Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Description:
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. 
Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore. 

My Thoughts:
This was a highly entertaining read. Sophronia's mother sends her off to finishing school, but it's not the  type of finishing school she was expecting. I loved the witty humor and the characters. There's even a little mechanimal dog. And the sheer absurdity of girls learning how to flutter eyelashes and curtsy along side classes in poisoning is just entertaining. Overall a fun read. Probably more enjoyable for younger readers, but I have to say that I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Sophronia and company's exploits.


My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: n/a

My Source: Netgalley


Where to get it:

Amazon | B&N


Where to find the author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Audio Review: Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke

Maids of Misfortune by M. Louisa Locke

Description:
It’s the summer of 1879, and Annie Fuller, a young San Francisco widow, is in trouble. Annie’s husband squandered her fortune before committing suicide five years earlier, and one of his creditors is now threatening to take the boardinghouse she owns to pay off a debt.

Annie Fuller also has a secret. She supplements her income by giving domestic and business advice as Madam Sibyl, one of San Francisco’s most exclusive clairvoyants, and one of Madam Sibyl’s clients, Matthew Voss, has died. The police believe it is suicide brought upon by bankruptcy, but Annie believes Voss has been murdered and that his assets have been stolen.

Nate Dawson has a problem. As the Voss family lawyer, he would love to believe that Matthew Voss didn’t leave his grieving family destitute. But that would mean working with Annie Fuller, a woman who alternatively attracts and infuriates him as she shatters every notion he ever had of proper ladylike behavior.

Sparks fly as Anne and Nate pursue the truth about the murder of Matthew Voss in this light-hearted historical mystery set in the foggy gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this historical mystery. It is set in San Francisco in 1879. Annie is a young widow who owns a boarding house and poses as a clairvoyant to make money. She is very intelligent and resourceful and unconventional for her time. I really liked her character. There are other great characters as well, including Nate, the lawyer she works with while trying to prove that a client's death was murder. A fun, light mystery with just a touch of romance. I look forward to reading the next book. I am curious to see how things work out with the characters.

The audio was great. The narrator, Cynthia Wallace, has a nice voice and gave the characters distinct voices. She also did an admirable job with the variety of accents. Overall a very enjoyable listen. It is split into two parts for easier downloading.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !

My Source: author

Where to get it:

About the Audiobook:
Author: M. Louisa Locke
Title: Maids of Misfortune
Narrator: Cynthia Wallace
Publisher: Mary Lou Locke
Abridged or Unabridged: Unabridged
Length of Production: 10 hrs 3 min (Part 1:  5 hrs 11 min, Part 2:  4 hrs 52 min)
Year of Publication: 2012

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads