I have tried ardently to read this book, and even went back and tried the first book in the Ingenious Mechanical Devices series to see if I was missing something. (The audiobook of The Winter Garden/The Gentleman Devil certainly did the author no favors, since it is atrociously read, with many mispronunciations.) I found the story to be a very odd and anachronistic whitewashing of Victorian/Edwardian society. There were still aspects of the story that I liked but overall, for me the story wasn't very satisfying.

The Winter Garden is book two of The Ingenious Mechanical Devices. While it's not necessary to have read the first book prior to picking up this one, it's absolutely recommended that you do because it's just as entertaining as this one. The books take place in the same world, which the author does an amazing job of continuing to build. Readers are introduced to new characters with direct ties to characters in the first book. Where the first book had more of a steampunk feel, this one delves into the world of spiritualists. Because of this aspect of the book, it's a little darker than the first one, which make the book just as enjoyable for me as the first book.

I absolutely love this author's writing style. Enjoyable pace and characters. Very creative world building that continues to scratch my itch as a reader whose favorite genres include historical fiction, steampunk, and paranormal fiction. I'm amazed at how much of a story the author can fit into her books. Her books do include a love story element, but it's not an instalove story and it doesn't overpower everything else that's going on. To me, she takes the approach of really understanding her characters and their needs and desires and making connections between the character in a more believable way. She never veers away from the realities of the world she has built and stays true to her characters. I will definitely read future installments in this series.

I reserve comment as I quickly discovered this book is not my cup of tea.