Review – Nightmare in Steam (Alliance of Silver and Steam, Book 1) by Lexi Ostrow (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 276 pages
Publisher: Colliding Worlds Press
Release Date: April 8, 2017
ASIN : B06Y51FP4F
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Alliance of Silver and Steam series
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Eliza Kempe Dorley is always left in the background. As a female, being top inventor for the Alliance of Silver and Steam has as many draw backs as perks. She’s in charge of the creation of the many tools the Alliance uses in pursuit of the demons that run lose in the London Underground, which means without her, the demons would be harder to put down. It also means she misses all of the action and has never had the chance to really use any of her inventions.
Lucius Cooley Willan is a Nightmare Demon with a penchant for gambling and sleeping with women he shouldn’t and it’s landed him in hot water. Now he spends his nights slinking in humans dreams and unleashing terrors so strong it kills them so he can capture their soul for his boss. But when he’s ordered to attack the group that hunts his kind he’s enthralled by the feisty inventor he comes upon.
Eliza’s victim to Lucius in a way no others have been, a sensual dream that she can’t shake when she wakes up. When he bumps into her at the trains she’s an addiction he can’t shake. When he outright disobeys the demon who controls him for some out of dreams interactions with the Eliza, it will be up to him to save her from the nightmare he’s put her in.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Alliance of Silver and Steam series. I borrowed a copy of this book for my Kindle through Kindle Unlimited.
Story (4/5): This is a fun story about a female inventor who works for a demon-fighting organization and gets involved with a Nightmare Demon. There is a decently done mystery in the story. However, the focus is definitely on Lucius being mated to Eliza and all the consequences that come along with that. As such, this is a very romance heavy story but does have some decent world-building and good action. This looks like this is going to be one of those steampunk-themed serial romances where each book focuses on a different demon/human couple.
Characters (4/5): I enjoyed Eliza and Lucius both. They are both unique characters that don’t fit well in society. Although they have a fairly instant attraction to each other, they do take time to build trust with each other before they delve into a deeper relationship. Lucius is definitely a grey character of sorts and I enjoyed watching him navigate his relationship with Eliza.
Setting (4/5): The story takes place in an alternate historical Londan and in some outlying English cities. I always enjoy this sort of setting. The whole structure around the Alliance of Silver and Steam is well done. We aren’t just secluded to London but get to see how the Alliance operates throughout different parts of the world. It’s a solid setting that I enjoyed and provided an excellent backdrop for the story.
Writing Style (4/5): I did find some small typos and there were a few places where the writing could have flowed more seamlessly, despite that I did enjoy this as a whole. It’s a quick, fast-paced read that is very romance heavy, but has a good setting and a decent mystery going on as well. It’s easy to read and engaging.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and plan on continuing with the series. While I don’t read books that are this romance focused a lot, there’s definitely a place for this type of book on my reading list. If you enjoy a fun steampunk world with a good mystery, demons, some fun inventions, and a lot of romance I would recommend this. It was a fun diversion and I will probably pick up the next book in the series if I am looking for a fun steampunk romance read.
