Here’s something just a bit different---a romance set in a steampunk world--- The Inventor's Companion by Ariel Tachna:
Gabriel Blackstone’s world is divided quite clearly into castes: everyone knows their place and abides by it. As an inventor in the merchant caste, his life is predictable in its routine until the night his best friends and assistants, Caleb and Andrew, purchase the time—and body—of a companion for his birthday. As an activist in the Caste Equality movement, everything Gabriel believes in tells him to refuse the gift, but then he meets Lucio. The beautiful and alluring companion is far more than the vapid courtesan he'd expected, and he can’t get the man out of his mind.
After that night, Gabriel tells himself to forget about Lucio, but a chance meeting at a ball makes it clear neither of them is willing to ignore the compelling chemistry between them. It will take all their combined trust and cunning, plus the help of a wily aristocrat and a plucky political activist, to overcome the challenges of infidelity, abuse, and social stigma that lay along their road; however, Gabriel knows it will all be worth it if at the end of the day he can call Lucio his own.
As I noted, the steampunk backdrop to this story is unusual; or at least it is for me, because I’ve read very little in this genre.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of world-building going on here. I frankly would have preferred the romance to be put on the back burner---or at least have the flame lowered to “simmer”!---on occasion while the author further explored this society. As written, however, the steamy romance that is the focus of the story was---well, just too steamy for my own taste. There were too many sex scenes that I didn’t feel particularly interested in. (I do realise that what I regard as a drawback will be a selling point for others, so as always, it’s simply a matter of taste.)
Also, I did have a bit of a problem with the caste system that is the focus of much of the plot. The author came up with an interesting idea, but when you really think about it, the system simply would not work in a real-life setting. It’s completely untenable, and the entire time I was reading I couldn’t help but think that the whole thing would have collapsed within a single generation. So, a large portion of the world-building that the book did contain, I didn’t find particularly convincing.
I’m sounding very negative here, and I don’t mean to do so. I guess the high hopes I had when reading the opening chapters weren’t realized by the time the story concluded, and in the end I felt a little disappointed. I'll place it on the lower end of my "pleasant diversion" sliding scale, but if the plot sounds interesting to you, by all means give it a go.
Gabriel Blackstone’s world is divided quite clearly into castes: everyone knows their place and abides by it. As an inventor in the merchant caste, his life is predictable in its routine until the night his best friends and assistants, Caleb and Andrew, purchase the time—and body—of a companion for his birthday. As an activist in the Caste Equality movement, everything Gabriel believes in tells him to refuse the gift, but then he meets Lucio. The beautiful and alluring companion is far more than the vapid courtesan he'd expected, and he can’t get the man out of his mind.
After that night, Gabriel tells himself to forget about Lucio, but a chance meeting at a ball makes it clear neither of them is willing to ignore the compelling chemistry between them. It will take all their combined trust and cunning, plus the help of a wily aristocrat and a plucky political activist, to overcome the challenges of infidelity, abuse, and social stigma that lay along their road; however, Gabriel knows it will all be worth it if at the end of the day he can call Lucio his own.
As I noted, the steampunk backdrop to this story is unusual; or at least it is for me, because I’ve read very little in this genre.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of world-building going on here. I frankly would have preferred the romance to be put on the back burner---or at least have the flame lowered to “simmer”!---on occasion while the author further explored this society. As written, however, the steamy romance that is the focus of the story was---well, just too steamy for my own taste. There were too many sex scenes that I didn’t feel particularly interested in. (I do realise that what I regard as a drawback will be a selling point for others, so as always, it’s simply a matter of taste.)
Also, I did have a bit of a problem with the caste system that is the focus of much of the plot. The author came up with an interesting idea, but when you really think about it, the system simply would not work in a real-life setting. It’s completely untenable, and the entire time I was reading I couldn’t help but think that the whole thing would have collapsed within a single generation. So, a large portion of the world-building that the book did contain, I didn’t find particularly convincing.
I’m sounding very negative here, and I don’t mean to do so. I guess the high hopes I had when reading the opening chapters weren’t realized by the time the story concluded, and in the end I felt a little disappointed. I'll place it on the lower end of my "pleasant diversion" sliding scale, but if the plot sounds interesting to you, by all means give it a go.
The Inventor's Companion