Set in an alternate Victorian era, this book was part steampunk, at times humorous and part adventure. But the characters didn’t really do anything for me.

Overall, there’s A LOT going on in this one. The initial plot spun off into something completely different. Constance is both intelligent but completely hard headed and doesn’t take advice. Our villain of the piece seems to be pretty one dimensional. The twist regarding the characters at the end of the book almost felt unnecessary and to me was one of many reasons why Constance and Trusdale just don’t work as romantic partners for me.

I’m sure others will like this more than I did, but I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

Ms Chatsworth, whom I virtually met on Litsy ages ago, knows how to write, and the ARC I read clearly showed all the hard work she has put into the book. It was relaxing to read something that had a well thought through timeline and plot, AND there were no inconsistencies whatsoever – something to bring out the champagne for, actually.

What’s the story about? The story is about Constance Haltwhistle, daughter of a baron who’s been absent from his estate for ages, and arms dealer to a company called Steamwerks. And Mr Trusdale, a Stetson wearing American who is and is not the person he pretends to be.

Although Constance lives in an alternate Steampunk Victorian age, she still can’t inherit her father’s estate. Since her father has been absent for a very long time, her uncle is threatening to seize the estate from under Constances bustle, if she can’t manage to snag a decent husband within the next week.

Her coming out ball is a big success until the three exo-suits that were meant as pure decoration start moving seemingly on their own accord and abduct three scientist friends of Constance’s. That’s when Constance decides that, although she is on the planning committee for the royal visit of the Queen, taking place in a few days, and actively looking for a husband, she needs to rescue her friends at all costs.

Aided by the cowboy Mr Trusdale, her coach man and her butler, Constance is on a mission to bring her big plan of rescuing her friends to fruition. Which means, the reader may settle in for a mad-cap ride through a well-designed and thoroughly thought out world-building with weirdly funny characters and excellent pacing.

DNF. Not really my cup of tea, though I'm sure others will like it. I found it too action oriented, without much character development. I honestly thought at the beginning that I was reading the 2nd book of a series because there was a lot of backstory just dumped on the reader, in the way a 2nd book might remind readers of what happened in the first. But no, not the case. The characters are 2 dimensional, and it's just action scene after action scene with many descriptions of steampunk tech, some of which was fun but others? A carriage that has a built in breakfast cooking... apparatus? Meh.

Featuring a ruthless and deceptive cast of characters, set in the cutthroat world of the upper-class in a steampunk Victorian England, The Brass Queen is must read gaslamp fantasy. Full of witty banter and social faux-pas, you'll swoon you'll laugh out loud, you won't regret picking up this book.

3.5 stars

In this reimagining of Victorian England, a witty and unconventional young girl has to find a husband. Soon, otherwise her family's entire fortune goes to her detestable uncle. A chance encounter with a rugged american cowboy will unravel a conspiracy to depose the Queen herself.
I feel this book could have benefited from more editing, but the story is solid, the characters compelling, and the worldbuilding intriguing.

The writing - ⭐⭐
The story - ⭐⭐
Overall - ⭐⭐

This was my first time reading a Steampunk novel, and it could well now be my last. My hope is that this was just a poor choice for an introduction, because I couldn't even finish this one.

The main character is incredibly unlikeable, unbearably unlikeable and it made reading this an absolute slog, the style of writing is also not great, so I gave up pretty quickly.

The Brass Queen is a multifaceted book with lots of character. From the ridiculous speeches the main character gives, to her bravery, her confidence and her intelligence. While situations depicted in the book are not entirely realistic, it made for a great read.

It is a lovely mix of fantasy, history, romance and Tech. The Brass Queen has a rather fresh view of Tech and it's possibilities as well as male/female relationship dynamics.

A great read.

A clever, atmospheric mystery full of fun and romance that keeps you enthralled until the very last page!

The Brass Queen is a steampunk romance in the style of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate. Elizabeth Chatsworth writes with a frenetic pace, introducing new concepts on practically every page up until the last one. This breakneck style might work for many readers, but we found ourselves longing for a low-key, quiet scene to catch our breaths.

The plot: it's absolutely ludicrous - at its heart it involves an inheritance issue that requires our main character, Constance Haltwhistle, to marry by the end of the week in order to retain her ancestral holdings. However it grows tangentially to include an attempt on Queen Victoria's life with side stops in "the multiverse," illegal arms dealing, Scandinavian and American spies, and the strangest polo match you'll ever read. Convoluted and ridiculous plots aren't always a deal breaker, but they must be matched by strong storytelling in other parts of the novel.

The characters: they are all drawn in the broadest of strokes. Constance is hardheaded, aristocratic, intelligent, and beautiful. She takes no shit but also takes no advice, either. Truesdale (first name in question) is American - and if you've read steampunk or historical romance, you know what that means: he's convinced of his own infallibility, doesn't care about social conventions, is supremely competent at his job, and is super patriotic. Finally our villain is so ridiculously villainous that he's not content only to hatch a plot to depose the queen - he also has his former lovers (and their new lovers) killed, backstabs all of his allies, and can't wait to debauch Constance before he kills her.

The politics: this is perhaps the portion of the book that was most confusing. Victoria's British Empire is parodied as a structure in place simply to bring the best of the world's food to Britain. Constance is a gifted weapons maker who sells her creations to the highest bidder and doesn't seem to make the connection between the constant worldwide conflict and the product she provides. Trusdale is out to save America, but once he realizes that Britain is no threat, he has no care for the rest of the world. And of course, the fact that there are multiverses out there that could destabilize reality added the threat of total annihilation on top of everything. We were not sure how we were meant to feel about these issues. Was Constance a moral person at heart? Is Victoria's empire a stabilizing force in the world? Although enjoyable, it was also nonsensical to the point of detracting from the story.

All of these points aside, if you are a fan of the OTT Steampunk AU, you'll probably enjoy checking this one out.

This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley and and CamCat Publishing.

I feel that I really should have liked this book much more than I did. It has so many raving reviews I was so excited to read it. Maybe the humor just isn't my style. I also didn't like Constance Haltwhistle at all. she was rude, condescending, and had no people skills what so ever. She runs all over Trusdale, has him arrested for no reason then blackmails him. His response is to just roll over and take it, I just think this book wasn't for me.

The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth is an excellent historical fiction/science fiction/romance/fantasy novel that gives the Steampunk genre a whole new gleam and shimmer.

I loved all of the facets that this book possessed: action, adventure, fantasy, romance, complex and fascinating characters, a great plot, and is a great book all around. It was fun, addicting, playful, sassy, and serious all at the same time.

This is a new author for me, as well as a dabble into a genre that I am only just starting to really get into and enjoy. A lot of other books have quite a bit to live up to after reading this one, however. I was thoroughly engrossed with this story and loved the interplay, chemistry, banter, and wit between Miss Constance Haltwhistle and J. F. Trusdale.

I was surprised when I finished this book in less then two days...that is most certainly a compliment. If you are looking for a great and epic adventure, you need to read this one.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and CamCat Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/12/21.

3 stars

This was a pretty good read for me!

This book has a rich backdrop and plenty of action throughout the story. The action is well-paced and I liked the course of where the book took us throughout this unified mission. The characters as well were perfect; I love Cosntace and how she deals with these missions and how she contrasts with J.F's brooding and dark personality.

Some cons were that I wanted MORE MORE MORE chemistry with Constance and J. F. If the chemistry was amped up I could have given it a four-star and been extremely happy, but alas the chemistry went flat. The dialogue was great but if we just had more it would have really taken it to the next level. As well it was really hard to immerse myself into the steampunk world; it would have been much easier to digest and read if Chatsworth gave more particular scenery details and overall information about this world because if really didn't seem formed.

Overall not a bad read at all and I will be keeping an eye out for more of Chatsworth's work.

this was a lot of fun to read, it had what I was looking for in a steampunk series and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and their world.

The Brass Queen is a delightful, fun, madcap steampunk adventure, and I enjoyed it enormously! It's escapism in the purest sense of the word, which is exactly what I wanted to read right now. The plot threads overlap and tangle wildly, with fast-moving technicolor hijinks in every chapter. It also doesn't take itself too seriously, encouraging the reader to kick back and enjoy the ride. It's 400 pages long, but I absolutely whipped through it in a weekend.

I'd describe this book as Penny Dreadful meets Scooby-Doo on a dirigible (which is a set of words I frankly never thought I'd use consecutively).

If you're in the mood for a steampunk spree involving invisible assassins, Murder Polo, sky pirates, and a brief appearance by the kraken, you will absolutely eat this up.

I had fun reading this. The first two or so chapters were a touch slow but once I got into it the pages flew by. It was a bit silly but that’s okay! There was Action! Adventure! Romance! It probably wouldn’t surprise you oh gentle reader to know the heroine was suitably spirited and the mysterious stranger with the chiseled jaw -despite his regrettable wardrobe turns out to perhaps be dashing. There is at least one cad to be found within as well!
I’d recommend this one for a light read you don’t need to take too seriously.

The Brass Queen is a first time read by Elizabeth Chatsworth, a new to me author. I typically do not read much steampunk or sci-fi fantasy romances but have in the past and thought this one might be very interesting to read.

Miss Constance Haltwhistle, heroine who believes everything is about her. She believes only in herself and doesn’t care about others and their feelings. In the beginning of the story, I found it very hard to believe that she could be the beauty that would have men lining up when she has characteristics mentioned above. However, when J.F. Trusdale, an American spy enters the scene, the dynamics of the story changes for both characters. There is quite a bit of banter between the H/h that I love which makes for a good start to the romantic relationship between the two. Although the story has its ups and downs, it kept my interest and turned out to be a light-hearted and entertaining story. The characters are loveable in their own way that also makes this book a humorous and adventurous delight.

Thank you Netgalley and CamCat Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed are completely my own.

Set in an alternate Victorian England, The Brass Queen is the alias of Constance Haltwhistle, a curvaceous, bullheaded aristocrat who secretly fills her family estate's coffers by inventing and dealing in arms. Constance has a problem. Her uncle is out to have her father declared dead so he can destroy everything that was ever his...including Constance. As her father is living happily in an alternate dimension and refusing to return home, Constance's only means of defense is to meet and marry someone suitable bey the end of the week...
Enter Trusdale, a handsome American spy trying to find out what happened to his brother, whilst pretending to be said brother in order to gain entry to the Steamwerks, Queen Victoria's factory for maintaining and expanding her global empire. Throw in a megalomaniac royal with aspirations to gain the British throne by evil means, an entourage of faithful but quirky family servants, a group of invisible assassins, and enough steam powered inventions to fill a museum, and you have one lighthearted romp of a book.

My problem with this one was simple. In a romance (and this has such a strong romance subplot that it is arguably a romance), I need to believe in the attractiveness of both parties in order to buy in. And I found the heroine of this one very unattractive.

At one point, the hero says, "I don't know why men aren't lining up around the block to marry her," and I thought, "Oh, I do."

She's high-handed, hot-headed, self-centred, and has no people skills whatsoever, possibly because she believes everything is about her, and so doesn't bother to consider what other people might be thinking and feeling. Also, though this wouldn't put off the noblemen she hopes will marry her, since they share the quality, she's severely overprivileged. And finally, though at this point the hero and the noblemen don't know this (the reader does), she's an arms trader who has no hesitation selling weapons, legally or otherwise, to criminals, imperialists and despots. This is more because she doesn't think about how they will be used than because she thinks about it and doesn't care, but that doesn't exactly make up for it.

Queen Victoria is one of the aforementioned despots, by the way, having (in a development that seems highly unlikely for anyone who knows much British history) dismissed Parliament so that she can rule uninhibited. Several characters we're supposed to sympathize with, including the heroine, are in effect propping up her despotic and dystopian rule and helping her to conquer other nations.

Steampunk is prone to bad copy editing, for some reason. Since I got a pre-publication version via Netgalley I won't say much about this, except that I hope there's another round of copy editing before it's published. It's already better than a lot I've seen, but that's a sadly low bar. I'd expected a better starting point from someone with an English literature degree, frankly.

I'd also expected fewer obvious Americanisms in the POV of the British characters from someone born in the UK, but there we are. Perhaps they're deliberately translated for a US audience.

Leaving all of these problems aside - which is difficult - there were good aspects. There are genuinely funny moments (though cruelty and despotism played for laughs didn't get any from me). There are thrilling action scenes. The hero, if possibly a bit underdeveloped, is a decent guy.

Overall, though, I just couldn't stand the heroine.

This is perhaps the hardest book to review that I have ever read. The description of this book sounded interesting to me. I have never read another steam punk novel before, thus, this was a unique experience for me. The first few chapters held enough mystery and intrigue to keep me captivated. However the story soon became a little dull and lifeless. However at about the 30% mark of the book, things once again picked up. Even through the parts that were not to my liking I was strangely hooked. And I kept picking the book up shortly after closing it, in order to find out what happened next. The characters were quite well done. While I am sure everyone will focus on the main characters (which were well written), the stars of this book for me were the servants. They were very well thought out and they each had very interesting outlooks that made the story much better in my opinion. While this book had its highs and lows for me, the ending was simply splendid. In fact the ending was so good, that it really helped enhance the overall impression that the book left with me. All in all, this was a very interesting and entertaining read. I would definitely consider reading a sequel to this book if the author chooses to make the Brass Queen into a series.

I wasn’t a big fan of this story. In the beginning I thought it was going to be a great adventure steeped in mystery but overall, it just felt quite silly. I did not love the main characters. I thought they had no real connection. I also did not enjoy the way the historical elements and the steampunk elements meshed. It didn’t feel very natural. The writing was nice. At times I felt like maybe the goal of the book was to be funny. I guess it was just not my kind of book.