An interesting book but slow. Needed editing to make it shorter and more fascinating. I kept putting it down to read other books.

This was fantastic and fun - as to be expected. I admit to reading and loving Geonn's fanfiction for well over a decade so I was excited to read his original work. The same character depth, world-building, sex appeal, and fun you're used to is here as well. Had a great time reading it and will continue to read whatever he publishes.

Geonn Cannon brings a wide range of diversity to the past in this steampunk action story set in England, Africa, and Rome.

I think this is the third book I have read by Cannon and this one is so completely different from the others that I have read. It takes a minute to make the adjustment. The premise is good. I love reading about strong women who overcome obstacles and succeed despite the patriarchy.

I will warn you that there is on-page death. I really like the character that dies too. I was so looking forward to reading more of them. I like the entire cast. Each character is unique and forms a unique part of the team that eventually has to form.

For as much action as there is in the story, it seems to move slowly or I just read it slowly. I read a book right after this one that was about the same amount of pages in half the time and it was in the same genre. The story is good, but somehow all of the details bog it down. (Does this make sense?)

There are so many fascinating characters in The Virtuous Feats of the Indomitable Miss Trafalgar and the Erudite Lady Boone. I love the relationships. The diversity of rainbow, race, and abilities makes the story fun to read. There isn’t one character that stands out more than another because there is a mystery to all of them.

Cannon gives us action, flirtation, magic, and the groundwork for more. Feats is worth the time to read.

The Virtuous Feats of the Indomitable Miss Trafalgar and the Erudite Lady Boone by Geonn Cannon.
Trafalgar & Boone #1.
In 1899, a secret society tried to use a young woman to bring an ancient evil into the world. Twenty years later they will return to finish the job. After the Great War, London is settling once more into the gentle routine of peacetime. The airships that once protected England's coast now ferry people back and forth across the Thames, the magically-inclined are free to return to their normal work, and those who seek treasures left behind by ancient civilizations are again free to explore. Dorothy Boone shunned a life of luxury to follow in her grandmother's footsteps by uncovering the mysteries of "the worlds that came before ours." When a package explodes upon delivery to Lady Boone's townhouse, she is drawn into an unlikely alliance with her nemesis, Trafalgar of Abyssinia, to find the culprit. They soon find themselves unraveling a plot that has left many of their allies dead and the rest in fear for their lives. A group of treasure hunters with a fiendish plot to take over England has begun eliminating its competition in order to fund an expedition to retrieve the last item they need for a summoning that will bring an ancient evil into our world. With no one else to trust, Trafalgar and Boone must put aside their differences and forge a partnership to stop their mutual enemy. If they fail, a world that still bears the scars of the Great War will be once again thrown into turmoil.
An OK Read. Slow but readable. 3*.

Picture it. The Great War. Steampunk. Stay with me. When an explosive package arrives on Lady Dorothy Boone’s doorstep, she’ll have to team up with her arch nemesis, Trafalgar of Abyssinia, to get to the bottom of the mystery, and save others from harm or death. It’s never simple, the two uncover a massive plot by a group of treasure hunters who want to bring an ancient evil into the world. All in a day’s work.

This one took me a little while to finish. I’d pick it up, then put it down and read something else, but I kept coming back. It’s full of adventure, reminds me a little of Indiana Jones, except steampunk, lady-centric, and queer as heck (my most favorite thing). It’s listed as book #1, so it looks like there will be more tales from Lady Boone and Trafalgar, and I’d be interested in revisiting them and going on a new adventure. I’m not a fangirl of steampunk, but I do enjoy it on ocassion and can get even more behind it when there are queer characters. It’s been out for a while, so check it out if you need a bit of adventure in your reading life.

This book took me by surprise. It was so much fun! While it did take me longer to read than my usual pace, that’s the fault of holiday timing and not the book.
This was a delightful, non-stop adventure. It has SO MUCH going on that it could have been a mess, but it all works. There’s murder mystery, mythology, sci-fi, sword fights… it made me feel like a kid again. It’s a stand-alone and a setup to a series. The main story is wrapped up nicely, but there are plenty of tidbits to fuel further adventures. REALLY, REALLY FUN.
Review of free ebook from Netgalley.

Having never read anything in the “Steampunk” genre and being a bit curious, I was happy to see this offering on NetGalley as a “Read Now” selection. I am ever so glad that I did. Because this book was published in 2015 and there are numerous plot summaries available, I will just give my overall impressions.

The whole Steampunk concept was easy to buy into – there was not as much world-building as I expected, but that’s a good thing. The story whizzed along nicely, and I was able to read the 260 pages in 2 easy sessions. It was very entertaining. and I never felt like it was lagging. The characters’ banter was witty and tight – not too much jabbering on.

Now the big question: will I read more Steampunk? Since I bought the second book in this series, the chances are very high that I will. I will even venture out to find more. Do not get me wrong – I will not make a steady diet of it, but it will make a nice change of pace for me. So it is a five-star review from me.

As mentioned about I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

This is a swashbuckling period piece set in the 1920's. The titular Lady Boone is a charming socialite by way of Lara Croft (the Angelina Jolie version, not the fem fatale bot of the original games). Miss Trafalgar is a mercenary from Africa who escaped potential sexual slavery with her language abilities, and her latent magical power. The two are rivals, with Trafalgar being teased by Lady Boone more often than not. Miss Trafalgar's dear friend is murdered in London, and the pair are then thrown together to solve the mystery and stop further violence.

I liked this book for the most part - it sets up the personalities of our two leads and some of our more important secondary characters. The plot works as we know that Boone and Trafalgar don't really like each other, but its more on Trafalgar's part. Boone is a bit of a snob but is kind to people she's close to. Trafalgar is fiercely loyal and is very serious about her mission, so while Boone is also very loyal to her people, Trafalgar just can stand Boone's blasé attitude towards some of the aspects of her job. Yet they kind of work. I don't think their relationship at this point as it probably could be, as I was more interested in each woman's interactions and growth with the people in their groups. Boone has Beatrice and her beard of a husband. And Trafalgar has her companion and hired fighter. I loved that Boone was so sweet to Beatrice, who is both her maid servant and occasional lover, but you can tell the relationship is way more equal than their roles would imply. The few times Boone's husband dropped in were surprisingly adorable and funny - I could tell that Boone and her husband care for each other, but platonically as they are both gay. Trafalgar just feels so much, and you can certainly see that with the loss of her dearest companion. Her relationship with her mercenary companion also had its moments.

But for all that, this is a bit of a mystery with hints of Tomb Raider/ Indiana Jones in it. I had some fun with the reveal of the magical mythology brought to life, but I had much more fun with the banter and the quieter moments. Beatrice herself is set up to me a much more important player in later books with her secret superpowers. But for a first book in the series, it does just enough to keep me interested in what happens to our leads, but is still a little rougher around the edges. If you 're looking for a period piece with a queer case of tomb raiders, then this is for you.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed as it was fun to read and fast paced. A mix of steam punk and alternate history, strong female characters and a plot that flows.
It's the start of a series and it introduce the reader to the world even if the world building was a bit overwhelming a times.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I enjoyed as it was fun to read and fast paced. A mix of steam punk and alternate history, strong female characters and a plot that flows.
It's the start of a series and it introduce the reader to the world even if the world building was a bit overwhelming a times.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Oh wow! If you read this hang on to your hat because its fast and action packed. If I had to put a label on it I'd have to say Indiana Jones but obviously a woman. Also with a little more style.

However, saying that I found myself being steam rolled with information. It comes at you so fast I felt the need to walk away and think about it a while, and then continue. I don't normally like to think too much when I'm reading. I like to escape and enjoy. Does that make any sense. But saying that I understand why it's so fast paced. It kept me coming back.

There was a lot of whoa! and what! It would probably play better on screen.

I'd say interesting with and question mark. I would recommend it as it's just fun and action from the first to the last page.

Enjoy!

Strong characters, history mixed into a steam punk world and frenemies who become so much more as they race to thwart a plot for world domination.

I loved this story - it could easily become a series.

Dorothy grew up privileged, well to do and protected. Luckily for Dorothy, her grandmother prized intelligence, independence and a sense of adventure so much that Dorothy escaped the drudgery of an arranged marriage.

Trafalgar grew up nameless, deemed worthless and expendable. Luckily, Trafalgar had a sense of her own self worth.

Separately, Dorothy and Trafalgar are wary rivals and adversaries in a male dominated profession.

Together, they are forces to be reckoned with.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Lara Croft meets female Indiana Jones in this scrumptious tale. Add in some mystery and otherworldly events and we have a humdinger.

This is a one sitting read, you will devour the pages and wait patiently for the next installment. It is a series and the books are available on Amazon. Happy reading.

I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own; thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This review will contain spoilers.

This book was a very decent urban/gaslight fantasy adventure that had some very fun ideas which were a bit overshadowed by some absolutely cringe moments. The writing was very cinematic- one could almost envision the story as a sort of SyFy channel miniseries - certainly the action scenes and the fact that each character was clearly designed and presented seem to bear this theory out
(Quirky Girl Squad Assemble!)

The world building was quite lovely; the world seemed very lived in and full of potential for all sorts of mystical shenanigans. I like that it took place in a couple of different settings and we got to know a few of the different locations through the character development. I feel that there were some pacing issues and some jarring time/tone/perspective switches, but overall the language and rhythm of the writing style enhanced the generally fun tone of the book - this is not a story that takes itself too seriously.

Some of the character set up was a bit clunky and the book was very clearly hoping to be the first of many in a series, but as a stand-alone it does wrap of the story fairly neatly.

My absolute two biggest issues with this book are related to how Lady Boone’s sexuality was presented/acted in the story. Yes, it’s super awesome to have LGBTQIA+ representation in this genre (including a nicely handled description of open relationships), HOWEVER the sex scene between Dot and Trix right after their initial reunion just straight up read like a lesbian porno scene tailored to a male audience due to its graphic nature, the fact that there was no mutual satisfaction, and that it also didn’t seem to fit in with the other smut- baiting scenes that appeared elsewhere in the book. IMO be more consistent and graphic with the inclusion of the sexy times, or fade to black the way it’s done with literally all other sex scenes in the book. I also thought the additions of her commenting about the vibration of the submarine seat and also the stuff with how her period was introduced was just totally tasteless and didn’t really add much to the character or story. Was the period an excuse for her not to sleep with Minty? it was never made clear, and if she was on her period, it’s a cool and unusual detail to add but it was never brought up ever again so why have it? Also CW for some mentions of torture and sexual abuse via crazy telepaths.

My final thoughts are if you’re looking for something a little silly, a little sexy, and you like Gail Carriger’s work or the stories in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences by Pip Ballentine and Tee Morris you might like this book.