rclz's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this and I'll be sure to read the next one. I like the world she's put together and the characters who live there. The plot was fun and interesting. Good book.
witandsin's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2013/11/review-gossamer-wing-by-delphine-dryden.html
As both the daughter and the widow of spies, Charlotte Moncrieffe is determined to use her training, skills, and unique dirigible to become a spy herself. Though her father objects, Charlotte is determined to serve the Crown by recovering documents her late husband hid at the Palais Garnier during the last war with France. There’s just one problem. Her father – in a bid to keep Charlotte from engaging in espionage – has convinced her superiors that Charlotte must not go to France without a proper cover. And that cover involves marriage to inventor Dexter Hardison, known as the Makesmith Baron.
Dexter only knows Charlotte through letters, but he’s fascinated by the unusual widow. When he strikes a bargain that could further his own research, he doesn’t expect to find himself falling hard and fast for his new wife. The passion he feels for Charlotte is tempered by her insistence that their marriage will only last the length of the mission. Dexter’s determined to convince her to give their relationship a chance, but can he get through the walls she’s built around her heart? If a rogue spy and a dangerous megalomaniac have their way, neither Dexter nor Charlotte will live long enough to find out.
A world of possibilities await you in Gossamer Wing. Delphine Dryden has created an imaginative universe filled with plausible technological marvels and wonderfully creative steampunkery. I was intrigued by Ms. Dryden’s alternate-history America, one where the U.S. lost the Revolutionary War and is still under British rule. The alternate-history aspect of the story added a level of uniqueness to Gossamer Wing, particularly since the story features spies.
World building aside, Gossamer Wing features two protagonists who are innately likeable. Charlotte is an intelligent, headstrong woman, and the death of her first husband on their honeymoon forever changed her. She’s determined to gain closure through her first fieldwork assignment and nothing and no one will stop her. She’s thrown for a loop, however, by Dexter. It’s impossible for her to resist the big bear of a man; physically and intellectually, he attracts her. Dexter’s inventiveness, sensuality, and patience make him a sigh-worthy hero. He’s a great match for Charlotte, but it isn’t easy for her to accept that they could have a real marriage (though I admit I didn’t always understand her logic).
Gossamer Wing is the first Steam and Seduction novel, and though it wasn’t quite as engaging as I’d have liked (I never felt emotionally invested in the story or the characters), I definitely can’t wait to read the next book, Scarlet Devices. If Gossamer Wing is anything to go by, Ms. Dryden’s world building is sure to be a gift to readers that keeps on giving.
As both the daughter and the widow of spies, Charlotte Moncrieffe is determined to use her training, skills, and unique dirigible to become a spy herself. Though her father objects, Charlotte is determined to serve the Crown by recovering documents her late husband hid at the Palais Garnier during the last war with France. There’s just one problem. Her father – in a bid to keep Charlotte from engaging in espionage – has convinced her superiors that Charlotte must not go to France without a proper cover. And that cover involves marriage to inventor Dexter Hardison, known as the Makesmith Baron.
Dexter only knows Charlotte through letters, but he’s fascinated by the unusual widow. When he strikes a bargain that could further his own research, he doesn’t expect to find himself falling hard and fast for his new wife. The passion he feels for Charlotte is tempered by her insistence that their marriage will only last the length of the mission. Dexter’s determined to convince her to give their relationship a chance, but can he get through the walls she’s built around her heart? If a rogue spy and a dangerous megalomaniac have their way, neither Dexter nor Charlotte will live long enough to find out.
A world of possibilities await you in Gossamer Wing. Delphine Dryden has created an imaginative universe filled with plausible technological marvels and wonderfully creative steampunkery. I was intrigued by Ms. Dryden’s alternate-history America, one where the U.S. lost the Revolutionary War and is still under British rule. The alternate-history aspect of the story added a level of uniqueness to Gossamer Wing, particularly since the story features spies.
World building aside, Gossamer Wing features two protagonists who are innately likeable. Charlotte is an intelligent, headstrong woman, and the death of her first husband on their honeymoon forever changed her. She’s determined to gain closure through her first fieldwork assignment and nothing and no one will stop her. She’s thrown for a loop, however, by Dexter. It’s impossible for her to resist the big bear of a man; physically and intellectually, he attracts her. Dexter’s inventiveness, sensuality, and patience make him a sigh-worthy hero. He’s a great match for Charlotte, but it isn’t easy for her to accept that they could have a real marriage (though I admit I didn’t always understand her logic).
Gossamer Wing is the first Steam and Seduction novel, and though it wasn’t quite as engaging as I’d have liked (I never felt emotionally invested in the story or the characters), I definitely can’t wait to read the next book, Scarlet Devices. If Gossamer Wing is anything to go by, Ms. Dryden’s world building is sure to be a gift to readers that keeps on giving.
slc333's review against another edition
3.0
Good for fans of romance heavy steam punk. I enjoyed it but was irritated by Charlotte's flip flopping. It went something like this "I wont sleep with him cause it will compromise the mission. Oh that was fun ok we will for a week, then I wont sleep with him anymore cause it will compromise the mission. Oh but I can't resist, but I must, but I can't, but I must. Oops I did it again. No we cannot be together, oh yes we can. Oh but I shouldn't."
the_discworldian's review against another edition
A romance novel that went wildly downhill after the characters had sex. I don't know, but I think that's a bad sign.
No, really, it was off to a good start, with the intrigue and the stealth dirigibles and the initial character development and the relationship between the hero and heroine and all the things. But the two leads really kind of devolved as the story progressed. It's so weird how sometimes a character can start out intriguing and then turn out 2-dimensional. I mean, you don't want that to happen, but I think it did.
Bottom line, I was reading it on my phone and it got auto-returned to the library before I finished. Since I didn't really care, I decided to just let it be.
No, really, it was off to a good start, with the intrigue and the stealth dirigibles and the initial character development and the relationship between the hero and heroine and all the things. But the two leads really kind of devolved as the story progressed. It's so weird how sometimes a character can start out intriguing and then turn out 2-dimensional. I mean, you don't want that to happen, but I think it did.
Bottom line, I was reading it on my phone and it got auto-returned to the library before I finished. Since I didn't really care, I decided to just let it be.
e_curran's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I was given a free ARC through Goodreads First Reads.
Gossamer Wing was an enjoyable book, full of espionage, wit, and romance. (Note: romance in this case means explicit sex scenes, so if that's not your style you may want to skip.) The main characters are fairly fleshed-out; the world-building is intriguing; the dialogue and descriptive passages are both engaging.
Charlotte, the heroine, is the most interesting of the characters. Her husband, a spy for England in France, was killed prior to the beginning of this novel (it's on the back cover--not a spoiler). I don't recall ever coming across a novel of this genre where the female lead is a widow--the male lead being a widower, sure, fairly common. It adds an interesting layer to Charlotte, and to her motivations & relationship with Dexter. Additionally, the impetus of the story is Charlotte's ability to pilot a small dirigible--the titular Gossamer Wing--something only she can successfully do as a lighter-weight person.
The universe Gossamer Wing takes place in is fascinating: standard steampunk vaguely Victorian/Edwardian feel to the society, but the United States are not an individual country. Instead, North America is a dominion of England (possibly the United Kingdom) still, and Charlotte & Dexter are both titled. England & France were, until recently, at war (shocker!), and the main characters are involved in espionage for the Crown. I look forward to reading further about the world Dryden has created--we only know that Europe is referred to as "Europa" and that France is still pretty much the same, but nothing of the other countries. Is there still Germany & Italy? Did the Ottoman Empire take over the rest of the continent? What about other former European colonies in the "New World"?
There were a few complaints I had with this novel. Charlotte is a very petite blonde, and Dexter is described as a "bear" with "paws" and surprising dexterity/carefulness for his size...cue the yawns. While Charlotte's size actually does bear on the story (see above), it's still pretty standard fare for romance novels, and I wish Dryden had taken a different route. The other primary issue was the characterizations of Dubois & Martin--they came across as fairly flat, and their motivations were what they seemed, no interesting twists or hidden agendas.
Overall, I liked Gossamer Wing and look forward to reading not only more in this series, but also other work Dryden has done.
I recommend this to fans of steampunk, especially authors such as Meljean Brook & Gail Carriger; romance and adventure; and comedy of manners.
Gossamer Wing was an enjoyable book, full of espionage, wit, and romance. (Note: romance in this case means explicit sex scenes, so if that's not your style you may want to skip.) The main characters are fairly fleshed-out; the world-building is intriguing; the dialogue and descriptive passages are both engaging.
Charlotte, the heroine, is the most interesting of the characters. Her husband, a spy for England in France, was killed prior to the beginning of this novel (it's on the back cover--not a spoiler). I don't recall ever coming across a novel of this genre where the female lead is a widow--the male lead being a widower, sure, fairly common. It adds an interesting layer to Charlotte, and to her motivations & relationship with Dexter. Additionally, the impetus of the story is Charlotte's ability to pilot a small dirigible--the titular Gossamer Wing--something only she can successfully do as a lighter-weight person.
The universe Gossamer Wing takes place in is fascinating: standard steampunk vaguely Victorian/Edwardian feel to the society, but the United States are not an individual country. Instead, North America is a dominion of England (possibly the United Kingdom) still, and Charlotte & Dexter are both titled. England & France were, until recently, at war (shocker!), and the main characters are involved in espionage for the Crown. I look forward to reading further about the world Dryden has created--we only know that Europe is referred to as "Europa" and that France is still pretty much the same, but nothing of the other countries. Is there still Germany & Italy? Did the Ottoman Empire take over the rest of the continent? What about other former European colonies in the "New World"?
There were a few complaints I had with this novel. Charlotte is a very petite blonde, and Dexter is described as a "bear" with "paws" and surprising dexterity/carefulness for his size...cue the yawns. While Charlotte's size actually does bear on the story (see above), it's still pretty standard fare for romance novels, and I wish Dryden had taken a different route. The other primary issue was the characterizations of Dubois & Martin--they came across as fairly flat, and their motivations were what they seemed, no interesting twists or hidden agendas.
Overall, I liked Gossamer Wing and look forward to reading not only more in this series, but also other work Dryden has done.
I recommend this to fans of steampunk, especially authors such as Meljean Brook & Gail Carriger; romance and adventure; and comedy of manners.
lancaerie's review against another edition
3.0
A very quick read, I managed this in one afternoon!
Interesting characters and a quite a lovely love story.
Interesting characters and a quite a lovely love story.
schomj's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Enjoyable, light, steampunk romance. I enjoyed the characters and the world building, but would have liked a bit more intensity -- either in terms of the action or the romance. It may be because I've enjoyed the author's bdsm stories, but I kind of felt like the characters wanted to be a lot more dynamic(?) than the story structure (or publisher?) allowed.
Enjoyable, light, steampunk romance. I enjoyed the characters and the world building, but would have liked a bit more intensity -- either in terms of the action or the romance. It may be because I've enjoyed the author's bdsm stories, but I kind of felt like the characters wanted to be a lot more dynamic(?) than the story structure (or publisher?) allowed.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
4.0
Characters: miniature dirigible operator/spy/widow, maker
World Building: Steampunk, tinkering, interiors (including underwater)
Plot: recover documents, avoid assassination
Sex: medium. As always with Dryden, a good combination of explicit along with reference to offscreen activity, so it's not coy.
Read another: Yes
World Building: Steampunk, tinkering, interiors (including underwater)
Plot: recover documents, avoid assassination
Sex: medium. As always with Dryden, a good combination of explicit along with reference to offscreen activity, so it's not coy.
Read another: Yes
lauraellis's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this very much. I am becoming a fan of at least some kinds of steampunk.
reader44ever's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars - great!
At the beginning of this book, I found the story to be a bit slow and I was easily distracted from it. At the time I suspected and hoped that this was because I had finished [a:Simon R. Green|41942|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224555729p2/41942.jpg]'s [b:Something from the Nightside|155421|Something from the Nightside (Nightside, #1)|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354812342s/155421.jpg|150023] earlier the same day I started [b:Gossamer Wing|17347638|Gossamer Wing (Steam and Seduction, #1)|Delphine Dryden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366435132s/17347638.jpg|24087883]. I already knew the two stories were very different: Gossamer Wing is a steampunk romance, while Something from the Nightside is most definitely not. I so loved the latter book that I was having trouble stopping my thoughts about it ("it was so great!...I must buy it!...I need to read book two ASAP!...why doesn't my library own book two?...wahhhh!"). This litany is likely what kept distracting me from Gossamer Wing.
I had hoped that the next day, after a hopefully good night's rest, I would be able to read Gossamer Wing with a fresh perspective and hopefully enjoy it more. Thankfully, my hopes were realized. :)
On this new day, I began by reading a chapter (Chapter Four) that I thoroughly enjoyed. I smiled widely when But then in Chapter Six, I read something that really made me laugh (and still makes me laugh!):
lol!!
And then in Chapter Seven, the Dexter is pretty much perfect in every way to me. And if I didn't like Charlotte so much, I'd be insanely jealous of her. But as it was/is, she's pretty much perfect for him. :)
This great day of reading was capped off by the spying portion of the story really taking off. There's really nothing I like more in my fiction than a combination of intrigue and romance. Between that and Dexter and Charlotte's "escalating war of endearments," I was highly entertained.
On my third night with this book, I was so engrossed in the story I couldn't put it down to go to sleep. First
I'm still not sure if the beginning was really a bit slow or if it was purely my mood that was responsible for my lackluster feelings for this story, but I do know that even if it was slow, my mood played into it. I can say this because I don't usually feel that way about books I've just begun, especially when I'm not even 50 pages into a 300 page book.
However, the fact remains that my initial impression was that the beginning was slow and I was easily distracted from it (never a good sign). For this reason, I have docked a half-star from what would otherwise have been a five star book for me.
By the end, though, I was thoroughly in love with this story. I am going to have to buy it so I can reread the parts I mentioned above and the rest again and again. It turned out to be a great story and I'm very glad I picked it up on that second day to see how it went. :)
At the beginning of this book, I found the story to be a bit slow and I was easily distracted from it. At the time I suspected and hoped that this was because I had finished [a:Simon R. Green|41942|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224555729p2/41942.jpg]'s [b:Something from the Nightside|155421|Something from the Nightside (Nightside, #1)|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354812342s/155421.jpg|150023] earlier the same day I started [b:Gossamer Wing|17347638|Gossamer Wing (Steam and Seduction, #1)|Delphine Dryden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366435132s/17347638.jpg|24087883]. I already knew the two stories were very different: Gossamer Wing is a steampunk romance, while Something from the Nightside is most definitely not. I so loved the latter book that I was having trouble stopping my thoughts about it ("it was so great!...I must buy it!...I need to read book two ASAP!...why doesn't my library own book two?...wahhhh!"). This litany is likely what kept distracting me from Gossamer Wing.
I had hoped that the next day, after a hopefully good night's rest, I would be able to read Gossamer Wing with a fresh perspective and hopefully enjoy it more. Thankfully, my hopes were realized. :)
On this new day, I began by reading a chapter (Chapter Four) that I thoroughly enjoyed. I smiled widely when
Spoiler
poor young Meggie's hopes of snagging Baron Dexter Hardison for herself were so rudely dashed.Spoiler
In his need to rescue his obviously feather-brained wife from unintentional porpoise-motivated suicide...And then in Chapter Seven, the
Spoiler
first sexual encounter between Dexter and Charlotte was so well-written it actually made me sigh in delight. *sigh*This great day of reading was capped off by the spying portion of the story really taking off. There's really nothing I like more in my fiction than a combination of intrigue and romance. Between that and Dexter and Charlotte's "escalating war of endearments," I was highly entertained.
On my third night with this book, I was so engrossed in the story I couldn't put it down to go to sleep. First
Spoiler
Charlotte flew off to Paris to complete the primary purpose of her mission in France. While Dexter worried for her, I worried with him. Then later Dexter was kidnapped and Charlotte was worried for him, with me worrying for him right along with her! I certainly couldn't sleep when two characters I'd come to care for so much were in such peril!! :)I'm still not sure if the beginning was really a bit slow or if it was purely my mood that was responsible for my lackluster feelings for this story, but I do know that even if it was slow, my mood played into it. I can say this because I don't usually feel that way about books I've just begun, especially when I'm not even 50 pages into a 300 page book.
However, the fact remains that my initial impression was that the beginning was slow and I was easily distracted from it (never a good sign). For this reason, I have docked a half-star from what would otherwise have been a five star book for me.
By the end, though, I was thoroughly in love with this story. I am going to have to buy it so I can reread the parts I mentioned above and the rest again and again. It turned out to be a great story and I'm very glad I picked it up on that second day to see how it went. :)