"Blameless" by Gail Carriger

Blameless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: steampunk, supernatural, romance

On my TBR list?: No

Book 3 of The Parasol Protectorate series

This is a tough review for me to write because this installment of the Parasol Proctectorate series is the conclusion of a major cliffhanger at the end of Book 2. I don't want to describe too much of the plot lest a new reader stumble upon this post before reading the other books. Ultimately, I am not a skilled enough writer to review this book without including spoilers. So this will end up being another of my "Uh, it was a good book" non-reviews.

For those of you who read Changeless and almost threw it across the room at the end, I think Blameless will calm you down. It resolves the cliffhanger satisfactorily, as well as rounding out the team that assists Alexia. Carriger's prose is as witty as ever, but she has included a bit more action this time as well as other elements and mysteries to be explored in future novels (I found the change in Ivy particularly intriguing). Whereas Soulless felt more like a standalone novel, Blameless is the book that truly sets up the series and the idea of a "parasol protectorate".

My recommendation is to have this book in hand before you start reading Changeless. You're gonna need it!

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"Changeless" by Gail Carriger

Changeless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: romance, steampunk, supernatural

On my TBR list?: Yes, as of Mar 2011

Book 2 in an ongoing series

Summary, from Goodreads:

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

This second book in the Parasol Protectorate series is just as delectable as the first. The snappy rejoinders mixed in with the supernatural and romantic elements make this an exciting novel to read. Alexia's sister Felicity is even more wicked with the barbs and her best friend Ivy is still amusingly clueless. For you romantics, Conall is also taking every opportunity to feel up his wife!

I appreciated reading a story where the "will they or won't they?" part of the romance has already been taken care of. Having a couple get on with the business of life while obviously still loving each other is refreshing.

Carriger is a skilled writer who manages to remind the reader of events from the first novel without making it feel like she is writing a recap. Her characters are ones that you want to spend more time with. That is why it was a bit frustrating that, unlike the first book, this one ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. If you are the impatient type, you may want to have the third book on hand before you start reading this one.

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