Holly‘s review of Kilts and Kraken (Gaslight Chronicles, Book 3) by Cindy Spencer Pape.
Magnus, Baron Findlay, longs to bring the wonders of the steam age to his remote island home, but his hands are full fighting the vicious kraken ravaging the coast. When he’s swept to sea during battle and washes up on the shore of an isle in the Hebrides, he is near death.
Struggling to establish herself as one of the first female physicians in Edinburgh, Dr. Geneva MacKay is annoyed when The Order of the Round Table sends her north to care for an injured highlander. To heal him, Geneva escorts the handsome warrior home, just in time to defend the villagers from another onslaught.
As the attacks escalate and they work together to fight off the threat, neither Geneva nor Magnus can resist the overwhelming attraction between them. But as their relationship deepens, a new threat arises-from within the village itself…
I loved this story. Can that be my entire review? No? Fine!
The world-building was tight and interesting. My experience with Steampunk is limited, but I fell right into this world and couldn’t wait for more. I love that it was set in Scotland, rather than London as so many others are. The characters were well-developed. The storyline and conflict were interesting and compelling. I really wanted to know what was going to happen. Would they be able to work things out?
I especially loved that hte heroine was a doctor in a time when women weren’t. She was strong and confident in herself, which I enjoyed.
Toward the end I think it..not necessarily fell apart, but became kind of rushed. I would have liked to see a couple extra pages so things weren’t pushed.
All in all, an excellent story.
4.5/5
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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