Review – A Ghost in Amber (Steampunk Elemental Tales, Book 5) by Anne Renwick (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 149 pages
Publisher:‎ Anne Renwick
Release Date: October 1, 2021
ASIN: ‎ B09F75Y9YZ
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Steampunk Elemental Tales series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars

“On All Hallows’ Eve, Lady Diana Starr is poised to uncover a lost zoological treasure when an unfortunate steam accident threatens to destroy the chance of a lifetime. Locked in a race with her arch nemesis, she must toss aside all decorum and break rules—lest he destroy her dreams. Again.

Trapped in the past and doomed to re-live the night of his murder, Lord Leo Wraxall awakens at sunset. This year, something is different. Might an unexpected time traveler who arrives at his hidden workshop help alter his cursed fate?

But destiny refuses to relax its grip; the stars cannot be realigned. As adversaries threaten to snatch away a final thread of hope, can Diana and Leo forge a new path into the future? Or will they be haunted for eternity by what might have been?”

Series Info/Source: This is the fifth book in the Steampunk Elemental Tales series. I bought this ebook for my Kindle.

Thoughts: This was a fun short read that takes place on Halloween. It’s a short story about a woman who loves to study snails and her hunt for a lost cache of them. Surprisingly, she ends up running into the ghost of Leo Wraxall, the very man whose lost collection she was looking for. The two hit it off instantly and they start to try to work out how to break the curse on Leo.

This book definitely suffers from insta love/lust, but it kind of works because Leo and Diana obviously have a ton of interests in common right from the get-go. The sex scenes are well written and the romace is very sweet even if it does feel a bit sudden.

I love how there is a great mystery and some fun science thrown into the story as well. Renwick does an amazing job blending biological sciences into her series and I love that I learn something new every time I read one of her books. I just really enjoy that these are sciency reads but also lovely, guilty pleasures. This is a perfect blend of steampunk, mystery, supernatural, science and romance.

This was easy to read and the writing flowed well. I really enjoy Renwick’s writing style and always look forward to a new book or story from her.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun Halloween steampunk romance read. I love how Renwick blends science and cryptozoology in with steampunk/romance elements. I would recommend to those who enjoy steampunk romance reads and don’t mind a bit of sciency talk in them as well. I greatly look forward to Renwick’s next book!