Stevie‘s review of Eros Element (Aether Psychics, Book 1) by Cecilia Dominic
Steampunk Romance published by Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 25 Aug 15

While I’m a bit of a stickler for accuracy in my historical romance, I’ll generally give more leeway to alternative history stories, including steampunk – so long as there’s a consistent in-story or in-series logic to all the deviations. What irks me, on the other hand, is stories in which details jar for no discernible reason. Queen Victoria as a dragon, a vampire slayer, or secretly switched with a commoner – fine. All or any of the above with London on the Clyde rather than the Thames – you’d better have a damned good explanation for why. There are starting to be days when I’m suspicious of picking up alternative histories books by new-to-me non-British authors as well as having that response to historical stories by the same. Sometimes I find a story I love, and sometimes I have to restrain myself from throwing my e-reader at the wall.

This book invoked the latter reaction. Edward is a professor at Huntington University, as was Iris’ father before his unfortunate death – a death which Iris tries to keep secret for much of the book. So far, so good; however, the university, which is somewhere in the north of England – I’m assuming close to the Huntington which is in Yorkshire, rather than having anything to do with Huntingdon near Cambridge – seems to be run along the lines of a US institution rather than any British university I’ve ever encountered. And really, a British university in the 19th Century that’s close to an English village, rather than being associated with a city? I can accept that as the location for a Cambridge college, but not for an entire academic establishment.

That rant out of the way, Edward is faced with upheavals at work and the possible closure of his department if he can’t make progress in his research over the summer. And so he’s sent abroad with Iris (in the absence of her father) as one of his fellow travellers in order to unravel an ancient puzzle. About halfway through the book we’re told that the McGuffin they’re all searching for is called the Eros Element, but checking back there’s no explanation of what that is or why they’ve been given that name for the allusive clue they need to track down.

I’m not sure why I was so surprised by this leap of logic, as previously the characters had travelled south via London to Winchester, which was suddenly on the coast – as opposed to 10 to 20 miles away depending on how you define coast vs estuary. All these issues could have been avoided, of course, if I’d been swept up in the romance between Edward and Iris, but I wasn’t. Personally I feel Iris has more chemistry with the mysterious woman who agrees to pose as her maid than she has with any of the men – and the two women become linked by a psychic bond of some sort too. Sadly, Edward seems to have chemistry with no one.

I’m not rating this book as a total failure, since I like some of the technological details, particularly the clockwork recording butterflies used by our protagonists’ rivals, and I like the idea of a feud between the Clockwork Guild and those who are either seeking to further develop steam technology or who are investigating other sources of power. On the other hand, this really isn’t a series I’ll be revisiting.

Grade: D

Summary:

If love is the ivy, secrets are the poison.

After enduring heartbreak at the hands of a dishonest woman, Edward Bailey lives according to scientific principles of structure and predictability. Just the thought of stepping outside his strict routine raises his anxiety.

Adding to his discomfort is Iris McTavish, who appears at his school’s faculty meeting in place of her world-famous archeologist father. Worse, the two of them are to pose as Grand Tourists while they search for an element that will help harness the power of aether.

Iris jumps at the opportunity to prove her worth as a scholar—and avoid an unwanted marriage proposal—while hiding the truth of her father’s whereabouts. If her secret gets out, the house of McTavish will fall into ruin.

Quite unexpectedly, Edward and Iris discover a growing attraction as their journey takes them to Paris and Rome, where betrayal, blackmail and outright theft threaten to destroy what could be a revolutionary discovery—and break their hearts.

Warning: Allergen alert! This book was produced in a facility that handles copious amounts of wine, tea and baked goods. May contain one or more of the following: a spirited heroine, a quirky hero, clever banter, interesting facts both made-up and historical, and lots of secrets. It is, however, gluten free.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Light Fantastique