this book covers – in an uninteresting, droning manner. It amazed me that the author could flatten such promising and dynamic characters. The Esme who was looking for her scoundrel at the beginning shriveled up into an unemotional shell of her former self. Jed wasn’t awful, but instead of being intrigued by and following in love with Esme as he got to know her, he just sort of went from intrigued by to possessive over. If there were any deep conversations or opportunities for them to get to know each other, they certainly weren’t mentioned in the part of the book I read.
Also, this was advertised as a “Christmas” novel. Other than occurring during the time when there were holiday festivities – none of which played a role in the plot – this had nothing to do with Christmas.
I was baffled.
But I went into this as a preview to Courting Trouble and thought maybe the purpose was just to introduce the characters. I would’ve liked an exciting plot, but whatever. The next book was probably a lot better. At this point, I would’ve given Wanted 3 stars.
I know this isn’t fair, but I felt compelled to take another star off when I started Counting Trouble.
December 20, 2011
3.5 stars
Esme is a fierce believer in equality between the sexes and has set up a political party to campaign for it. She had hoped to lead the party herself but as she is unable to enter the men's clubs where politics is such a hot topic she realises she is going to need a representative. After deciding to hire a scoundrel to spread her vision her uncle introduces her to Jed who he assures her will be perfect for the job. Now Jed isn't quite the scoundrel he first appears to be but he's prepared to go along with Esme's plan if it gives him the chance to get to know her better.
Although there is some steam technology I feel that Wanted: One Scoundrel is more like a historical romance than steampunk. That didn't stop me from enjoying the story though and I loved reading a historical story set in Australia. I did feel that the story focused a little too much on Esme's political ambitions, I would have liked more time spent on the actual romance but either way I really liked both Jed and Esme. This was an enjoyable story and one I think historical romance fans will enjoy even if they aren't keen on steampunk as a genre.
Esme is a fierce believer in equality between the sexes and has set up a political party to campaign for it. She had hoped to lead the party herself but as she is unable to enter the men's clubs where politics is such a hot topic she realises she is going to need a representative. After deciding to hire a scoundrel to spread her vision her uncle introduces her to Jed who he assures her will be perfect for the job. Now Jed isn't quite the scoundrel he first appears to be but he's prepared to go along with Esme's plan if it gives him the chance to get to know her better.
Although there is some steam technology I feel that Wanted: One Scoundrel is more like a historical romance than steampunk. That didn't stop me from enjoying the story though and I loved reading a historical story set in Australia. I did feel that the story focused a little too much on Esme's political ambitions, I would have liked more time spent on the actual romance but either way I really liked both Jed and Esme. This was an enjoyable story and one I think historical romance fans will enjoy even if they aren't keen on steampunk as a genre.
December 7, 2011
This novella doesn’t feature steampunk technology as much as the other novellas in the anthology A Clockwork Christmas, but I found it to be a romantic read. Esme Smith is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Australia, and she’s an ardent suffragette. Unfortunately, she’s not able to enter the men’s clubs where much of the political debate takes place, so she decides to hire a scoundrel to espouse her views where she cannot. Her uncle introduces her to American Jed Reeve, an inventor, and he’s so intrigued by the beauty that he agrees to her scheme without letting her know that she’s mistaken about his lack of funds.
Ms. Schwartz’s novella reads more like a traditional historical romance with a few steampunk elements, but it’s delightful none the less. The more Jed learns about Esme, the more he admires her intelligence and spirit, and I enjoyed the Australian setting. 4 out of 5
I received this novella for review from the publisher through NetGAlley.
Ms. Schwartz’s novella reads more like a traditional historical romance with a few steampunk elements, but it’s delightful none the less. The more Jed learns about Esme, the more he admires her intelligence and spirit, and I enjoyed the Australian setting. 4 out of 5
I received this novella for review from the publisher through NetGAlley.
January 5, 2012
Read and reviewed as part of the A Clockwork Christmas anthology; for full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Author’s Website: http://authorjennyschwartz.com/
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Swan River Colony (?)
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
While this one had more of a historical Outback feel to it than what I normally consider to be “steampunk”, I nevertheless enjoyed it thoroughly. The misconceptions between Esme and Jed were wonderful, and I loved the byplay between them.
A solid 4/5 Stars
Author’s Website: http://authorjennyschwartz.com/
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Swan River Colony (?)
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Warm
While this one had more of a historical Outback feel to it than what I normally consider to be “steampunk”, I nevertheless enjoyed it thoroughly. The misconceptions between Esme and Jed were wonderful, and I loved the byplay between them.
A solid 4/5 Stars
April 29, 2013
I really liked this book. It kept my attention. I liked that it was set in Australia and a focus was on women's equality. For the length, this was well paced and had a good ending. I loved both Esme and Jed. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys a good story (with a little romance and the steampunk elements don't overwhelm- both are a small part of the story).
December 7, 2011
Part of A Clockwork Christmas. Really cute story about a suffragette and a scoundrel. I loved Esme and Jed, whether they were being sweet, witty, or whatever.
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