Review: Victorian Scoundrel

Reviewed by Shelly
 

Blurb: It's 2010 and compressed natural gas has taken over the coal producing steam machines of the Victorian Age. Alice Windsor, Princess of York, follows her mischief-making cousin, Prince Edmund of Wales back to the past (1851) where Prince Albert is hosting Britain's Great Exhibition. Alice soon discovers Edmund has struck up a friendship with their great-grandfather, Prince Albert, and his mischief making entails leaving a dinosaur-sized footprint in history. She also meets Grayson Kentfield, Earl Swinton, and the Prime Minister, Sir John Russell. The Prime Minster finds her odd, to say the least. It's only when Alice falls for the handsome Earl Swinton does she realize the dangers of time travel. How can she give her heart to a man from the past while striving to stop Edmund from changing time with his forward thinking ideas?

Review: This is my first steampunk novel and first read from Stephanie Burkhart.  I will admit that this took a while for me to get started but once I did, it went relatively well. From the cover, I assumed along with time travel there would be some romance, and there was. Not because of the cover but I also assumed there would be some sex, there was - just not a lot, less than a page when it did happen. I thought there could have been more especially when main characters are involved. But I digress.  

The majority of this story is in a time travelled 1851 and while that might not seem like such a big deal – it’s all Victoria era ‘speak’.  There’s a lot of titles - “your Highness, Lord, Lady, Duke, etc.” – which may keep with the era, but for this reader it made for a bit of confusion.  Imagine a three/four person dialogue where titles are used. I admit to getting confused a few times and had to go back to see who was in the conversation.

I really liked the chemistry and subsequent relationship between Alice and Grayson. This was definitely not a quick romance, and although the passion/sexual tension was there the sex was non-descript.  Super disappointed there but I got over it pretty quickly. By the end, while still rooting for these two I really thought Grayson is hiding something. Burkhart has set it up (fingers crossed) for hopefully some answers in the next book. I’m also hoping that Alice continues to grow, especially a backbone as the series progresses – she seems a bit too dependent on cousin Edmund.

I gotta say that Edmund and Keira’s relationship has me the most curious as to where that’s going.  Edmund, as we were told a few times (13 if you’re counting but I’m not) is a bit mischievous and I’m waiting to see how independent Keira is going to deal with him.  But again, that’s gonna have to wait for the next book in the series.  

As I mentioned this book was written as the first part of a series and we’ll have to wait to find out if any of these characters have an HEA. With any luck we should find out what happens to some of the potentially wonderful secondary characters, Bryon and Edmund’s older brother, Richard.

Happy Reading Folks!

Rating: C+

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Victorian Scoundrel

by Stephanie Burkhart

Release Date: June 29, 2011

Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing