Review: My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster
Series: London Steampunk #3
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Published on: October 1, 2013
Genres: Steampunk
Pages: 448
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley

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Determined to destroy the Echelon she despises, Rosalind Fairchild is on seemingly easy mission. Get in. Uncover the secrets of her brother's disappearance. And get out.

In order to infiltrate the Nighthawks and find their leader, Sir Jasper Lynch, Rosalind will pose as their secretary. But she doesn't count on Lynch being such a dangerously charismatic man, challenging her at every turn, forcing her to re-evaluate everything she knows about the enemy.

He could be her most dangerous nemesis—or the ally she never dreamed existed.

I thoroughly enjoyed My Lady Quicksilver as a stand-alone novel but it didn’t really feel like it belonged with the rest of Bec McMaster’s London Steampunk series. The characters from the previous books are scarcely referenced, the tone is more Historical than it is Steampunk and the writing wasn’t quite as solid. Other than a few small plot threads, the main story arc was practically absent which made this installment feel somewhat unecessary. Lynch and Rosalind’s tale is one that deserved to be told but I think My Lady Quicksilver would have made a better novella than it did a full-length novel.

It took me a couple of chapters to get my bearings in London Steampunk; even though the scenery hasn’t changed, the characters have. Everything revolves around hierarchy in this universe, so new protagonists mean new tiers. In this book, McMaster takes readers inside the Nighthawk ranks and also gives us a more in depth look at the inner workings of the underground Humanists movement. I typically expect more action than world-building in a third installment but this novel was the opposite and as a result, I had to resist skimming some of the overly descriptive sections. I hate to say this but a lot of this novel felt like filler.

This book has an interesting twist on the classic love triangle because Lynch falls for the same women twice which made his feelings of guilt over kissing another woman rather comical. Rosalind’s jealously regarding Jasper cheating on her with, well her, was equally chuckle-worthy. There are several sides to every character but I especially liked how McMaster took this literally with her female heroine’s multiple identities.

The chemistry between Lynch and Rosalind is magnetic. I loved that he was first attracted to her mysterious Mercury persona but fell for her on a deeper level as he got to know her as his secretary. I enjoyed their witty dialogue exchanges in the Nighthawks’ offices and I had to stifle a laugh when Fairchild broke into his loft to clean because it sounds like something I would do! The build-up to their horizontal dance was excruciatingly (and deliciously) long but when they finally do the deed, the sparks more than make-up for the extended sexual torture.

My Lady Quicksilver was my least favourite installment to date but that being said, this story is still far superior to your average Paranormal Romance thanks to McMaster’s knack for writing love stories and her playful sense of humour. I can’t wait to see where this series goes from here.

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