Nefertiti's Heart

Cara is a young woman who has returned to London after 7 years of exile, upon the death of her abusive father. As a child, Cara was given to a lord who beat and raped her,until she managed to escape his grasp. Cara returns with the intention of selling off her father's priceless artifacts, forcing her to enter into a business contract with Nathaniel, a rich and handsome underworld lord. In exchange for his help, she gives him the right to touch her ((wtf tho....? Really??)). In he meantime, gruesome murders shake the capital, sending Cara on a hunt for a missing artifact, and a killer.

Well now, this wasn't what I expected. At all. The premise said this would be a steampunk murder-mystery adventure.... and I got a vaguely steampunk romance/erotica with a tiny mystery in the background. I think the author was a little bit confused as to what the subject of her book was.

STEAMPUNK?
The steampunk elements were overused and unoriginal and didn't add to the story. I think it's rather unfair to put this book in the steampunk category. Also, can I take a moment to comment on how every new scene featuring Cara, described her clothing for the day? These descriptions weren't even clear early woven in the story, nope. The author just straight out wrote “today, she wore a corset that accentuated all of her curves” ((well yes, that's what corsets tend to do... just sayin')).

STRONG FEMALE COUGH
Apparently our protagonist is a “strong woman” and “kick-ass”, when in fact the only thing our young lady does is carry guns and knives, without ever using them (granted, she does once in the opening chapter). Oh and, she likes to box, and beats up a guy in a fight. I'm sorry, that doesn't make her a strong female character.

UNREALISTIC RECOVERY?
I'm sorry, I didn't believe Cara's emotional/physical recovery. I honestly don't believe that a woman, who spent her childhood being beaten and raped, would barter her body in a business proposition. Nate's stalking and physical advances would be too much to bear for an abused woman.

MURDER-MYSTERY
Predictable, mildly interesting. It could have been much better if it had been the central point in the story (rather than Cara's sex life). I liked the inspector, he was promising but sadly, didn't have much ‘screen time', in favour of our swoon pirate/lord/mobster male lead.

All in all, the premise was really interesting and promising but the book fell short. There were too many elements in the story that didn't blend in well together. The different elements weren't cohesive and had me wondering what the actual plot was. The relationship between Nate and Cara was weird and unrealistic, I didn't believe their (mostly Cara's) evolution.

2 stars, given for the few good moments in the story.