Audiobook Review – The Lady in the Coppergate Tower (Steampunk Proper Romances, Book 3) by Nancy Campbell Allen, Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Length: 9 hours 32 minutes
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: August 06, 2019
ASIN: B07RSTQ2W5
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Steampunk Proper Romances series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Hazel Hughes has spent her life believing she is a Medium – someone who can talk to ghosts. But as of yet, that skill has remained frustratingly elusive. She is also suffering from a reoccurring childhood dream of someone who looks almost exactly like Hazel, but this dream version of herself is slowly going mad.

Sam MacInnes is a talented surgeon who runs in the highest social circles thanks to his family’s position and history. When Sam hires Hazel to assist him with his medical practice, he is immediately drawn to her intelligence, wit, and beauty. Their potential relationship is derailed one evening when a mysterious count arrives in
London and reveals to Hazel the truth about her past: she was abducted at birth and her twin sister has fallen dangerously ill.

Hazel agrees to travel to Romania with Count Petrescu in order to save her sister, and Sam insists on accompanying her. The count has secrets, though, and the journey grows more sinister with every mile that draws Hazel closer to her homeland. Even as her feelings for Sam become deeper and more complicated, she fears she might not survive the quest to save her sister with her heart intact, not to mention her life. She must learn to draw on gifts she doesn’t know she has if they are going to ever return home again.

Hazel and Sam must fight their way past dark magic, clockwork beasts, and their own insecurities as they try to reach her sister in the impenetrable Coppergate Tower before time runs out.”

Series Info/Source: This the third book in the Steampunk Proper Romances. I borrowed this as an audiobook through Audible Escapes

Audiobook Quality (4/5): The audiobook was well done and easy to listen to. This is definitely a series that is well done on audiobook and fun to listen to.

Story (4/5): This is Sam and Hazel’s story (both of these characters have been side characters in previous books). This was just as well done as the previous books and I enjoyed it. There’s a good mystery here, some adventure, as well as steampunk elements and some romance. This was an intriguing blend of a Dracula retelling and a Sleeping Beauty retelling. The story focuses around Hazel finding out she has a sister trapped in a tower and journeying with her mysterious uncle to help her sister. I did think a bit too much emphasis was put on the mystery sounding the attack on Hazel’s maid (who was in the story very briefly).

Characters (5/5): As with previous books in the series, the characters are the strong point of the story. Sam is a doctor and still recovering from trauma from the war. Hazel has strange supernatural abilities and has been working with Sam in his clinic. Both characters are easy to engage with and likable and have a lot of depth. The surrounding characters are decently done as well.

Setting (4/5): I again enjoyed the historical Victorian steampunk setting. I love that we get to journey to yet another country in this book. While the world-building definitely isn’t a strength of this series, the submarine trip to a different part of the world was fun.

Writing Style (4/5): All of the books in this series have been well written. The writing flows well, the story is easy to follow, and the dialogue between characters is witty and fun.

Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun book and a good addition to this series. I enjoyed the characters but did think the story was a bit less compelling than the previous two books. This has been a solid series and I would recommend it to those who enjoy steampunk adventure romance.