Romancing the Inventor

This novella serves as an epilogue to the Parasol Protectorate series, providing a much needed happy-ever-after for everyone's favourite snappily dressed inventor, Genevieve Lefoux.If you have read the Parasol Protectorate, this book provides some closure for Genevieve's story, which I must say had been left in an unsatisfying place at the end of the series - this was probably my only gripe with an otherwise brilliant series of books. This novella ties things up nicely.It also has a gloriously crazy-brilliant-“Yay!” scene with Alexia riding to the rescue, brandishing a parasol, on the back of a very wolfy Lord Maccon which is exceptionally satisfying.If you have not read the Parasol Protectorate and enjoy comedy, romance and the occasional treacle tart loving Victorian lady who can show a vampire what-for, I would strongly recommend reading this series first, starting with [b:Soulless 6381205 Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) Gail Carriger https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1314020848l/6381205.SY75.jpg 6569140]. If you have read the series - well, all I can say is that I am very happy I read this little extra book, it made an already great series even better.

This spin-off novella of the Parasol Protectorate series features (unlike those books) a working-class heroine. As the title indicates, it's a romance story, with the central character falling for Madame Lafoux when she takes up a maid's job at Countess Nadasdy's hive. The story is darker in places than the other related novellas I've read, playing up the menace of the vampires rather than their high-class manners - Lord Akeldama, for instance, is tangentially referred to, but isn't in this one.

Other than the vampires, it's a straightforward romance story without any big shocks, but it's entertaining and the perspective is slightly different from the usual. Part of the fun is seeing how it ties in with the larger series, with various guest characters turning up whose backstories the heroine knows nothing of, but a fan of the other books surely will. The sub-plots spun around the central romance do not distract from it, nor do they feel unfinished as in one of the other novellas I reviewed, and it's a fun, if slight, addition to the universe.

Totally adored getting to see Genevieve again and watching her become delightfully flustered over Imogene. However... Imogene's character could have worked better for me. She's a little self-sacrificing (though Genevieve might have needed just that) and much more NORMAL than I'm used to seeing from this author. That being said, the only thing that really dropped the rating to a ‘mere' four stars for me is the fact that we never get Genevieve's perspective. The entire story we are in Imogene's head and I would have loved to see/hear what Genevieve thought about the new lady in her life.

Review from my blog: https://athousandworldssite.wordpress.com/
Imogene is a little past her prime (long in the tooth, on the shelf, whatever you prefer) and her mother is starting to despair of every marrying her off. Imogene has had plenty of offers, plenty of men that want to marry her for she is uncommonly pretty. However, she is disinterested as she prefers women.

In an effort explore her preference, loose her innocence and figure out what's wrong with her, she decides to join the vampires. (As, rumor has it, they are perverted.) What she doesn't expect is to meet the lovely trouser wearing inventor indentured to the vampire hive, Genevieve Lefoux.

I'll be honest, the major reason I've been so excited for this story is because I have adored Genevieve since her first introduction in the story. I adore her, and her romance was a little disappointing because this entire story is told from Imogene's perspective. So, while we get plenty of moments of Genevieve appreciation, we also don't get inside her head. (We do get to see her flustered though, and that has made me want to run away with her even more.)

Imogene is a real character. She is an innocent, but her thoughts definitely aren't and, if she had her way, she wouldn't be an innocent any more (because a lot of her thought's are along the lines of ways to loose said innocence). She's fairly practical and down to earth, but has a distressingly low opinion of herself. She also suffers from being too pretty.

Now, I know a lot of people will say that's not a real flaw – and I agree that how it is usually done, it isn't. But here, it is. Because, much like real life stories, bad things happen to Imogene because of her looks. She's dismissed because someone pretty obviously cannot also be smart and, even worse, men want to take advantage of her because she is so pretty. Because of this, and her generally low station in society, some of the story is a little difficult.