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Artifact Hunters #1
Nefertiti's Heart
Cara Devon has always been impulsive, but tangling with a serial killer might cure that. Permanently.
1861. Cara has a simple mission in London - finalise her father's estate and sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when a killer stalks the nobility, searching for an ancient Egyptian relic rumoured to hold the key to immortality.
Nathaniel Trent, known as the villainous viscount, is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on both Cara and the priceless artifacts. His icy exterior and fiery touch stirs Cara's demons, or could he lay them to rest?
Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem known as Nefertiti's Heart. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she sacrifices her own heart and life.
1861. Cara has a simple mission in London - finalise her father's estate and sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when a killer stalks the nobility, searching for an ancient Egyptian relic rumoured to hold the key to immortality.
Nathaniel Trent, known as the villainous viscount, is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on both Cara and the priceless artifacts. His icy exterior and fiery touch stirs Cara's demons, or could he lay them to rest?
Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem known as Nefertiti's Heart. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she sacrifices her own heart and life.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 686 reviews
November 2, 2013
Quick warning - this book contains triggers for those who have experienced physical and sexual abuse.
Overall, the book is a fun read if you enjoy a romance with a pushy male lead who swoops in and rescues the female lead in her times of duress. If you are more of a "female-kicks-ass" fan, you might not like this tale so much.
What I liked
-------------------
* The steampunk world - well crafted with many creative mechanical elements subtly included in the regular every-day way of things.
* Well-crafted foreplay - many authors don't give the first kisses the time and attention to make them sizzle. Exley has some of the best kisses and early flirtation I've ever read.
* Well-crafted "later" sex -- the first sexual encounter is kind of odd, but the later one teems with both attraction and emotion.
What I didn't like
-------------
* Less than believable recovery -- The female lead has been through an unbelievably brutal sexually abusive situation, and she hasn't let anyone touch her (not even casually) in seven years. But she's willing to barter her body in trade with a man she knows is dangerous with very little motivation.
* Less than believable attraction -- The male lead is pushy and doesn't always respect the female lead's "No", whether or not it's sexually related. In the first kiss contact, he prowls her around the room and backs her into the corner when she is obviously reticent and uncomfortable. He knows what she's been through, and his lack of concern for having her true consent disturbed me a bit.
* Dueling Plots -- the book has a romantic plot and a mystery plot. The two don't really seem to intertwine or advance each other much. It felt like there were two plots that just alternated with each other. Neither of them were bad plots (maybe a little far fetched), they just didn't seem to enhance each other.
* Female lead less self-protecting than expected - the female lead is always armed, consistently insists she can take care of herself, and yet runs to the male lead whenever she's in trouble, never uses any of her weapons, and has to be rescued more than once. Kind of a bummer.
Would I recommend Nefertiti's Heart? I read this book because it was loaned to me, and I didn't have to pay for it. That said, it's affordable on the Kindle. If this sounds like a plot you like (hot romance, decent mystery, tomboy-damsel in distress), then this book is something you'll be glad you purchased. If you aren't sure, check your local library for a perusal of your own.
Overall, the book is a fun read if you enjoy a romance with a pushy male lead who swoops in and rescues the female lead in her times of duress. If you are more of a "female-kicks-ass" fan, you might not like this tale so much.
What I liked
-------------------
* The steampunk world - well crafted with many creative mechanical elements subtly included in the regular every-day way of things.
* Well-crafted foreplay - many authors don't give the first kisses the time and attention to make them sizzle. Exley has some of the best kisses and early flirtation I've ever read.
* Well-crafted "later" sex -- the first sexual encounter is kind of odd, but the later one teems with both attraction and emotion.
What I didn't like
-------------
* Less than believable recovery -- The female lead has been through an unbelievably brutal sexually abusive situation, and she hasn't let anyone touch her (not even casually) in seven years. But she's willing to barter her body in trade with a man she knows is dangerous with very little motivation.
* Less than believable attraction -- The male lead is pushy and doesn't always respect the female lead's "No", whether or not it's sexually related. In the first kiss contact, he prowls her around the room and backs her into the corner when she is obviously reticent and uncomfortable. He knows what she's been through, and his lack of concern for having her true consent disturbed me a bit.
* Dueling Plots -- the book has a romantic plot and a mystery plot. The two don't really seem to intertwine or advance each other much. It felt like there were two plots that just alternated with each other. Neither of them were bad plots (maybe a little far fetched), they just didn't seem to enhance each other.
* Female lead less self-protecting than expected - the female lead is always armed, consistently insists she can take care of herself, and yet runs to the male lead whenever she's in trouble, never uses any of her weapons, and has to be rescued more than once. Kind of a bummer.
Would I recommend Nefertiti's Heart? I read this book because it was loaned to me, and I didn't have to pay for it. That said, it's affordable on the Kindle. If this sounds like a plot you like (hot romance, decent mystery, tomboy-damsel in distress), then this book is something you'll be glad you purchased. If you aren't sure, check your local library for a perusal of your own.
May 12, 2020
Don’t be fooled by the description for this book. It has little to do with steampunk or mystery and everything to do with romance. I don’t like romance so it was a big turn off for me. I was expecting a fun steampunk adventure with a strong female character but what I got was LOTS of romance. Talk about being misled!
The sexual content of the book should definitely be mentioned in the description and I really think no book depicting the repeated rape and beating of an underage child should come without a warning. I am not easily shocked so it didn’t bother me but it wasn’t what I expected from this book.
I did enjoy the premise of Nefertiti’s Heart and found it intriguing. I was anxious to find out what had happened to 14-year-old Cara and liked that the details were divulged as the story progressed. Still, as engaging as the first chapters were, the book went downhill faster than the speed of light. My potential rating went from a 3 to a 2 before I settled for a 1. Terrible I know but this romance with a hint of steampunk and mystery thrown in really put me off.
What’s more, characterization is poorly done. Neither Cara nor Nate make sense as characters. Take Cara for example. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why she would confide in Nate and tell him all about the abuse she suffered as a child after knowing him for about 5 minutes. And for someone who cannot stand being touched, there sure is a lot of touching going on between her and Nate! Cara gets extremely annoying with her “I want you to touch me so bad but my inner monster won’t let me” thing. She keeps taking one step forward then three steps back… This keeps going on an on until finally she gives in… up on a tree? Seriously? Oh sorry, that’s only because she feels much safer up there… Anyway, Cara & Nate are up in their tree doing their thing and the author will have us believe that Cara, who was repeatedly raped and beaten to a pulp at the age of 14, Cara who has an “inner monster” that makes it unbearable for her to be touched by others, this same Cara doesn’t flinch when Nate pulls out a knife to “slice her silk knickers”? She sure has come a long way really fast! A few chapters before the tree episode she was freaking out whenever Nate touched her but now she has no problem whatsoever when he puts a knife near her knickers… That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but hey, this book has a 4.01 average rating and most reviewers seem to love it, so I must be the one reader who just didn’t get it.
Nate’s behavior is a bit difficult to understand but his character makes more sense once it is revealed that he has been lusting after Cara since he was about 17 years old. The problem is, I hate the whole instalove thing, especially when authors justify it by explaining the characters met for about 5 minutes when they were younger.
More about Nate: the author tries to make him come across as dark and handsome and dangerous and sexy and “oh I’m so good at hiding my emotions” but he just feels fake. Oh, and if you want your main character to come across as a bad boy, please don’t make him run off with the girl's knickers peering from his pocket. It doesn’t make him hot and sexy and dangerous, it just makes him look silly.
Overall, I found this book to be quite ridiculous but I guess that it’s just because of the steamy romance factor. If you like romance you will probably enjoy Nefertiti’s Heart.
The sexual content of the book should definitely be mentioned in the description and I really think no book depicting the repeated rape and beating of an underage child should come without a warning. I am not easily shocked so it didn’t bother me but it wasn’t what I expected from this book.
I did enjoy the premise of Nefertiti’s Heart and found it intriguing. I was anxious to find out what had happened to 14-year-old Cara and liked that the details were divulged as the story progressed. Still, as engaging as the first chapters were, the book went downhill faster than the speed of light. My potential rating went from a 3 to a 2 before I settled for a 1. Terrible I know but this romance with a hint of steampunk and mystery thrown in really put me off.
What’s more, characterization is poorly done. Neither Cara nor Nate make sense as characters. Take Cara for example. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why she would confide in Nate and tell him all about the abuse she suffered as a child after knowing him for about 5 minutes. And for someone who cannot stand being touched, there sure is a lot of touching going on between her and Nate! Cara gets extremely annoying with her “I want you to touch me so bad but my inner monster won’t let me” thing. She keeps taking one step forward then three steps back… This keeps going on an on until finally she gives in… up on a tree? Seriously? Oh sorry, that’s only because she feels much safer up there… Anyway, Cara & Nate are up in their tree doing their thing and the author will have us believe that Cara, who was repeatedly raped and beaten to a pulp at the age of 14, Cara who has an “inner monster” that makes it unbearable for her to be touched by others, this same Cara doesn’t flinch when Nate pulls out a knife to “slice her silk knickers”? She sure has come a long way really fast! A few chapters before the tree episode she was freaking out whenever Nate touched her but now she has no problem whatsoever when he puts a knife near her knickers… That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but hey, this book has a 4.01 average rating and most reviewers seem to love it, so I must be the one reader who just didn’t get it.
Nate’s behavior is a bit difficult to understand but his character makes more sense once it is revealed that he has been lusting after Cara since he was about 17 years old. The problem is, I hate the whole instalove thing, especially when authors justify it by explaining the characters met for about 5 minutes when they were younger.
More about Nate: the author tries to make him come across as dark and handsome and dangerous and sexy and “oh I’m so good at hiding my emotions” but he just feels fake. Oh, and if you want your main character to come across as a bad boy, please don’t make him run off with the girl's knickers peering from his pocket. It doesn’t make him hot and sexy and dangerous, it just makes him look silly.
Overall, I found this book to be quite ridiculous but I guess that it’s just because of the steamy romance factor. If you like romance you will probably enjoy Nefertiti’s Heart.
September 16, 2019
9/16/19 Free for Kindle.
December 6, 2016
I took a chance requesting this one from Netgalley, and it was WELL worth it.
This is a fun romp through a Victorian-era London, with the steampunk technological twist. Likeable characters, an intriguing mystery, and a vividly described (and brought to life) world made this a 5 star for me.
Cara Devon's father was NOT a good man. At the age of 14, after some seriously rotten events (that are revealed over the course of the book), Cara bolts and doesn't return until 7 years later after the death of said father. Her arrival thrusts her smack dab into the middle of a mystery. A serial killer has begun tearing his way through the young debutantes, each attack growing more and more violent. In the meantime, Cara has met the Viscount Nathaniel Lyons, a sky pirate of dubious (and delicious!) nature, and a game of one-ups and cat-and-mouse ensues.
Adventure, mystery, romance, sex!, action... you'll find it all if you take up the enigma of Nefertiti's Heart!
Pick up this book. Make this author famous, if only so we can have more of her fantastic and fun work.
This is a fun romp through a Victorian-era London, with the steampunk technological twist. Likeable characters, an intriguing mystery, and a vividly described (and brought to life) world made this a 5 star for me.
Cara Devon's father was NOT a good man. At the age of 14, after some seriously rotten events (that are revealed over the course of the book), Cara bolts and doesn't return until 7 years later after the death of said father. Her arrival thrusts her smack dab into the middle of a mystery. A serial killer has begun tearing his way through the young debutantes, each attack growing more and more violent. In the meantime, Cara has met the Viscount Nathaniel Lyons, a sky pirate of dubious (and delicious!) nature, and a game of one-ups and cat-and-mouse ensues.
Adventure, mystery, romance, sex!, action... you'll find it all if you take up the enigma of Nefertiti's Heart!
Pick up this book. Make this author famous, if only so we can have more of her fantastic and fun work.
May 21, 2016
AMMP Buddy Read with Venecia & Preethi!
So I admit I skimmed a bit toward the 2/3 mark. Maybe part of it was because I'd put the book down for a few days in order to read Fairest, but I think it had already lost some of my interest before that point, unfortunately. The romance didn't interest me at all; I'd gone into this book expecting something akin to an Indiana Jones adventure with a bit of steampunk thrown in, and the book seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to be that with a kickass lady protagonist or a romance novel that verged on trashy. I really liked Cara in the beginning because she wasn't about to take shit from ANYONE. And then she met Nathaniel. Sorry, Nate. I know I was supposed to like him because he was the guy who could help Cara track down the artifact/s she was looking for, but he didn't understand boundaries from the beginning and that irked me. I'll probably read the second one at some point because any time there was a scene where Cara wasn't creaming herself over Nate, I was genuinely invested (killing girls with keys stuck in their hearts? O-R-I-G-I-N-A-L). Hopefully I'll like the second book better since I know now that this series is romantic as well as kickass artifact-hunting.
Also, editing. Editing needed to have happened a bit better than it did.
So I admit I skimmed a bit toward the 2/3 mark. Maybe part of it was because I'd put the book down for a few days in order to read Fairest, but I think it had already lost some of my interest before that point, unfortunately. The romance didn't interest me at all; I'd gone into this book expecting something akin to an Indiana Jones adventure with a bit of steampunk thrown in, and the book seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to be that with a kickass lady protagonist or a romance novel that verged on trashy. I really liked Cara in the beginning because she wasn't about to take shit from ANYONE. And then she met Nathaniel. Sorry, Nate. I know I was supposed to like him because he was the guy who could help Cara track down the artifact/s she was looking for, but he didn't understand boundaries from the beginning and that irked me. I'll probably read the second one at some point because any time there was a scene where Cara wasn't creaming herself over Nate, I was genuinely invested (killing girls with keys stuck in their hearts? O-R-I-G-I-N-A-L). Hopefully I'll like the second book better since I know now that this series is romantic as well as kickass artifact-hunting.
Also, editing. Editing needed to have happened a bit better than it did.
November 30, 2025
Cara Devon has suffered her father’s whims and paid a horrible price. Now he’s dead and she must reface her past, return to London and the society that sat idle and watched while she was so badly misused. She is a survivor. She escaped her abuse and nothing will get in her way now. Cara is determined to sell off all her father’s precious collection and leave London and her past behind her forever.
Viscount Nathaniel Lyons wants Cara’s artifacts. He wasn’t prepared for the spit fire that shot his henchmen or sent him a message for a partnership.
Cara is also under investigation for the untimely death of her hated father. He was killed by an Egyptian asp while he slept. Pursued by the Enforcers, Lyons and a murdering madman killing debutants, Cara must unravel the mystery behind her father’s collection and the motivations behind these strange killings before she becomes the victim once again.
I absolutely loved this story. Nefertiti’s Heart is a steampunk adventure, a murder mystery, and a love story all packed into a non-stop, action-filled, riveting plot. Wondrously witty characters are just icing on the cake for this imaginative tale. I will definitely be reading Hatshepsut's Collar , the next book from A.W. Exley. Don't miss this treasure, check out Nefertite's Heart.
I received this copy of Nefertiti's Heart from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review.
Viscount Nathaniel Lyons wants Cara’s artifacts. He wasn’t prepared for the spit fire that shot his henchmen or sent him a message for a partnership.
Cara is also under investigation for the untimely death of her hated father. He was killed by an Egyptian asp while he slept. Pursued by the Enforcers, Lyons and a murdering madman killing debutants, Cara must unravel the mystery behind her father’s collection and the motivations behind these strange killings before she becomes the victim once again.
I absolutely loved this story. Nefertiti’s Heart is a steampunk adventure, a murder mystery, and a love story all packed into a non-stop, action-filled, riveting plot. Wondrously witty characters are just icing on the cake for this imaginative tale. I will definitely be reading Hatshepsut's Collar , the next book from A.W. Exley. Don't miss this treasure, check out Nefertite's Heart.
I received this copy of Nefertiti's Heart from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
I lurk over at the Goodreads Writer's Group every now & again & I was impressed with some of A.W's comments & her attitude to writing. & she is a Kiwi - bonus. & this particular book was free on my Kindle - for the win!
I liked the realisation of a very different Victorian England & the story itself was a fast paced read. In spite of her horrific past I never became fond of Cara & found some of her actions & motivations bizarre. I did quite like Nate though.
I've never read a steampunk book before, so I don't know if this is a convention of the genre, but I found the changes from Victorian to modern speech quite jarring.
& Cara favours a very different style of dress, but there is no mention of her underwear being any different from a normal Victorian lady.
Here is a set of Victorian underwear from the 1860s.
I liked the realisation of a very different Victorian England & the story itself was a fast paced read. In spite of her horrific past I never became fond of Cara & found some of her actions & motivations bizarre. I did quite like Nate though.
I've never read a steampunk book before, so I don't know if this is a convention of the genre, but I found the changes from Victorian to modern speech quite jarring.
& Cara favours a very different style of dress, but there is no mention of her underwear being any different from a normal Victorian lady.
Here is a set of Victorian underwear from the 1860s.
October 19, 2015
I'm not sure how to rate this book. First half was interesting, the romance didn't get in the way too much, and then...there was too much romance,not enough adventure and mystery was solved too quickly. I guess 3.5 going on 3.
it is a well researched and skillfuly written book, though.
it is a well researched and skillfuly written book, though.
July 3, 2018
If you’re looking for a Steampunk mystery/adventure, look somewhere else. If you’re looking for a historically inaccurate Victorian Era romance then, by all means, read this book.
The author either didn’t do enough research about Victorian Era England or she simply didn’t care. This story is riddled with inaccuracies. I understand that the “Steampunk” (I’ll explain the quotes later) genre gives the author creative license, but the etiquette and niceties of the Victorian world still need to be followed. I’m not saying you can’t change a rule of etiquette, but there has to be a reasonable inciting incident to explain the change. If you want to create your own rules, create your own world. Don’t say it is Victorian England then ignore the historical facts of everyday life for that period in time.
Modern idioms should not be used in a historical setting. End of story. As an author, feel free to make up your own slang for the punk genre (as long as the reader is able to follow and it applies to the fiction aspect of the story), but do not use modern turn of phrase.
Corsets are an UNDERGARMENT! They would never have been worn as an outer layer of clothing and a woman would not remove said garment in public or the presence of a man who is not her husband. Again, if the author makes a statement letting the reader know that there is a new “street style” or “fashion fad” going on then this could be acceptable. But, you have to let your reader know why you are deviating from the historical aspects of that era.
A gentleman would never lick spilled champagne from a woman’s fingers in public. Nor would he passionately kiss her in full view of other members of the peerage. Gossip would not be said within hearing range of the subject of said gossip. A gentleman would not publicly turn his back on a woman in a manner to indicate he thought her an outcast or unworthy of him and his peers. A titled or wealthy man was not exempt from the law.
What was with the main character, Cara, drinking so much coffee? I’m not British and I’m not trying to be stereotypical, but I have NEVER read or watched a British story where coffee is drunk on a regular basis. It feels as though Cara has a slight caffeine addiction.
As to why I call this “Steampunk” with quotes around the word: Steampunk requires STEAM. All of the authors mechanical additions to the time period seem run on electricity (mentions of battery packs and a detailed description of an electrocution). This would make this story closer to Teslapunk than Steampunk. THERE ARE DIFFERENT GENRES OF PUNK! There is a distinct lack of gadgets in this story and the only noticeable mentions of mechanical additions to the time seem to be mechanical horses, waiters, exoskeletons, and airships of an unmentioned power source. These items are mentioned almost in passing, except in the event of the before mentioned electrocution. I expected nifty, time saving gadgets and plenty of design elements incorporating gold, brass, cogs and gears. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
For a book series entitled “Artifact Hunters”, one would expect a good deal of hunting for artifacts. Makes sense, right? I’m sorry to say that is not the case. The first artifact is found easily. No clues seemed to be followed, just an entry in a diary telling the main character what bank to retrieve the artifact from. The second artifact, our heroine basically stumbles upon at the climax of the book while in a semi-conscious state. Honestly, there wasn’t any sleuthing involved.
Now on to the characters. The main character is Cara Devon. She starts out as this exceptionally strong female. Within the first few pages she has shot (non-fatally) two men who have trespassed in her home to steal her father’s artifact diary. I’m thinking, “This is great! We get to see a Victorian, female, Indiana Jones!” Boy is that wrong. For a woman who carries multiple weapons on her person at all times, she sure requires help from others quite often, never uses her weapons again, and she cows down to orders given by a man she knows to be dangerous.
Cara has a brutal past. Her mother died during childbirth and her father cared more for his artifacts than for her. He repeatedly beat her as a youth. When he was faced with having to pay his debt notes to another man, he gives him a 14 year old Cara instead of parting with a beloved artifact. Please note that this was not an arranged marriage or even a marriage at all. Cara is repeatedly raped over the course of a week while in this other man’s home. When she escaped, her father beats her to near death and she is only saved by her grandmother (Honestly, I don't know why her grandmother didn't take her away earlier, considering her father had been beating her for years). With a tragic past like that, you would expect her to react as one who is the victim of child abuse and rape. But, of course, that’s not how it goes.
Enter Viscount Lyons, or Nate. Remember those guys Cara shot in the first few pages? They work for him. He stalks her with his carriage until she agrees to enter and give him an audience. He bullies her into having a dinner/business meeting with him at his home. This is a man with a widespread reputation of being ruthless and is basically suspected to be the overlord of the seedy underbelly in London. When she arrives, he tells her she must remove her weapons, go upstairs and take a bath, and put on a dress that he has chosen for her to wear. Red flag! These actions all point to a controlling individual who has no respect for others. Would a person who has become strong and self-sufficient after overcoming a past like Cara’s cow down to these demands? Apparently in A.W. Exley’s world, yes she would. My mind was screaming for her to get out of there as fast as humanly possible!
Cara confides in Nate the horrible details of her past. They make a business deal that he will fence her father’s artifacts for her. His cut is 7% and being able to “touch” her every time he does a favor for her. More red flags! Would a victim of abuse and rape agree to this? Again, in this world the author created, the answer is an astonishing “yes.”
He pushes her, her fear constantly welling up inside her, until she eventually longs for his touch. He makes comments that suggest he can “cure” her of past atrocities. Apparently, having sex with him is a magically healing process (eyes rolling). And yes, there are multiple, detailed sex scenes (this first of which takes place up a tree. REALLY? Because that sounds like a good idea for a woman who is terrified of intercourse). He has his men stalk her, supposedly to keep her safe, but it comes off as him once again needing to control her. If she manages to give his “bodyguards” the slip, she gets a tongue lashing from him on their next encounter, usually followed by an intense kiss. (By the way, I got horribly tired of the same description of his kiss: “His tongue explored every part of my mouth…my breath became his breath.” Gah! Repetition!) How is this even romantic? A pushy, control freak who cares little for her fear? No thanks. Other than his good looks, I don’t recall Cara being attracted to any other qualities that Nate has. Flimsy grounds for a relationship.
On the plus side, the mystery of the book was interesting and the idea of the artifacts exciting. I just wish the author would have spent more time on these aspects and less on the romance. The mystery and murders seemed to be the excuse for the author to write a more modern type romance in 19th century London.
The author either didn’t do enough research about Victorian Era England or she simply didn’t care. This story is riddled with inaccuracies. I understand that the “Steampunk” (I’ll explain the quotes later) genre gives the author creative license, but the etiquette and niceties of the Victorian world still need to be followed. I’m not saying you can’t change a rule of etiquette, but there has to be a reasonable inciting incident to explain the change. If you want to create your own rules, create your own world. Don’t say it is Victorian England then ignore the historical facts of everyday life for that period in time.
Modern idioms should not be used in a historical setting. End of story. As an author, feel free to make up your own slang for the punk genre (as long as the reader is able to follow and it applies to the fiction aspect of the story), but do not use modern turn of phrase.
Corsets are an UNDERGARMENT! They would never have been worn as an outer layer of clothing and a woman would not remove said garment in public or the presence of a man who is not her husband. Again, if the author makes a statement letting the reader know that there is a new “street style” or “fashion fad” going on then this could be acceptable. But, you have to let your reader know why you are deviating from the historical aspects of that era.
A gentleman would never lick spilled champagne from a woman’s fingers in public. Nor would he passionately kiss her in full view of other members of the peerage. Gossip would not be said within hearing range of the subject of said gossip. A gentleman would not publicly turn his back on a woman in a manner to indicate he thought her an outcast or unworthy of him and his peers. A titled or wealthy man was not exempt from the law.
What was with the main character, Cara, drinking so much coffee? I’m not British and I’m not trying to be stereotypical, but I have NEVER read or watched a British story where coffee is drunk on a regular basis. It feels as though Cara has a slight caffeine addiction.
As to why I call this “Steampunk” with quotes around the word: Steampunk requires STEAM. All of the authors mechanical additions to the time period seem run on electricity (mentions of battery packs and a detailed description of an electrocution). This would make this story closer to Teslapunk than Steampunk. THERE ARE DIFFERENT GENRES OF PUNK! There is a distinct lack of gadgets in this story and the only noticeable mentions of mechanical additions to the time seem to be mechanical horses, waiters, exoskeletons, and airships of an unmentioned power source. These items are mentioned almost in passing, except in the event of the before mentioned electrocution. I expected nifty, time saving gadgets and plenty of design elements incorporating gold, brass, cogs and gears. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
For a book series entitled “Artifact Hunters”, one would expect a good deal of hunting for artifacts. Makes sense, right? I’m sorry to say that is not the case. The first artifact is found easily. No clues seemed to be followed, just an entry in a diary telling the main character what bank to retrieve the artifact from. The second artifact, our heroine basically stumbles upon at the climax of the book while in a semi-conscious state. Honestly, there wasn’t any sleuthing involved.
Now on to the characters. The main character is Cara Devon. She starts out as this exceptionally strong female. Within the first few pages she has shot (non-fatally) two men who have trespassed in her home to steal her father’s artifact diary. I’m thinking, “This is great! We get to see a Victorian, female, Indiana Jones!” Boy is that wrong. For a woman who carries multiple weapons on her person at all times, she sure requires help from others quite often, never uses her weapons again, and she cows down to orders given by a man she knows to be dangerous.
Cara has a brutal past. Her mother died during childbirth and her father cared more for his artifacts than for her. He repeatedly beat her as a youth. When he was faced with having to pay his debt notes to another man, he gives him a 14 year old Cara instead of parting with a beloved artifact. Please note that this was not an arranged marriage or even a marriage at all. Cara is repeatedly raped over the course of a week while in this other man’s home. When she escaped, her father beats her to near death and she is only saved by her grandmother (Honestly, I don't know why her grandmother didn't take her away earlier, considering her father had been beating her for years). With a tragic past like that, you would expect her to react as one who is the victim of child abuse and rape. But, of course, that’s not how it goes.
Enter Viscount Lyons, or Nate. Remember those guys Cara shot in the first few pages? They work for him. He stalks her with his carriage until she agrees to enter and give him an audience. He bullies her into having a dinner/business meeting with him at his home. This is a man with a widespread reputation of being ruthless and is basically suspected to be the overlord of the seedy underbelly in London. When she arrives, he tells her she must remove her weapons, go upstairs and take a bath, and put on a dress that he has chosen for her to wear. Red flag! These actions all point to a controlling individual who has no respect for others. Would a person who has become strong and self-sufficient after overcoming a past like Cara’s cow down to these demands? Apparently in A.W. Exley’s world, yes she would. My mind was screaming for her to get out of there as fast as humanly possible!
Cara confides in Nate the horrible details of her past. They make a business deal that he will fence her father’s artifacts for her. His cut is 7% and being able to “touch” her every time he does a favor for her. More red flags! Would a victim of abuse and rape agree to this? Again, in this world the author created, the answer is an astonishing “yes.”
He pushes her, her fear constantly welling up inside her, until she eventually longs for his touch. He makes comments that suggest he can “cure” her of past atrocities. Apparently, having sex with him is a magically healing process (eyes rolling). And yes, there are multiple, detailed sex scenes (this first of which takes place up a tree. REALLY? Because that sounds like a good idea for a woman who is terrified of intercourse). He has his men stalk her, supposedly to keep her safe, but it comes off as him once again needing to control her. If she manages to give his “bodyguards” the slip, she gets a tongue lashing from him on their next encounter, usually followed by an intense kiss. (By the way, I got horribly tired of the same description of his kiss: “His tongue explored every part of my mouth…my breath became his breath.” Gah! Repetition!) How is this even romantic? A pushy, control freak who cares little for her fear? No thanks. Other than his good looks, I don’t recall Cara being attracted to any other qualities that Nate has. Flimsy grounds for a relationship.
On the plus side, the mystery of the book was interesting and the idea of the artifacts exciting. I just wish the author would have spent more time on these aspects and less on the romance. The mystery and murders seemed to be the excuse for the author to write a more modern type romance in 19th century London.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2013
I was very torn about how I felt about this book. I enjoyed the murder mystery aspects immensely. I also was very intrigued by the way author weaves in aspects of Steam Punk Fantasy without letting it bog down descriptive narrative. An unfortunate failing in many steam punk or sci-fi novels in my opinion. The story line is creative and has just enough twists to keep you hooked without becoming garbled. Over all a thoroughly entertaining murder mystery in a unique setting.
Where I get very conflicted is the characters. Some of the supporting cast are obvious cut outs of archetypes. Which isn't really so bad. My real problem is the main character and her relationship with the primary antagonist/love interest. The erotic element in this story just doesn't fit with the main protagonists back story... At all.
She is a deeply scared (both physically and psychologically) young woman. Fiercely independent to the point of being pathological about it and with good reason. Yet she essentially allows a person she views as a predator and most likely someone who has ulterior motives against her to be fairly domineering over her. Now it doesn't happen all at once. There is a cat and mouse that occurs over the course of the book. Still, we see a complete 180 in the protagonist in the course of less than a month. It was just very hard to believe. All of this interplay drives the very steamy eroticism scenes that are not particularly important to the main story but are none the less very sexy.
So all in all I would have to say that this is an excellent Steam Punk, murder mystery, that unfortunately stoops to a bit more of the "pulp" section than the clearly talented writing could lend its self to. I think that is where I finally put my finger on what bothers me about this book. It's not what the author wrote. This book is exactly what it claims to be. It's that I can see such huge potential for more that I can't help but feel a little disappointed.
It's a fast read that will keep you thinking even while some pieces of the main characters actions sometimes just don't seem to fit the psyche profile we are handed. I would recommend it as a good light fiction that manages to keep your brain engaged and occasionally your sex drive as well.
Where I get very conflicted is the characters. Some of the supporting cast are obvious cut outs of archetypes. Which isn't really so bad. My real problem is the main character and her relationship with the primary antagonist/love interest. The erotic element in this story just doesn't fit with the main protagonists back story... At all.
She is a deeply scared (both physically and psychologically) young woman. Fiercely independent to the point of being pathological about it and with good reason. Yet she essentially allows a person she views as a predator and most likely someone who has ulterior motives against her to be fairly domineering over her. Now it doesn't happen all at once. There is a cat and mouse that occurs over the course of the book. Still, we see a complete 180 in the protagonist in the course of less than a month. It was just very hard to believe. All of this interplay drives the very steamy eroticism scenes that are not particularly important to the main story but are none the less very sexy.
So all in all I would have to say that this is an excellent Steam Punk, murder mystery, that unfortunately stoops to a bit more of the "pulp" section than the clearly talented writing could lend its self to. I think that is where I finally put my finger on what bothers me about this book. It's not what the author wrote. This book is exactly what it claims to be. It's that I can see such huge potential for more that I can't help but feel a little disappointed.
It's a fast read that will keep you thinking even while some pieces of the main characters actions sometimes just don't seem to fit the psyche profile we are handed. I would recommend it as a good light fiction that manages to keep your brain engaged and occasionally your sex drive as well.
June 5, 2014
I was very disappointed by Nefertiti's Heart. I had it on my GR wishlist for MONTHS and then specifically bought it to read on holiday and it was such a letdown. Although the book was not as awful as Phoenix Rising (the comparison is inevitable, I'm afraid), it ended up being still rather uninspired. The plot was was serviceable as I was reading but pretty forgettable afterwards.
This review summarizes all my issues with the story quite nicely - I find it unbelievable that a heavily traumatised sexual and physical abuse victim can recover so quickly that she is okay to strike a deal where here body and being touched is being bartered for information. Just.. no. Also, the writing was often sloppy (titles are not last names!), super eye-rolling and also quite rage-inducing at times: the description of ~*figure-hugging*~ clothing and Cara's sexy getup (omg the description of her boxing outfit, I just can't), Lachlan AKA LOKI and oh yeah, the bit where the hero does not accept the heroine's "no" and tells her to take a bath in his house before dinner and to wear clothes he picked for her because hers suck. Also, some editing mistakes like "pants" appeared several times in the text. The dialogue was often cringe-worthy, too.
I get it that Steampunk is AU but it is possible to write wonderful, female kick-ass characters and still make them and the setting believable and immersive. This was a bit bland and when it was not bland, it was annoying because of the way how certain things were handled.
The heroine Cara Devon was also not as independent and strong as she was supposed to be - after a few years of global travels, constant gun-carrying as well as an apparent proficiency in boxing I did not expect her to be such a wimp at times. I wanted her to be strong and to overcome her past and the way the character was handled was most unsatisfactory to me.
This review summarizes all my issues with the story quite nicely - I find it unbelievable that a heavily traumatised sexual and physical abuse victim can recover so quickly that she is okay to strike a deal where here body and being touched is being bartered for information. Just.. no. Also, the writing was often sloppy (titles are not last names!), super eye-rolling and also quite rage-inducing at times: the description of ~*figure-hugging*~ clothing and Cara's sexy getup (omg the description of her boxing outfit, I just can't), Lachlan AKA LOKI and oh yeah, the bit where the hero does not accept the heroine's "no" and tells her to take a bath in his house before dinner and to wear clothes he picked for her because hers suck. Also, some editing mistakes like "pants" appeared several times in the text. The dialogue was often cringe-worthy, too.
I get it that Steampunk is AU but it is possible to write wonderful, female kick-ass characters and still make them and the setting believable and immersive. This was a bit bland and when it was not bland, it was annoying because of the way how certain things were handled.
The heroine Cara Devon was also not as independent and strong as she was supposed to be - after a few years of global travels, constant gun-carrying as well as an apparent proficiency in boxing I did not expect her to be such a wimp at times. I wanted her to be strong and to overcome her past and the way the character was handled was most unsatisfactory to me.
July 7, 2023
Almost 4 Stars
3.5 Stars
There was a lot I liked and somethings I didn't.
What cost this story stars for me is 2 things.
#1. It was often S L O W paced. Everything needed the pace picked up. The romance, the investigation by Fraser and Cara's part in that. The various characters actions and thought processes needed to move faster. There were times they were so slow to DO something it made them look idiotic. Especially Fraser the detective.
#2. While there is some ADULT steam it isn't that compelling. Cara and Nate dance around each other and you feel the pull. But when they FINALLY get down to business it's a bit mediocre for all the build up. It was Nice but fast. Other than it happening in a tree (adventurous) it wasn't 'Fan Yourself' hot.
I did love was the steampunk elements. They never overtook the story but added nuance.
I also love both Cara & Nate's characters.
I loved the hunt for what & where Nefertiti's Heart was. The mystery of it.
I also really enjoyed Jackson and other side characters. Cara's grandmother was a hoot!
The writing was decent even though the story was slow and some scenes seemed to jump a bit. The world build was well done.
I'm considering reading the next in this series. But they are listed at 7.99$!! Each!!
One of my libraries has the next one so I will probably read that before I decide to invest anymore into this series.
If it moves faster than this one but keeps the good parts, it may be worth continuing.
3.5 Stars
There was a lot I liked and somethings I didn't.
What cost this story stars for me is 2 things.
#1. It was often S L O W paced. Everything needed the pace picked up. The romance, the investigation by Fraser and Cara's part in that. The various characters actions and thought processes needed to move faster. There were times they were so slow to DO something it made them look idiotic. Especially Fraser the detective.
#2. While there is some ADULT steam it isn't that compelling. Cara and Nate dance around each other and you feel the pull. But when they FINALLY get down to business it's a bit mediocre for all the build up. It was Nice but fast. Other than it happening in a tree (adventurous) it wasn't 'Fan Yourself' hot.
I did love was the steampunk elements. They never overtook the story but added nuance.
I also love both Cara & Nate's characters.
I loved the hunt for what & where Nefertiti's Heart was. The mystery of it.
I also really enjoyed Jackson and other side characters. Cara's grandmother was a hoot!
The writing was decent even though the story was slow and some scenes seemed to jump a bit. The world build was well done.
I'm considering reading the next in this series. But they are listed at 7.99$!! Each!!
One of my libraries has the next one so I will probably read that before I decide to invest anymore into this series.
If it moves faster than this one but keeps the good parts, it may be worth continuing.
June 7, 2018
I really loved this book. It took me a while to get hooked because the author is building the world and characters in this book.
I feel like a comparable book to this one would be “Stalking Jack the Ripper by Karri Maniscalco”. Stalking Jack the Ripper has more of creep factor to it but I feel the characters in Nefertiti’s Heart are more likable- Just my personal opinion.
I took a liking to Cara from the first chapter and just liked her more and more throughout. I thought this book would be all adventure but it’s mostly mystery with a side of romance. I’ve read reviews on how this is a full on romance book but I definitely didn’t see that. The romance slowly builds and comes to a head towards the end (maybe 60-75% in). I love how the author wrote this book—- who the killer is is only implied maybe once or twice. The author didn’t focus in on each person making you think it’s a different person every so often. I just really liked that and thought it was different. Although i wasn’t surprised when i found out (my hunch was wrong) who the killer was I still really enjoyed it. I really liked the way it ended. I listened and followed along mostly. The audiobook was a little different than the book itself. It added/changed some words to the story, I actually prefer the audiobook words over the actual book. All in all I loved this book—- everything about it. This world, these characters, I can’t wait to read the 2nd book!!!!!!!
I feel like a comparable book to this one would be “Stalking Jack the Ripper by Karri Maniscalco”. Stalking Jack the Ripper has more of creep factor to it but I feel the characters in Nefertiti’s Heart are more likable- Just my personal opinion.
I took a liking to Cara from the first chapter and just liked her more and more throughout. I thought this book would be all adventure but it’s mostly mystery with a side of romance. I’ve read reviews on how this is a full on romance book but I definitely didn’t see that. The romance slowly builds and comes to a head towards the end (maybe 60-75% in). I love how the author wrote this book—- who the killer is is only implied maybe once or twice. The author didn’t focus in on each person making you think it’s a different person every so often. I just really liked that and thought it was different. Although i wasn’t surprised when i found out (my hunch was wrong) who the killer was I still really enjoyed it. I really liked the way it ended. I listened and followed along mostly. The audiobook was a little different than the book itself. It added/changed some words to the story, I actually prefer the audiobook words over the actual book. All in all I loved this book—- everything about it. This world, these characters, I can’t wait to read the 2nd book!!!!!!!
November 1, 2014
I THINK THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND STEAMPUNK BOOK I HAVE READ AND I LOVED IT. I ACTUALLY HAD IT ON MY CURRENTLY READING SHELF A FEW DAYS BEFORE READING IT. NEEDLESS TO SAY I STARTED IT YESTERDAY AND COULD HARDLY PUT IT DOWN! I FINISHED IT TONIGHT.
I LOVE THE CHARACTERS, THE STORYLINE, ROMANCE AND GRUESOME PARTS ALL IN ONE BOOK. I HAVE NOT READ A BOOK LIKE THIS BEFORE AND LOOK FORWARD TO READING MORE IN THIS SERIES. I THINK ALL FANS OF THIS GENRE WILL LOVE IT!
I LOVE THE CHARACTERS, THE STORYLINE, ROMANCE AND GRUESOME PARTS ALL IN ONE BOOK. I HAVE NOT READ A BOOK LIKE THIS BEFORE AND LOOK FORWARD TO READING MORE IN THIS SERIES. I THINK ALL FANS OF THIS GENRE WILL LOVE IT!
March 30, 2023
Love the blend of Victorian England with modern machinery and magic
No words.
Romance, thrill and mystery entwined. I thought at first it is a Jack the Ripper inspired story (perhaps it is, many elements are similar) but throw in ancient Egyptian relic, and you have a pretty incredible story.
No words.
Romance, thrill and mystery entwined. I thought at first it is a Jack the Ripper inspired story (perhaps it is, many elements are similar) but throw in ancient Egyptian relic, and you have a pretty incredible story.
January 1, 2019
I read half of this book, which was at least 25% more than it deserves. I always feel a little bad about leaving harsh reviews, but in recognition of the author's effort, I can at least offer my honest reaction instead of sugar coating it. The premise seemed interesting.
The heroine is ostensibly a well educated, higher class lady from Victorian London but she talks and thinks like a vapid 2010's teenager, which is all the more irritating and ridiculous because the author chose to dump her italicized thoughts on every other page. After all, she tells her friend that she would kill to have some breakfast. Here are some more very authentic Victorian thoughts:
This will send a shiver through society. Brutal murder is so lower class.
Whoa, there must be a lot of women in this household.
Screw you society, I’ve had a gut’s full.
What on Earth is he getting at?
Time to leave before the crazy rubs off.
Time for some fresh air, and a change of clothes to shake off the crazy.
He did this to torture me. What the heck is in that box?
Game on.
Oh, and my personal favorite from the first half of the book:
“Bitch,” she growled at the house.
But then we have these scintillating conversational bits:
“Curiosity killed the cat.” De Sal watched the play of emotion over Cara’s face.
“And satisfaction brought it back.” Or, at least, let it die with a smile on its face.
The heroine is snobby, judgmental, and has one female "friend." She has a bucketload the I'm-not-like-other-girls attitude going on. I've lost count of how many times she thinks something disparaging about other girls, but considering her own past, this italicized thought has got to take the cake:
So she slept with Joshua, but wants the fiancé to think he is buying a pristine product.
Seriously, what self respecting woman thinks of other women as products to be bought, not to mention the ick factor and hypocrisy of the "pristine" virginity. Yes, I know Cara is special because she's only "not a maid" (we have a whole scene over that) because she was raped, not because she - good heavens - decided to make herself an unpristine product! Oh wait, but she actually does, because this book is a romance. But... not before "Cara resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows and mutter tut tut."
Then there's the small matter that the plot and characters are the most boring and fake versions of JD Robb's In Death series (Eve Dallas and Roarke, first book is Naked in Death) that I can even imagine. The guy is handsome! We are informed that he's "delicious" and has an illegal trading empire. He's supposed to be dangerous (we are also informed right away that he's killed people...he tells the heroine that, no doubt to impress her) but in reality he's as dull as dirt. Oh, but his sheer hotness is gonna sex her out of the trauma of being sold off into slavery, raped, and nearly beaten to death at age 14. Mmhmm. This starts with pretty much his very first meeting of her of course, where Mr. Peeping Tom watches her stand up naked from a tub (because what good aristocratic lord doesn't order his guest to go take bath in Victorian England?) and she mysteriously decides to spill all the details of her past to him so that he can take her hand and spark Healing Sexual Tension because she hates being touched but he's very special.
Last of all, I never thought you could make a serial killer's narration (yes, this author is also fond of those type of scenes) boring, but this book proves that you can.
Well written? A big fat no. Well researched? Also a big fat no. At one point the heroine shot a guy straight through the center of his palm at close range, but two weeks later his bandages are off and he's suffered no lasting damage from the bullet wound except for a scar. With Victorian England era medicine, even if you throw in some steampunk magical hand waving. Maybe it's my medical background making me extra critical of this point, but the author seriously needs to review the anatomy of the hand and explain how being shot at close range with a bullet somehow causes zero damage to the bones, tendons, or nerves and can be healed in a couple of weeks - she shoots him June 23 and by July 9th he's fully healed! If only our 2018 modern medicine were so advanced.
The heroine is ostensibly a well educated, higher class lady from Victorian London but she talks and thinks like a vapid 2010's teenager, which is all the more irritating and ridiculous because the author chose to dump her italicized thoughts on every other page. After all, she tells her friend that she would kill to have some breakfast. Here are some more very authentic Victorian thoughts:
This will send a shiver through society. Brutal murder is so lower class.
Whoa, there must be a lot of women in this household.
Screw you society, I’ve had a gut’s full.
What on Earth is he getting at?
Time to leave before the crazy rubs off.
Time for some fresh air, and a change of clothes to shake off the crazy.
He did this to torture me. What the heck is in that box?
Game on.
Oh, and my personal favorite from the first half of the book:
“Bitch,” she growled at the house.
But then we have these scintillating conversational bits:
“Curiosity killed the cat.” De Sal watched the play of emotion over Cara’s face.
“And satisfaction brought it back.” Or, at least, let it die with a smile on its face.
The heroine is snobby, judgmental, and has one female "friend." She has a bucketload the I'm-not-like-other-girls attitude going on. I've lost count of how many times she thinks something disparaging about other girls, but considering her own past, this italicized thought has got to take the cake:
So she slept with Joshua, but wants the fiancé to think he is buying a pristine product.
Seriously, what self respecting woman thinks of other women as products to be bought, not to mention the ick factor and hypocrisy of the "pristine" virginity. Yes, I know Cara is special because she's only "not a maid" (we have a whole scene over that) because she was raped, not because she - good heavens - decided to make herself an unpristine product! Oh wait, but she actually does, because this book is a romance. But... not before "Cara resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows and mutter tut tut."
Then there's the small matter that the plot and characters are the most boring and fake versions of JD Robb's In Death series (Eve Dallas and Roarke, first book is Naked in Death) that I can even imagine. The guy is handsome! We are informed that he's "delicious" and has an illegal trading empire. He's supposed to be dangerous (we are also informed right away that he's killed people...he tells the heroine that, no doubt to impress her) but in reality he's as dull as dirt. Oh, but his sheer hotness is gonna sex her out of the trauma of being sold off into slavery, raped, and nearly beaten to death at age 14. Mmhmm. This starts with pretty much his very first meeting of her of course, where Mr. Peeping Tom watches her stand up naked from a tub (because what good aristocratic lord doesn't order his guest to go take bath in Victorian England?) and she mysteriously decides to spill all the details of her past to him so that he can take her hand and spark Healing Sexual Tension because she hates being touched but he's very special.
Last of all, I never thought you could make a serial killer's narration (yes, this author is also fond of those type of scenes) boring, but this book proves that you can.
Well written? A big fat no. Well researched? Also a big fat no. At one point the heroine shot a guy straight through the center of his palm at close range, but two weeks later his bandages are off and he's suffered no lasting damage from the bullet wound except for a scar. With Victorian England era medicine, even if you throw in some steampunk magical hand waving. Maybe it's my medical background making me extra critical of this point, but the author seriously needs to review the anatomy of the hand and explain how being shot at close range with a bullet somehow causes zero damage to the bones, tendons, or nerves and can be healed in a couple of weeks - she shoots him June 23 and by July 9th he's fully healed! If only our 2018 modern medicine were so advanced.
April 19, 2015
Writing style was not too impressive. A bit abrupt...
The plot was also unrealistic. The heroine was supposed to be this strong woman with an abusive past. But then she becomes weak for the hero. The first time she visits the hero at his home, a near stranger to her, he tells her to take a bath and change her clothes and she does, with no resistance. She tells herself she needs a bath. Well maybe don't take it in a stranger's home.
The plot was also unrealistic. The heroine was supposed to be this strong woman with an abusive past. But then she becomes weak for the hero. The first time she visits the hero at his home, a near stranger to her, he tells her to take a bath and change her clothes and she does, with no resistance. She tells herself she needs a bath. Well maybe don't take it in a stranger's home.
March 27, 2017
This book is a hard one to review. It has some very nice parts to it, and I honestly have to say that I enjoyed reading it, once I started ignoring about half of what was going on in it. I am not a very critical reader, but for the sake of this blog, I have to be a critical reviewer, and for this reason, I wasn’t really able to give this book more than 2 stars.
Let’s start with the most critical element of any piece of historical fiction: the historical part.
IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? NO – IT’S HISTORICAL INACCURACIES
Now, this book is Steampunk, so a few criteria of historical accuracy do not apply. The Steampunk world was, all in all, convincing, if not exactly very well fleshed out, with some plot-relevant exceptions here and there. However, a lot of what this book is about and especially a lot of the characters’ background is firmly rooted in Victorian London, so there is a lot of stuff that just has to be accurate for this book to actually feel satisfying as a historical romance. I mean, I don’t expect an American to know that British bacon is not ‘crispy’ (except if you do it like me and buy Pancetta, which would not have been an option in 18something), or that people in Victorian London did not drink as much coffee as the people in this book do habitually, but I expect an American author of historical fiction set in Victorian England to know something about social mores and manners, as well as clothing (not even fashion, just the way people put on their goddamn clothes).
Let me just tell you: A corset is an undergarment. It is not a part of the things you see on a person. And if this Victorian England is anything like the real Victorian England, which it desperately tries to be, then Cara, our dear protagonist, would have been jailed whenever she left the house wearing one of her green embroidered 19th century bras OVER her actual clothes. We get it, you’re independent, you’ve got super short hair, you wear trousers, but you’re not Superman, so stop wearing your underwear over your dress.
Let’s talk about the treatment Cara gets by society for a second. First of all, Cara’s backstory revolves about her being brutally beaten by her father and then sold to and raped by a respected member of society. This is why she is apparently a pariah now, even though this scandal seems to have touched neither her father nor her rapist. Let’s be clear about one thing: Rape was not condoned in Victorian society. Rape victims were not avoided like the plague. Rapists did not just get away with it because they were rich or powerful or what do I know what. If you were connected with a scandal that seems to have been as public as Cara’s was (as illustrated by the fact that pretty much everybody who is anybody knows about it), you would not just have returned to your normal life. There would have been a process. Being rich was not a get-out-of-jail-free pass in Victorian England, no matter how much people seem to believe that.
Just how warped and unrealistic society’s treatment of Cara is in this book becomes clear when the fiancé of a childhood friend of Cara’s – get this – turns his goddamn chair around in a public restaurant so he has his back to Cara, after greeting her by looking at her suspiciously and then turning to his fiancée and asking her if she thinks that Cara is a proper kind of acquaintance for her. In public. At a place where people can hear it. In front of Cara. No self-respecting gentleman in Victorian England would have been caught dead doing something so absolutely childish. In Victorian England, if people were gossiping about you, you would be the very last person to know about it.
The only hint you would get that you were ostracized from society would be that you’re not receiving as many party invitations than you used to, or that less people come calling than before. And even that is relative – some people would have invited you precisely because of the scandal surrounding you, so their party would be a bit more interesting. But you’d still never hear any bad opinion about yourself, because people would not have gossiped that openly in public. At a later point, Cara gets accosted by a grieving mother in a hat shop, and in such a way that if there had been a bobby nearby, that lady would definitely have been fined. It’s more understandable than the whole turning-my-back-on-you deal, but it’s still very, very unlikely to happen in the society that inspired this book.
I could go on about all the historical inaccuracies in this book for at least three more paragraphs, but let’s not do that. Let’s instead move on to something positive, so this doesn’t look like a total hatchet job.
THAT’S NOT HOW PTSD WORKS
I actually liked Cara. Even despite her strange fashion habits, her proclivity to need rescuing even though she’s got two guns and what do I know how many knives on her person at all times, and the fact that she sometimes spontaneously turns into an info-dumping tear thrower (more about that later), she is a compelling character and it’s fun to read her point of view. I also liked her romance with Nathaniel, even though Nathaniel himself was faaar more of a romance character than a thriller character, and as such sometimes a little incongruous with the thriller plot.
The thriller/murder mystery plot was really good, by the way. I’d say that was actually what kept me reading despite the pretty egregious historical inaccuracy and the honestly annoying writing style (more about that later as well). I did know who the killer was quite early, but that might be because I’ve read more mystery novels and watched more police procedurals than anybody has any right to do, but the hunt was still entertaining and the glimpses into the killer’s psychology interesting to read, though the reason that’s later given for his insanity is kind of lackluster. I also liked Inspector Fraser, who has the second PoV in this book, and who is exclusively part of the thriller plot, even though he also sometimes behaves in ways that are not 100% comprehensible.
Now that the positive aspects of the book are out of the way, let’s talk about Nathaniel and Cara’s relationship. First of all: This might be the most unrealistic meet-cute (with cute in huuuge air quotes) that I’ve ever seen. I know I’ve not read as many romance novels as other people, but I’ve had my fair share, and still, this is so unrealistic and strange and I honestly nearly stopped reading because of it.
Basically what happens is this: The book starts with Cara in her father’s library, looking for a notebook, when suddenly, just as she finds it, two men break into the library. They are armed and they want the notebook and they seem to be ready to kill her to get what they want. She shoots both of them non-lethally after she finds out that they work for Nathaniel Trent, the ‘Villainous Viscount’. And then, a few days later, she gets an invitation to have dinner with the very same villainous viscount. And she accepts the invitation. She goes to his house. She puts on a dress he put out for her. She tells him the story of her rape in every detail imaginable over dinner, and then she agrees to barter her own body in exchange for Nathaniel’s service as a fence for her father’s stolen artifacts.
Just take that in for a moment.
This girl got brutally raped, apparently didn’t really talk about it to anybody but her grandmother in 7 years, then tells a man all about it who sent two thugs into her home who were ready to kill her, and THEN she decides hey, sure, I’m going to let this stranger who wanted to see me dead for the sake of a notebook touch me, because obviously there are no other fences in London???
Like I said, I nearly stopped reading right there.
The whole rape backstory is just so… I don’t know, it basically reads like the result of a brainstorming session about ‘What is the worst that could have happened to my heroine that could have made a pariah out of her?’ I don’t feel it was taken seriously. Nathaniel basically uses his magical cock to heal Cara from her past trauma, and that is just not how it works?? Well, at least it can be said that he doesn’t have ‘proper’ sex with her until she’s well and ready for it, but he still forces Cara to accept intrusive touches that would be very, very traumatic for a survivor of the kind of brutality Cara lived through.
DER GOD, NOT ANOTHER GERUND, NO, NOOO
And this seems kind of anti-climactic, but just the last thing I want to mention about this book is the godawful writing style. The author just spoon-feeds her audience everything, and mostly in gerund phrases, which I hate like the devil anyway. Let’s take a look at some examples:
“I have some business to conduct tonight at Savage’s. I can escort you there, if you wish to accompany me?” He offered Savage’s, instead, a legitimate playground for the wealthy in fashionable St James, containing a ballroom and several gaming rooms.
Love, we already know that he’s offering Savage’s. You do not need to repeat what your characters say. We can read. Really.
He handed the small bundle over. “I enjoy doing business with you, cara mia.” He turned her name into an Italian caress as his eyes lingered on her heaving breasts, highlighted and displayed by the cut of her corset.
First off, highlighted and displayed literally mean the same thing in this context. Second off, it’s the same thing again – we understand the word play with her name, haha, very cute. We do not need it to be made this explicit.
Cara took a long drink. Letting the liquid settle in her stomach, she contemplated the stirred memories.
… Okay. How in the world is liquid supposed to ‘settle’ in anybody’s stomach? The image I’ve got in my head right now is that of a liquid like alien making a nest in her stomach, and to be honest, that would have made the book quite a bit better, but alas, I guess the author just needed more gerunds.
She waited until the doors closed, before asking her question. Something nagged at her, since gazing down at Beth Armstrong’s serene face.
Because you can’t have less than one gerund clause in any one sentence, right? So here we have two following each other. What in the world is wrong with the past perfect? Did it go out of commission? Did the author run out of ‘hads’?
Heading outside, relief washed over her when Nathaniel entered the carriage and decided to take the seat opposite her, leaving Loki to sit next to her.
Yay, now it’s two in one sentence! Listen, gerund clauses have a reason to exist, and this reason is to show that two things are happening at the same time. But how? There are four things happening in this sentence: Cara heads outside (or they all head outside), Nathaniel enters the carriage, Nathaniel decides to take the seat opposite her, which forces Loki to sit next to her. There is no way in grammar hell that all of those things are happening at the same time. There just isn’t. You are using your gerunds wrong. Shame on you. Now they’re sad and confused.
The thing with this book for me was that I am pretty good at enjoying flawed things. I am able to see them and register them, but still have fun reading a book as long as there is one redeeming factor in it. Like I said, I liked Cara despite her badly-handled backstory, and I liked the mystery, and I don’t give a book that I actually enjoyed reading only one star. I just don’t do that. So the end-verdict for this book is two stars, and I’d recommend it to anybody who just wants to have a steamy little romance novel with a nice thriller plot, as long as you’re able to ignore a less-than-perfect style and an interpretation of Victorian England that basically reads as if the author’s only research were other subpar historical romance books.
Want to read more of my reviews? Visit me on The Bookabelles Blog or follow me here on Goodreads :)
Let’s start with the most critical element of any piece of historical fiction: the historical part.
IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? NO – IT’S HISTORICAL INACCURACIES
Now, this book is Steampunk, so a few criteria of historical accuracy do not apply. The Steampunk world was, all in all, convincing, if not exactly very well fleshed out, with some plot-relevant exceptions here and there. However, a lot of what this book is about and especially a lot of the characters’ background is firmly rooted in Victorian London, so there is a lot of stuff that just has to be accurate for this book to actually feel satisfying as a historical romance. I mean, I don’t expect an American to know that British bacon is not ‘crispy’ (except if you do it like me and buy Pancetta, which would not have been an option in 18something), or that people in Victorian London did not drink as much coffee as the people in this book do habitually, but I expect an American author of historical fiction set in Victorian England to know something about social mores and manners, as well as clothing (not even fashion, just the way people put on their goddamn clothes).
Let me just tell you: A corset is an undergarment. It is not a part of the things you see on a person. And if this Victorian England is anything like the real Victorian England, which it desperately tries to be, then Cara, our dear protagonist, would have been jailed whenever she left the house wearing one of her green embroidered 19th century bras OVER her actual clothes. We get it, you’re independent, you’ve got super short hair, you wear trousers, but you’re not Superman, so stop wearing your underwear over your dress.
Let’s talk about the treatment Cara gets by society for a second. First of all, Cara’s backstory revolves about her being brutally beaten by her father and then sold to and raped by a respected member of society. This is why she is apparently a pariah now, even though this scandal seems to have touched neither her father nor her rapist. Let’s be clear about one thing: Rape was not condoned in Victorian society. Rape victims were not avoided like the plague. Rapists did not just get away with it because they were rich or powerful or what do I know what. If you were connected with a scandal that seems to have been as public as Cara’s was (as illustrated by the fact that pretty much everybody who is anybody knows about it), you would not just have returned to your normal life. There would have been a process. Being rich was not a get-out-of-jail-free pass in Victorian England, no matter how much people seem to believe that.
Just how warped and unrealistic society’s treatment of Cara is in this book becomes clear when the fiancé of a childhood friend of Cara’s – get this – turns his goddamn chair around in a public restaurant so he has his back to Cara, after greeting her by looking at her suspiciously and then turning to his fiancée and asking her if she thinks that Cara is a proper kind of acquaintance for her. In public. At a place where people can hear it. In front of Cara. No self-respecting gentleman in Victorian England would have been caught dead doing something so absolutely childish. In Victorian England, if people were gossiping about you, you would be the very last person to know about it.
The only hint you would get that you were ostracized from society would be that you’re not receiving as many party invitations than you used to, or that less people come calling than before. And even that is relative – some people would have invited you precisely because of the scandal surrounding you, so their party would be a bit more interesting. But you’d still never hear any bad opinion about yourself, because people would not have gossiped that openly in public. At a later point, Cara gets accosted by a grieving mother in a hat shop, and in such a way that if there had been a bobby nearby, that lady would definitely have been fined. It’s more understandable than the whole turning-my-back-on-you deal, but it’s still very, very unlikely to happen in the society that inspired this book.
I could go on about all the historical inaccuracies in this book for at least three more paragraphs, but let’s not do that. Let’s instead move on to something positive, so this doesn’t look like a total hatchet job.
THAT’S NOT HOW PTSD WORKS
I actually liked Cara. Even despite her strange fashion habits, her proclivity to need rescuing even though she’s got two guns and what do I know how many knives on her person at all times, and the fact that she sometimes spontaneously turns into an info-dumping tear thrower (more about that later), she is a compelling character and it’s fun to read her point of view. I also liked her romance with Nathaniel, even though Nathaniel himself was faaar more of a romance character than a thriller character, and as such sometimes a little incongruous with the thriller plot.
The thriller/murder mystery plot was really good, by the way. I’d say that was actually what kept me reading despite the pretty egregious historical inaccuracy and the honestly annoying writing style (more about that later as well). I did know who the killer was quite early, but that might be because I’ve read more mystery novels and watched more police procedurals than anybody has any right to do, but the hunt was still entertaining and the glimpses into the killer’s psychology interesting to read, though the reason that’s later given for his insanity is kind of lackluster. I also liked Inspector Fraser, who has the second PoV in this book, and who is exclusively part of the thriller plot, even though he also sometimes behaves in ways that are not 100% comprehensible.
Now that the positive aspects of the book are out of the way, let’s talk about Nathaniel and Cara’s relationship. First of all: This might be the most unrealistic meet-cute (with cute in huuuge air quotes) that I’ve ever seen. I know I’ve not read as many romance novels as other people, but I’ve had my fair share, and still, this is so unrealistic and strange and I honestly nearly stopped reading because of it.
Basically what happens is this: The book starts with Cara in her father’s library, looking for a notebook, when suddenly, just as she finds it, two men break into the library. They are armed and they want the notebook and they seem to be ready to kill her to get what they want. She shoots both of them non-lethally after she finds out that they work for Nathaniel Trent, the ‘Villainous Viscount’. And then, a few days later, she gets an invitation to have dinner with the very same villainous viscount. And she accepts the invitation. She goes to his house. She puts on a dress he put out for her. She tells him the story of her rape in every detail imaginable over dinner, and then she agrees to barter her own body in exchange for Nathaniel’s service as a fence for her father’s stolen artifacts.
Just take that in for a moment.
This girl got brutally raped, apparently didn’t really talk about it to anybody but her grandmother in 7 years, then tells a man all about it who sent two thugs into her home who were ready to kill her, and THEN she decides hey, sure, I’m going to let this stranger who wanted to see me dead for the sake of a notebook touch me, because obviously there are no other fences in London???
Like I said, I nearly stopped reading right there.
The whole rape backstory is just so… I don’t know, it basically reads like the result of a brainstorming session about ‘What is the worst that could have happened to my heroine that could have made a pariah out of her?’ I don’t feel it was taken seriously. Nathaniel basically uses his magical cock to heal Cara from her past trauma, and that is just not how it works?? Well, at least it can be said that he doesn’t have ‘proper’ sex with her until she’s well and ready for it, but he still forces Cara to accept intrusive touches that would be very, very traumatic for a survivor of the kind of brutality Cara lived through.
DER GOD, NOT ANOTHER GERUND, NO, NOOO
And this seems kind of anti-climactic, but just the last thing I want to mention about this book is the godawful writing style. The author just spoon-feeds her audience everything, and mostly in gerund phrases, which I hate like the devil anyway. Let’s take a look at some examples:
“I have some business to conduct tonight at Savage’s. I can escort you there, if you wish to accompany me?” He offered Savage’s, instead, a legitimate playground for the wealthy in fashionable St James, containing a ballroom and several gaming rooms.
Love, we already know that he’s offering Savage’s. You do not need to repeat what your characters say. We can read. Really.
He handed the small bundle over. “I enjoy doing business with you, cara mia.” He turned her name into an Italian caress as his eyes lingered on her heaving breasts, highlighted and displayed by the cut of her corset.
First off, highlighted and displayed literally mean the same thing in this context. Second off, it’s the same thing again – we understand the word play with her name, haha, very cute. We do not need it to be made this explicit.
Cara took a long drink. Letting the liquid settle in her stomach, she contemplated the stirred memories.
… Okay. How in the world is liquid supposed to ‘settle’ in anybody’s stomach? The image I’ve got in my head right now is that of a liquid like alien making a nest in her stomach, and to be honest, that would have made the book quite a bit better, but alas, I guess the author just needed more gerunds.
She waited until the doors closed, before asking her question. Something nagged at her, since gazing down at Beth Armstrong’s serene face.
Because you can’t have less than one gerund clause in any one sentence, right? So here we have two following each other. What in the world is wrong with the past perfect? Did it go out of commission? Did the author run out of ‘hads’?
Heading outside, relief washed over her when Nathaniel entered the carriage and decided to take the seat opposite her, leaving Loki to sit next to her.
Yay, now it’s two in one sentence! Listen, gerund clauses have a reason to exist, and this reason is to show that two things are happening at the same time. But how? There are four things happening in this sentence: Cara heads outside (or they all head outside), Nathaniel enters the carriage, Nathaniel decides to take the seat opposite her, which forces Loki to sit next to her. There is no way in grammar hell that all of those things are happening at the same time. There just isn’t. You are using your gerunds wrong. Shame on you. Now they’re sad and confused.
The thing with this book for me was that I am pretty good at enjoying flawed things. I am able to see them and register them, but still have fun reading a book as long as there is one redeeming factor in it. Like I said, I liked Cara despite her badly-handled backstory, and I liked the mystery, and I don’t give a book that I actually enjoyed reading only one star. I just don’t do that. So the end-verdict for this book is two stars, and I’d recommend it to anybody who just wants to have a steamy little romance novel with a nice thriller plot, as long as you’re able to ignore a less-than-perfect style and an interpretation of Victorian England that basically reads as if the author’s only research were other subpar historical romance books.
Want to read more of my reviews? Visit me on The Bookabelles Blog or follow me here on Goodreads :)
July 27, 2017
First thing that attracted me to Nefertiti's Heart was the title. You may not know, but I am crazy about Egyptian history and mythology, so as soon as I heard Nefertiti - I had to read it. The second thing that I liked was the cover art. That steampunk heart looked so awesome, I just had to know how A.W. Exley merged steampunk and Egypt into one. Robot-mummy Nefertiti? One can only hope. :)
My realistic expectations that I will like Nefertiti's Heart were, honestly, pretty low. I never heard about Curiosity Quills Press or A.W. Exley before and since I lately have been burned a couple of times by debut authors or small publishing companies, all that I hoped is for Nefertiti's Heart to be readable. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself reading, no devouring Nefertiti's Heart. When I started, it didn't take long for the story and characters to win me over completely and I was enthralled. Nefertiti's Heart is one of those books that you can not put down. I read it whenever I had even a minute of free time and finished it in a day.
So what is Nefertiti's Heart about? The story is centered around Cara Devon, young lady scorned by society. Cara comes back to London first time after scandal that destroyed her reputation because her estranged father was murdered. Lord Devon was eccentric, gambler and collector of ancient relics. There was no love lost between father and daughter, so Cara hopes to quickly sell all his possessions and go back to her life. But nothing is ever simple. There is a serial murderer on the loose and criminal lord Viscount Nathaniel Lyons has got his eye on Cara's relics (and her). The mystery behind murders, ancient relics and passionate romance escalete and Cara is in the middle.
But don't feel sorry for Cara Devon. "...she was no blushing English rose. She had thorns." Yes, Cara is one of those kick-ass heroines that I love. She flaunts conventions and does not care what society that scorned her thinks about her. She's a fighter - literary (knows how to box) and figuratively - she fights her inner demons and fears and pushes herself to the limit. I found myself cheering for Cara almost immediately from the start.
Cara is not the only likable character in Nefertiti's Heart. There are a lot of quirky and cute side characters that appear through the book and A.W. Exley managed to make them feel so alive. There is Jackson Jackson (Viscount Lyons bodyguard), Cara's grandmother, even Countess de Sal - some half-crazy noblewoman Cara helps. I hope we will get glimpses of them in future A.W. Exley's books or I would not complain if they are main characters.
And last but not least, sexy and powerful Viscount Nathaniel Lyons. I have a soft spot for cool and controlled heroes, it's always so much fun when they unravel. It's exaggeration saying that Nathaniel unravels, but Cara manages to make a couple of cracks in his armor. And chemistry between them is off the charts. Slow seduction is my favorite type of romance, and Nathaniel slowly but surely won me over. :)
Nefertiti's Heart is set in alternative version of victorian England. There are glimpses of steampunk-ish machines and inventions through the book and Viscount Lyons even has a carriage with robot horses. How awesome is that? But steampunk is pretty subdued and subtle here. It's mentioned from time to time like part of everyday life but there are no detailed explanations how things work. So if you like a lot of steam-powered goodies, you will be disappointed. Also, no robot-mummy Nefertiti (bummer).
Except for one of the relics in lord Devon's collection being called Nefertiti's Heart and cute legend related to it, there are no more mentions of Egyptian mythology. But in spite of that I found myself thoroughly enjoying this book. In fact, this would be a 5 star read for me, except that the second part of the book got a little bit more focused on romance and sexual content, so I found the other aspect neglected. Still you will definitely encounter me recommending Nefertiti's Heart to my paranormal romance loving friends in the future.
And great news for me (and future Nefertiti's Heart readers) for the end. A.W. Exley tells us on her website that there will be a couple of free novellas about Cara and Nathaniel during the summer. Maybe even one about Jackson Jackson. And of course, the sequel to the series Hatshepsut's Collar is due in autumn 2013. Altough, Nefertiti's Heart did not have clifhanger ending, I can't wait for more of Cara and all other fun characters from this series.
My rating: 4.5 stars
I recommend this book to fans of: historical murder mystery who don't mind a little bit of steampunk and a lot of hot romance; also to those who love paranormal romance and urban fantasy and don't mind historical setting; kick-ass strong heroines with traumatic past; cold and control heroes with shady business arangements; qurky secondary characters; ...
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook via blog tour in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
My realistic expectations that I will like Nefertiti's Heart were, honestly, pretty low. I never heard about Curiosity Quills Press or A.W. Exley before and since I lately have been burned a couple of times by debut authors or small publishing companies, all that I hoped is for Nefertiti's Heart to be readable. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself reading, no devouring Nefertiti's Heart. When I started, it didn't take long for the story and characters to win me over completely and I was enthralled. Nefertiti's Heart is one of those books that you can not put down. I read it whenever I had even a minute of free time and finished it in a day.
So what is Nefertiti's Heart about? The story is centered around Cara Devon, young lady scorned by society. Cara comes back to London first time after scandal that destroyed her reputation because her estranged father was murdered. Lord Devon was eccentric, gambler and collector of ancient relics. There was no love lost between father and daughter, so Cara hopes to quickly sell all his possessions and go back to her life. But nothing is ever simple. There is a serial murderer on the loose and criminal lord Viscount Nathaniel Lyons has got his eye on Cara's relics (and her). The mystery behind murders, ancient relics and passionate romance escalete and Cara is in the middle.
But don't feel sorry for Cara Devon. "...she was no blushing English rose. She had thorns." Yes, Cara is one of those kick-ass heroines that I love. She flaunts conventions and does not care what society that scorned her thinks about her. She's a fighter - literary (knows how to box) and figuratively - she fights her inner demons and fears and pushes herself to the limit. I found myself cheering for Cara almost immediately from the start.
Cara is not the only likable character in Nefertiti's Heart. There are a lot of quirky and cute side characters that appear through the book and A.W. Exley managed to make them feel so alive. There is Jackson Jackson (Viscount Lyons bodyguard), Cara's grandmother, even Countess de Sal - some half-crazy noblewoman Cara helps. I hope we will get glimpses of them in future A.W. Exley's books or I would not complain if they are main characters.
And last but not least, sexy and powerful Viscount Nathaniel Lyons. I have a soft spot for cool and controlled heroes, it's always so much fun when they unravel. It's exaggeration saying that Nathaniel unravels, but Cara manages to make a couple of cracks in his armor. And chemistry between them is off the charts. Slow seduction is my favorite type of romance, and Nathaniel slowly but surely won me over. :)
Nefertiti's Heart is set in alternative version of victorian England. There are glimpses of steampunk-ish machines and inventions through the book and Viscount Lyons even has a carriage with robot horses. How awesome is that? But steampunk is pretty subdued and subtle here. It's mentioned from time to time like part of everyday life but there are no detailed explanations how things work. So if you like a lot of steam-powered goodies, you will be disappointed. Also, no robot-mummy Nefertiti (bummer).
Except for one of the relics in lord Devon's collection being called Nefertiti's Heart and cute legend related to it, there are no more mentions of Egyptian mythology. But in spite of that I found myself thoroughly enjoying this book. In fact, this would be a 5 star read for me, except that the second part of the book got a little bit more focused on romance and sexual content, so I found the other aspect neglected. Still you will definitely encounter me recommending Nefertiti's Heart to my paranormal romance loving friends in the future.
And great news for me (and future Nefertiti's Heart readers) for the end. A.W. Exley tells us on her website that there will be a couple of free novellas about Cara and Nathaniel during the summer. Maybe even one about Jackson Jackson. And of course, the sequel to the series Hatshepsut's Collar is due in autumn 2013. Altough, Nefertiti's Heart did not have clifhanger ending, I can't wait for more of Cara and all other fun characters from this series.
My rating: 4.5 stars
I recommend this book to fans of: historical murder mystery who don't mind a little bit of steampunk and a lot of hot romance; also to those who love paranormal romance and urban fantasy and don't mind historical setting; kick-ass strong heroines with traumatic past; cold and control heroes with shady business arangements; qurky secondary characters; ...
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook via blog tour in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
July 10, 2021
Neferitit's Heart
4 Stars
After the death of her father, Cara Devon inherits his collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan is to locate and sell the hidden antiquities, but soon discovers that she is not the only one searching for them. A deranged killer is hunting amongst the daughters of the nobility for an ancient Egyptian relic rumored to hold the key to immortality and Cara realizes that she must find it before she becomes the next victim.
An entertaining mix of mystery, romance and treasure hunting.
Although there is plenty of action and suspense in the story, the strong romantic element came as somewhat of a surprise as I was expecting more action and adventure. As a fan of romance, this is an added bonus, but readers more interested in a steampunk mystery should be forewarned.
The story is set in an alternate Victorian London in which automatons and other mechanical devices are subtly interwoven into daily life. The steampunk elements are very subdued and take a back seat to the murder mystery and romance.
The characters fall into all of my favorite types. Cara is an incredible mix of strength and vulnerability emerging from her abusive childhood as a strong and resourceful woman with a kick-ass, take-no-prisoners attitude. She meets her match in Nathaniel Lyons who has his fair share of skeletons in the closet. Fans of dark and brooding heroes in the vein of Blade in Bec McMaster’s Kiss of Steel and Winter in Jenn Bennett’s Bitter Spirits will adore Nate. Nate and Cara’s romance builds slowly but intensely and Exley is excellent at constructing sexual tension and emotional engagement.
The serial killer mystery is well-written with just enough clues to figure out the culprit while still maintaining tension and suspense. The climax is exciting and the inclusion of Egyptian myth another check in the plus column.
All in all, A. W. Exley has acquired a new fan and I am looking forward to continuing with the series.
4 Stars
After the death of her father, Cara Devon inherits his collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan is to locate and sell the hidden antiquities, but soon discovers that she is not the only one searching for them. A deranged killer is hunting amongst the daughters of the nobility for an ancient Egyptian relic rumored to hold the key to immortality and Cara realizes that she must find it before she becomes the next victim.
An entertaining mix of mystery, romance and treasure hunting.
Although there is plenty of action and suspense in the story, the strong romantic element came as somewhat of a surprise as I was expecting more action and adventure. As a fan of romance, this is an added bonus, but readers more interested in a steampunk mystery should be forewarned.
The story is set in an alternate Victorian London in which automatons and other mechanical devices are subtly interwoven into daily life. The steampunk elements are very subdued and take a back seat to the murder mystery and romance.
The characters fall into all of my favorite types. Cara is an incredible mix of strength and vulnerability emerging from her abusive childhood as a strong and resourceful woman with a kick-ass, take-no-prisoners attitude. She meets her match in Nathaniel Lyons who has his fair share of skeletons in the closet. Fans of dark and brooding heroes in the vein of Blade in Bec McMaster’s Kiss of Steel and Winter in Jenn Bennett’s Bitter Spirits will adore Nate. Nate and Cara’s romance builds slowly but intensely and Exley is excellent at constructing sexual tension and emotional engagement.
The serial killer mystery is well-written with just enough clues to figure out the culprit while still maintaining tension and suspense. The climax is exciting and the inclusion of Egyptian myth another check in the plus column.
All in all, A. W. Exley has acquired a new fan and I am looking forward to continuing with the series.
October 30, 2017
NEFERTITI’S HEART is one of those books I knew I’d enjoy from the very first chapter. It was a wonderful mix of fun and dark, with an engaging writing style and well-paced plot that kept me wanting to read more.
Exley writes colorful, developed characters. Cara is a strong heroine who goes against the societal grain. In a way, so does Nathaniel, with his questionable and perhaps not entirely legal dealings. Both have dark pasts that helped connect them. Though their relationship seemed a bit too “insta-love” for me. I like a slow build. Some would also argue that with Cara's past that she would avoid being touched at all costs; however, psychologically, it can really go either way. Nathaniel is meant to restore her and heal the scars of her past: he is what Cara needs. They felt suited for each other, so the romance worked for me.
I had hoped Cara would be more active as a fighter. She started strong with using her guns on some intruders in the very beginning: I was all on-board. But after that, she relied on others (e.g. Nathaniel) to get her out of trouble. I was a little disappointed, as if she lost some of her independence when she became infatuated with Nathaniel.
That minor nitpick aside, Exley knows how to write a gripping story that moves along but is also filled with plenty of world-building and some fun side characters that I hope to see in her other books (which I’ve already purchased). And the villain’s method of killing made me cringe each time we were in his POV: again, a testament to the writing.
If a murder mystery involving ancient artifacts, set in a steampunk London, and a steamy romance with a nefarious viscount sound intriguing, then definitely give NEFERTITI’S HEART a read.
Exley writes colorful, developed characters. Cara is a strong heroine who goes against the societal grain. In a way, so does Nathaniel, with his questionable and perhaps not entirely legal dealings. Both have dark pasts that helped connect them. Though their relationship seemed a bit too “insta-love” for me. I like a slow build. Some would also argue that with Cara's past that she would avoid being touched at all costs; however, psychologically, it can really go either way. Nathaniel is meant to restore her and heal the scars of her past: he is what Cara needs. They felt suited for each other, so the romance worked for me.
I had hoped Cara would be more active as a fighter. She started strong with using her guns on some intruders in the very beginning: I was all on-board. But after that, she relied on others (e.g. Nathaniel) to get her out of trouble. I was a little disappointed, as if she lost some of her independence when she became infatuated with Nathaniel.
That minor nitpick aside, Exley knows how to write a gripping story that moves along but is also filled with plenty of world-building and some fun side characters that I hope to see in her other books (which I’ve already purchased). And the villain’s method of killing made me cringe each time we were in his POV: again, a testament to the writing.
If a murder mystery involving ancient artifacts, set in a steampunk London, and a steamy romance with a nefarious viscount sound intriguing, then definitely give NEFERTITI’S HEART a read.
June 30, 2016
It passed my 2 main criteria. It was enjoyable, and it kept me hooked right up to the final word. I really like the lead characters, and they are portrayed in such a way that the reader genuinely wants them to succeed. I found the romance a little off-putting, but that's because a) it was unexpected and b) I am not what one might describe as a true romantic. There is such sizzling heat between the main characters that it's not advisable for anyone who has just been through a breakup to read this. At least not for a while. Until you are feeling better about things.....The gadget stuff was all pretty cool as well, and there ain't nothing like a serial killer to keep me interested. Kudos to the author.
April 26, 2013
Where are the editors???? Based on its premise, this book should have been good. Main character had compelling elements, but flaws in the first 50 pages were overwhelming--way too much detail and anachronistic characters, ie women under 20 having conversations representing 30 somethings, etc. Lacks historical research for the period. The detective was similarly damaged.
I really hate to see promising writers throw away prospective careers because of premature exposure--someone should have sent this almost good book back for a rewrite.
I really hate to see promising writers throw away prospective careers because of premature exposure--someone should have sent this almost good book back for a rewrite.
June 12, 2015
Oh this tale started out so very well, only to fall into adult sexuality. Not my cup of tea, but really great steampunk.
December 2, 2019
Here we have a very well written story best described as a Steampunk romantic mystery.
Gemma Dawson did a damned impressive job narrating the audiobook. Although a couple of her voices sound a little too similar, it's obvious she carefully crafted most of them. Her vocal inflections are almost perfect and her tempo shifts throughout are excellent.
Although it is a completely different kind of story, I can't help being reminded of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan.
The world has a similar Victorian feel, and likewise this isn't the "Action-packed hero story" so often seen in fantasy. This is a more subdued thing, more mystery than action. There are no large scale battles, no impressive pyrotechnics, and no "Chosen One" swooping in to save the day.
And I love that about this book.
I connected with the main character almost immediately. She's this tough, spunky, damaged girl who's just trying to move on from her abuse and find a normal life.
Within just few minutes we're introduced to multiple mysteries that I couldn't help getting invested in.
There are several scenes that are almost entirely characterization for its own sake, but the author pulls it off brilliantly. For the length (or lack thereof) of this book, the character building is phenomenal.
The mystery, while being nicely put together and compelling, honestly feels like the secondary plot. Although it clearly isn't, as that's the plot that ends the story, the story as written feels like the romance is the front-and-center plot and the mystery is the subplot.
I'm still undecided on if the ending is meant to be a twist or not. I saw it coming from miles off, but the reality is I'm rarely caught flat footed by a plot twist.
Now, let's talk about the sex scenes for a minute.
I'm not exactly opposed to sex scenes in books, and these did (at least in some cases) serve to advance both character development and the plot. But it did feel just a bit... excessive.
And silly.
Not that they are badly written. Not at all. I have little doubt that most women get all hot and bothered reading them. For me it's largely about the sheer amount of metaphor and simile used in their writing.
I have no idea if other readers enjoy this sort of thing or if it sounds as ridiculous to them as it does to me. But to me it does sound ridiculous.
I'm a much bigger fan of the Anne Rice style of sex scene: graphic and visceral, yes, but using anatomically correct language free of euphemism and describing feelings and sensations in ways that evoke emotional and physical sensations rather than... some metaphor that is meant to mean something similar but has no direct physical or emotional analog.
My only other complaint is about POV. There is a major character whose POV we only see all of perhaps three or four times in the novel and I can't help being annoyed by it.
He should have either been a full-time POV throughout the book or his POV should have been omitted. I don't feel that much of anything would have been lost by omitting his POV entirely.
The ending comes together brilliantly. There's tension, there's suspense, there's more than one dramatic reveal. And everything ends up tying together quite nicely.
I can't help wondering if this isn't meant to be a steampunk retelling of the Jack the Ripper story. Yes, the victims are wealthy instead of working girls. But in most other respects the details of the cases are at least somewhat similar, though of course with a fun steampunk explanation and M. O.
Gemma Dawson did a damned impressive job narrating the audiobook. Although a couple of her voices sound a little too similar, it's obvious she carefully crafted most of them. Her vocal inflections are almost perfect and her tempo shifts throughout are excellent.
Although it is a completely different kind of story, I can't help being reminded of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan.
The world has a similar Victorian feel, and likewise this isn't the "Action-packed hero story" so often seen in fantasy. This is a more subdued thing, more mystery than action. There are no large scale battles, no impressive pyrotechnics, and no "Chosen One" swooping in to save the day.
And I love that about this book.
I connected with the main character almost immediately. She's this tough, spunky, damaged girl who's just trying to move on from her abuse and find a normal life.
Within just few minutes we're introduced to multiple mysteries that I couldn't help getting invested in.
There are several scenes that are almost entirely characterization for its own sake, but the author pulls it off brilliantly. For the length (or lack thereof) of this book, the character building is phenomenal.
The mystery, while being nicely put together and compelling, honestly feels like the secondary plot. Although it clearly isn't, as that's the plot that ends the story, the story as written feels like the romance is the front-and-center plot and the mystery is the subplot.
I'm still undecided on if the ending is meant to be a twist or not. I saw it coming from miles off, but the reality is I'm rarely caught flat footed by a plot twist.
Now, let's talk about the sex scenes for a minute.
I'm not exactly opposed to sex scenes in books, and these did (at least in some cases) serve to advance both character development and the plot. But it did feel just a bit... excessive.
And silly.
Not that they are badly written. Not at all. I have little doubt that most women get all hot and bothered reading them. For me it's largely about the sheer amount of metaphor and simile used in their writing.
I have no idea if other readers enjoy this sort of thing or if it sounds as ridiculous to them as it does to me. But to me it does sound ridiculous.
I'm a much bigger fan of the Anne Rice style of sex scene: graphic and visceral, yes, but using anatomically correct language free of euphemism and describing feelings and sensations in ways that evoke emotional and physical sensations rather than... some metaphor that is meant to mean something similar but has no direct physical or emotional analog.
My only other complaint is about POV. There is a major character whose POV we only see all of perhaps three or four times in the novel and I can't help being annoyed by it.
He should have either been a full-time POV throughout the book or his POV should have been omitted. I don't feel that much of anything would have been lost by omitting his POV entirely.
The ending comes together brilliantly. There's tension, there's suspense, there's more than one dramatic reveal. And everything ends up tying together quite nicely.
I can't help wondering if this isn't meant to be a steampunk retelling of the Jack the Ripper story. Yes, the victims are wealthy instead of working girls. But in most other respects the details of the cases are at least somewhat similar, though of course with a fun steampunk explanation and M. O.
May 29, 2013
First I want to send a big thank you to Curiosity Quills who, after I mentioned not being able to read the galley I received due to computer issues and having it expire on me, sent me an e-copy. I was completely surprised by this and their kindness has definitely left it’s mark. Now on to the review.
Nefertiti’s Heart is a delicious mix of historical romance, mystery and steampunk with an ever so slight sprinkle of fantasy. I originally snatched this one due to the name and the added steampunk element, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was also getting a delicious Viscount and an interesting murder mystery to go along with it. I know…that’s plainly visible in the summary, but between me and you I didn’t read it. I judged this one solely on the cover *blushes*. At any rate this one certainly did not disappoint on any level.
Cara Devon is a spirited and tough girl with an equally tough past. She always has a gun on her (in some cases two) and isn’t afraid to stand up to anyone, man or women. She’s not accepted by the Ton and in truth she could care less. She’s my kind of woman; independent, strong willed, smart…what’s not to like? We also get the yummy Viscount Nathaniel Lyons, a stoic Alpha, who has his eyes (and occasionally hands) on Cara. He has a rather shady reputation and it’s not one that he strives to hide. The dynamic, not to mention tension, between these two is fantastic. One of my favorite characters in this was actually Cara’s grandmother, who I found to be hilarious and supportive of the wilder side of life. I’m also widely curious about Hawk aka Loki, who is a close friend to Nate. He is a wonderful side character but I’d love to learn more about his past as well.
The actual plot is really entertaining as well, laced with suspense and wonderful details. I loved the fact that at the beginning of some chapters there are sections based around the killer, it adds to the suspense and really drove me to keep reading because I simply had to know who the nut-job was. The artifacts that Cara inherits are very rare and very unique, and I’m more than little curious about the rest of the collection mentioned. I am such a fan of Exley’s writing! It felt rich and each little detail was woven in such a way that everything seemed visible and real.
Nefertiti’s Heart with it’s rich writing and vibrant character, has become a fast favorite.
I relieved this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nefertiti’s Heart is a delicious mix of historical romance, mystery and steampunk with an ever so slight sprinkle of fantasy. I originally snatched this one due to the name and the added steampunk element, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was also getting a delicious Viscount and an interesting murder mystery to go along with it. I know…that’s plainly visible in the summary, but between me and you I didn’t read it. I judged this one solely on the cover *blushes*. At any rate this one certainly did not disappoint on any level.
Cara Devon is a spirited and tough girl with an equally tough past. She always has a gun on her (in some cases two) and isn’t afraid to stand up to anyone, man or women. She’s not accepted by the Ton and in truth she could care less. She’s my kind of woman; independent, strong willed, smart…what’s not to like? We also get the yummy Viscount Nathaniel Lyons, a stoic Alpha, who has his eyes (and occasionally hands) on Cara. He has a rather shady reputation and it’s not one that he strives to hide. The dynamic, not to mention tension, between these two is fantastic. One of my favorite characters in this was actually Cara’s grandmother, who I found to be hilarious and supportive of the wilder side of life. I’m also widely curious about Hawk aka Loki, who is a close friend to Nate. He is a wonderful side character but I’d love to learn more about his past as well.
The actual plot is really entertaining as well, laced with suspense and wonderful details. I loved the fact that at the beginning of some chapters there are sections based around the killer, it adds to the suspense and really drove me to keep reading because I simply had to know who the nut-job was. The artifacts that Cara inherits are very rare and very unique, and I’m more than little curious about the rest of the collection mentioned. I am such a fan of Exley’s writing! It felt rich and each little detail was woven in such a way that everything seemed visible and real.
Nefertiti’s Heart with it’s rich writing and vibrant character, has become a fast favorite.
I relieved this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2014
ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DJ'S BOOK CORNER
Steampunk is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres. I’d had my eye on this book on Amazon for months (look at that beautiful cover!), so when the author appeared on the Masquerade Crew site, I was like WHAAAA??? Let me get Nefertiti’s Heart! She gave it to me, and I tried to hold off, but like I said, I’ve been eyeballing this book for forever.
The beginning is intriguing and I immediately liked the main character, Cara. From the jump, we learn that she’s tough, snarky, and will put a bullet in you if she has to. Plain and simple. Oh, and Cara was a BOXER. How can you not like a heroine like that?
I’m not going to waste words rehashing the plot. Read the synopsis. That’s what it’s about. I will say there is a fantastic murder mystery at the center of it, however, the killer was kind of obvious to me. Didn’t stop the crimes from being shocking. Killer was cray-cray! But there’s your mystery/suspense, you sleuth-heads, and it was rather intriguing.
Enter Viscount Nathaniel Lyons and we’ve got our romance, lovebirds. It moved kind of fast, but I didn’t care. Hot, sexy crime lords have a way of convincing you to turn a blind eye to things that might otherwise drive you mad. I really enjoyed the way he and Cara were together. They were actually the “PERFECT” couple. Read the book and find out why.
My main complaint is there wasn’t enough steampunk elements to me. We had the robotic horses and carriages, and then there was the fashion and the artifacts (such as Nefertiti’s Heart). Oh! And the servers in the restaurants were cyborgs, I believe, among other places. Lyons owned an airship...okay, maybe I’m just being picky. But I DID expect more action and adventure. With Lyons basically existing as an air-PIRATE, I was sure there would be some amazing swash-buckling adventures. But alas, there were not. The entire story took place in London and was more focused on the murders and Cara’s romance with Lyons. Not really a bad thing, but I just had different expectations.
Overall, a fast read that I enjoyed. Cara was a great heroine to follow and I would not mind one bit if the author continues Cara’s story, though she may take the series other places. It would be a welcome treat either way.
Steampunk is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres. I’d had my eye on this book on Amazon for months (look at that beautiful cover!), so when the author appeared on the Masquerade Crew site, I was like WHAAAA??? Let me get Nefertiti’s Heart! She gave it to me, and I tried to hold off, but like I said, I’ve been eyeballing this book for forever.
The beginning is intriguing and I immediately liked the main character, Cara. From the jump, we learn that she’s tough, snarky, and will put a bullet in you if she has to. Plain and simple. Oh, and Cara was a BOXER. How can you not like a heroine like that?
I’m not going to waste words rehashing the plot. Read the synopsis. That’s what it’s about. I will say there is a fantastic murder mystery at the center of it, however, the killer was kind of obvious to me. Didn’t stop the crimes from being shocking. Killer was cray-cray! But there’s your mystery/suspense, you sleuth-heads, and it was rather intriguing.
Enter Viscount Nathaniel Lyons and we’ve got our romance, lovebirds. It moved kind of fast, but I didn’t care. Hot, sexy crime lords have a way of convincing you to turn a blind eye to things that might otherwise drive you mad. I really enjoyed the way he and Cara were together. They were actually the “PERFECT” couple. Read the book and find out why.
My main complaint is there wasn’t enough steampunk elements to me. We had the robotic horses and carriages, and then there was the fashion and the artifacts (such as Nefertiti’s Heart). Oh! And the servers in the restaurants were cyborgs, I believe, among other places. Lyons owned an airship...okay, maybe I’m just being picky. But I DID expect more action and adventure. With Lyons basically existing as an air-PIRATE, I was sure there would be some amazing swash-buckling adventures. But alas, there were not. The entire story took place in London and was more focused on the murders and Cara’s romance with Lyons. Not really a bad thing, but I just had different expectations.
Overall, a fast read that I enjoyed. Cara was a great heroine to follow and I would not mind one bit if the author continues Cara’s story, though she may take the series other places. It would be a welcome treat either way.
June 22, 2016
This review was originally posted on In Wonderland My Thoughts
All of the Egyptian-ness within it! It was great to hear about some of these artifacts and the Egyptian elements were wonderful!
I really loved the mystery that went with this. It wasn't just a steampunk book. But it was a steampunk book that had murders in it and it was really fun to read about the mystery behind the murders.
I really loved Cara as a character. She was independent. Though, the reason why she was so independent is sad and at times hard to read, but it was written well.
I loved the romance between Cara and Nate. I really liked them as a duo!
I really enjoyed this book! I was a little hesitant to pick it up for reasons I will never understand but I am so glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed this and am really itching to get to the rest of this series!
Things that I really enjoyed:
All of the Egyptian-ness within it! It was great to hear about some of these artifacts and the Egyptian elements were wonderful!
I really loved the mystery that went with this. It wasn't just a steampunk book. But it was a steampunk book that had murders in it and it was really fun to read about the mystery behind the murders.
I really loved Cara as a character. She was independent. Though, the reason why she was so independent is sad and at times hard to read, but it was written well.
I loved the romance between Cara and Nate. I really liked them as a duo!
If you're in the mood for a great steampunk with murders, romance, and Egyptian elements, then pick this one up! I really enjoyed it! :)
April 12, 2021
So I dove into Nefertiti's Heart for a certain challenge. It also didn't hurt that it was free on KU and audible. I will even admit that I had no idea what this book was even about since I didn't read the synopsis before diving into it. Heck, I didn't even have this book on my radar until a day or two ago.
That being said, it was an interesting read. In it, you will meet Cara who is definitely something. She was likable but I feel like she didn't do a whole lot in this one. Or at least with the actual mystery but that could just be me. Then there's the romance, which was okay but I honestly wasn't paying that much attention to it. Definitely felt like a back burner in my mind.
Other than that, the pacing felt a bit off and I'm hoping it will be smoother in the next. Which, if that is also free on KU or audible, well, I might dive into it. The word is pretty interesting so far and I would like to learn more about it when I can.
That being said, it was an interesting read. In it, you will meet Cara who is definitely something. She was likable but I feel like she didn't do a whole lot in this one. Or at least with the actual mystery but that could just be me. Then there's the romance, which was okay but I honestly wasn't paying that much attention to it. Definitely felt like a back burner in my mind.
Other than that, the pacing felt a bit off and I'm hoping it will be smoother in the next. Which, if that is also free on KU or audible, well, I might dive into it. The word is pretty interesting so far and I would like to learn more about it when I can.
July 17, 2015
I enjoyed this but thought it was a bit thin. That being said, I know it's a series so quite a bit of time ended up being spent on character & world building. I enjoyed Cara as a heroine but didn't think she was entirely believable (and I think her past would be difficult for some readers). Nonetheless, it was witty and I suspect I'll plunge back into the series at some point. 3.5 stars.
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