Charmain "Kit" Kittredge doesn't believe in magic despite
making a living by debunking and solving alleged magical
crimes. Her latest case involves Lady Diana Walsh, a wealthy
young woman who lives on the Hill. Lady Walsh believes she
has been cursed and is hiding the magical wounds she
receives nightly as she doesn't even want her husband to
know about it. Kit suspects something else is at work than
magic, but she's constantly warned from investigating on the
Hill. Her childhood friend, Chief Inspector Tommy Doyle, and
the enigmatic deathmage, Lucien Dredmore, are both very
interested in Kit's activities... but can she trust them?
What
larger conspiracy is at work?
DISENCHANTED & CO. combines the two separate eBooks, Her
Ladyship's Curse and His Lord Possessed, into one
edition. Lynn Viehl creates a magnificent steampunk setting
for this tale where history is turned upside down. I like
that Lynn Viehl allows the world building to unfold
naturally, letting us see it evolve through Kit's eyes
rather than trying to explain all the various ins and outs
of the world upfront. Kit is a very matter-of-fact narrator
and so the strangeness of the world seems quite believable
when viewed through her perspective.
DISENCHANTED & CO. almost seems like a steampunk Sherlock
Holmes tale (with a female Holmes, of course!). I love how
Kit works her way through the investigation, using her
various connections for disguises. Kit's associates are a
bit disreputable but Lynn Viehl showcases the strong loyalty
and bond that exists between the women. Women have very few
options in the world of DISENCHANTED & CO. and seeing this
makes Kit's accomplishments all the more impressive.
DISENCHANTED & CO. is a fun, fascinating steampunk novel
with characters I want to visit again and again. I look
forward to seeing what trouble Kit will find herself in with
her next adventure, The Clockwork Wolf.
In the Provincial Union of Victoriana, a steampunk America
that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian “Kit” Kittredge
makes her living investigating crimes of magic. While Kit
tries to avoid the nobs of high society, she follows
mysteries wherever they lead.
Unlike most folks, Kit doesn’t believe in magic, but she
can’t refuse to help Lady Diana Walsh, who claims a curse is
viciously wounding her while she sleeps. As Kit investigates
the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks are
part of a more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s
obnoxious husband.
Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but
soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of a
nefarious deathmage and the unwelcome scrutiny of the police
chief inspector. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s
passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she
draws closer to the heart of the mystery. For the truth
promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a
supernatural battleground from which no one will escape
alive.