A Lady’s Handbook to Gadget and Guile by Angela Bell

 

Are you handy?  I am mediocre handy.  I can MacGyver pumps and equipment to do lab experiments and sample, but I am not as handy as my Dad who seems to be able to get anything put back together again.

Thank you to @authorangelabell, @bethanyhousefiction,and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of A Lady’s Handbook to Gadget and Guile.

In 1865 London, Margaret is an inventor of gadgets for the Daughters of the Genus Society.  This group is comprised of lady inspectors who are disguised as bluestockings.  Margaret is an ambulatory wheelchair user and has been happy helping from the sidelines until she gets caught up in a case involving London’s most famous inventor.  She runs into an intriguing man named Charles and the pair work together to solve the mystery. Will they solve it in time?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I would classify this novel as historical fiction, historical fantasy, clean read, inspirational, and Christian.

·       I read this book in July, and I loved that Margaret is an inventor in a time when it was hard for women to thrive in this role.  She also suffers from chronic pain but is able to go through a faith journey as well as to keep on inventing.

·       Charles has also ended up on a path in life that was not what he planned.  He was a good person who really listened and cared about Margaret’s problems.

·       This is the second novel in “A Daughters of Genius Society” series.  I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this book would also work as a standalone.  Characters do return from the first book, and I enjoyed reading about them again.

·       This was told from the third person perspectives of Margaret and Charles.

·       The tech in this novel went to the world of fantasy for this time period so that’s why I would classify this as historical fantasy.  I loved the gadgets.

·       I loved the romance between Charles and Margaret.  It was sweet.

·       The mystery was a bit light, but I did enjoy the humor in the novel.

·       The Christian theme was faith through difficult times.

Overall, A Lady’s Handbook to Gadget and Guile by Angela Bell was an inspiring historical fantasy novel with great characters.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Title:  A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure

Author:  Angela Bell

Narrated by:  Beverley A. Crick

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 28 minutes

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com.  Thank-you Bethany House and Austenprose for the Review copy of the physical book.

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure is a historical fantasy novel set in 1860s London.  Clara feels the weight of the world on her shoulders.  Her engagement is broken, and her fiancé has been spreading the rumor that madness runs in her family.  Her family is …eccentric.  When her Grandfather Drosselmeyer sets off on a European trip on his flying owl, he leaves her clues to find him.  She sets off on an adventure around Europe with her mother, and her Grandfather’s apprentice, Mr. Arthur.  Will they be able to find her grandfather before it is too late?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The adventure, clues, and travel made this a very fun read.

·       Clara’s eccentric mother was a hoot.  She was an animal activist before her time.  There was no creature too small for her care.

·       Mr. Arthur has a sad back story of his own and is really Mr. Theodore Kingsley.  He is a former soldier that struggles with a leg disability and with PTSD.  His family had shunned him because of this.   There was little support for veterans during the Victorian age.

·       Clara and Theodore had wonderful enemies to lovers’ romance.

·       I enjoyed the Christian message in the novel that Clara and Theodore needed to give their worries to the lord and move on with their lives.  The message was a part of the plot, and it was a larger focus in the second half of the novel.

·       This was a wonderful debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what author Angela Bell works on next. 

·       This novel is a clean romance.

·       I loved the steampunk vibe with the automatons that grandfather invented including the giant owl that he flies around Europe on.  He also invents an automaton that hatches from an egg and other neat items.  This leant a fantasy/sci fi element to an otherwise historical fiction novel.

·       The only weakness in the novel to me was the villain.  His back story and actions didn’t quite make sense to me. 

·       I read the first half of this book physically and finished it on audiobook as I had a lot of driving to do for work.  I enjoyed both formats!

Overall, A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventures is a fun, unique adventure and I highly recommend it.