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Disenchanted & Co. #Book 1, Part #1
Disenchanted & Co., Part 1: Her Ladyship's Curse
In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.
Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.
Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.
Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.
Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2013
15 people are currently reading
1464 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Viehl
54 books986 followersAlso see S.L. Viehl, Gena Hale, Jessica Hall. Rebecca Kelly.
She writes mostly novels in a variety of genres and under several pseudonyms. Among them are science fiction (as S. L. Viehl), romantic fiction (as Lynn Viehl, Gena Hale, and Jessica Hall), and Christian fiction (as Rebecca Kelly). She has described herself as primarily a writer of romance: no matter what genre she is working in, an element of romance will always be present.
In what spare time remains she enjoys quilting, reading, cooking, painting, and knitting. She currently lives with her family in Florida.
She writes mostly novels in a variety of genres and under several pseudonyms. Among them are science fiction (as S. L. Viehl), romantic fiction (as Lynn Viehl, Gena Hale, and Jessica Hall), and Christian fiction (as Rebecca Kelly). She has described herself as primarily a writer of romance: no matter what genre she is working in, an element of romance will always be present.
In what spare time remains she enjoys quilting, reading, cooking, painting, and knitting. She currently lives with her family in Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
July 30, 2013
To be honest, I am completely baffled by the marketing decision to split Disenchanted & Co. into two parts. The first part, Her Ladyship's Curse came out on August 12th 2013, and the second one will be available from October 14th. However, if you want to wait and buy the whole book as a paperback or an ebook you can wait till January 2014.
I can only imagine how frustrating it would be for a reader to buy part #1 without realising how abruptly it ends and then wait two months to read the second part. As a reviewer I was lucky to request and read both parts back to back, but I strongly advise you to wait until October or even January to read the whole thing together because Disenchanted & Co. is delightful.
Kit is oh so sassy and a wonderful main heroine with a swat of highly disreputable friends throughout the city, and quite a few enemies. In fact, imagine Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock. Now think of Charmain (Kit) as his female counterpart. This is who she reminded me of.
She also has her own Tall, Dark and Dangerous. Lucien Dredmore is a death mage infatuated with Kit and a completely delicious character who is constantly trying to save our reckless private detective. The banter between Lucien and Kit is phenomenally good! *grinning*
The story itself has a few layers and is very interesting to follow. One of these layers is Kit's investigation into one of the society ladies being haunted by a ghost, another is Kits' prodding into her own family history which is mysterious and fascinating. There is this huge conspiracy going on, and Kit accidentally stumbles into it and bites more than she can swallow.
There are plenty of new gadgets and terminology, and what is extremely refreshing is that the story itself is based in America (by the description of it very close to Canada), but America which lost its fight for independence and is completely under British Empire's thumb.
Recommended for anyone who liked The St. Croix Chronicles by Karina Cooper. This is written very much in the same spirit of things.
I can only imagine how frustrating it would be for a reader to buy part #1 without realising how abruptly it ends and then wait two months to read the second part. As a reviewer I was lucky to request and read both parts back to back, but I strongly advise you to wait until October or even January to read the whole thing together because Disenchanted & Co. is delightful.
Kit is oh so sassy and a wonderful main heroine with a swat of highly disreputable friends throughout the city, and quite a few enemies. In fact, imagine Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock. Now think of Charmain (Kit) as his female counterpart. This is who she reminded me of.
She also has her own Tall, Dark and Dangerous. Lucien Dredmore is a death mage infatuated with Kit and a completely delicious character who is constantly trying to save our reckless private detective. The banter between Lucien and Kit is phenomenally good! *grinning*
The story itself has a few layers and is very interesting to follow. One of these layers is Kit's investigation into one of the society ladies being haunted by a ghost, another is Kits' prodding into her own family history which is mysterious and fascinating. There is this huge conspiracy going on, and Kit accidentally stumbles into it and bites more than she can swallow.
There are plenty of new gadgets and terminology, and what is extremely refreshing is that the story itself is based in America (by the description of it very close to Canada), but America which lost its fight for independence and is completely under British Empire's thumb.
Recommended for anyone who liked The St. Croix Chronicles by Karina Cooper. This is written very much in the same spirit of things.
September 7, 2013
Kit is a curse breaker. She disenchants those suffering under curses and hexes.
And she doesn’t believe in magic. There always seems to be a rational reason for all of the magic people claim to be enduring and experiencing yet it doesn’t stop what seems to be an inordinate swarm of charlatans and con-artists trying to peddle magic to the unbelievably credulous masses.
Thankfully, she’s an able detective, able to find the truth behind the so-called curses, even if, as a woman working for herself in steampunk Toriana, she has to jump through a few hoops to do her job
But her latest job gets her involved with some of the top people in society – and lands her deeper than she imagined.
This world is fascinating. This world is truly excellent. This world is original and unique and contains so many facets that I could read a hundred books set there. The alternate America after losing the Revolutionary War, the clash of cultures, the different opinions and language that arose from it all come together to create a fascinatingly deep, alternate world all heavily laden with a wonderful touch of steampunk goodness, lovely little devices that are, perhaps, not as dramatic as iron soldiers but fun little detective devices nevertheless.
And on top of that we have magic. Actual real magic – or the widespread belief of it at least – twisting every part of society, creating new offices, new professions and shaping the culture accordingly. This combination of magic, classic steampunk and an entire alternate world comes together to create a world that is truly magnificent, extremely detailed and with so much to delve in that I want to wallow in it.
I love how Kit fits into it. Everyone believes she has a super talent for dispelling magic and curses so employ her – but she doesn’t believe in magic. Despite everyone else being sure it exists – and she goes around as a detective and exposes frauds and hoaxes (it’s not haunted, there’s an owl stuck in the chimney. It’s not a curse, the sewer pipe is broken allowing rats from the sewers. Etc etc etc etc) and becomes further convinced that magic is all a hoax. But is it all fraudulent or does she do what everyone claims – nullify magic with her mere presence? It’s a wonderful twist and adds so much to the book.
So it’s immensely frustrating that so little of this world is described. I know less is more when it comes to world building and it’s important to keep the info dumping to a minimum but there are innumerable references, random words used and history alluded to without any explanation or depth. I was constantly running to try and keep up, making big inferences about the world and hoping I was right because most of what I think is largely guess work. There is a glossary at the back of the book and it is sadly needed. If it had just been fleshed out a little more, broadened a little more, expanded a little more it would have been perfect.
The same applies to many of the side characters. She has some excellent people around her who she bounces off extremely well with lots of great interactions. I like them but they’re all a little… shallow. They’re Archetypes that need more work and development to make them more than Prostitute/Madam with heart of gold, Poor Girl Married Money, Eccentric Inventor Genius. I like them, but they need more layers; I think her police contact is the closest to a fully realised character but even then it’s notable that I’m going to have to look up his name. It’s not that I disliked any of these characters – they’re all very very good characters with hints of excellent back stories, hints of excellent personalities and truly they’re going to be great assets
As to the story – well it’s interesting, it’s fun – but it’s largely used as a mechanism to introduce Kit, her world and what she does, with lots of foreshadowing and hints about her past that will become relevant, I assume. The main plot itself (investigating a woman suffering under a vindictive “curse”) is a little overwhelmed by Kit apparently uncovering a conspiracy we know nothing about, a ghost (she believes in ghosts), her father’s past, her “love interest” (more on that) and a few other distractions. And then it ends unfinished – there’s no closure to any of these story snippets, it’s all left rather hanging.
I’m a little annoyed actually by how short this book is, because a lot of the problems I’ve listed above could easily have been addressed; the book is short, there was space to widen the exposition and world building and to develop the side characters
More, there was room to actually tell the story. I’m slightly irritated that that “Part 1” doesn’t refer to the first book in a trilogy, it literally is a book cut into pieces. Nothing was resolved in this book, there was no closed story arc – the book didn’t end, it just stopped. It feels like a whole book was written then chopped randomly into pieces to be sold separately. It would have been easier to swallow if the book was already getting long – but it really isn’t. At least some of the problems above could have been addressed by adding a few more pages.
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And she doesn’t believe in magic. There always seems to be a rational reason for all of the magic people claim to be enduring and experiencing yet it doesn’t stop what seems to be an inordinate swarm of charlatans and con-artists trying to peddle magic to the unbelievably credulous masses.
Thankfully, she’s an able detective, able to find the truth behind the so-called curses, even if, as a woman working for herself in steampunk Toriana, she has to jump through a few hoops to do her job
But her latest job gets her involved with some of the top people in society – and lands her deeper than she imagined.
This world is fascinating. This world is truly excellent. This world is original and unique and contains so many facets that I could read a hundred books set there. The alternate America after losing the Revolutionary War, the clash of cultures, the different opinions and language that arose from it all come together to create a fascinatingly deep, alternate world all heavily laden with a wonderful touch of steampunk goodness, lovely little devices that are, perhaps, not as dramatic as iron soldiers but fun little detective devices nevertheless.
And on top of that we have magic. Actual real magic – or the widespread belief of it at least – twisting every part of society, creating new offices, new professions and shaping the culture accordingly. This combination of magic, classic steampunk and an entire alternate world comes together to create a world that is truly magnificent, extremely detailed and with so much to delve in that I want to wallow in it.
I love how Kit fits into it. Everyone believes she has a super talent for dispelling magic and curses so employ her – but she doesn’t believe in magic. Despite everyone else being sure it exists – and she goes around as a detective and exposes frauds and hoaxes (it’s not haunted, there’s an owl stuck in the chimney. It’s not a curse, the sewer pipe is broken allowing rats from the sewers. Etc etc etc etc) and becomes further convinced that magic is all a hoax. But is it all fraudulent or does she do what everyone claims – nullify magic with her mere presence? It’s a wonderful twist and adds so much to the book.
So it’s immensely frustrating that so little of this world is described. I know less is more when it comes to world building and it’s important to keep the info dumping to a minimum but there are innumerable references, random words used and history alluded to without any explanation or depth. I was constantly running to try and keep up, making big inferences about the world and hoping I was right because most of what I think is largely guess work. There is a glossary at the back of the book and it is sadly needed. If it had just been fleshed out a little more, broadened a little more, expanded a little more it would have been perfect.
The same applies to many of the side characters. She has some excellent people around her who she bounces off extremely well with lots of great interactions. I like them but they’re all a little… shallow. They’re Archetypes that need more work and development to make them more than Prostitute/Madam with heart of gold, Poor Girl Married Money, Eccentric Inventor Genius. I like them, but they need more layers; I think her police contact is the closest to a fully realised character but even then it’s notable that I’m going to have to look up his name. It’s not that I disliked any of these characters – they’re all very very good characters with hints of excellent back stories, hints of excellent personalities and truly they’re going to be great assets
As to the story – well it’s interesting, it’s fun – but it’s largely used as a mechanism to introduce Kit, her world and what she does, with lots of foreshadowing and hints about her past that will become relevant, I assume. The main plot itself (investigating a woman suffering under a vindictive “curse”) is a little overwhelmed by Kit apparently uncovering a conspiracy we know nothing about, a ghost (she believes in ghosts), her father’s past, her “love interest” (more on that) and a few other distractions. And then it ends unfinished – there’s no closure to any of these story snippets, it’s all left rather hanging.
I’m a little annoyed actually by how short this book is, because a lot of the problems I’ve listed above could easily have been addressed; the book is short, there was space to widen the exposition and world building and to develop the side characters
More, there was room to actually tell the story. I’m slightly irritated that that “Part 1” doesn’t refer to the first book in a trilogy, it literally is a book cut into pieces. Nothing was resolved in this book, there was no closed story arc – the book didn’t end, it just stopped. It feels like a whole book was written then chopped randomly into pieces to be sold separately. It would have been easier to swallow if the book was already getting long – but it really isn’t. At least some of the problems above could have been addressed by adding a few more pages.
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July 15, 2013
Read This Review & More Like It On Ageless Pages Reviews!
This was coasting along; a decent, if shallow, alternative history steampunk.... until that non-ending reared its head to frustrate me. Her Ladyship's Curse has an intriguing enough premise - a supernatural steampunk story set in "Toriana" (Provincial Union of Victoriana), a version of the United States where the Revolutionary War failed - but execution was shallow if serviceable. For the most part... but I will get to my severe dissatisfaction in just a minute.
I wanted more from the worldbuilding early on. The idea at the heart of the novel is a good one - far too few steampunk novels turn their focus outside of Great Britain - but the author failed to provide enough detail to flesh out her alternative history. The book is decent if far from stellar at several things: plot, pacing, writing, and creativity. However, the author's clear lack of detail works against Her Ladyship's Curse. The mystery element is pretty weak, but since Kit is a dry, amusing protagonist I was content to ride along with her and see where it all ended up.
And then, after two hundred pages of nondescript writing and very little characterization - which I was more than willing to look past because the novel was engaging enough - we get to that "ending." And I am being generous with that description. The last chapter is utterly frustrating. The cliffhanger resolves NOTHING. There is NO resolution to the main plot, just a clear ploy to buy book two. UGH. It was a cheap way to end a novel - regardless of how short the book may be. There are no answers, just an interlude THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT that just.. terminates. It's over, and it's far from a good stopping point.
I can't say I will pick up His Lordship Possessed because of how terribly Her Ladyship's Curse ended. There are plenty of supernatural steampunk mysteries already published to keep me busy, and at least they are concerned with satisfactorily wrapping up plots before attempting to solicit more money from their readers. What had been a shaky 3-star read quickly downgraded into a 2/5 and just convinced me to never pick up this series again.
This was coasting along; a decent, if shallow, alternative history steampunk.... until that non-ending reared its head to frustrate me. Her Ladyship's Curse has an intriguing enough premise - a supernatural steampunk story set in "Toriana" (Provincial Union of Victoriana), a version of the United States where the Revolutionary War failed - but execution was shallow if serviceable. For the most part... but I will get to my severe dissatisfaction in just a minute.
I wanted more from the worldbuilding early on. The idea at the heart of the novel is a good one - far too few steampunk novels turn their focus outside of Great Britain - but the author failed to provide enough detail to flesh out her alternative history. The book is decent if far from stellar at several things: plot, pacing, writing, and creativity. However, the author's clear lack of detail works against Her Ladyship's Curse. The mystery element is pretty weak, but since Kit is a dry, amusing protagonist I was content to ride along with her and see where it all ended up.
And then, after two hundred pages of nondescript writing and very little characterization - which I was more than willing to look past because the novel was engaging enough - we get to that "ending." And I am being generous with that description. The last chapter is utterly frustrating. The cliffhanger resolves NOTHING. There is NO resolution to the main plot, just a clear ploy to buy book two. UGH. It was a cheap way to end a novel - regardless of how short the book may be. There are no answers, just an interlude THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT that just.. terminates. It's over, and it's far from a good stopping point.
I can't say I will pick up His Lordship Possessed because of how terribly Her Ladyship's Curse ended. There are plenty of supernatural steampunk mysteries already published to keep me busy, and at least they are concerned with satisfactorily wrapping up plots before attempting to solicit more money from their readers. What had been a shaky 3-star read quickly downgraded into a 2/5 and just convinced me to never pick up this series again.
August 11, 2016
2.5
What a disappointment.
After a promising short story My Lord Mayhem, I thought I'd love this. I didn't like the main character. She is one of those too tough and independent to be smart female characters. While this ends in a cliffhanger (the first book is divided in two parts, don't ask me why), I am not that eager to read the second one. Not saying I won't read it. Kit was so annoying that I need a break.
The world building is promising though. The series is set in America that lost the Revolutionary war. Even though people are not really loyal to the British Crown, they are still part of the British Empire. It isn't a very good place for a single woman like Kit.
What a disappointment.
After a promising short story My Lord Mayhem, I thought I'd love this. I didn't like the main character. She is one of those too tough and independent to be smart female characters. While this ends in a cliffhanger (the first book is divided in two parts, don't ask me why), I am not that eager to read the second one. Not saying I won't read it. Kit was so annoying that I need a break.
The world building is promising though. The series is set in America that lost the Revolutionary war. Even though people are not really loyal to the British Crown, they are still part of the British Empire. It isn't a very good place for a single woman like Kit.
October 17, 2017
3 1/2 stars
First and foremost: if you hate cliff-hangers or serials stay well away from Her Ladiship's Curse. This short (very short) book simply ends mid-action; I can't even talk of a cliff-hanger, because there's not an end. There's simply a curtain call and a "Lady and Gentlemen goodnight".
Honestly I didn't expect that and it left me baffled. I don't really like cliffhangers, but I get them. They are a way of closing a story giving you a nudge towards the next. But this cutting of a novelette in two doesn't make sense to me. This is also the reason I gave a slightly lower rating.
(To make a comparison think of Ms Saintcrow's Romances of Acquitaine. http://www.goodreads.com/series/67262.... The two books are a duology and strictly linked, but there is a kind of conclusion to the story of the first book.)
Now on the good: and there's plenty. I loved to read about a Victorian steampunk in the USA, I loved the alt-history and the magic set. There's a massive piece of info that the readers need, but it never became a dump.
On the other side, the need to set the world left very few spaces for a proper plot and characterizations. Both are mainly sketched, even if with a very talented hand.
Again I loved the heroine, this woman struggling to thrive in a world where women are less than full-people. A sceptic in a world of magic. A woman alone in a world of men. But honestly I was intrigued by all characters, from high to low.
I would recommend it, as long as you wait October for the second part. Otherwise at the end there will be too much teeth-grinding to let you appreciate it fully..:D
First and foremost: if you hate cliff-hangers or serials stay well away from Her Ladiship's Curse. This short (very short) book simply ends mid-action; I can't even talk of a cliff-hanger, because there's not an end. There's simply a curtain call and a "Lady and Gentlemen goodnight".
Honestly I didn't expect that and it left me baffled. I don't really like cliffhangers, but I get them. They are a way of closing a story giving you a nudge towards the next. But this cutting of a novelette in two doesn't make sense to me. This is also the reason I gave a slightly lower rating.
(To make a comparison think of Ms Saintcrow's Romances of Acquitaine. http://www.goodreads.com/series/67262.... The two books are a duology and strictly linked, but there is a kind of conclusion to the story of the first book.)
Now on the good: and there's plenty. I loved to read about a Victorian steampunk in the USA, I loved the alt-history and the magic set. There's a massive piece of info that the readers need, but it never became a dump.
On the other side, the need to set the world left very few spaces for a proper plot and characterizations. Both are mainly sketched, even if with a very talented hand.
Again I loved the heroine, this woman struggling to thrive in a world where women are less than full-people. A sceptic in a world of magic. A woman alone in a world of men. But honestly I was intrigued by all characters, from high to low.
I would recommend it, as long as you wait October for the second part. Otherwise at the end there will be too much teeth-grinding to let you appreciate it fully..:D
August 17, 2013
I liked Her Ladyship's Curse by Darkyn author Lynn Viehl. Her Ladyship’s Curse has a bit of steampunk along with magic and mystery set in alternate world where the Revolutionary war was won by the Brits.
I liked the heroine who has her own business debunking the strange and magical - she doesn’t believe in magic and there is a reason for this belief – and there is a death mage who wants her and a constable who seems to be interested as well. I enjoyed this story story which completes later this year in His Lordship Possessed, but I have to warn potential readers that this story really is part 1 of 2 and it ends abruptly without closing anything off in either the mystery or with any of the potential romances -the story comes to a sudden halt with a literal 'to be continued.' I was prepared for this so it didn't bug me but I know that some people hate that.
Still, I am looking forward to part two and, as a FYI, there is a little short that overlaps this story on Viehl's website - My Lord Mayhem (read it online or download for free)- which I also liked even though it reads like a historical romance with magic and doesn't give a good feel for the Her Ladyship’s Disenchanted & Co alternate world.
(Wow I knew the author also wrote scifi as S.L. Viehl, but I didn't realize that she was also Gena Hale, Jessica Hall and Rebecca Kelly.)
I liked the heroine who has her own business debunking the strange and magical - she doesn’t believe in magic and there is a reason for this belief – and there is a death mage who wants her and a constable who seems to be interested as well. I enjoyed this story story which completes later this year in His Lordship Possessed, but I have to warn potential readers that this story really is part 1 of 2 and it ends abruptly without closing anything off in either the mystery or with any of the potential romances -the story comes to a sudden halt with a literal 'to be continued.' I was prepared for this so it didn't bug me but I know that some people hate that.
Still, I am looking forward to part two and, as a FYI, there is a little short that overlaps this story on Viehl's website - My Lord Mayhem (read it online or download for free)- which I also liked even though it reads like a historical romance with magic and doesn't give a good feel for the Her Ladyship’s Disenchanted & Co alternate world.
(Wow I knew the author also wrote scifi as S.L. Viehl, but I didn't realize that she was also Gena Hale, Jessica Hall and Rebecca Kelly.)
June 30, 2017
So I was genuinely interested in the story. It was different from others of the genre. But I am not a fan of forcing a woman and so didn't like the hero at all. Should have given it 1*.
June 8, 2016
I read this as one book. The first part of the book was good but the second part made it great.
September 9, 2013
With a tag including Steampunk, one would expect a bit more steampunk incorporated into this story. Instead, it's more urban fantasy on a retold timeline. The steampunk in this tale is quite light. Still, the novel is interesting and I enjoy how history is designed with Great Britain, or the "Crown" winning instead of Washington.
Kit is a magical null. Magic doesn't work around her which is why she believes all mages to be thieving scam artist. This world Ms. Viehl created is intriguing. It parallels the colonies in the US in many ways. This interpretation is a bit darker. Or perhaps the real history books have white washed it so that in comparison, Ms. Viehl's world seems more sinister.
The characters in this book are engaging. Kit is a character I enjoy. She is spunky and she keeps the most intriguing of friends. Her loyal friends are pretty amazing and it's nice to see a strong female lead maintain friends from her youth. Even better, when her friends are of both sexes instead of just males. Kit's ability to negate magic serves her well since she is employed by many to rid them of "curses". Kit' skepticism along with her sleuthing skill keeps her busy. Although at times it catches the eye of people she'd rather ignore.
The love interest in this story is amusing. Lucien Dredmore is not only a deathmage, but a man in the "Tonne". He isn't to be trifled with yet Kit treats him with utmost irreverence. Her immunity to his charms both personality and magic only entrances him more. Dredmore is definitely designed as an overbearing alpha male. It's puzzling how Kit becomes so easily swayed by his sexual overtures. For someone so strong willed, she is curiously weak around him.
While the dispelling of magic is going on, as well as Kit working on a case, there are other plots going on. It should be interesting to see how Ms. Viehl pulls them all together. Currently there are several storylines being revealed at the same time. For this story to cut off in a cliffhanger is disappointing. It leaves the book feeling unfinished. This is why the rating is a 3 star. The world building as well as character creation is solid. This is recommended for magic lovers who enjoy a bluestocking kicking butt and taking names.
*provided by Edelweiss
Kit is a magical null. Magic doesn't work around her which is why she believes all mages to be thieving scam artist. This world Ms. Viehl created is intriguing. It parallels the colonies in the US in many ways. This interpretation is a bit darker. Or perhaps the real history books have white washed it so that in comparison, Ms. Viehl's world seems more sinister.
The characters in this book are engaging. Kit is a character I enjoy. She is spunky and she keeps the most intriguing of friends. Her loyal friends are pretty amazing and it's nice to see a strong female lead maintain friends from her youth. Even better, when her friends are of both sexes instead of just males. Kit's ability to negate magic serves her well since she is employed by many to rid them of "curses". Kit' skepticism along with her sleuthing skill keeps her busy. Although at times it catches the eye of people she'd rather ignore.
The love interest in this story is amusing. Lucien Dredmore is not only a deathmage, but a man in the "Tonne". He isn't to be trifled with yet Kit treats him with utmost irreverence. Her immunity to his charms both personality and magic only entrances him more. Dredmore is definitely designed as an overbearing alpha male. It's puzzling how Kit becomes so easily swayed by his sexual overtures. For someone so strong willed, she is curiously weak around him.
While the dispelling of magic is going on, as well as Kit working on a case, there are other plots going on. It should be interesting to see how Ms. Viehl pulls them all together. Currently there are several storylines being revealed at the same time. For this story to cut off in a cliffhanger is disappointing. It leaves the book feeling unfinished. This is why the rating is a 3 star. The world building as well as character creation is solid. This is recommended for magic lovers who enjoy a bluestocking kicking butt and taking names.
*provided by Edelweiss
August 3, 2015
This is the first book of a duology but, if you ask me, I'd say this is actually one-half of a book.
There's a huge difference between being one-half of a duology and one-half of a book.
I liked the story and the characters well enough. But there were too many useless parts (like lengthy descriptions of places and things, backgrounds of secondary characters) that felt like being put there just to bloat the book's words count. If you cut those parts out, you get the length of the average novella.
But it's not only about the length.
It won't be a spoiler if I say that the mystery doesn't even get "properly" solved in the end (yet another reason why this felt incomplete). And the love interest makes just a fleeting appearance throughout the whole book when… BAM! In the end, sudden fireworks.
Not surprisingly, the book ends on a cliff.
Bottom line: a nice almost-book, but ten kinds of awkward.
It's going to be sold cheaply and the publication of the sequel will be just two months apart, so hopefully it's not going to be as awkward as I believe: you just have to wait until the entire series is out and then get the whole book :)
There's a huge difference between being one-half of a duology and one-half of a book.
I liked the story and the characters well enough. But there were too many useless parts (like lengthy descriptions of places and things, backgrounds of secondary characters) that felt like being put there just to bloat the book's words count. If you cut those parts out, you get the length of the average novella.
But it's not only about the length.
It won't be a spoiler if I say that the mystery doesn't even get "properly" solved in the end (yet another reason why this felt incomplete). And the love interest makes just a fleeting appearance throughout the whole book when… BAM! In the end, sudden fireworks.
Not surprisingly, the book ends on a cliff.
Bottom line: a nice almost-book, but ten kinds of awkward.
It's going to be sold cheaply and the publication of the sequel will be just two months apart, so hopefully it's not going to be as awkward as I believe: you just have to wait until the entire series is out and then get the whole book :)
June 30, 2015
3.5 stars. I love fantasy/steampunk, particularly when it's done well. And this one is - Her Ladyship's Curse is really quite an enjoyable read, with a likeable female protagonist, a multi-layered story (what turns out to be another mystery in the line of Kit's investigations turn out to be rather a complicated plot, which is the sort of thing that ticks all my boxes) and an interesting setting. It's really too bad that there are some obvious flaws that simply couldn't be overlooked.
Let's start with the good! Our protagonist, Charmian "Kit" Kittredge, is a heck of a lot of fun. Tired of timid heroines? Well, Kit is the answer - she has an independent streak a mile wide and always has a sassy retort at the ready, which leads to some great banter. Her stubbornness and determination to stand on her own (she has her own business, has saved enough money to buy her own block of apartments, etc.) might annoy some, but at least she's no shrinking violet.
The alternate history setting is detailed and quite vividly described, particularly places like the brothel run by Kit's friend Rina or the underground tunnels and library archives; one almost wonders whether the author had a copious stack of notes at the ready when she wrote this. Speaking of Rina... Kit has few close friends, but the ones she has are solid gold and make up a wonderful supporting cast. Rina (the prostitute) and Bridget (the dress designer who married a rich and loving husband) are particularly likeable and it's a nice change for a novel heroine to have such stalwart girl friends.
On the other hand, the downside to the detailed alternative setting is that it is frequently too detailed and the amount of information given to readers is inconsistent. Quite a few times I'm greeted with random info dumps - no one likes info dumps, seriously. They were not so bad that I ever found myself truly irritated, but it does drag me out of the story when (for example) Kit is being driven to her destination by carri (a steam-powered carriage) and she launches into a detailed explanation of the history of carris, stops to briefly converse with the driver, and then move onto a history of the Hill and her plans for buying out an apartment block. At the other extreme, random "alternative" terms like carri, Toriana, Torians (Victorians), Talians (Italians) and so on are not explained... at all, with little to no context given. There is a detailed glossary at the back, but this is probably not the best decision by the publisher - considering the number of people switching to the use of e-readers, the glossary at the back would be little help to anyone unless they could be bothered to navigate to the back every time they found a word that they didn't recognize. Although I understood the author's intent to create an alternate "language" to suit her alternate world, merely shortening so many words (negligee becomes "negli," for example) just makes me wonder why it was necessary. There are also examples of people being introduced by their nicknames without any context whatsoever - the first time Kit mentions "Rina" is in passing and does not add any explanation as to who she is or why her comments should matter to Kit. It isn't until later that she refers to "Carina Eagle" and subsequently "Rina" that it becomes clear who Rina is.
The other major flaw is the way the key love interest, Lucien Dredmore, is introduced. Or isn't introduced might be a better way to describe it, since we first meet him when Kit is manhandled into a "close encounter" with Dredmore in his carriage. It's full of antagonistic sexual tension, but the lack of any background for his character leeched any potential emotion out of the scene. Why is Dredmore interested in Kit? Why does she hate him? We are given no chance to get to know Dredmore and understand his motivations for protecting Kit, and since Kit is insistent on hating him and refuses to consider other possibilities, they spend almost no time together. It's really a shame, because I wanted a chance to be invested in their romance. On that note, I should add that . There're some hints that the relationship will deepen in Part 2, though, so I'm hoping for better things.
In short, I liked Kit and the supporting characters and the setting is refreshing. Despite some issues, the prose and dialogue is really rather decent - natural, flows well and never reads like the flowery mess or overly stilted attempts at period language that one often finds. I have to wonder, though, how many of these issues might have stood out less had the book not been split into two parts.
Let's start with the good! Our protagonist, Charmian "Kit" Kittredge, is a heck of a lot of fun. Tired of timid heroines? Well, Kit is the answer - she has an independent streak a mile wide and always has a sassy retort at the ready, which leads to some great banter. Her stubbornness and determination to stand on her own (she has her own business, has saved enough money to buy her own block of apartments, etc.) might annoy some, but at least she's no shrinking violet.
The alternate history setting is detailed and quite vividly described, particularly places like the brothel run by Kit's friend Rina or the underground tunnels and library archives; one almost wonders whether the author had a copious stack of notes at the ready when she wrote this. Speaking of Rina... Kit has few close friends, but the ones she has are solid gold and make up a wonderful supporting cast. Rina (the prostitute) and Bridget (the dress designer who married a rich and loving husband) are particularly likeable and it's a nice change for a novel heroine to have such stalwart girl friends.
On the other hand, the downside to the detailed alternative setting is that it is frequently too detailed and the amount of information given to readers is inconsistent. Quite a few times I'm greeted with random info dumps - no one likes info dumps, seriously. They were not so bad that I ever found myself truly irritated, but it does drag me out of the story when (for example) Kit is being driven to her destination by carri (a steam-powered carriage) and she launches into a detailed explanation of the history of carris, stops to briefly converse with the driver, and then move onto a history of the Hill and her plans for buying out an apartment block. At the other extreme, random "alternative" terms like carri, Toriana, Torians (Victorians), Talians (Italians) and so on are not explained... at all, with little to no context given. There is a detailed glossary at the back, but this is probably not the best decision by the publisher - considering the number of people switching to the use of e-readers, the glossary at the back would be little help to anyone unless they could be bothered to navigate to the back every time they found a word that they didn't recognize. Although I understood the author's intent to create an alternate "language" to suit her alternate world, merely shortening so many words (negligee becomes "negli," for example) just makes me wonder why it was necessary. There are also examples of people being introduced by their nicknames without any context whatsoever - the first time Kit mentions "Rina" is in passing and does not add any explanation as to who she is or why her comments should matter to Kit. It isn't until later that she refers to "Carina Eagle" and subsequently "Rina" that it becomes clear who Rina is.
The other major flaw is the way the key love interest, Lucien Dredmore, is introduced. Or isn't introduced might be a better way to describe it, since we first meet him when Kit is manhandled into a "close encounter" with Dredmore in his carriage. It's full of antagonistic sexual tension, but the lack of any background for his character leeched any potential emotion out of the scene. Why is Dredmore interested in Kit? Why does she hate him? We are given no chance to get to know Dredmore and understand his motivations for protecting Kit, and since Kit is insistent on hating him and refuses to consider other possibilities, they spend almost no time together. It's really a shame, because I wanted a chance to be invested in their romance. On that note, I should add that . There're some hints that the relationship will deepen in Part 2, though, so I'm hoping for better things.
In short, I liked Kit and the supporting characters and the setting is refreshing. Despite some issues, the prose and dialogue is really rather decent - natural, flows well and never reads like the flowery mess or overly stilted attempts at period language that one often finds. I have to wonder, though, how many of these issues might have stood out less had the book not been split into two parts.
August 11, 2013
My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2013/08...
In Rumsen, almost everyone believes in magic. Not Charmian Kittredge. As the proprietress of Disenchanted & Co., Kit makes her living by solving crimes others claim to be caused by magic, exposing charlatans and dispelling the supernatural. Though she does her best to avoid the Hill — Rumsen’s closest thing to an aristocracy — Kit finds herself among the blue-blooded once more when she takes Lady Diana Walsh’s case. Someone is carving cruel words into the woman while she sleeps, and it’s not long before Kit learns that the attacks on Lady Walsh are only the tip of the iceberg. A foul plot is afoot in Rumsen, and Kit’s investigation into the Walsh family puts her in more danger than she ever could have imagined. And if that’s not bad enough, the mystery of her ladyship’s curse has put Kit firmly in the path of the one man she desperately tries to avoid: darkly handsome deathmage Lucien Dredmore.
Her Ladyship’s Curse is a stellar beginning to the Disenchanted & Co. series! I devoured Her Ladyship’s Curse in less than a day and was hungry to more, thanks to Lynn Viehl’s top-notch world-building and intriguing characters.
At the heart of Her Ladyship’s Curse is Kit. Our intrepid heroine is loyal, quick-witted, no-nonsense, and not afraid to go against the grain. I adored Kit and found her to be both relatable enough to be a window into the world of Rumsen and different enough to make her an appealing protagonist in and of herself. There’s a lot of Kit’s history that neither she nor readers know, and part of the fun of the story is piecing together the puzzle that is her legacy.
Also a mystery is who’s attacking Lady Diana Walsh and why. What seems to be a simple case at the beginning becomes more complicated than one might expect as Kit delves deeper into her investigation. Her questions and her daily life lead her to cross paths with many interesting characters, chiefly New Scotland Yard Inspector Tommy Doyle and the compelling deathmage Lucien Dredmore. Kit has a past with both men, and man, oh man, does Ms. Viehl leave readers wanting more when it comes to these two very different characters. There’s at least a dozen reasons I’m eager to read the second part of this story, His Lordship Possessed, but learning more about Lucien might just top the list.
The Disenchanted & Co. series is set in Toriana, an alternate-history universe where America lost the Revolutionary War. Geographically speaking, Rumsen (where the action of Her Ladyship’s Curse takes place) is roughly equivalent to San Francisco. Ms. Viehl brings Rumsen to vivid life in this story, giving depth to the world she has created. Toriana isn’t simply America with another name. Socially, economically, technologically, and politically, nineteenth-century Toriana is vastly different from the history we know and the changes Ms. Viehl makes have a huge impact on the story. Add in some magic (which exists, even if Kit doesn’t yet believe), and you’ve got a winning combination for an engaging, original world. I was transported to Toriana by Ms. Viehl’s storytelling and though she infused plenty of her world into the story, I still wanted to learn more because I was utterly fascinated.
Her Ladyship’s Curse is a bit of a difficult book to categorize. The best way I can describe it is to say it’s alternate history, urban fantasy, and steampunk all rolled into one, with a dash of potential romance that provides added intrigue and steam. No matter what you call Her Ladyship’s Curse , it’s a story that’s not to be missed. Fair warning, however, Her Ladyship’s Curse is part one of a book and it does end on a cliffhanger. None of the plot threads are tied up by the end of this story and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be desperate to dive right into part two, His Lordship Possessed (available October 14, 2013).
There’s so much I’d love to say about Her Ladyship’s Curse that I simply can’t for fear of spoiling the story. Suffice it to say that Lynn Viehl takes readers on a spectacularly exciting journey you won’t regret taking.
Note: Her Ladyship’s Curse and His Lordship Possessed will also be sold as one book (Disenchanted & Co.) as of January 28, 2014.
In Rumsen, almost everyone believes in magic. Not Charmian Kittredge. As the proprietress of Disenchanted & Co., Kit makes her living by solving crimes others claim to be caused by magic, exposing charlatans and dispelling the supernatural. Though she does her best to avoid the Hill — Rumsen’s closest thing to an aristocracy — Kit finds herself among the blue-blooded once more when she takes Lady Diana Walsh’s case. Someone is carving cruel words into the woman while she sleeps, and it’s not long before Kit learns that the attacks on Lady Walsh are only the tip of the iceberg. A foul plot is afoot in Rumsen, and Kit’s investigation into the Walsh family puts her in more danger than she ever could have imagined. And if that’s not bad enough, the mystery of her ladyship’s curse has put Kit firmly in the path of the one man she desperately tries to avoid: darkly handsome deathmage Lucien Dredmore.
Her Ladyship’s Curse is a stellar beginning to the Disenchanted & Co. series! I devoured Her Ladyship’s Curse in less than a day and was hungry to more, thanks to Lynn Viehl’s top-notch world-building and intriguing characters.
At the heart of Her Ladyship’s Curse is Kit. Our intrepid heroine is loyal, quick-witted, no-nonsense, and not afraid to go against the grain. I adored Kit and found her to be both relatable enough to be a window into the world of Rumsen and different enough to make her an appealing protagonist in and of herself. There’s a lot of Kit’s history that neither she nor readers know, and part of the fun of the story is piecing together the puzzle that is her legacy.
Also a mystery is who’s attacking Lady Diana Walsh and why. What seems to be a simple case at the beginning becomes more complicated than one might expect as Kit delves deeper into her investigation. Her questions and her daily life lead her to cross paths with many interesting characters, chiefly New Scotland Yard Inspector Tommy Doyle and the compelling deathmage Lucien Dredmore. Kit has a past with both men, and man, oh man, does Ms. Viehl leave readers wanting more when it comes to these two very different characters. There’s at least a dozen reasons I’m eager to read the second part of this story, His Lordship Possessed, but learning more about Lucien might just top the list.
The Disenchanted & Co. series is set in Toriana, an alternate-history universe where America lost the Revolutionary War. Geographically speaking, Rumsen (where the action of Her Ladyship’s Curse takes place) is roughly equivalent to San Francisco. Ms. Viehl brings Rumsen to vivid life in this story, giving depth to the world she has created. Toriana isn’t simply America with another name. Socially, economically, technologically, and politically, nineteenth-century Toriana is vastly different from the history we know and the changes Ms. Viehl makes have a huge impact on the story. Add in some magic (which exists, even if Kit doesn’t yet believe), and you’ve got a winning combination for an engaging, original world. I was transported to Toriana by Ms. Viehl’s storytelling and though she infused plenty of her world into the story, I still wanted to learn more because I was utterly fascinated.
Her Ladyship’s Curse is a bit of a difficult book to categorize. The best way I can describe it is to say it’s alternate history, urban fantasy, and steampunk all rolled into one, with a dash of potential romance that provides added intrigue and steam. No matter what you call Her Ladyship’s Curse , it’s a story that’s not to be missed. Fair warning, however, Her Ladyship’s Curse is part one of a book and it does end on a cliffhanger. None of the plot threads are tied up by the end of this story and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be desperate to dive right into part two, His Lordship Possessed (available October 14, 2013).
There’s so much I’d love to say about Her Ladyship’s Curse that I simply can’t for fear of spoiling the story. Suffice it to say that Lynn Viehl takes readers on a spectacularly exciting journey you won’t regret taking.
Note: Her Ladyship’s Curse and His Lordship Possessed will also be sold as one book (Disenchanted & Co.) as of January 28, 2014.
August 12, 2013
*Genre* Alt-History, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
Her Ladyship's Curse, along with His Lordship Possessed are two separate parts of the same novel, Disenchanted & Co., which will be released together January 28th, 2014 by Pocket Books. Since both parts intersect with the other, I am going to review them as one book instead of two. It’s called taking creative liberties.
The world of Disenchanted & Co is set in an alternative reality United States called Toriana (The Provincial Union of Victoriana). It is a world where the 13 original colonies lost the fight for independence and remained a part of the British Empire who treated them as traitors for nearly three decades. The residents are still required to take an oath to the Crown every five years without failure or fanfare.
*FYI* I highly recommend that if you read this book, that you don’t forget about the glossary of terms in the back of the book. This will ensure that you will not become frustrated or confused with certain terms.
I've always found the concept of alternative reality worlds to be quiet interesting. If you know anything about the United States History, you must throw out preconceived notions of things that actually happened from 1776 to the time that this story takes place in the last half of the nineteenth century or you won't enjoy it as much. You will also have to restrain your feminist side which will no doubt go crazy over certain aspects like freeclaiming where women can be taken off the streets at any time and kept by a man without any rights or means to complain about her situation.
Her Ladyship's Curse takes place entirely in Rumsen in what would be today's San Francisco if you were keeping track. There is also Settle (Seattle) and Middleway (Chicago). The series itself is supposedly a cross between alternative history, urban fantasy, and of course, steampunk. Steampunk does play an interesting part with Carri’s (steam propelled carriages), and pneumatic tubes which distributes food around the city. I am in the process of asking for one to be built into my home pronto. That way I won’t ever need to leave the house again!
Our series heroine is Charmain (Kit) Kittredge who has never actually believed in Magic. In fact, she became a private investigator and debunker of all things magic in order to disprove the very existence of anything considered the occult. I paused for a moment while reading this book, and thought about Chess Putnam from the Downside Ghost series and the fact that she debunks ghosts. Would it not be cool to have Chess and Kit working together as a team debunking things that go bump in the night? I think it would.
Kit has a reputation as someone who is trustworthy, but, she also has more than a few enemies in the magical community that wouldn’t mind seeing her gone from Rumsen post haste. This brings Kit a very unusual case that ends up with Kit coming face to face with the one person she wants to avoid: Lord Lucien Dredmore, considered to be the most powerful and dangerous death mage in all of Rumsen. Dredmore has been trying his best to peel back Kit’s layers and find out why she doesn’t succumb to his charms and magic like others have. I think you will either be surprised by the revelation, or you won’t since it all makes sense when you put things together.
I actually really liked Kit. She’s a woman in a male dominated society which looks down its nose at independent, strong minded women. She’s fearless, without being overly reckless. She works hard and tries to keep from being destroyed by the rich on the Hill. She has the most interesting friends in Bridget Duluc and Carina Eagle. She even has her own personal guardian who may or may not be a famous named magician. She tries to stick to her guns even with Lucian and Inspector Tommy Doyle (a childhood friend) hounding over her. One (Doyle) trying to protect her, while the other (Lucian) will do anything to get break her will and savage her into making Kit his.
I would highly recommend that if you are going to read Her Ladyship Curse that you also request His Lordship Possessed at the same time so that you don’t have to wait until October for the second novel to come out. I truly believe that if you liked The Parasol Protectorate, or The St. Croix Chronicles by Karina Cooper, you will definitely enjoy this series as well.
*Recvd via Edelweiss 05/29/2013* Expected publication: August 12th 2013 by Pocket Star
*Rating* 4.0
*Thoughts*
Her Ladyship's Curse, along with His Lordship Possessed are two separate parts of the same novel, Disenchanted & Co., which will be released together January 28th, 2014 by Pocket Books. Since both parts intersect with the other, I am going to review them as one book instead of two. It’s called taking creative liberties.
The world of Disenchanted & Co is set in an alternative reality United States called Toriana (The Provincial Union of Victoriana). It is a world where the 13 original colonies lost the fight for independence and remained a part of the British Empire who treated them as traitors for nearly three decades. The residents are still required to take an oath to the Crown every five years without failure or fanfare.
*FYI* I highly recommend that if you read this book, that you don’t forget about the glossary of terms in the back of the book. This will ensure that you will not become frustrated or confused with certain terms.
I've always found the concept of alternative reality worlds to be quiet interesting. If you know anything about the United States History, you must throw out preconceived notions of things that actually happened from 1776 to the time that this story takes place in the last half of the nineteenth century or you won't enjoy it as much. You will also have to restrain your feminist side which will no doubt go crazy over certain aspects like freeclaiming where women can be taken off the streets at any time and kept by a man without any rights or means to complain about her situation.
Her Ladyship's Curse takes place entirely in Rumsen in what would be today's San Francisco if you were keeping track. There is also Settle (Seattle) and Middleway (Chicago). The series itself is supposedly a cross between alternative history, urban fantasy, and of course, steampunk. Steampunk does play an interesting part with Carri’s (steam propelled carriages), and pneumatic tubes which distributes food around the city. I am in the process of asking for one to be built into my home pronto. That way I won’t ever need to leave the house again!
Our series heroine is Charmain (Kit) Kittredge who has never actually believed in Magic. In fact, she became a private investigator and debunker of all things magic in order to disprove the very existence of anything considered the occult. I paused for a moment while reading this book, and thought about Chess Putnam from the Downside Ghost series and the fact that she debunks ghosts. Would it not be cool to have Chess and Kit working together as a team debunking things that go bump in the night? I think it would.
Kit has a reputation as someone who is trustworthy, but, she also has more than a few enemies in the magical community that wouldn’t mind seeing her gone from Rumsen post haste. This brings Kit a very unusual case that ends up with Kit coming face to face with the one person she wants to avoid: Lord Lucien Dredmore, considered to be the most powerful and dangerous death mage in all of Rumsen. Dredmore has been trying his best to peel back Kit’s layers and find out why she doesn’t succumb to his charms and magic like others have. I think you will either be surprised by the revelation, or you won’t since it all makes sense when you put things together.
I actually really liked Kit. She’s a woman in a male dominated society which looks down its nose at independent, strong minded women. She’s fearless, without being overly reckless. She works hard and tries to keep from being destroyed by the rich on the Hill. She has the most interesting friends in Bridget Duluc and Carina Eagle. She even has her own personal guardian who may or may not be a famous named magician. She tries to stick to her guns even with Lucian and Inspector Tommy Doyle (a childhood friend) hounding over her. One (Doyle) trying to protect her, while the other (Lucian) will do anything to get break her will and savage her into making Kit his.
I would highly recommend that if you are going to read Her Ladyship Curse that you also request His Lordship Possessed at the same time so that you don’t have to wait until October for the second novel to come out. I truly believe that if you liked The Parasol Protectorate, or The St. Croix Chronicles by Karina Cooper, you will definitely enjoy this series as well.
*Recvd via Edelweiss 05/29/2013* Expected publication: August 12th 2013 by Pocket Star
August 16, 2013
Thoughts: When I read Disenchanted & Co., Part 1, I had already downloaded Part 2, so I was aware that it was not a stand alone. When I finished Part 1, I had the same thoughts I've had quite often lately: why write a relatively short novel with a cliffhanger instead of a longer novel that completes the story.
Of course, one reason might be that by dividing one book into parts and selling each of them separately could result in financial benefits. I don't mind trilogies or series, especially in fantasy, but I do expect to get enough satisfaction out of each one to make it worthwhile. David Weber, George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb excel at this. Each novel is a meal in itself, not simply an appetizer.
The recent tendency, however, seems to be to create a trilogy or series of short novels for either financial reasons or because the author (editor, publisher?) has decided that readers dislike long books.
The interesting thing about Disenchanted & Co., however, is that the novel is being released in two ebooks, but it looks as if the entire novel will be published (containing both Parts 1 & 2) will be published in Jan., 2014.
Rather equivalent to someone like Dickens (and other Victorian novelists) having his novels published in serial form in weekly installments. Dickens allowed public reaction to his installments to influence the future of his novels.
Is this a possibility for Lynn Viehl? If so, the final version to be published early next year may be heavily edited and a better novel.
Disenchanted & Co., Part 1:
Her Ladyship's Curse
O.K. Review:
Plot: Kit Kittinger is a young woman who has established her own business in a male-dominated society. Kit is a sort of psychic investigator who is hired by individuals who seek to remove curses and solve other magical problems. What Kit does, at least in her own estimation, is discover the actual cause of the problem and put it right. Kit does not believe in magic.
When called on by Lady Diana and asked to dispel the curse that is actually causing hateful words to be carved on her body, Kit finds herself involved in a conspiracy that threatens not only her life, but that of the entire city, and perhaps more.
Good: A steampunk fantasy that does not depend solely on steampunk elements, but has an interesting plot and interesting characters. Kit is a plucky and witty young woman who has a somewhat mysterious background and a group of friends from all layers of a very segmented society.
Dredmore is an ambiguous personality, and the anagram of his name stood out immediately.
His relationship with Kit may be a bit overdone and is certainly a familiar trope. Actually, this may be intentional as most of the characters are over the top, including the Madam with a Heart of Gold.
Not so Good (at least for me): The alternative history doesn't serve any real purpose and is initially a bit confusing. (I first thought they were in Australia)
I did not care for Kit's willingness to surrender her high-minded stubborness and so easily accept the Gothic ravishment. (bodice ripper!) Nor did I really like her swaying from one opinion to another with Dredmore so quickly and frequently.
NetGalley/Pocket Star
Of course, one reason might be that by dividing one book into parts and selling each of them separately could result in financial benefits. I don't mind trilogies or series, especially in fantasy, but I do expect to get enough satisfaction out of each one to make it worthwhile. David Weber, George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb excel at this. Each novel is a meal in itself, not simply an appetizer.
The recent tendency, however, seems to be to create a trilogy or series of short novels for either financial reasons or because the author (editor, publisher?) has decided that readers dislike long books.
The interesting thing about Disenchanted & Co., however, is that the novel is being released in two ebooks, but it looks as if the entire novel will be published (containing both Parts 1 & 2) will be published in Jan., 2014.
Rather equivalent to someone like Dickens (and other Victorian novelists) having his novels published in serial form in weekly installments. Dickens allowed public reaction to his installments to influence the future of his novels.
Is this a possibility for Lynn Viehl? If so, the final version to be published early next year may be heavily edited and a better novel.
Disenchanted & Co., Part 1:
Her Ladyship's Curse
O.K. Review:
Plot: Kit Kittinger is a young woman who has established her own business in a male-dominated society. Kit is a sort of psychic investigator who is hired by individuals who seek to remove curses and solve other magical problems. What Kit does, at least in her own estimation, is discover the actual cause of the problem and put it right. Kit does not believe in magic.
When called on by Lady Diana and asked to dispel the curse that is actually causing hateful words to be carved on her body, Kit finds herself involved in a conspiracy that threatens not only her life, but that of the entire city, and perhaps more.
Good: A steampunk fantasy that does not depend solely on steampunk elements, but has an interesting plot and interesting characters. Kit is a plucky and witty young woman who has a somewhat mysterious background and a group of friends from all layers of a very segmented society.
Dredmore is an ambiguous personality, and the anagram of his name stood out immediately.
His relationship with Kit may be a bit overdone and is certainly a familiar trope. Actually, this may be intentional as most of the characters are over the top, including the Madam with a Heart of Gold.
Not so Good (at least for me): The alternative history doesn't serve any real purpose and is initially a bit confusing. (I first thought they were in Australia)
I did not care for Kit's willingness to surrender her high-minded stubborness and so easily accept the Gothic ravishment. (bodice ripper!) Nor did I really like her swaying from one opinion to another with Dredmore so quickly and frequently.
NetGalley/Pocket Star
July 28, 2013
Her Ladyship's Curse is a book that should have gotten higher marks but certain decisions made by the author hurt it. It's an interesting combination of steampunk, urban fantasy and paranormal romance set in a world where United States lost the American (or Torian in this world I suppose) War of Independance.
Our female protagonist is something of an outsider, both because she's female and also because it seems that unlike everyone else she doesn't believe in magic. In fact she has made a living out of finding out the real causes for various curses and solving them through logic and deduction.
Of course having a female protagonist in these sorts of (even alternate) historical settings presents the author with some problems. Women's role in society being much more rigidly defined and limited puts all sorts of potential limits on the story too. Setting Kit as openly rebellious and hot headed in nature goes some way to addressing it. But the author then spends a lot of time explaining what women can't do (lots and lots of things) and just how unfair their lot is (yeah it's pretty unfair) in this society and it gets a bit repetitive.
It stands out because in general the world building that's conducted is pretty subtly done and things aren't explained until they really have to be because of the plot. You're just expected to put the pieces together and follow along. Unless, as I said, it relates to women's lot in this world, in which case you're going to have it all explained again and again.
It also leaves us with a character who is by nature stubborn and argumentative. Or, not inherently likeable. Which presents its own problem given there's multiple people in the novel who think she's the greatest thing since sliced bread (or I suppose greater since they didn't have that then). And there are points when she starts to look rather foolish as she holds stubbornly to certain opinions despite increasing evidence to the contrary.
Then there's the contradictory nature of her relationship with Dredmore. Clearly it's intended to be a typical romance style relationship. But having built this character up as strong and independent, I'm then supposed to believe she'll accept being "ravished" and be good with that? It doesn't quite fit. These are nagging things that weaken the overall plot strength and reduce enjoyment.
And the other negative is the ending of this book. Now it does make it clear from its subtitle that this is only the first in a trilogy. But the problem is it's really not. It's really the first 200 pages of a single book that's been sliced up.
The book just ends. Not only is there no resolution, there's really no obvious attempt to wrap anything up thematically at all or bring us to a satisfactory transition point. How much that annoys people will vary, I'm moderately tolerant of it, but I know many hate it.
So to sum up, very interesting bit of world building. Decent enough core plot. Some characterization problems. It's only part of a story.
Our female protagonist is something of an outsider, both because she's female and also because it seems that unlike everyone else she doesn't believe in magic. In fact she has made a living out of finding out the real causes for various curses and solving them through logic and deduction.
Of course having a female protagonist in these sorts of (even alternate) historical settings presents the author with some problems. Women's role in society being much more rigidly defined and limited puts all sorts of potential limits on the story too. Setting Kit as openly rebellious and hot headed in nature goes some way to addressing it. But the author then spends a lot of time explaining what women can't do (lots and lots of things) and just how unfair their lot is (yeah it's pretty unfair) in this society and it gets a bit repetitive.
It stands out because in general the world building that's conducted is pretty subtly done and things aren't explained until they really have to be because of the plot. You're just expected to put the pieces together and follow along. Unless, as I said, it relates to women's lot in this world, in which case you're going to have it all explained again and again.
It also leaves us with a character who is by nature stubborn and argumentative. Or, not inherently likeable. Which presents its own problem given there's multiple people in the novel who think she's the greatest thing since sliced bread (or I suppose greater since they didn't have that then). And there are points when she starts to look rather foolish as she holds stubbornly to certain opinions despite increasing evidence to the contrary.
Then there's the contradictory nature of her relationship with Dredmore. Clearly it's intended to be a typical romance style relationship. But having built this character up as strong and independent, I'm then supposed to believe she'll accept being "ravished" and be good with that? It doesn't quite fit. These are nagging things that weaken the overall plot strength and reduce enjoyment.
And the other negative is the ending of this book. Now it does make it clear from its subtitle that this is only the first in a trilogy. But the problem is it's really not. It's really the first 200 pages of a single book that's been sliced up.
The book just ends. Not only is there no resolution, there's really no obvious attempt to wrap anything up thematically at all or bring us to a satisfactory transition point. How much that annoys people will vary, I'm moderately tolerant of it, but I know many hate it.
So to sum up, very interesting bit of world building. Decent enough core plot. Some characterization problems. It's only part of a story.
August 12, 2013
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I knew Lynn Viehl by another paranormal romance series but I admit that I was immediately intrigued by this new book. I love steampunk stories and mixing it with investigations could only be promising. And indeed, after reading the first book I can only recommend the series and the author. The worst thing that happened to me was to get to the end of the first part and understand that I would have to wait to read more of it. The novel ends in effect in the middle of the story and I must say that I found it terrible not being able to read more. I strongly advise to have both books before you start reading the whole story. But back to the story …
Kit is a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic, and from this belief she has a job. She is hired to show the world that mages are just charlatans, and that there aren’t any real curses or anything like that. However, our young heroine will quickly realize that everything is more complicated than that. When her investigation takes a complex turn, we will discover some truths about her past but also a large plot that only gets reveal here. A fascinating story full of action, danger, investigations and magic. A very good mix making an unique story.
I loved the story and the characters that we discover here. Kit is a young independent woman in a world that is not easy and where women have very few rights. She manages to stand up against those who denigrate and face the world with only her two best friends. These last two are also great to discover, one is a queen of the night, the other the wife of a rich man. Three people with a completely atypical profile and yet the loved each other a lot. They are there to support one or the other when necessary and do not hesitate to endanger themselves. But enough about the women, because of course we also have two very intriguing men! On one side we find Thomas Doyle, a descendant of an old friend of her mother, a policeman but who is also interested in our heroine and on the other side we can find a deathmage Lucien Dredmore who dreams about Kit since the first time he laid his eyes on her. I confess that I have a penchant for Lucien, although his manners aren’t the best. Yet even if it means alienating kit, he does not hesitate to do what he thinks right to protect her! And I must tell you that this is not, but not at all to the taste of our heroine! Yet there is something that attracts us and I’m really looking forward to know more about him.
It was a very good novel, or at least a very good first part and I am very eager to read more now. A wonderful beginning that I’m sure will continue in the next novel.
My English review
I knew Lynn Viehl by another paranormal romance series but I admit that I was immediately intrigued by this new book. I love steampunk stories and mixing it with investigations could only be promising. And indeed, after reading the first book I can only recommend the series and the author. The worst thing that happened to me was to get to the end of the first part and understand that I would have to wait to read more of it. The novel ends in effect in the middle of the story and I must say that I found it terrible not being able to read more. I strongly advise to have both books before you start reading the whole story. But back to the story …
Kit is a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic, and from this belief she has a job. She is hired to show the world that mages are just charlatans, and that there aren’t any real curses or anything like that. However, our young heroine will quickly realize that everything is more complicated than that. When her investigation takes a complex turn, we will discover some truths about her past but also a large plot that only gets reveal here. A fascinating story full of action, danger, investigations and magic. A very good mix making an unique story.
I loved the story and the characters that we discover here. Kit is a young independent woman in a world that is not easy and where women have very few rights. She manages to stand up against those who denigrate and face the world with only her two best friends. These last two are also great to discover, one is a queen of the night, the other the wife of a rich man. Three people with a completely atypical profile and yet the loved each other a lot. They are there to support one or the other when necessary and do not hesitate to endanger themselves. But enough about the women, because of course we also have two very intriguing men! On one side we find Thomas Doyle, a descendant of an old friend of her mother, a policeman but who is also interested in our heroine and on the other side we can find a deathmage Lucien Dredmore who dreams about Kit since the first time he laid his eyes on her. I confess that I have a penchant for Lucien, although his manners aren’t the best. Yet even if it means alienating kit, he does not hesitate to do what he thinks right to protect her! And I must tell you that this is not, but not at all to the taste of our heroine! Yet there is something that attracts us and I’m really looking forward to know more about him.
It was a very good novel, or at least a very good first part and I am very eager to read more now. A wonderful beginning that I’m sure will continue in the next novel.
August 5, 2013
4.5 Stars
Miss Charmian “Kit” Kittredge lives in a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolution. It is a time of machines and magic. But Kit doesn’t believe in magic and her detective agency has debunked many so called curses and enchantments. But Kit may have taken on more than she can handle when a high society lady asks for her help as she is being attacked whilst she sleeps. But Kit’s investigation leads her to discover her own family’s sordid past as well attracting the unwanted attention of two men, both of whom as completely unsuitable and potentially dangerous to her well being.
I adore it when a book surprises me! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Her Ladyship’s Curse, I have never read Lynn Viehl before and steampunk is a genre that although I like, I haven’t done an extensive amount of reading in. But this book was excellent, the story was intriguing, the world that Viehl has started to build was interesting and Kit was the kind of heroine I like, independent and intelligent.
This book does seem to focused on world building and uses Kit’s daily life to demonstrate how the world differs and admittedly when I started reading the book I found the terms and the world slightly confusing. But as I carried on reading it became much clearer and I found myself slotting into this new America where the Empire still ruled.
But although there was a lot of information coming at you in Her Ladyship’s Curse what I found most fascinating was Kit’s investigation, which dregs up information from her family’s past in the process and the relationship with the dark and dangerous Lucien Dredmore. Normally I am more of a romance fan rather than a mystery fan, but the story of a possible conspiracy that is weaved through this book was fascinating and although there is the beginnings of a love triangle (bleh!) going on, I find myself more interested in getting to the bottom of Kit’s investigation. Although Lucien is delicious, dangerous and dastardly, and seeing what will happen is another reason why I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.
Another reason to read is the awful cliffhanger! It is so frustrating, but has ensured that I will be picking up the next book in the series. So if you are after a new and interesting read with some action, mystery and romance than I highly recommend you give this book a chance, it may be short, but it packs a punch.
*ARC provided by author
January 10, 2014
I love steampunk books, so when I saw this in the Teen/Young Adult section, I had to give it a try. I will say that I don't agree with their classification. I think a lot of people try to put all steampunk as a teen-only genre, and I heartily disagree with that. I love that she got help from one of my favorite steampunk writers, Gail Carriger, while writing it. One of the first things I will say about this book is the author has superb world-building skills. The book is set in an alternate history version of the US, called Toriana or more appropriately "The Provincial Union of Victoriana," and set in the middle to late 19th century in Rumsen, basically the equivalent of San Francisco in our world. In this history, the US has lost the Revolutionary War and are still British subjects. The author has gone so far as to create a whole dictionary in the back of the book to interpret words used in the book, a mixture of English slang and made-up terminology. Most of the stuff I could figure out living in Scotland and having an English spouse. In addition to the alternate history, add various kinds of mages and magic users and steam-powered carriages and mechs. It makes for one very interesting world. Then of course we have our main character Charmian Kittredge, Kit for short, who makes a living debunking magic frauds. That's where the story opens up, on Kit getting another client, this one a nob from up on the Hill (where the most wealthy in Rumsen live). Lady Walsh is convinced that someone has cursed her and wants Kit to investigate, but when she does she gets dragged into a lot more than she wanted. For one, she has to deal with the slimy Lord Dredmore, a death mage who does not take kindly to her intrusion onto the Hill. She ends up meeting a ghost, which causes her to find out about her own family history. Will Kit be able to unmask the truth behind Lady Walsh's curse? Will she finally figure out who her family is? To find it, read Part 1 of this exciting series! I personally can't wait to read the second part, though I'm not sure I can wait till December. 5 stars.
Disclaimer: I was given this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy e-book by Netgalley and but it has not influenced how I reviewed this book.
Disclaimer: I was given this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy e-book by Netgalley and but it has not influenced how I reviewed this book.
August 10, 2013
Do you believe in magic? Charmian Kittredge does not. She thinks all magicians are quacks, liars or charlatans. She knows all the tricks that fake mages play on the susceptible public. She and her company Disenchanted & Co. take on cases and set out to uncover the truth of such chicanery.
Lynn Viehl's newest steampunk fantasy is set in an alternative world in which the traitorous American colonists (the "Torians") lost the Great Uprising and those not willing to swear an oath to the Crown were shot at Valley Forge. Kit is a Torian, a colonist living in the defeated colonies. She is quick witted and fearless, an engaging character, with a blind spot.
Is Magic real?
Lady Walsh, the second and much younger wife of Lord Walsh, has awoken in the morning with horrible scars carved into her arm. She hires Kit to investigate. Kit believes there is a non magical explanation. Maybe its Lord Walsh's son and heir. But not everyone is pleased with this hire. Lord Walsh is not pleased.
Especially unpleased is Inspector Tom Doyle, who finds Kit fighting off two snuffmages, who are trying to kill Kit with Magic. Who sent them? She believes their magic has no effect on her because it has no effect. That the snuffmages are just another piece of foolery.
The Deathmage Dredmore does not believe that is the case.
But what if Kit is wrong about the efficacy of magic, and there was something else at play?
In this first half of Disenchanted & Co. Kit investigates her past and Lady Walsh's injuries. Finds out about her forefather's and a lot more about Magic. She also is courted by Dredmore.
Could something be protecting Kit from the effects of Magic?
Its very worth it to find out.
Its an engaging half of a book.
Yes. Her Ladyship's Curse is being released in halves. I have no real opinion about the rationale for same. The first half will be in bookstores soon.
Its a steampunk fantasy set in a well drawn alternative world with engaging characters packed with wit and verve. Romance. Intrigue and Mystery. Magic and Ghosts.
I will be looking for the next installment.
You should too.
Lynn Viehl's newest steampunk fantasy is set in an alternative world in which the traitorous American colonists (the "Torians") lost the Great Uprising and those not willing to swear an oath to the Crown were shot at Valley Forge. Kit is a Torian, a colonist living in the defeated colonies. She is quick witted and fearless, an engaging character, with a blind spot.
Is Magic real?
Lady Walsh, the second and much younger wife of Lord Walsh, has awoken in the morning with horrible scars carved into her arm. She hires Kit to investigate. Kit believes there is a non magical explanation. Maybe its Lord Walsh's son and heir. But not everyone is pleased with this hire. Lord Walsh is not pleased.
Especially unpleased is Inspector Tom Doyle, who finds Kit fighting off two snuffmages, who are trying to kill Kit with Magic. Who sent them? She believes their magic has no effect on her because it has no effect. That the snuffmages are just another piece of foolery.
The Deathmage Dredmore does not believe that is the case.
But what if Kit is wrong about the efficacy of magic, and there was something else at play?
In this first half of Disenchanted & Co. Kit investigates her past and Lady Walsh's injuries. Finds out about her forefather's and a lot more about Magic. She also is courted by Dredmore.
Could something be protecting Kit from the effects of Magic?
Its very worth it to find out.
Its an engaging half of a book.
Yes. Her Ladyship's Curse is being released in halves. I have no real opinion about the rationale for same. The first half will be in bookstores soon.
Its a steampunk fantasy set in a well drawn alternative world with engaging characters packed with wit and verve. Romance. Intrigue and Mystery. Magic and Ghosts.
I will be looking for the next installment.
You should too.
July 30, 2013
In Disenchanted & Co., authoress Lynn Viehl has created a world where steampunk and magic exist side by side and mysteries abound.
This story is a wonderful mix of the old and the new. Old, in the sense that there are definite nods given to the Historical Romance genre given the overall tone of the novel. New in that an entirely never before seen world has been created.
Kit Kittredge is for the most part a very likeable protagonist; although her insistence that all magic is a farce, flies in the face of her personal experience. A healthy skepticism is more than understandable, given the fact that her bread and butter is made from the debunking of frauds and charlatans plying their false crafts. She however, is made increasingly aware throughout the course of the book that not only is there real magic, but that magic may be being used to end her.
Then there is the mystery surrounding the young Mrs. Walsh. Though this sad case is quickly and unceremoniously solved by Kit, there is never a fitting resolution for the distraught Mrs. What comes of this instead are more questions. A great number of which involve Kit and her parents.
And lastly, there is the romantic loose end that is Lucien Dredmore. While the fact that Mr. Dredmore wants Kit is indisputable, who and what he is are not quite as clear. There is an awful lot of cat an mouse going on between these two in the first 80% of this read. That would be fine, except for the fact that Kit soon confesses that she would very much like to be caught within the first 20%.
Knowing that her protestations against the dashing Mr. Dredmore are baseless so early on make their romantic tug of was as fun as watching paint dry.
Not to worry though...
Our lady Kit and her dark Mr. Dredmore do redeem their squandered opportunities in a surprising cliff hanger by book's end.
In short, this is a good book in so much as it sets the stage for book 2. There are some books that would do well as standalone reads. This would not be one of those. If you are going to take time to read this book; you had better be prepared to buy book 2.
This story is a wonderful mix of the old and the new. Old, in the sense that there are definite nods given to the Historical Romance genre given the overall tone of the novel. New in that an entirely never before seen world has been created.
Kit Kittredge is for the most part a very likeable protagonist; although her insistence that all magic is a farce, flies in the face of her personal experience. A healthy skepticism is more than understandable, given the fact that her bread and butter is made from the debunking of frauds and charlatans plying their false crafts. She however, is made increasingly aware throughout the course of the book that not only is there real magic, but that magic may be being used to end her.
Then there is the mystery surrounding the young Mrs. Walsh. Though this sad case is quickly and unceremoniously solved by Kit, there is never a fitting resolution for the distraught Mrs. What comes of this instead are more questions. A great number of which involve Kit and her parents.
And lastly, there is the romantic loose end that is Lucien Dredmore. While the fact that Mr. Dredmore wants Kit is indisputable, who and what he is are not quite as clear. There is an awful lot of cat an mouse going on between these two in the first 80% of this read. That would be fine, except for the fact that Kit soon confesses that she would very much like to be caught within the first 20%.
Knowing that her protestations against the dashing Mr. Dredmore are baseless so early on make their romantic tug of was as fun as watching paint dry.
Not to worry though...
Our lady Kit and her dark Mr. Dredmore do redeem their squandered opportunities in a surprising cliff hanger by book's end.
In short, this is a good book in so much as it sets the stage for book 2. There are some books that would do well as standalone reads. This would not be one of those. If you are going to take time to read this book; you had better be prepared to buy book 2.
June 24, 2013
Her Ladyship's Curse is a book set in an alternate history where the United States lost the Revolutionary war and thus we are still ruled by England. Women are still treated as chattel and have very few rights and privileges. Magic works in this universe and the technology is consistent with the steam punk genre.
A young woman who is a disbeliever in magic, Charmian "Kit" Kittrege has set herself up as an investigator of sorts, though most folks hire her to remove curses, she sees her job as finding out what the real problem is and fixing it for them.
Lady Diana Walsh visits her office and asks for her help. It seems that she is being attacked at night and insulting words are being carved into her person. She can't tell her husband or family, so asks Kit to investigate and end this curse for her.
Kit agrees to help the woman, but things get complicated, not the least because of the fact that she is a commoner interacting with the aristocracy. Since she has no male to protect her, she is vulnerable to accusations that she might not otherwise face. In addition, she has attracted the attention of two very different men, one, a death mage and the other a police inspector who each add their own level of complexity to her life.
No matter, whatever the others say, Kit can not see abandoning Lady Diana to the vicious attacks.
This was a wonderful tale with complex world building and characters that jumped right off the page for me. There were aspects to the steam punk technology that were unique to any that I have previously read and very interesting. I loved the web of friendship and loyalty that Kit had, despite her being largely alone in the world and the idea of her bartering in her business transactions, thus gaining favors from people that would be useful to her later.
I am very much looking forward to seeing more of these stories! An Excellent Read!
A young woman who is a disbeliever in magic, Charmian "Kit" Kittrege has set herself up as an investigator of sorts, though most folks hire her to remove curses, she sees her job as finding out what the real problem is and fixing it for them.
Lady Diana Walsh visits her office and asks for her help. It seems that she is being attacked at night and insulting words are being carved into her person. She can't tell her husband or family, so asks Kit to investigate and end this curse for her.
Kit agrees to help the woman, but things get complicated, not the least because of the fact that she is a commoner interacting with the aristocracy. Since she has no male to protect her, she is vulnerable to accusations that she might not otherwise face. In addition, she has attracted the attention of two very different men, one, a death mage and the other a police inspector who each add their own level of complexity to her life.
No matter, whatever the others say, Kit can not see abandoning Lady Diana to the vicious attacks.
This was a wonderful tale with complex world building and characters that jumped right off the page for me. There were aspects to the steam punk technology that were unique to any that I have previously read and very interesting. I loved the web of friendship and loyalty that Kit had, despite her being largely alone in the world and the idea of her bartering in her business transactions, thus gaining favors from people that would be useful to her later.
I am very much looking forward to seeing more of these stories! An Excellent Read!
June 9, 2013
If I had to sum up Disenchanted & Company, Part 1: Her Ladyship’s Curse it would be interesting. Here is why:
Worldbuilding: The story has some very intense worldbuilding. It is set in an alternate history where America lost the Revolutionary War and where magic works. Her Ladyship’s Curse has to blend the alternate history, the location and the magic into the story. I had to play very close attention to all the details in order to absorb all of the information about those three elements. That was a big part of the story. The worldbuilding is so intense that there is a much-needed multi-page Torian Glossary at the end of the story.
Characters: This is the first book in a series and like the worldbuilding character introduction was a big part of the story. There is Kit, the main character, who does not believe in magic and makes her living exposing people who use magic as a fraud. There are the two male characters, Thomas Doyle a policeman, and Lucien Dredmore a deathmage, who look to be a set up for a romantic triangle while playing a major part in the story. There are also two female side characters, Rina and Bridget, who help and look out for Kit. The mystery is provided by Lady Walsh and her husband, both of who should appear in books two.
Plot: The plot starts out simple and grows more complex as the story progresses. There are twist and turns as everything progresses. While one mystery is solved the bigger problem is still there at the end of Her Ladyship’s Curse. The book ended with a cliff-hanger.
I saw elements that would make it paranormal as well as steampunk so that is how I listed it.
This is a novella rather than full-length books. It is also an e-book. I received a free ARC of Her Ladyship’s Curse from Edelweiss. It will be released on August 12 of 2013.
Worldbuilding: The story has some very intense worldbuilding. It is set in an alternate history where America lost the Revolutionary War and where magic works. Her Ladyship’s Curse has to blend the alternate history, the location and the magic into the story. I had to play very close attention to all the details in order to absorb all of the information about those three elements. That was a big part of the story. The worldbuilding is so intense that there is a much-needed multi-page Torian Glossary at the end of the story.
Characters: This is the first book in a series and like the worldbuilding character introduction was a big part of the story. There is Kit, the main character, who does not believe in magic and makes her living exposing people who use magic as a fraud. There are the two male characters, Thomas Doyle a policeman, and Lucien Dredmore a deathmage, who look to be a set up for a romantic triangle while playing a major part in the story. There are also two female side characters, Rina and Bridget, who help and look out for Kit. The mystery is provided by Lady Walsh and her husband, both of who should appear in books two.
Plot: The plot starts out simple and grows more complex as the story progresses. There are twist and turns as everything progresses. While one mystery is solved the bigger problem is still there at the end of Her Ladyship’s Curse. The book ended with a cliff-hanger.
I saw elements that would make it paranormal as well as steampunk so that is how I listed it.
This is a novella rather than full-length books. It is also an e-book. I received a free ARC of Her Ladyship’s Curse from Edelweiss. It will be released on August 12 of 2013.
July 20, 2013
Viehl departs from the paranormal romance genre for steampunk alternate history. What if America had never won its independence and stayed a subject of the English Crown? Viehl brings us this world and adds a bit of steampunk and a people who very much believe in magic and curses. Well, almost everybody. Kit is a private investigator who looks into claims of magic. She believes all mages and fortune tellers are charlatans. Her current case is for a women who believes she is cursed. Investigating this case will bring her into a place she promised herself she would avoid - high society and the presence of a certain Death Mage.
I'm definitely intrigued with the world and her characters. I really enjoyed the diversity and uniqueness to Viehl's characters in her Darkyn and Kyndred series. I equally enjoyed the characters in this book. Kit is a fun character to follow, very independent and smart. I want to learn more about Kit's past and "ability" that she doesn't believe she has. She has a great circle of friends and a possible love triangle with the previously mentioned Death Mage and a policeman who was a childhood friend.
This series is more like a serial with three different parts. This first book ends with no resolutions and will probably leave you anxious for the next book. I know I look forward to it.
ARC provided through Edelweiss.
I'm definitely intrigued with the world and her characters. I really enjoyed the diversity and uniqueness to Viehl's characters in her Darkyn and Kyndred series. I equally enjoyed the characters in this book. Kit is a fun character to follow, very independent and smart. I want to learn more about Kit's past and "ability" that she doesn't believe she has. She has a great circle of friends and a possible love triangle with the previously mentioned Death Mage and a policeman who was a childhood friend.
This series is more like a serial with three different parts. This first book ends with no resolutions and will probably leave you anxious for the next book. I know I look forward to it.
ARC provided through Edelweiss.
June 23, 2013
I'm in love with the steampunk subgenre, and this novella portrays it in such a great way. The story takes place in an alternate timeline when America lost the Revolutionary War, and the United States is now called Toriana, or The Provincial Union of Victoriana. Americans are now citizens of England, and everything is changed.
The world building the author accomplished in this story is remarkable. The author even included a multi-page glossary in the back for the terminology, some made-up and some not familiar to an American audience.
The characters were very interesting. Kit, the investigator, Dredmore, the deathmage, and Thomas, the inspector. Perhaps there will be a love triangle in the second book, which I will be curious to read about, despite my aversion to the subject.
The plot starts simple, and grows as the story progresses. By the end of the book, the complexity is very refreshing, and left me craving for more. I was annoyed by the cliffhanger, but now I can't wait for the next installment.
I received this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The review can also be found on my blog: http://mybookdistractions.blogspot.com/
The world building the author accomplished in this story is remarkable. The author even included a multi-page glossary in the back for the terminology, some made-up and some not familiar to an American audience.
The characters were very interesting. Kit, the investigator, Dredmore, the deathmage, and Thomas, the inspector. Perhaps there will be a love triangle in the second book, which I will be curious to read about, despite my aversion to the subject.
The plot starts simple, and grows as the story progresses. By the end of the book, the complexity is very refreshing, and left me craving for more. I was annoyed by the cliffhanger, but now I can't wait for the next installment.
I received this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The review can also be found on my blog: http://mybookdistractions.blogspot.com/
November 29, 2025
Entrenched in a mans world, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge, is a private investigator that might have just gotten herself in over her head this time. As a magical null, Kit has never seen evidence that magic exists but something very evil and very magical wants Kit.
I found this book to be a quick, easy enjoyable read, Her Ladyship's Curse leaves us with a whopper of a cliffhanger...of course, making us want more. This action packed steampunk story took us into a dark and vivid world of magic, mystery, suspense and enticing romance. I quickly became invested in the story and characters. Her Ladyship's Curse has an incredibly written plot that combines steampunk with Lynn Viehl's signature paranormal flare.
I received this ARC copy of Her Ladyship's Curse from Simon & Schuster - Pocket Star in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication August 12, 2013.
I found this book to be a quick, easy enjoyable read, Her Ladyship's Curse leaves us with a whopper of a cliffhanger...of course, making us want more. This action packed steampunk story took us into a dark and vivid world of magic, mystery, suspense and enticing romance. I quickly became invested in the story and characters. Her Ladyship's Curse has an incredibly written plot that combines steampunk with Lynn Viehl's signature paranormal flare.
I received this ARC copy of Her Ladyship's Curse from Simon & Schuster - Pocket Star in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication August 12, 2013.
June 24, 2013
I recieved this book through netgalley
I enjoyed this book it was well written and flowed together nicely with no needless bits in.
Your thrown straight into the action from the first page and it keeps going right to the end. The world building was a little lax at times and I found it difficult to imagine it in my head at times, even though the description of the tunnels was perfect.
I liked the character of Kitt, she was strong from the start and stayed strong even when her life was in peril. Iliked the fact that she was determined to help Lady Walsh regardless of the danger to herself.
Dredmore he is complex and not alot is told about him,only little bits are dribbled and that made him all the more dark.
I'm not sure what the story was about as it didn't seem to follow anything in particular, it seemed more of an introductry book to a series.
My only major complaint was not enough steampunk and I think a little more should have beeen added.
I enjoyed this book it was well written and flowed together nicely with no needless bits in.
Your thrown straight into the action from the first page and it keeps going right to the end. The world building was a little lax at times and I found it difficult to imagine it in my head at times, even though the description of the tunnels was perfect.
I liked the character of Kitt, she was strong from the start and stayed strong even when her life was in peril. Iliked the fact that she was determined to help Lady Walsh regardless of the danger to herself.
Dredmore he is complex and not alot is told about him,only little bits are dribbled and that made him all the more dark.
I'm not sure what the story was about as it didn't seem to follow anything in particular, it seemed more of an introductry book to a series.
My only major complaint was not enough steampunk and I think a little more should have beeen added.
August 25, 2013
Expected Release Date: August 12, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Pocket Star
Author’s Website: http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/
My Source for This Book: Edelweiss
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Disenchanted & Co.
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Pet Peeves: Cliff Hanger Ending
Favorite Tropes: Enemies To Lovers, Everyday Magic
Look at that first line of the blurb — “In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War…”. Right then and there I was already hooked before I even turned to the first page. Luckily, Ms. Viehl has the unparalleled skill to take that wonderful premise and turn it into an action-packed, slightly gothic, and completely engrossing tale that had me quite literally yelling my frustration at the cliff-hanger ending.
Brilliantly done, and I can’t wait for the next installment, due out in October.
4/5 Stars
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Pocket Star
Author’s Website: http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/
My Source for This Book: Edelweiss
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Disenchanted & Co.
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Pet Peeves: Cliff Hanger Ending
Favorite Tropes: Enemies To Lovers, Everyday Magic
Look at that first line of the blurb — “In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War…”. Right then and there I was already hooked before I even turned to the first page. Luckily, Ms. Viehl has the unparalleled skill to take that wonderful premise and turn it into an action-packed, slightly gothic, and completely engrossing tale that had me quite literally yelling my frustration at the cliff-hanger ending.
Brilliantly done, and I can’t wait for the next installment, due out in October.
4/5 Stars
January 3, 2014
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with Her Ladyship's Curse, and I was happy to have no expectations going in because I really enjoyed the tale that Viehl weaved. Viehl has created a delightful heroine in Kit, whose job is to help prove that there is no such thing as magic and curses. This job brings her into contact with high society when a wife fears that she has been cursed. Despite everyone including nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore warning her away from this case, Kit is unable to turn her back on someone in need. I really liked the character development of Kit as she realizes things about her family's past during the course of the book that changes how she looks at things, and I enjoyed the hint of romance between Kit and Lucien. Knowing that this was only part one, I should have been prepared for the cliff hanger ending but I wasn't. However I am really looking forward to reading the next part.
June 14, 2013
This novella is set in an alt America that lost the Revolutionary War and uses magic and steam tech. Kit doesn't believe in magic since it never seems to work around her. This puts her at odds with almost the rest of the world. As she is investigating a case of magical harassment she crosses paths with a childhood friend that works for the police and a deathmage that is very interested in her. The world building is very interesting to me and the introduction of the friends that help her out is very neat but the potential good guy/ bad boy romance triangle doesn't appeal to me that much. I'll read the next one because I want more of the setting and plot.
Digital copy to review provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
Digital copy to review provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
November 18, 2013
Very intriguing entry into the Steampunk genre. Lynn Viehl
carefully crafted her alternate world then peopled it with
characters formed by the environment. The main characters
were mysterious, engaging and delightful, the story's darker
underpinnings highlighting the wry moments woven throughout.
Looking forward to reading book two, His Lordship Possessed.
carefully crafted her alternate world then peopled it with
characters formed by the environment. The main characters
were mysterious, engaging and delightful, the story's darker
underpinnings highlighting the wry moments woven throughout.
Looking forward to reading book two, His Lordship Possessed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews