Her Own Devices(Magnificent Devices 2)Publisher: Createspace, 2011Genre: YA Steampunk
Escaped lunatics, lost children, vengeful lords, and love. Really, the situation is becoming quite impossible.
Seventeen-year-old Lady Claire Trevelyan, left alone after the Arabian Bubble financial disaster claims home and family, now leads the cleverest gang in the London underworld. Between outwitting a rival gang, inventing a device that will net her and her scientist employer worldwide fame, and keeping her mother from marrying her off, she can almost forget that a powerful lord wants to get closer ... and if he succeeds, can destroy it all with a single word ...
Lady Claire Trevelyan took matters into her own hands after her family was ruined financially. Two months have passed since then, and now she’s known as the Lady of Devices, leader of a gang of smart orphans who she’s taken under her tutelage. Claire’s passion for engineering is strong and she has decided to ignore Lord James’s threats and accept Andrew Malvern’s offer of becoming his lab assistant. Work, the children, James’s advances and her mother’s schemes, all make for a very hectic life, but the Lady of Devices knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it.
Shelley Adina’s Her Own Devices grabbed me from page one and demanded to be read in one sitting!
Lady Claire has definitely stepped in and taken charge as a gang leader. This time around, Claire’s story has drive; she’s courageous and is more sure of herself and what she wants in life. She won’t let herself be cowed by Lord James, her mother, or any other insufferable person who thinks women have no place in the world. Busting out lunatics, manipulating people…now that’s the potential I knew Claire had. I couldn’t help but fume at every attempt her mother and James made to get Claire to settle down. They want her to get rid of the children! How cruel is that!?
I hated Lord James with a burning passion. He sees Claire’s extraordinary qualities and likes her for them, yet still believes women should be controlled! Whatever promises and agreements he makes with Claire, he breaks in the end. He just doesn’t deserve her. At all! Now Andrew is another story altogether. He’s kind and values Claire’s input every single time. Finally, Claire takes notice of him and realizes her mistake. Sadly, she can’t act on it because of a previous arrangement.
The story still doesn’t have as many steampunk elements as I would like, but those it has are marvelous. The landau is still my favorite and the chicken coop is hilarious. The major invention is one they’re trying to build and the plot revolves around this. I loved that another woman engineer comes into play to help. It motivates Clare’s goal of studying engineering one day.
The ending was a nice surprise! Claire might have ceded power for a second there, but she takes charge again. This time around she has help as she strikes out on another adventure. Now, Andrew’s letter just melted my brain. I can’t wait for book 3, Magnificent Devices!
Favorite Quotes:
~Claire~
“There is no point in being considered armed and dangerous if one cannot actually hit anything.”
~Andrew & Claire~
“Have I told you how pleased I am that you accepted my offer?”
“Not this morning.”
“I should make it a daily practice.”
~A little swoon~
“What leverage did you use on him?”
“Not at all. I merely stated what my goals were, which was to work for you so that you could provide a letter of reference for me, and to apply for the engineering program, beginning in the fall. I will need that letter by the end of the month, in case you are wondering.”
“And if I don’t give it to you?”
She leveled a long look at him. “Is my performance lacking in some way?”
“Of course not.”
“And my collaboration with Dr. Craig, is that not going to be of use to you?”
“You know it is.”
“Then why would you threaten me with such a thing?”
“Because—because, deuce take it—” He crossed the room in one stride, yanked her up against him, and—
Kissed her.
Desperately—deeply—
Ohhh.
