A Matter of Circumstance and Celludrones

Dark Matters #1

by Claire Robyns

A Victorian Steampunk/Paranormal adventure with strong elements of romance...

Lady Lily d'Bulier is prim, proper, and prefers to think of herself as pragmatic rather than timid. And avoiding life-threatening situations at all costs is just plain practical. But everything changes when Lord Adair tracks her down in London; searching for answers he seems to think she has.

Greyston Adair is a blackguard and a smuggler, although British Customs will have to catch him red-handed to prove the latter. Fortunately, the dirigibles they float around in have never been able to get near his air dust.

Hell is rising, One Demon at a Time...

With Lady Ostrich hunting them, and the mystery of how their lives tie back to Cragloden Castle and the powerful McAllister clan, Lily has no option but to throw propriety to the wind and run off with Greyston to Scotland, away from the immediate danger and toward possible answers.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Demons, Time Travel, Historical Fiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2012

About the author

Claire Robyns writes mystery, romance and adventure, because sometimes one life really can have it all (between the pages of a book, at least.)

If you'd like to be alerted for new releases, please sign up for Claire's newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/efe5d08fa0d9/clair...

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaireRobyns

Reviews

[Samantha Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book left me wanting more, wanting more of Lily and Grey, more of Kendall, and also Neco and Ana. I started out reading this and at first it had me a little confused, because I didn't quite exactly know what was going on with Lily, and her visions, but it did start out like you'd see in something like Jane Austen's- Pride and Prejudice. Where the height of society is at a ball, and all the elegible women, are seeking their future husbands, and some have already found them. Well Lily she basically is an 'uptight' lady, who is the most extreme at being proper. She's a no frills kind of girl. Then she meets Lord Adair (Greyston), and she was turned off from him from the very beginning because he had eyes for her friend Evelyn, who was already married to a Duke. Evelyn is the live life to the fullest, need for the thrill, and very flirtatious woman. She loves her husband to death, but is a definite thrill seeker.

Next day or a few days after the ball, Lord Adair calls upon Lily. She doesn't have any clue onto why, until she brings in Ana, and Celludrone (basically a clockwork person, an android for the early era). Lord Adair asks Lily all sorts of questions about her mother, and what she knew about her death, but Lily doesn't really know much. Then he does something drastic and Ana comes to Lily's aid, protects her. Lily is furious and tries to through him, out but doesn't succeed because as she's trying to throw him out, and unexpected guests walks in, she is known by "Lady Ostrich"who later on in the book they find out is a demon. Lady Ostrich then gets into a fight with both Ana and Neco who by the way is a Celludrone himself. They both get defeated, and Lady Ostrich ends up killing Lily. Horrible right? right.

Next thing Lily knows is that she's back with Lord Adair, and he basically kidnaps her. This is where the adventure starts. Lily goes along with Greyston, on this epic journey to find out why they are being chased after by Lady Ostrich, and why their pasts are connected, and why their pasts lead them to one place. The place where her mother was killed "Cragloden Castle".

I loved this book, because one I love a good adventure book, two I love the paranormal aspects, Demons! gotta love Demons, and three because there is passion between Lily and Grey, and that passion is quite intense. It basically fits with today's women and how they think men look at them. The whole i'm not enough this, I'm too much of this and he won't or doesn't like etc. etc. etc. And...AND.... it leaves you hanging wanting more. I recommend this book, especially if you love a series that continues the story from each book to the other, you love steampunk style books.... oh and don't forget the Demons hehe. Plus if a book is so interesting that it keeps you up most of the night because you can't seem to put it down, then you know it's a good book.

[Judy Croome · Rating 4 out of 5]

From mechanical puppies to paddling in the aether, from mad scientists to amazing inventions, A MATTER OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND CELLUDRONES is set in a remarkably Victorian England where spunky women are constrained by circumstances and robotic celludrones and the world is changing as fast as the newly invented dirigibles can carry their passengers.

The story zips along at a fast pace, twisting and turning as the lively characters struggle with demons, both internal and external.

Lady Lily d'Bulier and Greyston Adair, both products of a scientific experiment by the rich, brilliant and powerful McAllister clan, are brought together in a fight for survival against the demonic Lady Ostrich. Lily's best friend Evelyn, wildly independent and fiesty with it, joins them on their journey of discovery as an act of outright defiance against her autocratic husband, Devon, Duke of Harchings.

Not only do Lily and Greyston discover dark secrets that threaten their lives and the very world they live in, they also need to discover the hidden aspects of themselves. When her search for a husband turns into a search for demons, prim and proper Lily must learn to overcome her social training and her fears, while the dashing Lord Greyston Adair must learn that loving people doesn't always mean their death and that he's not responsible for every bad thing that happens.

There's sufficient world-building to create a vivid and vibrant setting, and the action is fast and furious, but it's the relationship between the complex characters which drives this well-written story. While Evelyn and Devon's heated romance adds an interesting layer, the mysterious connection between Grey and Lily builds into something more.

In addition to high-quality formatting and presentation, the writing is superb – a well-balanced mix of light-hearted banter, emotional intensity and imaginative adventure. However, I prefer less ambivalence in the romantic intentions of a hero. I also prefer stories that end within one book, as I find it frustrating having to wait to find out what happens next.

Although this novel is a stand-alone story, there's scope for a whole series of exciting adventures to come for Lily and Greyston. Is the Duke of Harchings all that he seems? Just who is Kelan McAllister? How will the war between demons and humans end? And where will Lily and Greyston's relationship go in the future? I, for one, can't wait to find out.

[Renee Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where I hovered my mouse over the stars, and decided to go back to that after I'm done writing about it. YOU know those books!

So, I grabbed this one from Amazon when it was free because I'm toying with the idea of enjoying steampunk novels. I like the sci-fi and fantasy aspect, but not-so-much the historical part. I don't know, y'all. I just can't LURV a historical romance!

Anyway, big deal with this book, because there wasn't much of a romance in this story. Lily is a society girl who crossed paths with Greyston right before she dies. However, she's not dead, and he has something to do with it. They run from the constant threat of death, trying to figure out exactly who they are and what it will take to stop running and start fighting back.

I have to give props to the author, because this book definitely held my attention. Lily was an interesting character to read about and watch grow a backbone. She had a great relationship with her best friend Evelyn, who I also liked. Evelyn turned out to be a big character, as well. But their dynamic was fun, and I think I enjoyed their scenes the most.

My problem was with the character of Greyston. I got a little confused about halfway through this book, because I wasn't sure what the author was trying to do with him. The story seems set up for a romance between him and Lily, but he kept thinking about and going after Evelyn... who is married, by the way. So then I have it in my mind that he's gonna be a typical douche and probably end up being the villain. Then he's interested in Lily. Then he's macking on Evelyn. Then he hates everyone. Then he's suddenly in love with Lily. It's all confusing and brow-cocking. Was I supposed to like him? I'm not sure, but I don't think I did.

So, I either needed more or less romance. What was there just confused me. Also, I didn't know that this was going to be a series. That being said, I wasn't too happy with the ending. One of THOSE books, you know? The ones where you get to 90%, know for a fact that the story can't be wrapped up that soon, and THEN realize it's not complete.

Bottom line - good, not great. Don't read this one expecting a great romance, because it's not there. However, interesting characters and a quirky steam-fueled world kept me going. Soooo... three stars.

[BlackTulip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed By BlackTulip for Confessions from Romaholics

I knew Claire Robyns from her two fabulous historical novels "Betrayed" and "The Devil of Jedburgh" and when she told me that her next book would be a Victorian-Paranormal-Steampunk, though I admit that it isn't my genre, I was genuinely very curious and intrigued about it ... and here I am. But who would have thought that one day I would like to read a Paranormal-Steampunk novel, well ... not me!

The author spins a world of deadly icy demons, grand adventure, steam-power, dark mystery and fast-paced action from the drawing rooms of London to the isolated old Scottish castle Cragloden where everything began well before the birth of our two heroes, Lily and Grey.

I had no doubts about her wonderful writing skills but here, Ms. Robyns's world-building ability proves to be extraordinary. Her imagination is prodigiously creative and descriptive. And what first seduced me and then absorbed me was this intertwining of Victorian stiffness, paranormal menace and steampunk fantasy and the way that she mixes them. But I wouldn’t be lying to say that it took me some time getting used to it!

It all begins rather classically and sedately at a high society opening ball; everybody seems a bit bored like usual and only looking for a good match. Lady Lily de Bulier is twenty-one years old and nearly considered on the shelf, so she's still on the hunt for a husband. Evelyn Thorn, now Duchess of Harchings, and Lily are dearest friends. In a usual crowd of debutants, young and older men with titles, a "celludrone" with its hollow smile is working to provide refreshments to the crème de la crème. Every wealthy household has to have one, even if the price is outrageous!

Then, Lily sees him on the other side of the ballroom, sternly staring at her again as he did this morning, hidden behind a tree in front of her home and spying on her with the weirdest pair of "goggles". After a very proper introduction conducted by Lily's aunt, Lord Adair, with a smile, asks ... Evelyn for a dance—the rogue! Her Aunt is right "No Scotsman is to be trusted"!

So she's rather surprised when Greyston Adair presents himself at her door the next day. Sparks fly. He is followed by Lady Ostrich who rushes into her drawing room with her lethal powers ... and all hell breaks loose!

I've said next to nothing about the plot, so as not to give it away. Like me, I want you to enjoy this crazy and wild ride and just hang on to the characters of Lily, Grey, Evelyn and a few others that all have strong voices. Just let them carry you through this brilliant story.

Lily and Grey are clearly the center and the essence of the book and they have much more in common that they think. Grey is all courage and recklessness but he's a very complex character with a tortured soul and a very complicated and painful family history. As for Lily, her exterior is pretty and proper but she's also strong, very stubborn and loyal. She lost her father when she was too small to remember him and her mother much later in very tragic circumstances. They both experience strange visions and for Grey it's even more powerful. As the story unfolds, they both discover that, all their life, they have been told half-truths or lies about their families. Truth is sometimes more difficult to face!

Our two heroes are attracted to each other from the start, not doubt about that, but given the circumstances, their state of mind and how rapidly the story progresses, nothing really will bloom; the romance is there between the lines, but just now is not the time.

Claire Robyns' story is perfectly structured with multi-layered and complex main characters. The mystery plot makes perfect sense and most of the loose ends are tied up and meticulously explained but everything stays open for the second book in this series. Like I said before, I haven't read any steampunk prior to this but I definitely want to know what will happen next to Lily, Grey and all the others ....

The rating system doesn't allow half a point, so I give 4 stars but it's more like 3.5 stars.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

One would assume that people would have had a suffiency of foolish romances. But, looking around one, one perceives that this is not, in fact, the case.

If only this book had been written like the above sentences, I might have forgiven the silly romance and the way in which it got in the way of the adventure. Sadly, the writing was less than competent. I only got 42% of the way through, and noted the following: "she slipped passed" (instead of past), "I'll never get my full" (instead of fill), "Browning's" as the plural, "peddling" (repeatedly) when it should be "pedaling", the names of types of tree and types of carriage unnecessarily capitalized, "the room her and McAllister were ensconced in" (should be "she and McAllister"), "a la Lily style", "diffuse" for "defuse" and "the inter-leading door". There are multiple references to "risque sports", which appears to mean "extreme sports", but "risque" usually has a sexual implication that is apparently not intended here.

The setting is 19th-century Britain, but the language is modern American. "How come?" "Are you okay?" "Get the hell away" "It will come find you" "Who all knows?" Oddly, given that Americans don't use the metric system any more than the 19th-century British did, the measure of an area of land is given in hectares.

The very prim and proper mid-Victorian heroine not only says "get the hell away" but "damn and blast". And even when the language isn't actually wrong (either for the time or the character, or for anyone at any time), it's bland and clumsy. "Lily would've had to admit defeat before her new philosophy on embracing life-defying acts had taken its first step forward." Three cliches (one of them garbled) and a mixed metaphor in a single sentence.

It's hard to find good steampunk, and I'm afraid that if you care much about language, know much about history, or don't like your adventure plot obscured by romancebabble of the "oh, his muscles are so hard. But I mustn't think that! I'm really not attracted to him!" kind, you won't find it here. At least, I didn't.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a more difficult time with this book than I expected, which is why I am giving it only 3 stars. Partly I'm sure this had to do with the romance elements with Greyston, who seemed to waffle his attentions between the prim and proper Lily and the effervescent but married best friend Evelyn. I don't like my males Clinton-esque, and I'm sure that ruined some of the enjoyment of the story for me.

As a steampunk adventure, the book is darn good. I particularly liked the aspect of the celludrones, highly specialized automatons who can learn from their collective experiences over time. The author did a really good job in the world building for a Victorian steampunk yarn, and added additional elements such as the special abilities of some of the characters, such as Greyston's time jumping ability. Overall a good read, but not necessarily a series I'm going to rush out to complete.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book in the steampunk genre before and I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It was exciting and interesting, The setting is really captivating. And I wonder as I read how is it possible that society is so backward? They are still dressing like the Victorian era but they have flying machines and the ability to time travel by just using their mind.

This feels like the beginning of a series. And indeed, it is. I would have liked to see some romance in this book but there really wasn’t any of that. It was mostly implied. I think it would have helped it some. But I sense that may come in future books.

The characters and mystery aspects were compelling and kept me reading until the end.

Quite a lovely and thrilling tale of how lives come together even when some don’t want the past to be revealed.

____
I purchased this book with my own money.

[Katter · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only good thing I can say about this book was that the premise was interesting. The execution of the story, however, was pretty bad. The world building was confusing and hard to follow. The author described so many walls, wall after wall, that in some sections I couldn't form the scene in my head.

The characters were so flighty and immature that it drove me nuts. The stupidity of their inner self inflicted turmoil drove me up the wall. Put on your big girl panties and act like an adult for goodness sake! Propriety be damned!

The "romance" was absolutely awful. First Greyston has a raging boner for Evelyn, a married woman, and sees Lily as a prude. Then it changes without rhyme or reason. You first get the impression that the coupling will be Grey/Lily but then he starts ogling Lily's best friend, who flirts with him right back. It made my stomach flop.

I hate romances that jump you around like that. Don't tug my emotions in one way and then drag them unnecessarily in another. I want the two MC's to have sparks that fly not have one of them jonsing for the others friend while it's still implied that the certain pair will end up together. It's not my cup of tea. I find that kind of forced drama distasteful.

I honestly couldn't wait to finish this book. To me it was not good but the silver lining of it all was that I didn't have to pay for it! No money wasted on it but my time on the other hand was. I'll never get those hours back.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. This is the first book I have read of Claire Robyns, and I can honestly say I am looking forward to reading her previous books, and any that she will write in the future.

[Ann Noell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read - lots of adventure and scary things, spells and demons and things that go bump in the night. I loved Lily, no matter how bad things got she just pulled up her big girl panties and moved forward. Not to say that she didn't cry or let herself have a fit or two, but she never gave herself a pity party. I wish I could say the same for Greyston. It gets old real fast when the hero is always saying, I love you but I'm not good enough for you, you will be better off without me. And I agree, Lily deserves better! There are 3 more books in this series so maybe Greyston will grow up and Lily will get her HEA - but not in this book.

[Dallass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn it, that was fun! 😁

This was the steampunk urban fantasy that I hadn’t realised I’d been waiting for. Full of secret plans, mysterious characters, and potential romances, I had such a blast reading this.

If you enjoy Gail Carriger, then this has a similar vibe, minus the werewolves.

4 stars ⭐️

[Cari Elliot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed promising

The general premise was very promising. However, the moor I read, the less I enjoyed it. For one thing, why does the male lead fall for whatever woman happens to be present? The characters seem unbelievable. There are a couple editing errors. And the plot doesn't really come together. It never drew me in.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aargh. If only the ending didn't feel so unresolved! It had character arc. Worst enemy eliminated. But so much more unanswered! Low 3. Would have been higher if I weren't so unsatisfied

[Airwreckah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 48%. A bit too slow moving for me and I didn't like any if the characters. Moving on to something else.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stiff and prim Lily has her very proper and polite life turned upside down in a matter of hours after noticing that she was being spied upon by the wild Scotsman Lord Adair. Turns out her celludrone and her "spells" aren't so uncommon and she should have belonged to a secret society. We go on the run with Lily, Greyston, and her precocious bestie Eve'lyn escaping powerful enemies in London to a showdown in the wilds of Scotland and learn there are scarier things than death that go bump in the night. We get a not so happy, but resolved, ending and a hook to the next book.

Here's what I liked: The era - I love steampunk and all the ridiculous names attached to the inventions - The character growth displayed in Lily and the potential for Greyston in the next book. The dialogue, it was quick and seamless. Of course, I enjoy the supernatural element to the book.

Here's what I didn't like: I got the feeling this was a spin off because of Evelyn and Devon. Since I'm a new reader to the author I had no emotional curiosity to how her marriage was faring or even her POV. I suppose it was nice for a mini story in the book, but sometimes it felt like word fluff.
*I'm not sure how I feel about Greyston - but that's something that can be resolved with his potential character growth. He acts like a spoiled brat a lot.
*Editing and formatting: there are breaks in scenes but no indication it happened which was jarring and forced me to reread the previous paragraph a couple times to realize what was going on. Minor mistakes in sentence structure and transposed words.

Overall, this is a fun and easy read that I did not become annoyed with and enjoyed myself. I recommend the book and will be reading more of this series in the future. 3.5 stars.

[Kaitlyn Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is posted here http://silenttbookblog.blogspot.com/2...

Ever wonder what life was like for people living in the age that flight was being experimented on and to travel places you needed a carriage, no traffic at all. Lady Lily d'Bulier lives as such and waiting to be asked to marry. Of course life can be a bit strange when you own a Celludrone, a type of robot made to protect those they are given too. Greyston Adair comes along and needs to protect her as well because being attacked by a witch makes anyone want to leave right away. If only they can run from Lady Ostrich who is hell bent on getting her and of course him as well. With limited answers and even more limited places of hiding, time is running out and finding out your special can put any damper on your way.

They both learn that the day they were supposed to die was the time that all children like them were there for one purpose help stop demons from destroying everything. Their story together has just begun and getting to Cragloden Castle will help them realize their fate is even bigger than what they thought it was. Sacrifices will need to be made when the fate of the earth is on the two of them to gain the strength to fight on.

A Victorian style setting was lovely all around, Lily and Adair journey was magical and even though it was different than any of its nature, it had me smiling and even encouraging them to fight on. Adair is the type that knows he needs to protect Lily and his power to go back 30 minutes has come in handy plenty of times. I had a great time reading this Victorian age story and hopes it continues on.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave the book a full eight chapters and in that entire time, the author did absolutely nothing to give me a reason to like the characters. I found them all to be bland at best and incredibly annoying at worst.

Likewise, the writing was bordering on elementary with, as one earlier reviewer pointed out, many grammatical and tense errors that should never have been there if the author had paid attention or selected an editor who knew what they were doing.

When I read a book, it doesn't need to be a work of art. It doesn't need to be the most well-written book in the world, but the one thing it does need to be is enthralling in some way. It needs to have characters that I care about and want to root for. Or it needs to have an interesting plot that can suck me in.

This book had none of that.

I don't care about Lily and Greyston. I really don't care about the incredibly irritating Evelyn. There wasn't even anything interesting about Lady Ostrich. The plot seemed aimless and almost non-existent. There was absolutely nothing in the first eight chapters that made me care about anything that was happening to the characters.

I feel that I gave this book a more than fair chance to capture me and it just didn't.

[Literati Literature Lovers · Rating 3 out of 5]

To many genres converge

This isn't a bad book but considering it is a series the author really should have slowed down the data dump of information. It's as if the author wanted to give her readers everything she could think of in one book. We have a prim miss, a rogue, the dedicated scientist, the friend, the flirt, the devoted servants, androids, steampunk, paranormal, demons, mystery, start of a love triangle, marriage on the rocks, time travel, visions, death, mechanical dog, magic castle, and dirigibles! This is only hitting the highlights of the angst filled book. My head is spinning from too much context.

[Robin Siota Breeding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A matter of not putting it down.

What a fun and interesting story. I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot. The author gave us a few different story lines to follow and provided an adequate background for each. I'm looking forward to learning what happens to everyone in the next book.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, not a bad book. I enjoyed many things about it. I liked the powers that Grey and Lily found that they had. The demon added to the adventure. It did take me a little bit to get into the story, though. Would I read more of the series? Probably but it not a series that I am dying to read right away.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I love the demon concept in this story. The celludrones are very sci-fi and hope to learn more about them in book 2. I really enjoyed the story and liked Lily and Greyston a lot. Hopefully there will be more action in book 2, it sounds like it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot and characters are really intriguing, the writing is a little bit confusing at times. It felt in some instances like there was TOO much going on. The end was rather abrupt. Kind of like this review.

[Lindsay]

Amazon Freebie 10/10/2012

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I was thinking this was steam punk, but it turned into gas lamp fantasy. Something about it just didn't work for me.

[Windy Skirt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Book had several interesting themes but needed better editing. Will be reading the next book in the series.

[Dorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I would like this, but it is very interesting. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!!

[Commentary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, but a both the characters and magic/technology were unevenly developed. I will probably try to second but if it doesn't get better then probably will not continue. Nice covers though.

[hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Laure Reminick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on Steam-punk, with demons. Enticed to read more of the series.