Steampunk, Pirates - novel
TBR reviewer: Christine

Review

It’s the sequel to Lady Mechatronic and The Steampunked Pirates. I’m so excited to read this. I’ve been waiting since I read the first novel. The beginning is pretty much a recap of the first novel. I hate that. It was an information dump that should have been avoided. That comes down to editing. It made me cringe every couple of sentences: Run-on’s, head hops, ect. Yes, the editing is bad but the story more than makes up for that lack. 

As always it’s the crew and how the author managed to pack so much punch into each character. From the one legged, one armed, eyeless, nose less and earless Lucky Pete to the delicate Susanna. Captain Hartwell is all honor and dignity while Lady Mechatronic is a bundle of everything. The action is swashbuckling entertainment with a few lightning bolts and fine
metallic whips from arms. It’s unique and well written. 

You all know how I feel about ‘to be continued’endings. They suck. They cheat the reader and I’m highly against them. (Except in this series, because I like it that damn much.) So, you were warned about the ending in advance but try this book. Despite the problems, Journey to Pirate’s Cover is truly a treat. 

The Lady Mechatronic series is Pirates of the Caribbean meets the sci fi channel. I really like this series and would love to see it as a movie.

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BDSM, Erotica, Steampunk - novella
TBR reviewer: Luta Wolf

Blurb

An airship pirate who ran away from his soul crushing London life, finds himself at an infamously decadent carnival out in the English countryside. A fellow pirate does his best to convince him to go and sample the lovely women of The Row, but Buck isn’t sure he ever wants a woman again.

That is until a mysterious woman in a red dress and mask sits down across from him,
entrancing him instantly. He follows her back to her red silk tent, where she puts him through his paces, whetting his appetite for more erotic delights. Each time he returns, she brings him further beyond his boundaries, while learning that he can help her break her bonds.

Review

Buck couldn’t leave London quickly enough but now that he’s out in the world, he finds that perhaps losing control isn’t what he was really looking for. Jane is a woman of the night, one that holds the reigns tightly in hand. In each other’s arms they find sublime submission and control.
 
The plot takes place in a futuristic Victorian world with a heavy dose of BDSM. With a plot like that, I knew that I’d either love the story or hate it. I’m picky about my Dom/sub and have come away more than once with a bad taste in my mouth from an author not truly understanding the lifestyle. That was not the case here as the author proved quit knowledgeable about the subject.

I admit to being hesitant about the alternate universe as well. I needn’t have worried though as the author provided amazing details to the point that I felt she was literally painting this world for me. What I loved most about the story though is the fact that the woman is the Dom. Who doesn’t love a woman that knows what she wants and has full intention of getting what she wants. Don’t get me wrong though, Buck isn’t any less of a man, just that he also happens to be a man that knows when to let go of control.

My only complaint with the story is that, I personally felt that it could have been drawn out a little bit longer. I loved everything else and look forward to more from this author.

Excerpt

The Red Lady’s expression returned to blank beneath the mask.   

“What’s your name?” Alaric asked.

“I haven’t decided what you’ll call me yet.”

His heart beat picked up again, and a tremor started in his legs.

“Why did you follow me here, Alaric?”

He shrugged, not sure of the answer. “Well…this is The Row isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“And you’re a woman on the Row right?”

She didn’t reply. Alaric felt his face heating, a faint prickle starting in his cock despite it.  This was worse than in China, when that beautiful girl pretended to react to his clumsy fumbling and then tried not to laugh when he paid her for an hour and only lasted a handful of minutes.

“Look, my ship’s just back from a long tour. I can pay you.”
 
“We’ll see,” the Lady said, a small smile quirking her lips up. “You’ve accompanied a prostitute before?”
 
“Of course.” He pointed at himself with a touch of bravado. “Pirate.”

The Red Lady let a silence land there, stretching out before him.

“Just once.”
 
“It didn’t go well.”

Now she was reading his mind. He should go, simply turn around, leave, and never see
a prostitute again. Maybe she really was a demon. Maybe the mask was hiding the demon parts of her face.  
 
His mind was trying to move his limbs, turn his feet, push him out the door, but his body was entranced. The tremor in his legs climbed up to his groin, making him very aware of the way the dim candle light moved across her rounded body. “No.”
 
“Why didn’t it go well, Alaric?”

His mouth was starting to go dry. His hands were beginning to shake.

“She laughed at me,” he told her, dropping his eyes to the floor.

“Why?”
 
“Because I…I couldn’t,I didn’t…,” He stopped, gulped, wondered again what magic he had run across.

“Look at me when you speak, Alaric.”

He lifted his gaze up from the pattern of pomegranates running along the border of the red rug and met her shadowed eyes. "I couldn’t.... I barely got inside her before….”

The Red Lady didn’t reply. Alaric suffered a terrible moment of fear she would throw him right back out of her tent and let him find a lower class prostitute who would welcome a quick trick like him between the carnival crowd.

“Fortunately, that won’t be a problem here,” the Red Lady told him, a smile spreading over her red lips. “Undo your trousers, Alaric."

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Steampunk - Novella
TBR reviewer: B.H.

Blurb

England has abolished slavery, but not all are willing to let the lucrative trade go without a fight. The Royal Navy is charged with keeping the Caribbean clean of slavers, pirates and privateers… but even in the Navy, there are those who put profit before principle.

Captain James Hartwell rebels against the abhorrent plans of his commanding officer to run a private slave trade. In doing so, he seemingly signs not only his own death warrant but
that of his sister and loyal crew. All seems lost, until a blazing fireball hits the ocean.

Escaping on an obsolete galleon, Hartwell must evade the chasing English forces, protect his sister and his crew and deal with his near-overpowering attraction to a flesh and metal woman found floating in the ocean where the fireball fell.

Can they survive on the ancient, rotting galleon? What is happening to the crew as they develop frightening, almost demonic, powers? What part does the enigmatic Lady Mechatronic play in their transformation?

Pirates, flying saucers, a cyborg alien, steampunk and passion collide in the Caribbean. At least Hartwell has some absinthe to keep him sane. But this is just the beginning.

Review

I loved the title, that’s what initially caught my attention. The blurb sounded promising so I chose this novella to review.

The comma overload and run-on sentences nearly ended this book before it began. There’s also a lot of pov changes in the middle of scenes (head hopping). All this could be fixed and should have. It was a nuisance catching these things while trying to immerse myself into this tale. 

I kept reading though, the plot is intriguing. As soon as we meet Captain Hartwell the action begins. Despite the much needed editing, Ms. Wyatt does a great job of reeling the reader in. I felt the betrayal and the courage shown by Hartwell as well as his crew. I absolutely loved the description from the Captain when we first meet Lady Mechatronic. Very well done, Ms. Wyatt really painted an amazing visual. 

The story progresses as Captain Hartwell and those loyal of his crew are pursued by the ‘bad’ guy. The pace is perfect. What really takes away from the story is once again, the editing. Every time I snuggle down and start to get into the unique story unfolding, a head hop butts in. Such a shame because this book is turning out really great.  

The crew begins to experience changes, physically. When they went to rescue Lady Mechatronic they absorbed the technology from her world and are showing some very cool abilites. This adds another great element to the story. I can’t help but love this plot. It’s so unique and the characters well developed. 

Now it has a rather quick ending but it was satisfying knowing there will be more in this series. I, for one, can’t wait to read them. Because of the poor editing this is rated 4 stars, otherwise, it would have been 5.

Read excerpt and purchase here (only 3.99!)