The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross + The Strange Case of Finley Jane

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 78

(Released: May 1, 2011)

 

From the Cover:

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. 

Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles.

Finley Jayne is a strange girl, "unnatural" she's been called. She seems to see more, hear more, and she's stronger than she should be. But, when she's hired as a companion to young Phoebe, she need every bit of that "extra" she has if she's going to save her.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is the prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset, and it's a free read on various sites @ Harlequin, Amazon, and B&N. The title is a fun play on the masterpiece, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because there are two Finleys, the one that stays out of trouble (mostly) and the one that keeps getting her into it up to her neck. In this case, Finley needs to discover why a man more than double the age of his fiance wants the young woman, and it may be for a nefarious, grotesque desire. YA lovers of all kinds will want to give this steampunk novella a try, it's a taste of Ms. Cross's The Steampunk Chronicles world, and a most excellent world it is. 4 out of 5 fairy kisses for this reader.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 474

 (Released: May 24, 2011)

From the Cover:

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the thing inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch.

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help and finally be a part of something, finally fit in. 

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.

Finley Jayne is once again up to her neck in trouble. She's had to runaway from her position as a lady's maid for taking the young lord of the manor to task for attempting to force himself upon her. Young Lord August-Raynes finds out just what can happen when the object of his desire doesn't want his illicit desire, and it's not anything he's anticipating.


The Duke of Greythorne, Griff to his friends, stumble upon Finley Jayne in her attempt to escape..well he actually runs her down. But, when he sees the young girl, instead of calling the authorities and bringing unwanted attention, (his velocycle has...modifications), he brings her home with him. Finley Jayne isn't what anyone is expecting.


Sam, Em, Jasper, and Lady Cordelia don't know what to make of the girl who can carry twice her weight, who seems to have two personalities, and who doesn't seem to like them all that much (at least part of her doesn't), they don't trust her at all. But, Griff won't have it any other way, because deep down, he feels a connection to Jayne, and he needs to find out why. Maybe it can help lead him to the murderers of his parents.


The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross is the first full book in the Steampunk Chronicles, and it lives up to being the start of a new series plus so much more. In this story, Griff, Duke of Greythorne has lost his parents in a freak accident. Unbeknownst to Griff or Finley, their parents knew each other, were collaborators, and Finley's father lost his life because of it. They find their lives intertwined by fate. Finley has always felt like an outcast and that leads her to trouble. And where ever trouble finds Finley, her alter ego take over. While Finley feels herself drawn to Griff (who is a Duke and no way is she a Duchess), her alter ego is attracted to the seedier criminal type, a Lord in his domain. The true fly in the ointment is Lady Cordelia who knows more than she's saying, and who's husband is missing. She doesn't trust or like Finley, and she has her own set of abilities that allows her to take a trip through Finley's mind, which brings Finley's alter ego into the picture, more than powerful in her own right. Can Finley blend the two halves of her personality? Does she want to?


The Girl in the Steel Corset is a must read book for YA lovers, especially those who enjoy Steampuck, which is sort of a new genre for me. I was impressed by the world building skills of Ms. Cross, her attention to detail, and her ability to weave a story that totally knocked my socks off. I'll be eagerly waiting for the next in the Steampuck Chronicles, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, which should take up where this one leaves off. Jasper, American cowboy and almost romantic hero, is arrested at Duke Greythorne's estate by none other than the secret service. Can he face his own demons? I absolutely loved this book, and I will snap up the continuing story. Excellent reading for those who love adventure, a new world, and strange new happenings. Five out of five fairy kisses for this reader.

  

I received by ebook from NetGalley and Harlequin for review. All opinions expressed are my own.