About the Book:
Miss Clara Marie Stanton's family may be eccentric, but they certainly aren't insane.
London, England, 1860
When Clara's ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity, it's all she can do to protect them from his desperate schemes, society's prejudice, and a lifetime in an asylum. Then Clara's Grandfather Drosselmeyer brings on an apprentice with a mechanical leg, and all pretense of normalcy takes wing.
Theodore Kingsley, a shame-chased vagabond haunted by the war, wants a fresh start far from Kingsley Court and the disappointed father who declared him dead. Upon returning to England, Theodore meets clockmaker Drosselmeyer, who hires him as an apprentice, much to Clara's dismay. When Drosselmeyer spontaneously disappears in his secret flying owl machine, he leaves behind a note for Clara, beseeching her to make her dreams of adventure a reality by joining him on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe. Together, Clara and Theodore set off to follow Drosselmeyer's trail of clues, but they will have to stay one step ahead of a villain who wants the flying machine for himself--at any cost.
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed every minute of A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell. The novel held my attention from start to end and was hard to put down. I know so little of Victorian steampunk literature (and did not see it marketed as such) that I missed the clues on the cover and in the book synopsis. The story incorporated futuristic technology not present during the 1860s, which required imagination and acceptance of tweaked historical details, but this didn’t detract from the story for me.
A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure held the
type of humor I find funny (typically I’m unimpressed with romcoms). Some of
Clara and Arthur’s verbal exchanges had me giggling, but Clara’s mother
provided the true comic relief. I laughed out loud so many times! The story
felt light and joyful even as it dealt with betrayal and heartbreak.
A prominent issue in A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure was Clara’s desire to protect her family members in her own strength and her own way. Clara’s distrust and overactive sense of responsibility seemed very in-line with the thoughts and feelings that arise when God doesn’t protect from hard situations. Clara’s character growth took time, and I appreciated that changing her mindset was not a quick flip. The relationship between her and Arthur/Theodore spurred both of them toward personal healing and it was fun to watch their enemies-to-lovers romance unfold.
A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela
Bell also held many quotable lines, travels around Europe, and a beautiful grandfather-granddaughter
relationship. This novel is a keeper for my bookshelf, and I look forward to
more books from this author. 4.5 Stars!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
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