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Mechanical Rose
Violet. Her name is as pretty as her lips. Did they taste as sweet as they looked? Would the color transfer to a lover's lips? They live in a fragile world, one that could collapse instantly, and it is her duty within the Mechanical Rose Society to keep the delicate balance. She is a spy. Strength of will, cunning and sex are her tools. Never failed, never will. She has been sent to either gain Leeford Gunn's cooperation in the cessation of his newest invention — or kill him.To Leeford she is strength wrapped in beauty. And, Divine Graces, she has brains. Now if that is not sexy, not intoxicating to the highest degree, then nothing is. From the first moment he saw "Violet" his world of machines and inventions faded. He would create a devoted study of the woman before him. It would be his greatest pleasure to strip her garments, reveal the soft skin beneath, touch her tender flesh.But in a world of secret societies, there is always more behind the mask than it appears.
ebook
First published November 1, 2009
About the author
Nathalie Gray
60 books59 followersMother, spouse, older sister, writer, ex-soldier, high school drop-out, dog owner (or dog owned), half couch potato, half intermittent jogger, wannabe renovator and avid reader who watches too much television, sinks too much money in clothes, likes animals more than humans, recycles, wore braces, never downloads copyrighted stuff, was a nerd without the grades, has a belly laugh that turns heads in theaters, can't stand bullying, is mother hawk more than mother hen, votes even if candidates aren't that great and thinks formal education is highly overrated (probably because she has none).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 12, 2016
3.5 stars - Author Gray has brought to life a detailed steam punk world of corsets, narrow-minded Victorians, and filled to the brim with wonderful inventions.
Eleanor Cleverly, spy and assassin for the secret Mechanical Rose Society with a corset to die for (it contains all manner of deadly gadgets), has justified her calling with her belief in the Society’s most fundamental tenet - that the common good always takes precedence over the preservation of a single individual. But Eleanor’s idealism is about to take a hit when her next assignment is to stop inventor Leeford Gunn from completing an invention that has the potential to bring about enormous destruction. As soon as Eleanor meets Leeford and takes his measure, she is caught between the demands duty and desire, struggling to maintain her professional distance as she is immediately captivated by the surprising man.
After reading the Iron Duke I have been seeking out more steampunk romances and happened upon a mention of Mechanical Rose during Steampunk Week MelJean Brook’s blog. After sampling the book on my kindle, I was confident enough that it would definitely fit the bill on the steampunk aspect of the story that I decided to take a chance on Mechanical Rose even though I had a strong suspicion that as an Ellora’s Cave release I might not be comfortable with the sensuality level.
As a reader who likes her romances steamy, but who doesn't enjoy the more graphic mechanical descriptions - or messy details - Mechanical Rose did end up being more erotic than I would have preferred. But even though the love scenes didn’t do it for me, pretty much everything outside of them did.
The rest of the story was action packed, I loved the world, I loved the inventions and I loved both the bold, beautiful, intelligent and unconventional Eleanor and Leeland, who was quite appealing as the social outcast and genius inventor. And I loved how they related to each other - it was easy to see how Eleanor could fall for the vulnerable yet strong Leeford, and likewise, how the Eleanor would fascinate Leeland and how her easy acceptance of him and his calling quickly won his heart.
Even though I am going to crawl quietly back into my comfort zone, those looking for more graphically hot steampunk from Gray may want to check out her Full Steam Ahead which promises air pirates and a rollicking adventure - if she were to offer an 'R-rated' version, I'd certainly be tempted to give it a try.
Eleanor Cleverly, spy and assassin for the secret Mechanical Rose Society with a corset to die for (it contains all manner of deadly gadgets), has justified her calling with her belief in the Society’s most fundamental tenet - that the common good always takes precedence over the preservation of a single individual. But Eleanor’s idealism is about to take a hit when her next assignment is to stop inventor Leeford Gunn from completing an invention that has the potential to bring about enormous destruction. As soon as Eleanor meets Leeford and takes his measure, she is caught between the demands duty and desire, struggling to maintain her professional distance as she is immediately captivated by the surprising man.
After reading the Iron Duke I have been seeking out more steampunk romances and happened upon a mention of Mechanical Rose during Steampunk Week MelJean Brook’s blog. After sampling the book on my kindle, I was confident enough that it would definitely fit the bill on the steampunk aspect of the story that I decided to take a chance on Mechanical Rose even though I had a strong suspicion that as an Ellora’s Cave release I might not be comfortable with the sensuality level.
As a reader who likes her romances steamy, but who doesn't enjoy the more graphic mechanical descriptions - or messy details - Mechanical Rose did end up being more erotic than I would have preferred. But even though the love scenes didn’t do it for me, pretty much everything outside of them did.
The rest of the story was action packed, I loved the world, I loved the inventions and I loved both the bold, beautiful, intelligent and unconventional Eleanor and Leeland, who was quite appealing as the social outcast and genius inventor. And I loved how they related to each other - it was easy to see how Eleanor could fall for the vulnerable yet strong Leeford, and likewise, how the Eleanor would fascinate Leeland and how her easy acceptance of him and his calling quickly won his heart.
Even though I am going to crawl quietly back into my comfort zone, those looking for more graphically hot steampunk from Gray may want to check out her Full Steam Ahead which promises air pirates and a rollicking adventure - if she were to offer an 'R-rated' version, I'd certainly be tempted to give it a try.
August 17, 2012
Mechanical Rose is a steampunk Victorian adult romance about Eleanor, a lady-assassin who impersonate as a guest to an inventor, Leeford Gunn, after her 'society's intelligent revealed his inventions are linked to a notorious psychopathic criminal. As Violet, she was sent to kill him or to stop his invention, she unwittingly fallen for the shy and elusive gentleman who hid a passionate nature underneath. On a race against time, she needed to finish the mission and even risk her heart to a man she had betrayed or the world will be drawn into chaos.
As a whole novel, although the chemistry are possibly unrealistic but the world-building and the characters made the book worthy of investment. Highly paced, action packed and steamy at most part, it won't dissappoint readers of the specific genre and those who wanted to read a short romance as a light reading. It is an interesting addition the the steampunk romance genre and befitting the conventional expectation of an adult fiction.
I do notice the book does poorly in character development especially with the short duration of time the book consisted of, but the quips between the main character does save the storyline from falling apart. Its fun when it last though.
As a whole novel, although the chemistry are possibly unrealistic but the world-building and the characters made the book worthy of investment. Highly paced, action packed and steamy at most part, it won't dissappoint readers of the specific genre and those who wanted to read a short romance as a light reading. It is an interesting addition the the steampunk romance genre and befitting the conventional expectation of an adult fiction.
I do notice the book does poorly in character development especially with the short duration of time the book consisted of, but the quips between the main character does save the storyline from falling apart. Its fun when it last though.
June 22, 2013
An imaginative world of inventions and intrigue - all the fun of the steampunk genre plus secret societies and espionage. I loved the originality of this novel, and I loved that the female heroine was smart, tough, and independent.
This was a fun read, fairly quick to get through. The saucy bits were plenty spicy, and the characters well-developed.
** SPOILERY PART ** The villain had a great build-up but once we met him I was slightly disappointed. His Doctor Frankenstein-inventor lair was really rushed over; I would have loved to see the story delve into his sick and twisted world more. I like knowing the bad guys as well as the goods, but that's just me.
In short, a fun read and I think it was a perfect introduction to the steampunk genre. I look forward to reading more thanks to Mechanical Rose!
This was a fun read, fairly quick to get through. The saucy bits were plenty spicy, and the characters well-developed.
** SPOILERY PART ** The villain had a great build-up but once we met him I was slightly disappointed. His Doctor Frankenstein-inventor lair was really rushed over; I would have loved to see the story delve into his sick and twisted world more. I like knowing the bad guys as well as the goods, but that's just me.
In short, a fun read and I think it was a perfect introduction to the steampunk genre. I look forward to reading more thanks to Mechanical Rose!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2013
“And as sudden as the explosion that had precipitated her downfall Eleanor Cleverly, Mr. Clarence’s star pupil and one of the mechanical rose society’s best agents, knew she had lost the edge of objectivity, the fine blade of detachment and professional separation. She had lost her indifference to a target.”
Leeford Gunn is working on an invention with the potential to start an arms race and spy Eleanor Clevelry goes undercover to persuade him to halt his research before his work falls into the hands of the evil engineer, Aloysius Spark.
The tone of the dialogue and the vivid descriptions create a Victorian ambiance in this charming, steampunk erotic romance story with lots of adventure and steamy love scenes. Fun characters and a fun read.
Leeford Gunn is working on an invention with the potential to start an arms race and spy Eleanor Clevelry goes undercover to persuade him to halt his research before his work falls into the hands of the evil engineer, Aloysius Spark.
The tone of the dialogue and the vivid descriptions create a Victorian ambiance in this charming, steampunk erotic romance story with lots of adventure and steamy love scenes. Fun characters and a fun read.
June 23, 2021
I really enjoyed this novel. If you love steampunk, world building and erotic romance, do check into it!
The full review is on my blog: http://flipromance.blogspot.com/
The full review is on my blog: http://flipromance.blogspot.com/
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews