A Spoonful of Gunpowder

I absolutely loved this book! Katherine H. Brown creates a marvelous alternate London set in the Victorian period, and it's a good representation of the steampunk genre. There are hat tips to Mary Poppins everywhere, from Anna-Marie's souped-up umbrella to Bert, the amiable coal deliveryman, and so many more.

Anna-Marie was a very likable protagonist. She cares about the girls she left behind at the orphan home and wants better for them. She uses her common sense to solve problems, and she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty (literally or figuratively). She doesn't shy away from difficult situations, and she's teaching the girls in her charge to do likewise.

Anna-Marie's attraction to Captain Ambrose Banks, and his to her, is delightful. Ambrose's general attitude toward life is so joyful, Anna-Marie can't help but warm to it. But if she wants to gain her freedom from Uncle Ernest's employ, she'll have to find a way to do one last job for him. Can she complete the task and find unexpected happiness with an unexpected man? Read and find out!

The orphan girls – I want to hug them all and feed them and give them a safe place to live. Brown pens a realistic portrayal of the hard lives they led in 19th-century London, and the jobs they might find themselves pressed into with no family to be concerned about them. It wasn't pretty, even in an alternate universe.

The ending of the book makes it clear that this is not the end of the story. Things aren't tied up in a tidy package, so if loose ends damage your calm, you'd best brace yourself. I, however, am here for it. The cliffhanger ending has me clamoring for more!

A Spoonful of Gunpowder is an engaging story and a great start to a new series. Five stars from me!

Disclaimer: Thanks to BookSirens and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.