3.75 Stars. This was a quite the interesting read. I have never read Emanuelle before, though I have one of her vamp books. I liked her writing and her ideas. This story is different, and I’m always a fan of different. I guess the best way to describe this would be Victorian romantic mystery.
The story is about two women, whose scientist husbands have died. While one woman is trying to become a better scientist than her husband was, the other woman is just trying to survive. When it comes to light that both men might have been working together, Vera and Georgette must figure out what is going on before it is too late.
I enjoy books that take place in Victorian times, especially steampunk type books. This is not steampunk, but with the potions and science, it had that similar feel that I like. When I said this book is a mystery I don’t mean a murder mystery where someone dies and you find out the killer. I mean a mystery as these two women must work together to find out what the heck their husbands were up to. Little clues start to slowly unravel and you follow along with the characters to discover what is going on.
The romance felt a little choppy to me. It was very stop, start. Though at times I felt it was almost more lust than romance. It took me a while to warm up to the character of Vera. Vera is a scientist herself and is so self-absorbed, she bothered me a bit. I was glad I warmed to her as the book went on and I eventually could see the two mains as a possible couple.
I didn’t love this read, but it was entertaining and I liked it. I think this will appeal to Victorian and steampunk fans (even though this isn’t steampunk). Emanuelle has a good imagination and I will definitely be reading her again.
An ARC was given to me by DRB, for a honest review.