Ashley read and liked Leigh's review of Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1):

"So. Good. Not so much steampunk (futuristic Victorian stories that are technology-focused) as gaslight fantasy, which is the same basic alternate-past universe, but focused more on people and social relationships.

The heroine is an Englis...more So. Good. Not so much steampunk (futuristic Victorian stories that are technology-focused) as gaslight fantasy, which is the same basic alternate-past universe, but focused more on people and social relationships.

The heroine is an English spinster (read: unmarried at 26!) who's half-Italian and has no soul--which means she can negate the powers of vamps and werewolves, who are supernatural because they have too much soul. There's a mystery that I actually cared about, lots of manners-comedy a-la-Jane Austen, and regarding the romantic parts, I only have two words for you: Scottish. Werewolf.

Soulless has made my keeper shelf.

Tiny beefs:
1. After delivering the most glorious and painstaking historically-accurate dialogue and narration at the beginning of the book, toward the end it seems to veer into modern lingo, with Alexia thinking something like, "Oh great..." when she's upset, which feels anachronistic. But I had to search for these little inconsistencies.
2. POV-jumping mid-scene! The book begins solidly in a limited 3rd-person focus on Alexia, but then all of a sudden, halfway through a convo with Lord Maccon, we get his thoughts on the situation. I would have liked to get his thoughts if they were divided into paragraph or chapter separations, rather than all mixed in with Alexia.

I eagerly await book 2, for it promises dirigibles. Egad, what luck!(less) "

Ashley read and liked Megan's review of As You Wish:

"Jackson Pearce created a wonderful world here. It's in present tense and written so wonderfully that I didn't notice until chapter two and I probably only noticed then because the narrator changed and it caught me off guard. Once my initial confusion...more Jackson Pearce created a wonderful world here. It's in present tense and written so wonderfully that I didn't notice until chapter two and I probably only noticed then because the narrator changed and it caught me off guard. Once my initial confusion was over I quickly became submerged in the story and found myself drowning in it's depths. It was the only romance story I've ever called beautiful instead of cheesy (despite the slightly cheesy ending). Everything worked wonderfully and I believed the characters all the way. I used to be one of the Invisible Girls. I know that longing to belong all too well. And how passionate she is, all the leads actually. It was phenomonal. Absolutely wonderful, from style to plot to characters. I loved it. And to top it all, it's such an easy, fluid read that I finished the book in one day (a school day at that). Go out and get this book!(less) "