‘You’re brothers, when the sun goes down, stay hidden, stay quiet and never, ever let go of each other.’
The Great Wave sent the lower class into dirigibles high above the wealthy landowners. The Gentlemen brothers lived in such an airship with the father until one night when men came in the dark to steal them.
Joshua is the oldest and is now a respectable detective. He never stopped searching for his brothers. When a call comes in that the Lord that saved him is murdered, Joshua must face his past and the Lord’s son. Valence Peasley Junior was his best friend but one night of unexpected passion tore their friendship apart.
Now, Joshua must deal with the beloved Lord’s death, Val’s decadent body and find out how it all ties into that dreadful night.
Not only is this a review of a book I loved, it's a GIVEAWAY day. The COX, being the malevolent COX God that he is, has been generous enough to bestow not one, but ONE backlist books from his collection (does not include this release) for TWO winners! See the Rafflecopter dealio at the end of the review.
The contest ends June 15th at 12am EST
Now, on to my ramblings about Sex, Gunpowder and Saving the Day . . . .
Steampunk done right is a lot of fun, but you can’t just throw some gears and clock parts at something and call it Steampunk. A lot of times stories, art, etc. do too much and the story gets lost in the accessorizing. Sex, Gunpowder and Saving The Day is Steampunk done right. The elements are subtle enough to give the fun and fascinating vibe that Steampunk has and present enough to give solid world building in the first of The Gentleman Brothers series.
Joshua Gentleman is the oldest of three brothers who were separated as children when the dirigible they lived on with their father was basically hijacked. Joshua fell from the dirigible and was saved by Lord Peasley who took him in, took care of him and helped him look for his brothers. Lord Peasley also had a son, Valence, who became Joshua’s best friend, ally in all kinds of coming of age shenanigans and was his first love. They grew older and then grew apart as one night together changed everything between them and the next day Joshua went off to school. His feelings for Val never changed though. Joshua became a respected detective as he figured that would be the best occupation to have to track his younger brothers down.
Joshua and his smart ass of a partner, Filch, are assigned to a case that breaks Joshua’s heart and puts him back in contact with Val. Lord Peasley has been murdered and as Joshua and Filch begin their investigation, with Val’s help, they discover there are more nefarious high-jinx afoot and the trail seems to lead all the way to the top. The society that the author has created is so interesting to read, he paints the pictures with his words organically and I got caught up in Joshua’s world visually and emotionally from the beginning.
One of the many things I love about The COX’s books is the personalities of the MC’s. They’re all unique, but I love getting the trademark snark and bit of the cocky bravado, even if it’s just there to cover up past hurts. These guys are the vehicles by which the author delivers his epic sentences that I love. Joshua has a little something else about him though that hit me right in the feels. He’s what I would call, an accidental romantic.
Joshua’s loved Val forever and when they are put back together through the tragedy of Lord Peasley’s death, they manage to pick up where they reluctantly left off years ago. Joshua wasn’t a pro-level flirter, he wasn’t a smooth operator, he was a man on a mission to find his brothers. The fact that he had a second chance with Val was not wasted on him and the honest appreciation Joshua had for everything that Val was, hit my heart in all the right places. I love that the author’s characters don’t waste time on angst and Joshua was the same. He wore his heart on his sleeve for Val and I loved every little moment when the reality of Val hit him.
Then for good measure, I pulled him to me and pressed my lips onto his. It was like seeing the world in colour all of a sudden.Coming from a by-the-book, slightly grumpy professional hard-ass, this made me go, D’awwwwwwwww.
There’s a good bit of action and a couple of terrible moments that will set up the rest of the series. The love between Val and Joshua doesn’t end with them. They are outcasts on a mission, Joshua, Val and the ‘gender friendly’ Filch are in this together. Love that bit, BTW, completely ready for more of that. The story ends on a satisfying cliffhanger. The COX’s series are all good at that. The MC’s get their happy, but the story is just beginning and I can’t wait for book 2.
For more information on Sex, Gunpowder and Saving the Day, head over to Goodreads!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh! Sounds good! And your review makes me want to read it at once. Thank you, Ann! ;)
ReplyDeleteI have never read steampunk and this makes me want to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteI think y'all will really like it! It's perfect if you're new to steampunk and honestly, it's just plain fun. I'd love to know what you both think of Joshua . . . . yummmmmmm!
ReplyDeleteAnn