Review – Defy or Defend (Delightfully Deadly, Book 2) by Gail Carriger (4/5 Stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 238 pages
Publisher: GAIL CARRIGER LLC
Release Date: May 3, 2020
ASIN: B0856ZF5YH
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Delightfully Deadly series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars
“A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. The bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other.
SPY
Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office’s best and most decorative fixer. She’s sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives.
VERSUS KNIGHT
Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee.
Neither one is a vampire expert, but when the Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire.
In a battle for survival (and wallpaper), Dimity must learn that not all that sparkles is good, while Cris discovers he likes honey a lot more than he thought.”
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Delightfully Deadly series. I bought this for Kindle.
Story (4/5): Dimity, code name Honey Bee, has been assigned to enter a vampire Hive that is going goth. She must fix this horrible situation or a Sundowner will be assigned to eliminate the Hive. Sir Crispin has been assigned as her safety, a position he both hates and loves. This is a fun steampunk romp with a lot of humor and some light-hearted romance. This book was not as steamy as the previous book in the series.
Characters (4/5): Dimity is a fun character, she is all sparkle and design while also being very effective at her job. It was fun to read about a War Office spy who knows she actually wants a family in the future. Sir Crispin was well done too. I also thoroughly enjoyed the overly dramatic vampires of the Nottingham Hive.
Setting (4/5): The majority of this book is set in a dilapidated castle that the Nottingham Hive lives in. It was a well done setting and I enjoyed watching it transform under Dimity’s cheerful touch.
Writing Style (4/5): I always enjoy a good Carriger book. I love the practical writing style full of humor and continue to love the Parasolverse as well. Carriger is easy to read and fun and entertaining.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun addition to the Parasolverse. I enjoyed the characters and the story, this was great fun to read and full of humor. I would recommend it to Carriger fans and fans of romantic steampunk comedies. I definitely plan on continuing the Delightfully Deadly series.
