The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth

The Brass Queen is a rollicking fun adventure with wonderful over the top, sassy characters. 

Steampunk  –  Historical Fantasy  –  Political Intrigue  –  Magic

Synopsis – In 1897, a fiery British aristocrat and an inept US spy search for a stolen invisibility serum that could spark a global war.
Miss Constance Haltwhistle is the last in a line of blue-blooded rogue inventors. Selling exotic firearms under her alias, the ‘Brass Queen,’ has kept her baronial estate’s coffers full. But when US spy, Trusdale, saves her from assassins, she’s pulled into a search for a scientist with an invisibility serum. As royal foes create an invisible army to start a global war, Constance and Trusdale must learn to trust each other. If they don’t, the world they know will literally disappear before their eyes.

I know I say it every time I review a steampunk book, but damn I need to fit them into my schedule more often. I always have so much fun. I read this while in self isolation and smashed through it in two days. It’s a book that I found it easy to get lost in.

From the outset we have this dynamic character, Miss Constance Haltwhistle, an inventor of weapons, an arms dealer, she is the daughter of a very over protective father who sheltered her from the general mess of noble society, she is a loyal friend and an absolute force who is juggling everything while trying to find a suitor and avoid assassination attempts. And she is only young, she has a lot going on. Plus she is trying to organise the decorations for the Queen’s parade and the local menfolk just don’t seem to appreciate her input or her insistence on flowers everywhere. Constance is such a bubbling mass of contradictions that following her on her adventures is enough to keep you sucked in. Throw in a not so trustworthy American and its all turning into quite the scandal.

This was a fun, enjoyable read. It was fast paced and kept me fully engaged. I loved the setting, it felt bright and colourful (yes I said that). There was magic and wonderful character development woven throughout the main storylines. Oh the sass… So much sass. And it’s very Victorian English polite sass. I had so much fun.

I look forward to picking up the next book in the series and finding out what hilarious escapades Miss Haltwhistle and her friends get up to next.

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