Steampunk Romance Review: Prince of Hearts by Margaret Foxe

Prince of Hearts by Margaret Foxe (The Elders and Welders Chronicles #1)

bought

Synopsis from Goodreads
London: 1896. Airships rule the skies, and automatons run the tracks at Ascot. Since the Great Exhibition of 1851, Her Majesty’s Empire has been powered by the Steam Revolution and Welding science. It is a time of glorious innovation and dangerous civil unrest.

But Miss Aline Finch, prim, plain career girl, has more important things on her mind than the state of the Empire. After her employer, the handsome but insufferable criminologist, Professor Romanov, hares off for parts unknown in a slightly-illegal dirigible, stranding her in France, she has finally had enough. In a fit of pique, she decides to marry her long-time and very proper suitor, quitting Romanov for good.

The last thing the Professor expects to come home to is his secretary’s mutiny. Finch’s timing couldn’t be any more inconvenient, for a serial murderer from Romanov’s past has set his sights on her. Romanov must keep her close if he has any chance of protecting her life - and the dangerous secrets the murderer threatens to expose. For the Professor is much, much more than he seems, and the secrets that he keeps are centuries old - and hidden deep in his heart.

When the Professor discovers Finch is to wed, however, he is forced to confront the truth of the matter: he doesn’t just want his secretary back to protect her. He wants her in his bed. Forever.

Aline fights Romanov’s seduction, but she’s no match for her own unruly desires, or the truth of her own heart. But when the Professor’s true identity is exposed, destroying the very foundations of Aline’s conception of reality, will the Professor lose her forever? Or will the murderer succeed in his evil plot to destroy them both before they can find their happy ending?

Warning: this sensual romance will put the steam in steampunk.
Amazon  US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK

8/10

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 A light, fun, very enjoyable and pretty steamy read, ladies and gents! I will definitely recommend this to any fans of steampunk romance.

I only heard about Margaret Foxe last December and I confess that her marvellous cover swayed my opinion into buying and reading the book almost immediately. The main hero being a Russian prince was just a big, fat bonus point. *grinning*

The plot is essentially an easy to follow murder mystery slash romance, the world-building is thorough, but what really got me was the main heroine, Miss Finch was just riddled with wonderful flaws.

She was a horrible gambler, a penny dreadful story writer and a formidable blue stocking. I just adored her! You see, Miss Finch has been a long term secretary for Professor Romanov and she has had enough. 

He is an impossible, stubborn, overbearing, extremely demanding and driven by his obsession with solving murder mysteries employer. He is also brooding and dark and a beautiful man with a string of mistresses following him around. She can't stand him, he doesn't notice her enough, and yet... nothing is as it seems. You know what is going to happen, right?

They will fall madly in love with each other among the danger and the impossibility of it all.

So if you need a bit of warmth and laughter in one of my favorite genres to start new year with a bang, this will be a nice reading choice. I'm going to read book #2 at some point, and hope you'll give Prince of Hearts a go. 

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Очень милая, задорная и романтичная книженция в одном из моих самых любимых жанров. Одна из моих подруг порекомендовала мне Маргарет Фокс, и я честно говоря сразу же запала на шикарную обложку. Плюс главный герой является сыном Грозного, так что пройти мимо я просто не смогла.

Как обычно, ожидайте глупых ляпов с русскими именами, но в общем-то всё написано довольно неплохо. Профессор Романов - этакий стимпанковский вариант Шерлока Холмса с очень смешной и полной недостатков секретаршей - мисс Финч, из-за которой я в общем-то и влюбилась в эту книжку.

Мисс Финч - стандартный синий чулок и в то же время неисправимый азартный игрок по уши в долгах. Она также пишет популярную серию приключений в еженедельной газете под псевдонимом. Она упряма и ей жутко надоело, что её красивый и требовательный работодатель совсем её не замечает. В то же время, Романов и не подозревает, что его любимая, незаменимая секретарша собирается уволиться, и когда она уходит посреди серии кровавых убийств, которые расследует профессор, он не может не думать больше ни о чём, кроме того, как бы её вернуть.

Детективная история неплохая, построение мира добротное, главные герои - очаровашки. По мне, так отличное начало серии и на зиму сердце греет. Очень советую.