Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York : Signet Eclipse, c2012.
Description
"Arden Grey enjoys a life most women in 1898 London can't even dream of: she has the social status, wealth, and independence of a countess. She also has the ability to witness the final moments of a murder victim's life. But ever since the disappearance of her husband, Lucas, none of this means anything to her. Until one night, when Arden spies a man watching her-a man she recognizes as her missing husband. He's been ordered to assassinate Arden as retribution for her part in the killing of a Company agent. Luke remembers nothing of his life before the Company, a corrupt agency that has erased his memory. Even so, he can't seem to complete his assignment. There is something familiar about his lovely target, something that attracts him, and fills him with dread. For he knows that if he doesn't kill her, someone else will-and him as well."--P. [4] of cover.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A fascinating steampunk spy novel complete with a heartwarming reunion.
Opening Sentence: “You shouldn’t go in there, ma’am. ‘Tis no place for a lady.”
The Review:
You know, as I have stated before, I am still fairly new to the genre of
In the city of London in the Age of Steam (so says page one) there resides a group of men and woman, loyal to the crown, a secret spy type agency known as the Wardens of the Realm. These brave souls are doctors, inventors, noblemen and women, risking themselves to rid England of certain evils, namely the organization calling itself The Company.
The heroine of this first novel has paid a handsome price in this war on evil, she has lost her husband. Seven years ago her husband, a W.O.R. officer, left her to go on a classified assignment in Paris, and never returned. Most people, including his own brother and best friend, feel he is most likely dead. His brother has even gone to the point of starting the proceedings to have him declared dead. Not believing what she cannot see with her own eyes, Arden Grey, Lady Huntley to her peers, has remained ever faithful and vigilant, knowing in her heart that her husband is not dead.
On the night of an investigation into the grisly murder of a debutante, she fancies she glimpses a man on the roof of a building. The murderer perhaps, but for one startling characteristic. The man is wearing the face of Arden’s lost husband Lucas. When, later that night she is attacked in her own bed by that same man, and he does indeed have her beloved’s face, her life has been dramatically altered once again, and not all of it for the better. Her husband has returned to London, but now wants her dead??
The man called only Number Five is on a mission to enact revenge on an enemy agent for the murder of one of his colleagues. But, upon entering the bedchamber of his target, he finds himself oddly attracted to the woman, and even more oddly reluctant to carry out his orders. And when the woman wakes and calls him by a name he cannot recognize, but seems surprisingly familiar, he begins to question himself, and his life, and the job he is sworn to do. Why does he seem to remember this woman, and what did she once mean to him?
When the questions and memories become too much, Five returns to Arden’s house looking for answers. Her words and the picture on the mantle paint an obvious picture. He was once her husband, and this was once his home. While there he is, well attacked isn’t quite the right word but I can’t seem to find it in my brain right now, maybe physically threatened by his bosses. Arden uses a machine to immobilize Five and keep The Company out of his head (literally) so he can live long enough to be turned in to the W.O.R. for rehabilitation, and be restored as her husband. Alas, the damage done by The Company is too much for Five/Lucas to completely overcome and he still remains mostly clueless on his past and years with Arden.
Through the book the pair must dodge a few attempts by The Company to take them out of the equation, and Arden has another debutante murder on her hands as well. After yet another unsuccessful attempt at Arden’s life, they uncover a murderous scheme plotted by members of The Company involving a party on an airship and an explosion meant to turn it into the Hindenburg. Lucas and Arden, along with others from the W.O.R. find their way onboard and manage to thwart the plans to take it down, and Arden manages to find her killer as well. All in a day’s work, piece of cake and all that jazz..
This first book in the series is sure to make most people want to come back to read the next one, especially with that tiny bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the excerpt from the second installment, Heart of Steel.
Though this is my first book by this particular author, she has written several other novels under a different pen name, I have no doubts that it will not be my last.
Notable Scene:
They were almost at the bottom of the steps when a voice called out, “Lucas!”
Luke stopped and turned. Rani stood at the stop of the incline, an intense expression on her flawless face. She didn’t speak; she just stared at him with that one dark eye.
A sense of dread washed over him. In that second he knew that she was no friend, and that she had only called out to delay him – separate him from Arden.
He whirled around just in time to see Arden at the bottom of the steps, and a horseless carriage careening toward her, faster than he’d ever seen one travel before. He raced toward her. If the vehicle hit her it would kill her – that was no doubt the intent.
The machine sped closer. He wasn’t going to get there in time.
“Arden, move!” he shouted, his feet a blur over the steps.
She didn’t look at him, didn’t question him. She must have seen death approaching. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his trusting wife dove out of the way. The vehicle swerved toward her….
Luke pounced, thrusting himself between Arden and the speeding carriage. He barely had time to brace himself for impact, but he turned his head away.
Then the vehicle wrapped around him.
The Clockwork Agents Series:
1. Heart of Brass
2. Touch of Steel
FTC Advisory: Penguin/Signet provided me with a copy of Heart of Brass. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A fascinating steampunk spy novel complete with a heartwarming reunion.
Opening Sentence: “You shouldn’t go in there, ma’am. ‘Tis no place for a lady.”
The Review:
You know, as I have stated before, I am still fairly new to the genre of
Show More
steampunk as a whole, and so apparently is my spell check. But the more I read of it, the more I like it. And the costumes look so fun!In the city of London in the Age of Steam (so says page one) there resides a group of men and woman, loyal to the crown, a secret spy type agency known as the Wardens of the Realm. These brave souls are doctors, inventors, noblemen and women, risking themselves to rid England of certain evils, namely the organization calling itself The Company.
The heroine of this first novel has paid a handsome price in this war on evil, she has lost her husband. Seven years ago her husband, a W.O.R. officer, left her to go on a classified assignment in Paris, and never returned. Most people, including his own brother and best friend, feel he is most likely dead. His brother has even gone to the point of starting the proceedings to have him declared dead. Not believing what she cannot see with her own eyes, Arden Grey, Lady Huntley to her peers, has remained ever faithful and vigilant, knowing in her heart that her husband is not dead.
On the night of an investigation into the grisly murder of a debutante, she fancies she glimpses a man on the roof of a building. The murderer perhaps, but for one startling characteristic. The man is wearing the face of Arden’s lost husband Lucas. When, later that night she is attacked in her own bed by that same man, and he does indeed have her beloved’s face, her life has been dramatically altered once again, and not all of it for the better. Her husband has returned to London, but now wants her dead??
The man called only Number Five is on a mission to enact revenge on an enemy agent for the murder of one of his colleagues. But, upon entering the bedchamber of his target, he finds himself oddly attracted to the woman, and even more oddly reluctant to carry out his orders. And when the woman wakes and calls him by a name he cannot recognize, but seems surprisingly familiar, he begins to question himself, and his life, and the job he is sworn to do. Why does he seem to remember this woman, and what did she once mean to him?
When the questions and memories become too much, Five returns to Arden’s house looking for answers. Her words and the picture on the mantle paint an obvious picture. He was once her husband, and this was once his home. While there he is, well attacked isn’t quite the right word but I can’t seem to find it in my brain right now, maybe physically threatened by his bosses. Arden uses a machine to immobilize Five and keep The Company out of his head (literally) so he can live long enough to be turned in to the W.O.R. for rehabilitation, and be restored as her husband. Alas, the damage done by The Company is too much for Five/Lucas to completely overcome and he still remains mostly clueless on his past and years with Arden.
Through the book the pair must dodge a few attempts by The Company to take them out of the equation, and Arden has another debutante murder on her hands as well. After yet another unsuccessful attempt at Arden’s life, they uncover a murderous scheme plotted by members of The Company involving a party on an airship and an explosion meant to turn it into the Hindenburg. Lucas and Arden, along with others from the W.O.R. find their way onboard and manage to thwart the plans to take it down, and Arden manages to find her killer as well. All in a day’s work, piece of cake and all that jazz..
This first book in the series is sure to make most people want to come back to read the next one, especially with that tiny bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the excerpt from the second installment, Heart of Steel.
Though this is my first book by this particular author, she has written several other novels under a different pen name, I have no doubts that it will not be my last.
Notable Scene:
They were almost at the bottom of the steps when a voice called out, “Lucas!”
Luke stopped and turned. Rani stood at the stop of the incline, an intense expression on her flawless face. She didn’t speak; she just stared at him with that one dark eye.
A sense of dread washed over him. In that second he knew that she was no friend, and that she had only called out to delay him – separate him from Arden.
He whirled around just in time to see Arden at the bottom of the steps, and a horseless carriage careening toward her, faster than he’d ever seen one travel before. He raced toward her. If the vehicle hit her it would kill her – that was no doubt the intent.
The machine sped closer. He wasn’t going to get there in time.
“Arden, move!” he shouted, his feet a blur over the steps.
She didn’t look at him, didn’t question him. She must have seen death approaching. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his trusting wife dove out of the way. The vehicle swerved toward her….
Luke pounced, thrusting himself between Arden and the speeding carriage. He barely had time to brace himself for impact, but he turned his head away.
Then the vehicle wrapped around him.
The Clockwork Agents Series:
1. Heart of Brass
2. Touch of Steel
FTC Advisory: Penguin/Signet provided me with a copy of Heart of Brass. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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LibraryThing member Meggle
This book started off well enough but at some point I completely lost interest in the story. The storyline didn't seem very strong to me and there was never enough chemistry between the two main characters. If you're looking for a great steampunk series I recommend Gail Carriger's Parasol
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Protectorate novels instead. Show Less
LibraryThing member margarita.gakis
Arden Grey enjoys a life most women in 1898 London can’t even dream of: She has the social status, wealth, and independence of a countess. She also has the ability to witness the final moments of a murder victim’s life. But ever since the disappearance of her husband, Lucas, none of this means
Show More
anything to her. Until one night, when Arden spies a man watching her—a man she recognizes as her missing husband.He’s been ordered to assassinate Arden as retribution for her part in the killing of a Company agent. Luke remembers nothing of his life before the Company, a corrupt agency that has erased his memory. Even so, he can't seem to complete his assignment. There is something familiar about his lovely target, something that attracts him, and fills him with dread. For he knows that if he doesn’t kill her, someone else will—and kill him as well.
I liked this book. It was fun and was my first foray into the steampunk/romance world. I enjoyed reading about the devices the heroine created and how they worked. I would have loved more on that. If you like 'classic romance' this book has that too - our hero has amnesia and has been missing for 7 years.
But I'm still not sure exactly how the two 'warring' factions, The Company and the Wardens, interact or what their conflict is about.
Over all it was fun and I enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member LibraryGirl11
Unfortunate--the author used the steampunk lable simply to throw a robot husband and steam-powered vibrators into a Victorian backdrop, That's what I get for picking up a "steampunk" romance, I guess. Not worth finishing.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
Arden Grey has been dealing with the disappearance of her husband seven years earlier by drinking too much, working as an agent for W.O.R., and inventing a number of gadgets. She also assists Scotland Yard in tracking down murderers by using an invention that lets her see what the victim saw just
When an assassin comes to kill her in retribution for her killing one of the Company's agents, she is surprised to find that it is her lost husband. The Company had captured him, reinforced his bones, and wiped out his memories of the past. However, something stops him from killing her and the old memories start coming back.
Luke is recaptured by Arden and other members of W.O.R. who manage to cut his ties to the Company. But his memories are spotty. He doesn't remember much about his wife or his past. Now he has to protect the wife he barely remembers but still really wants from the Company who still wants her dead. Of course, they want him dead too before he can reveal their secrets.
I liked all the steampunk gadgets in this story set in Victorian time. I also liked the relationship between Arden and Luke. With Arden's memories of the past and her resentment of Luke's need to put his work ahead of his wife and Luke's lack of memory, both of them need to get to know each other again while keeping each other alive.
This was a great story once I got into it. I did think that the first fifty pages were kind of slow until I got up to speed on the characters and the setting. Fans of steampunk won't want to miss this entertaining series.
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before they died.When an assassin comes to kill her in retribution for her killing one of the Company's agents, she is surprised to find that it is her lost husband. The Company had captured him, reinforced his bones, and wiped out his memories of the past. However, something stops him from killing her and the old memories start coming back.
Luke is recaptured by Arden and other members of W.O.R. who manage to cut his ties to the Company. But his memories are spotty. He doesn't remember much about his wife or his past. Now he has to protect the wife he barely remembers but still really wants from the Company who still wants her dead. Of course, they want him dead too before he can reveal their secrets.
I liked all the steampunk gadgets in this story set in Victorian time. I also liked the relationship between Arden and Luke. With Arden's memories of the past and her resentment of Luke's need to put his work ahead of his wife and Luke's lack of memory, both of them need to get to know each other again while keeping each other alive.
This was a great story once I got into it. I did think that the first fifty pages were kind of slow until I got up to speed on the characters and the setting. Fans of steampunk won't want to miss this entertaining series.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the first book in the Clockwork Agents series by Cross (who also writes under a variety of other pen names). There are three books in this series and all have been released. I have had this book on my TBR pile for a while and was excited to get to read it. This ended up being a well done
Arden is in an interesting situation. Her husband has been missing, presumed dead, for seven years and she has struggled to be faithful to both him and his position as a Peer of the realm. When she thinks she sees him one night on the streets she is stunned. Thing get even more complicated when she finds out his memory is gone and he has been sent to kill her.
The majority of the story focuses on a power struggle between the Wardens (who work with the Crown of England) and the Company. Arden works for the Wardens and has been consulting on a mission involving young murdered debutantes. The two storylines about the Wardens vs Company and the storyline about the murders are somewhat related. The storylines could have been put together better, at the end it was a bit confusing what the whole point was and I didn’t think the story made that much sense. So, hopefully the story elements are more well done in the next book.
There are some fun steampunk inventions throughout, so I really enjoyed those aspects. The story is fairly romance heavy but it was a well done romance. The fact that Arden and Luke are already married and are having to fall in love again and get to know each other again (after seven years apart) is very intriguing and engaging.
Overall this was a quick and engaging read. I enjoyed the chemistry and romance between the main characters and enjoyed the steampunk elements throughout. I thought that the story could have been better put together; it was a bit pointless and hard to figure out at times.
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steampunk romance. I enjoyed it.Arden is in an interesting situation. Her husband has been missing, presumed dead, for seven years and she has struggled to be faithful to both him and his position as a Peer of the realm. When she thinks she sees him one night on the streets she is stunned. Thing get even more complicated when she finds out his memory is gone and he has been sent to kill her.
The majority of the story focuses on a power struggle between the Wardens (who work with the Crown of England) and the Company. Arden works for the Wardens and has been consulting on a mission involving young murdered debutantes. The two storylines about the Wardens vs Company and the storyline about the murders are somewhat related. The storylines could have been put together better, at the end it was a bit confusing what the whole point was and I didn’t think the story made that much sense. So, hopefully the story elements are more well done in the next book.
There are some fun steampunk inventions throughout, so I really enjoyed those aspects. The story is fairly romance heavy but it was a well done romance. The fact that Arden and Luke are already married and are having to fall in love again and get to know each other again (after seven years apart) is very intriguing and engaging.
Overall this was a quick and engaging read. I enjoyed the chemistry and romance between the main characters and enjoyed the steampunk elements throughout. I thought that the story could have been better put together; it was a bit pointless and hard to figure out at times.
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LibraryThing member ladypembroke
Steampunk romance. I'm completely taken in.
Wait. This is the same person as Kady Cross?? No wonder I loved the book!
The two protagonists are complex, and I love the twist on a seven year gap in a loving but flawed marriage. Having all the politics and intrigue on the side of it was fun, too. I did
I hope we get to see more of this couple at some point. They really were fun to watch. (Also, it should be noted that this book is FAR more adult that Kady Cross's YA work.)
Note: I love the small side story about treating "hysteria". Such a Victorian affliction, but seeing a woman become the one working on the "problem" made for a really delightful new spin.
Wait. This is the same person as Kady Cross?? No wonder I loved the book!
The two protagonists are complex, and I love the twist on a seven year gap in a loving but flawed marriage. Having all the politics and intrigue on the side of it was fun, too. I did
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feel like the murder mystery that kicked off the book really ended up taking a much more minor role than it should have, but I can understand how "husband back from the dead and wants to kill me" ends up sort of overshadowing everything else in one's life.I hope we get to see more of this couple at some point. They really were fun to watch. (Also, it should be noted that this book is FAR more adult that Kady Cross's YA work.)
Note: I love the small side story about treating "hysteria". Such a Victorian affliction, but seeing a woman become the one working on the "problem" made for a really delightful new spin.
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Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2012-05-01
Physical description
371 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
0451236599 / 9780451236593