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Buffalo Steampunk #5
Last Orders: A Buffalo Steampunk Adventure
Buffalo Police Sergeant Brendan Fagan, investigating a series of grisly murders spurred by clashes between humans and automatons, only wants to save his city. The last thing he needs in his life is a rule-bending, steam-cannon-toting, unpredictable female like Ginny Landry, a woman who could possibly bring down his career and the one woman he quite likely can't resist.
Ginny means to settle the estate of her mother, an infamous madam, quickly and get out of town. She has no intention of becoming involved with any part of her inheritance or falling for Brendan. In fact, she makes it a point never to date handsome men. But when her rash behavior brings them together, the attraction can’t be denied.
And when the city erupts in chaos, forcing her to choose a moral side, can she deny what’s in her heart?
Ginny means to settle the estate of her mother, an infamous madam, quickly and get out of town. She has no intention of becoming involved with any part of her inheritance or falling for Brendan. In fact, she makes it a point never to date handsome men. But when her rash behavior brings them together, the attraction can’t be denied.
And when the city erupts in chaos, forcing her to choose a moral side, can she deny what’s in her heart?
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2018
6 people want to read
About the author
Laura Strickland
96 books170 followersBorn and raised in Western New York, Laura Strickland has pursued lifelong interests in lore, legend, magic and music, all reflected in her writing. She has made pilgrimages to both Newfoundland and Scotland in the company of her daughter, but is usually happiest at home not far from Lake Ontario, with her husband and her "fur" child, a rescue dog. Author of Scottish romances Devil Black, His Wicked Highland Ways, Honor Bound: A Highland Adventure and The Hiring Fair as well as The Guardians of Sherwood Trilogy consisting of Daughter of Sherwood, Champion of Sherwood and Lord of Sherwood, she has also published three Steampunk romances, Dead Handsome: a Buffalo Steampunk Adventure, Off Kilter: a Buffalo Steampunk Adventure and Sheer Madness: a Buffalo Steampunk Adventure as well as two Christmas novellas: The Tenth Suitor and Mrs. Claus and the Viking Ship, and a Valentine’s novella: Ask me. Her Lobster Cove Historical Romances include The White Gull and the novella, Forged By Love, which won first place in the International Digital Awards. Her latest release, Awake on Garland Street, is her sixteenth book with The Wild Rose press.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 12, 2018
Last Orders is a solid 5+. If you read it just for the steamy romance and the action, you will go away highly satisfied. If you look more deeply, you may recognize real world issues peeking from the pages of this superbly written potboiler.
Ginny Landry is a reluctant visitor to turn of the century, steampunk Buffalo, New York. Only her estranged mother’s bizarre murder could have gotten her to leave her beloved frontier and Ginny intends to settle up the estate and get home as quickly as she can. Trouble is her mother ‘s death is only a portent of worse things to come.
In Laura Strickland’s reimagined steampunk Buffalo, Buffalo is home to not only human inhabitants but also steam-powered automatons—the steamies. Some are hybrids—part human and part steamie. They remind me a great deal of Isaac Asimov’s positronic robots in I, Robot. The author’s world building skills are right up there with Asimov and I was soon immersed as the characters deal with ethical and moral issues threatening to erupt into violence all across the city.
The steamies want their freedom. It’s as simple as that. Ginny, new to the debate, sees the situation only as an obstacle. She just wants out of this crazy city, despite her interest in Brendan Fagan, the handsome police sergeant investigating her mother’s murder. He’s got problems of his own and Ginny turns out to be one more—but Ginny is a problem he may not want to solve.
Last Orders does what all good science fiction/fantasy should do—it leaves you pondering greater issues than those in the story. What is life, after all? Who can say where a soul comes from? If a society metes out rights and privileges to one part of the populace yet allows another segment to be marginalized and abused, can that society call itself civilized? Won’t there be hell to pay for atrocities committed in the name of religion?
Besides being a rousingly good story, Last Orders, shines a light on prejudice and discrimination. To survive, the people of Buffalo will need to change their perceptions, leave old traditions behind, and look at the world from a different angle. It takes strength to admit you have been wrong. That’s a message we can all take to heart.
Ginny Landry is a reluctant visitor to turn of the century, steampunk Buffalo, New York. Only her estranged mother’s bizarre murder could have gotten her to leave her beloved frontier and Ginny intends to settle up the estate and get home as quickly as she can. Trouble is her mother ‘s death is only a portent of worse things to come.
In Laura Strickland’s reimagined steampunk Buffalo, Buffalo is home to not only human inhabitants but also steam-powered automatons—the steamies. Some are hybrids—part human and part steamie. They remind me a great deal of Isaac Asimov’s positronic robots in I, Robot. The author’s world building skills are right up there with Asimov and I was soon immersed as the characters deal with ethical and moral issues threatening to erupt into violence all across the city.
The steamies want their freedom. It’s as simple as that. Ginny, new to the debate, sees the situation only as an obstacle. She just wants out of this crazy city, despite her interest in Brendan Fagan, the handsome police sergeant investigating her mother’s murder. He’s got problems of his own and Ginny turns out to be one more—but Ginny is a problem he may not want to solve.
Last Orders does what all good science fiction/fantasy should do—it leaves you pondering greater issues than those in the story. What is life, after all? Who can say where a soul comes from? If a society metes out rights and privileges to one part of the populace yet allows another segment to be marginalized and abused, can that society call itself civilized? Won’t there be hell to pay for atrocities committed in the name of religion?
Besides being a rousingly good story, Last Orders, shines a light on prejudice and discrimination. To survive, the people of Buffalo will need to change their perceptions, leave old traditions behind, and look at the world from a different angle. It takes strength to admit you have been wrong. That’s a message we can all take to heart.
May 30, 2018
Just when I think Laura Stricklands Steampunk Adventures couldn’t get any better, she releases Last Orders which had me reading straight through until the very end.
This is a fabulous story! I don’t remember ever having so much fun.
And I loved the hero, Brendon, and absolutely adored the heroine, Ginny-she is a firecracker! When she first meets Brendon, she wants nothing to do with him because he’s good-looking and she only has sex with ugly guys. There’s a reason, but I leave you to discover it.
There is one segment in which I cried: when one of the automatons of high quality and vital to all automatons gets seriously injured. I bawled like a baby.
And I’m sorry to say that many of the sentient automatons die for the right to be sentient and while the door to freedoms and rights has yet to be achieved, there is a door open...perhaps.. I’ll have to wait until the next book, to see how that goes. Politics often go askew.
I love the way Strickland details: the wants of the automatons to be treated the same as humans, with the right to love and marry and have children (through adoption); the desire not to be owned and treated like slaves, but rather employed and treated with dignity. Strickland has clearly given a great deal of thought, making the scenes most realistic.
I don’t think a book can get much better than this one. It was exceptional!
This is a fabulous story! I don’t remember ever having so much fun.
And I loved the hero, Brendon, and absolutely adored the heroine, Ginny-she is a firecracker! When she first meets Brendon, she wants nothing to do with him because he’s good-looking and she only has sex with ugly guys. There’s a reason, but I leave you to discover it.
There is one segment in which I cried: when one of the automatons of high quality and vital to all automatons gets seriously injured. I bawled like a baby.
And I’m sorry to say that many of the sentient automatons die for the right to be sentient and while the door to freedoms and rights has yet to be achieved, there is a door open...perhaps.. I’ll have to wait until the next book, to see how that goes. Politics often go askew.
I love the way Strickland details: the wants of the automatons to be treated the same as humans, with the right to love and marry and have children (through adoption); the desire not to be owned and treated like slaves, but rather employed and treated with dignity. Strickland has clearly given a great deal of thought, making the scenes most realistic.
I don’t think a book can get much better than this one. It was exceptional!
February 14, 2021
Buffalo Police Sergeant Brendan Fagan, investigating a series of grisly murders spurred by clashes between humans and automatons, only wants to save his city. The last thing he needs in his life is a rule-bending, steam-cannon-toting, unpredictable female like Ginny Landry, a woman who could possible bring down his career and the one woman he quite likely can’t resist.
Ginny means to settle the estate of her mother, an infamous madam, quickly and get out of town. She has no intention of becoming involved with any part of her inheritance or falling from Brendan. In fact, she makes it a point never to date handsome men. But when her rash behavior brings them together the attraction can’t be denied..
And when the city erupts in chaos, forcing her to choose a moral side, can she deny what’s in her heart?
For me the story began with Brendan Fagan’s voice which took me back to the front parlor in my grandparents' home in the Tipperary Hill section of Syracuse, New York . The warm, wonderful memories brought a smile to my face. Immediately hooked, I then had to tear myself away when other duties, too pressing to ignore, called.
Ordinarily not a fan of the Steampunk genre when “. . . sweet leaping Jesus, dancing on a tree stump . . .” jumped off the page, I fell in love.
I gotta read the rest of this series.
Ginny means to settle the estate of her mother, an infamous madam, quickly and get out of town. She has no intention of becoming involved with any part of her inheritance or falling from Brendan. In fact, she makes it a point never to date handsome men. But when her rash behavior brings them together the attraction can’t be denied..
And when the city erupts in chaos, forcing her to choose a moral side, can she deny what’s in her heart?
For me the story began with Brendan Fagan’s voice which took me back to the front parlor in my grandparents' home in the Tipperary Hill section of Syracuse, New York . The warm, wonderful memories brought a smile to my face. Immediately hooked, I then had to tear myself away when other duties, too pressing to ignore, called.
Ordinarily not a fan of the Steampunk genre when “. . . sweet leaping Jesus, dancing on a tree stump . . .” jumped off the page, I fell in love.
I gotta read the rest of this series.
June 10, 2018
Well what can I say ……….for the first time in ages I could not finish a book .
I have read and enjoyed "Steampunk" books in the past and found the story outline promising .
I started the book but just could not get into it …..both central characters were totally
unrelatable , almost contradictory at times , whilst the story did not flow for me .
I put it down , read another book and picked it up again but still could not get into it .
So my apologies to the Author and NetGalley who provided me with an arc of this
book in exchange for an honest review .
I have read and enjoyed "Steampunk" books in the past and found the story outline promising .
I started the book but just could not get into it …..both central characters were totally
unrelatable , almost contradictory at times , whilst the story did not flow for me .
I put it down , read another book and picked it up again but still could not get into it .
So my apologies to the Author and NetGalley who provided me with an arc of this
book in exchange for an honest review .
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews