The Clockwork Fae Lord: A Venatores Deorum Faerie Tale

by Kimberly A. Rogers

She Wasn't Meant to Break the Curse...


A Gaslamp Regency Fantasy reimagining of Beauty and the Beast

Full Description Coming Soon!

Genres: Fantasy, Beauty and The Beast

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Christina Baehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich historical fantasy world teeming with folklore

Highly recommended if you would enjoy historical fantasy inspired by the French Revolution or any very lived-in fantasy worlds with folkloric creatures. It’s the kind of world where you feel like every book on the protagonist’s shelf would have filled pages if you could look inside. The author has clearly put a huge amount of thought into this world. Also, I can hardly believe I just read a book set during the 1790s-1810s that doesn’t mention “the ton” or “Almacks” once!

The romance is slowburn with years of friendship behind it and involves two kindly and conscientious people. (I get tired of idiots and jerks in fantasy romance.)

[Tara Grayce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun take on Beauty and the Beast! Steampunk clockwork mechanisms! A fae curse! Regency setting! Loved it!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some unique twists on the story of Beauty and the Beast, and also a unique Regency Era-meets-steampunk-meets-fae magic world. However, it was too slow of a pace for my taste and there were too many side characters who didn't end up having much bearing on the main story or help much in fleshing out the world. I think the story would have been better served by having a few very endearing side characters that we really got to know and love. As it was, it felt like there was a random mass of child characters who occasionally got up to shenanigans that were just distracting, and a few adults I would have liked to know more about but I never felt like we got much bead on their personalities.
I did like the end of the book, and the development of the romance was earned. Just be warned that it's a veeeery slow burn romance.

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read of Kimberly Rogers and I enjoyed it. It was a classic fantasy romance tale, based off the fairy tale 'Beauty and the Beast'. But there's a twist.

The Fae Lord Faustin is slowly turning into a beast, and he has a goblin tinkerer who replaces his non-working parts with mechanical ones. Quite horrible, actually.

This curse is thanks to a hag who cursed him because he didn't do what she wanted.

Then for the female lead character, Solange Durant, who's an escapee from the French Revolution (the novel begins in 1796). There, they persecute people with magic. Solange is a changling, half fae, half human.

Desperate for work and pursued by anti-magic mob, Solange finds her way to Lord Faustin's decrepit estate. That's when the novel really begins.

[PumpkinPi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this dip into the history and future of the Venatores Deorum universe! The nods to events, characters, and world building that we've already seen fit seamlessly into the story, but it was wholly self-contained; readers new to this world could easily start with this book without being lost.

The thread that this fairytale retelling took was a new one to me, and I really appreciated the twistiness of the curse and the uniqueness of the resolution. I highly recommend this book!

[Heidi S. Trauger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is well written but drags. It’s about several chapters too long. While it’s a good story and uses interesting historical facts married to a fantasy realm, it takes forever to tell the story. It takes place over 12-19 years. The action takes place in the first chapter or two and then the 3rd to last. I do like the slower paced romance and it is an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast, but it shows humans/mortals in a negative light consistently. Meh book.

[Kessa Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness what a dramatic ending

I legit did not see how we were going to get to the happy ending that we all knew we were going to. Love it when I'm taken by surprise.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different version of Beauty and the Beast. Beast has been cursed and slowly over time his body has become mechanical bits and pieces, even his heart and lungs. He has to marry a merchants daughter to be free of the curse, but they all run screaming before he can even ask them. She comes to his estate after being rescued by his friend, and decides to stay. Of course, she is falling in love with beast, but she isn't what's needed to lift the curse. He is falling in love with her, but has to back off - she isn't who he needs. Will they ever be able to figure things out?

This is a clean read, no bad language and just a sweet romance.