I confess until now I'd only seen steampunk in movies: this is my first experience reading a steampunk novel! It was so much fun! The author has a clean, clear voice for humor and intrigue. Her descriptions and settings are first rate: I was immediately transported to the whirling life of the Brass Queen! The pace is crisp and I never wanted to put it down. Everything from the title to the last line was spot on for me. I look forward to her next adventure!

The Brass Queen is a fantastical, fun adventure into an alternate Victorian timeline. In 1897 Yorkshire, Miss Constance Haltwhistle is the last in a line of blue-blooded rogues. After her father absconds to another dimension, she's left to keep her ancient family estate running by any means possible. This includes inventing and selling illegal ray-guns and blunderbusses on the black market. As unscrupulous relatives move in to try and take Constance's family estate, an archaic law that requires a single woman to marry to hold onto property kicks in. Fiercely independent Constance is forced to host her own coming-out-ball to find a noble husband who will marry her within three days!

Enter US Spy, Trusdale, an almost-handsome cowboy and a rogue in his own right. The two are thrown together in a madcap search for missing scientists, an invisibility serum, and a villainous royal who's plotting the start the war to end all wars. Whip-smart banter, uproarious comedy, and all the best in Anglo-American misunderstandings ensue. It's fast-paced, funny, and filled to the brim with quirky characters and settings. I loved everything about this novel. I hope this is just the start of Constance and Trusdale's shenanigans!

The Brass Queen is a delightful romp through a Steam Punk world. Elizabeth Chatsworth, author, keeps the pace moving as Miss Constance Haltwhistle, inventor, warrior, liar, and very proper Victorian Miss, meets her match in dashing American, cowboy, spy, Trusdale, who has secrets of his own. I highly recommend The Brass Queen for the story, the word-play, and the sheer delight. Well done.