Skies of Fire (The Ether Chronicles 1) by Zoe Archer

Summary:

Man made of metal and flesh

Captain Christopher Redmond has just one weakness: the alluring spy who loved and left him years before…when he was still just a man. Now he's superhuman—a Man O' War, made as part of the British Navy's weapons program—and his responsibility is to protect the skies of Europe. If only he could forget Louisa Shaw.

A most inconvenient desire

Louisa, a British Naval Intelligence agent, has never left a job undone. But when her assignment is compromised, the one man who can help her complete her mission is also the only man ever to tempt her body and heart. As burning skies loom and passion ignites, Louisa and Christopher must slip behind enemy lines if they are to deliver a devastating strike against their foe . . . and still get out alive.

Reviewer: Fashionta
This is an interesting way to start a series with a novella and I’m loving it. I've said in the past, that if you go down the novella path you need to provide enough background information so we the readers are left satisfied and not left scratching our heads thinking what in earth is going on.

The start excited me we as are right in the action with the British navy and our hero Christopher and his ship the Demeter fights to protect the skies of Europe from the Hapsburg in this alternative 19th century. He muses about Louisa, his lost love, while trying to escape after taking a hit. Typical of a man but he'd a man o’wars –machine hybrid who attaches to ship he is able to control with his implants.

It's kind of easy to figure out where the author is taking us on the journey because it's a novella. A few pages later and we meet Louisa in person, and it feels like we know her like she an acquaintance by the musing of Christopher. It seems to be a well formula story where guy meets girl, by chance, that he lost his heart to years, they fall in love in again, something happens, and after all that they live happily ever after again.

Louisa is a spy for the navy, and at first it seems to be out place from the descriptions of Christopher musings about her but she's the more modern character then Christopher in terms of characteristics and actions. She's got more kick ass heroine powers then most of the historical woman in romance novels and suggests a plan that will set the tone for the series.

I have to give this book 4 stars. There's something lacking in the characters because they are too alike in some aspects. Ladies in 19th century are suppose to drink tea not whiskey and not build bombs but it works in this book because it's steam punk and the ladies are stronger characters in this genre.

Publisher: Avon Impulse