Devil on a Sparrow's Wing (The Viridis Series) [Kindle Edition]

Calista Taylor (Author)

Book Description

With London on the verge of revolution, Phoebe follows her husband, Seth, and their dear friend, Gavin, to Edinburgh in order to barter with Scotland's Am Freiceadan.

Famous for her herbal elixirs, Phoebe offers her newest drink, Sanctis, in exchange for weapons and men to help the Cause, a movement trying to end the suffering of the poor and a revolution the Secret Service are determined to put an end to it. But all goes terribly wrong when Seth is caught in an explosion, and believed to be dead.

Distraught with grief, Phoebe barely survives his death, but pregnant with Seth's child, Gavin helps her through her darkest days, their friendship turning to love.

However, Seth is not dead. Kidnapped by the Secret Service, Seth is forced to work on a tinkering capable of destroying the revolution and thousands of lives in its wake.

*This is book 2 in the Viridis series, though it can stand on its own.*


 Also by Calista Taylor, Jack - A Grim Reaper Romance is now available.

Product Details

• File Size: 644 KB
• Print Length: 339 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0062TDI2K
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,244 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! November 6, 2011

By Jennifer McMillan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Calista is a wonderfully creative writer. Her books are like none that I have read. She keeps me enaged until the end. It does help if you read Viridis first, but like the description says, this book can also stand alone. I will have to patiently wait until 2012 for the next book in the series to be released. You can bet I will be one of the first readers to purchase the new book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Devil on a Sparrow's Wing February 13, 2013

By Jenny

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is my first review, so bear with me.
You hear a lot of people in reviews say things like "I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it." Well . . . this book sort of had the opposite effect on me, as did the first one. There were a lot of things wrong with this book. Things that would normally make me stop reading and gripe all day about how bad it is. But for some reason, I just couldn't turn away

It's mostly because of the romance. I thought the setting was cool even though the actual "steampunk" aspect can get really cheesy sometimes. . . okay most of the time(fuse guns, really?). But the characters are great and I really got into the romance between the main characters in the first book. So when I saw the description for this book which said that Seth disappears and Phoebe falls for Gavin, I was like "Oh heck no!" I avoided the book for a while, but it kept nagging at me so I eventually broke down and bought it with a "Fine! I'll read it but I'm not going to be happy about it" attitude.

The thing is, I really wanted to hate this book. The repetition got on my nerves, I don't particularly like the writing style, and like I said the steampunk is kind of cheesy.

But that dang romance! Let me just say: I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES! Most of the time they suck and I do everything I can to avoid them. But there's something about this one that is just really compelling. I think it has to do with the fact that it seemed to be the natural thing for these characters to do. Usually love triangles are contrived and lame, but this one was actually believable.

The backdrop of the revolution was enough to carry the story forward, while still being mostly about the romance. However, I would have liked to see more of it. As well as more pirates.... MORE PIRATES!!! I think she passed up on a few opportunities to do some really cool things. I hope she makes up for it in the next one.
The ending made me really angry, but in a good way. In a "I'm pulling my hair out and freaking out for the next one" kind of way.

So basically, I liked it for the love story despite it's lameness. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been more steampunk, less romance June 9, 2012

By Sara

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Since the first book kept me hooked, despite all annoyances, I continued with book two. This book became even more repetitive than than the first, leaving a lot of steampunk and background story behind, to focus mostly on the romantic developments. Due to how the story evolves, it suddenly takes big leaps in time, touching down on scenes that are very the same.
Some phrases appear over and over again, like "ye ken that I love ye", "ye ken I dinna mean that", and "I just want to keep ye safe" - making me feel that the characters and the story doesn't evolve but goes around in circles.
I normally read fantasy, where romance is just one element among several others, so all the focus here on the emotional going-throughs for the main characters reminded me of Twilight and other fiction written for young women. So I finished the book in hope of getting to know more about the steampunk-victorian-revolution in the story, but it was a bit in vain. I guess I will read the next book when it is published, since I am eager to see how the story ends, but I really hope the steampunk gets a brush-up in the next.

Annoyingly many type errors too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Devil on a Sparrow's Wing April 12, 2012

By Westie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Can't wait for the 3rd book in the series to be released, great follow on, well written story, with various plots to keep the interest alive throughout.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't, just don't August 28, 2012

By Debbie Hinckley

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I would have given this book half a star if possible. The world is wonderful. There are air ship pirates. Really, how can you mess up something that has such potential? Well, make a poorly formed lover's triangle, cripple your strong willed female lead by taking away her ability to make a choice and sprinkle in so many repeated phrases of "Ye ken that I love ye" and such and that's how you take a book's potential away from it. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind books in which a female lead has multiple partners. Go go sexual liberation. Just, if you're going to have your main character switching back and forth between love interests faster than a strobe light at a rave... you might want to give her a better reason than she just can't help herself and wishes she could pick just one guy but simply lacks the ability to do so. Pfft. I tried reading this all the way through. I made myself read and read and read. Out of all the crap books that I've crossed paths with, and I read a dozen or so books a month, this is the one book that I just couldn't make myself finish. Between the played up accents, the main character who couldn't make up her mind, the barely there plot, and over used phrases that were tired as soon as they were uttered, there was so much garp that even the airship pirates couldn't make this any better.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Tale! November 20, 2011

By JFraser

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Loved it! Devil on a Sparrow's Wing follows more of Phoebe's adventures in Steampunk London. Independent, passionate Phoebe and brilliant tinkerer Seth are trying to help the poor of England, and rebellion is approaching. Gavin, Seth's Scottish pal, has a large part in this new book - he's a fabulous character. And that accent? You're going to love it!

Phoebe has developed another herbal - Sanctis - which enhances the senses in a way that will give the rebels a distinct advantage. I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but the story takes some twists that you will NOT see coming. You know you're in for adventure when, within the first few pages, Seth gives Phoebe a leather corset he's designed to withstand attacks by fuse guns, pistols and knives!

Calista isn't afraid to let the characters take the lead. You'll be cheering for Phoebe, Seth and Gavin and your heart will be pulled right into their story. It's an incredible tale!

More About the Author

Calista Taylor is an agented author of steampunk/gaslight romance and non-fiction, with a steampunk romance series currently available, and a steampunk clothing craft book due out in May 2012. She lives in New England with her husband, her two girls, an ancient cat and a crazy dog.

When not running things over with a sewing machine or lacing herself into a corset, Calista can be found tapping away on her laptop, tormenting her characters, and riddling the streets of Victorian London with dead bodies and heaving bosoms.

She's also a creative cook who can't follow recipes, a versatile crafter, and a happy geek.