Time Period – England 1837 to 1901
Heat Factor: There’s some icky predatory stuff and some consensual sapphic action
Character Chemistry: Adèle is a charming narrator, but I wouldn’t say she has much chemistry with anyone. She’s a very self-contained character and that doesn’t change.
Plot: Jane Eyre and beyond, Adèle’s perspective
Overall: A mixed bag
Sass and Steam, Book 5
Heat Factor: It’s a sweet and sassy kind of steamy—not too many scenes, but you’re not left hanging.
Character Chemistry: These two are fantastically well-matched. It makes absolute sense almost immediately, even when they’re butting heads.
Plot: A pirate and a therapist fly around in an airship and take down an evil bad guy, fool around, and fall in love.
Overall: This was a sweeping, adventurous romance with heavy hints the rest of the series is worth catching.
Dangerous Damsels, Book #2
Review of Dangerous Damsels, Book #1
Heat Factor: Charlotte and Alex have a lot of sex, but the reader does not get to watch.
Character Chemistry: Mutual kidnapping is always a winner.
Plot: Everyone is trying to get a magical amulet, and more shenanigans ensue than you can shake a stick at.
Overall: A bit heavy-handed and there’s some weird stuff going on with the tone
Magic & Mechanicals, Book #2
Heat Factor: Not as cold as the North Atlantic waters Calla likes swimming in, but not high heat by any means
Character Chemistry: She gets all shivery when he touches her scales
Plot: Writer and mermaid hang out in a maybe-haunted house with very rude neighbors
Overall: This book feels very “social justice-y”
Heat Factor: It’s a lot of handies starting at 20%, with some other play mixed in, but the text is not especially focused on the sex
Character Chemistry: Insta affectionate and tender love
Plot: Shrike has to figure out how to survive being crowned Oak King; meanwhile, in the mortal realm, Wren is wound up in his employer’s guardianship drama probably more than he should be
Overall: If you like lush descriptions and the slower pacing of a historical faerie fantasy, I have a book for you.
The Smut Report 