Off the Bookshelf: HER OWN DEVICES, by Shelley Adina

Book Two of the Magnificent Devices series, Steampunk by Shelley Adina.

Lady Claire just keeps going, meeting problems and solving them. She has a job, she is settling in quite nicely with her brood of alley mice and civilizing them, and if she could just evade her mother's plans to marry her off, everything would be peachy.

If only!

Admittedly, she does get herself into a few situations, makes promises and commitments where the reader just sits back and shouts, "No. You'll regret it. Don't do it!" And it doesn't help when Claire knows she's heading for a hard time and resolves that she'll just get out of it when the time is right. (I can't tell you any more details to clear up your confusion, because that would give away the story!)

Suffice to say that I've bought several more books about Lady Claire and can't stop reading. Thank goodness there ARE more books. What a fun addiction. Especially when at the end of this book, it looks like we're heading for a dirigible ride across the ocean, with pirates and tycoons and the Wild West waiting on the other side. Can't wait!

OFF THE BOOKSHELF: Defender of the Departed, by Jeff Young

The sub-title is "A Kassandra Leydon Adventure." This is another free download I got from B&N in my search for Steampunk books and novellas to learn from.

Interesting little story. When I've cleared off my to-be-read shelf and queue, definitely going to look for more adventures of this clever, alert young woman. What's interesting is that this is definitely an "alternate history" world, where it looks like the Revolutionary War didn't take place. I'll have to read more stories about Kassandra to learn more of her world's history.

Kassandra is a young woman discovering she has some paranormal talents. She has a tutor, and sadly learns that he isn't quite what she thought. How she deals with his betrayal is ... satisfying. The hints of what she's going to do with her blooming talent are also fascinating.

I can't tell you anymore, because that would give away large chunks of this short, well-written story. Get it, read it, and if you like this type of sub-genre, you'll probably add this author and character to your "get it" list.

OFF THE BOOKSHELF: Lady of Devices, by Shelley Adina

Whew! Finally worked through an avalanche of work that quite honestly gave me almost no time for reading the last few weeks.

What a treat to have TIME to sit down and just read for pleasure, instead of all the reading involved in making a living.

Even more of a treat to discover a new author and a series I want to keep up with -- in fact, when I finished this book, I got into B&N and bought a couple more books in the series.

LADY OF DEVICES by Shelley Adina is the first book in her Steampunk series about Lady Claire, a modern-minded young lady of the nobility who would rather go to the university and study engineering than attend to her Season and snag a husband ASAP -- the goal of her parents, of course. As she gears up to battle for her freedom and future, her world falls apart around her. The Steampunk world experiences its own version of the stock market crash, and her family loses everything. In short order, Lady Claire is on the run from an angry mob out to punish her family for their losses. She flees for her life, and ends up scrambling for an existence, allied with a handful of "alley mice" -- orphaned or cast-off children from London's streets. Between her technical know-how and their street smarts, they become a gang to be reckoned with, and the tales of the Lady of Devices begin.

FUN series. I bought the book because it was recommended as a grand example of Steampunk writing. I'm buying the rest of the books just because they're good and I like reading them. A great character will take you far. Can't wait to read and report on more adventures of Lady Claire.