Review – Of Silk and Steam (London Steampunk, Book 5) by Bec McMaster (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk/Romance
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: March 3, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-140229194
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the London Steampunk series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
This is the fifth book in the London Steampunk series and ties up the main story arc of this series. In an interview McMaster stated that this book ties up this story arc but she would like to do more books either as a spin off or in addition to this series featuring side characters from this series. This was a very good read, it’s very engaging and has more story and less romance than previous books in the series. That being said there is still quite a bit of romance in here.
Lady Aramina (Mina) swore two things; to revenge the death of her father and to overthrown the Prince. Well the man who murdered her father is beyond her reach, but his son Leo Barrons is not. Mina sets out to ruin Leo, while working with the Queen to destroy the Prince who has been making trouble and slowly destroying the realm. Leo has been drawn to Mina and longs to see the true woman beneath the icy exterior, but can he trust her?
The London Steampunk books have all been romance heavy, but they also have lots of action, intrigue, a well done world, and a great plot. This book follows that trend. There is a lot of excellent action in here and lots of intrigue as well. Mina is a woman of politics, but as the only female Blue Blood she can also hold her own in a fight.
This series has done a wonderful job featuring strong women and the men who respect and admire them. This book is no exception to that. Mina is tough in her own way and very intelligent. Her and Leo have great chemistry together and their relationship is one that’s been years in the making. McMaster does an excellent job with the steamy scenes between the two, they are creative and very explosive.
A lot of characters from the previous books are present in this book as well. This is the book where everyone’s pasts and stories come together and we finally see how this huge goal everyone has been working towards (overthrowing the Prince and fixing the injustices in the Empire) is accomplished. It was a very well done read and I enjoyed it.
Overall this was a fantastic close to this romance heavy steampunk series. I enjoyed Mina and Leo as characters and also enjoyed seeing all of my old favorites again. This is the book where everything comes together and it was an excellent read. I would recommend this whole series to steampunk fans who don’t mind a heavy dose of paranormal and romance elements in their books. If you enjoy this series I would also recommend the Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan; it also has some steampunk elements and is heavy on the romance factor.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
