Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

Kiss of SteelNarrated by Alison Larkin

When I think back on the atmosphere in Kiss of Steel, the overall impression is one of darkness. If I was asked which scenes take place in the daytime, I’d have to say I don’t remember any daytime scenes. I know there had to be some, but a gloom hangs over the entire story and left me with the impression of a book takes place totally at night. Perhaps it’s the blue blood/vampire plotline that makes me feel that way.

And vampires take me to my second impression of the book. It feels much more like a paranormal romance than steampunk. I found this disappointing since steampunk is a relatively new and exciting endeavor for romance novels, while paranormal romances are common. This fact influences my enjoyment of the book and therefore my review. If you are a lover of paranormal romance, your experience might be more positive than mine.

McMaster builds a complex alternative world set in England in the 1800’s. There are a few nods to steampunk including carriages that run on steam and people with modified limbs. However, the sparse steampunk elements feel derivative and are very like elements in Meljean Brook’s wonderful Iron Seas series. McMaster’s take on the vampire lore was quite clever and more original. In this world vampirism is caused by a virus and is actively sought by the Echelon, the ruling class. They are called blue bloods, not vampires, although that fate awaits all blue bloods in time. In this world the term “vampire” describes a mindless killer. It is also the inevitable result of “the fade,” which is when a blue blood’s viral load becomes too high and he begins turning into a vampire.

Living in this complicated, class-segregated society is Honoria, a young woman in hiding from the Echelon while trying to support her younger sister and brother. Honoria holds a dark secret that involves her deceased father’s medical research into the virus that infects the blue bloods. She is hiding out in a less-than-savory area of London run by a rogue blue blood named Blade. Blade was originally of the lower class but made into a blue blood by Echelon duke called Vickers. Vickers is also the man from whom Honoria is hiding. Both Honoria and Blade have good reasons for hating Vickers, and eventually, through a long and sometimes torturously twisted path, Blade and Honoria join together to try to bring Vickers down. The best parts of the book for me dealt with the virus and the research Honoria’s father had done.

The romance feels very much like a typical paranormal romance complete with “irresistible attraction” between the leads. The ploy (elocution lessons) used to get Blade and Honoria together is weak and is quickly abandoned. The development of several secondary characters is likewise weak, although a few are more three dimensional. I have a feeling we will see the well-rounded characters in books of their own.

Alison Larkin’s narration is quite enjoyable. She has a strong British accent which sounds cultured without having that “BBC commentator” quality to it. She reads at a lively pace and enunciates well. I appreciate Larkin’s pacing since few things kill an audiobook listening experience quicker than a plodding narration. Her ability to differentiate between characters is good, although not always consistent in the case of Blade. I do think part of the blame here lies with the author, however, who sometimes writes Blade speaking in a rather bad cockney accent and at other times has him sounding like the upper class. Larkin’s voicing of Honoria sometimes makes her sound breathy and weak, but this is relatively minor. Larkin is an experienced narrator and that quality definitely shows in her reading of Kiss of Steel.

Carrie


Narration:  B+

Book Content:  C+

Steam Factor:  For your burning ears only

Violence:  Escalated fighting

Genre:  Historical Romance/Steampunk

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

 

Kiss of Steel was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.