Romancing the Inventor is set later in the Parasol Protectorate series and brings a love story for the complicated Madame Lefoux, the French inventor. Though not the first lesbian romance to which Carriger has introduced, this is the first time it has been the focus of the story.
The tale is from the perspective of Imogene, a country maid who takes a job at the hive both for much needed wages as well as a goal of perhaps finding others who like herself share a same sex interest. Carriger does carefully frames the challenges a village woman with little power in the Victorian era might have had in finding a lover of her own preference.
Once at the hive, Imogene comes across Genevieve Lefoux and over a number of months their flirtations grow to something far deeper. Class differences are noted by Imogene, who feels overwhelmed at how far apart they are socially and there is a nod to the above/below stairs divide that may appeal to fans of Downton Abbey.
Several aspects worked quite well in this book. Despite the brevity of the story, time passed. This was not a three week romance one often finds in shorter stories, nor was there an unreasonable number of years going by. Instead a few weeks passed here and there, long enough for the heroines to actually get to know each other--not just fall madly into bed.
Imogene was an active heroine. There were aspects that were out of her control and the resplendent Lady Maccon charges in to save the day at one particularly frightening moment but overall, Imogene does her best to hold her own and act on her interests. At the beginning she displayed a combination of heroine worship and puppy love that could have made her unbearably sweet but Carriger develops the character to be more active and complex and therefore more suitable counterpart to Lefoux.
While I'm not much of one for reading sex scenes, the ones in this story were much better than what was in the last story. It was sweeter and consensual desire and affection was apparent. While Genevieve was resisting, it was out of emotional self-protection.
There were a few minor quibbles. Imogene's family is mentioned several times at the beginning but then dropped rather cavalierly about 60% of the way through the book. Considering she is a primary source of income for them and a potential driving force for her work, this was a loose end flapping.
I also found it a litle odd that in a family with many children and a large amount of poverty, Imogene was only just going to work at age 28? Alexia was odd at 26 being a dedicated spinster in Soulless, it seemed almost impossible that a country girl would be unemployed, unmarried, not in the church, etc by two years older. Sexual violence is present in the book--though more as threat than activity, and I didn't care for Imogene later seeming to partially excuse it.
A final delightful aspect was seeing Major Channing a somewhat warmer light. One has the suspicion that Carriger has a romance planned for him and perhaps the relevation of a lost love as well. He was kind to Imogene and their interactions were heartfelt and comfortable.
Carriger is more confident in this second romance offering and returns with ease to Alexia's world, which will bring longtime readers along easily. Newer readers will notice the allusions to other characters and stories but these do not distract overall.
Overall, this is a charming addition to the canon.
Reviewed from an Advanced Reader Copy.
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![Romancing the Inventor: A Supernatural Society Novella by [Gail Carriger]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fsFsG1trL._SY346_.jpg)
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“Romancing the Inventor” (Supernatural Society #1) by Gail Carriger. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Steampunk LGBTQ+ Romance Novella. Location: An alternative England in the Parasolverse. Time: Summer of 1878, 2 years after “Timeless” (final Parasol Protectorate book). Note: I reference books from the Parasolverse, but this novella can be read as a stand-alone. And there’s a Glossary at the end if you aren’t a Parasolverse regular.--In a time when people traveled by dirigibles, and women wore long dresses and fancy hats to attract husbands, Imogene Hale stands out. As our dear author Gail says: “Imogene is allure damped by poverty, but not snuffed out.” Imogene is not only beautiful, but she prefers women to men- a dangerous desire in her tiny village. She takes a parlormaid position in the local vampire hive to escape the attentions of village men and hide her “shameful” secret. Luckily, she’s a daytime parlormaid so she rarely has to be around awake vampires.--Genevieve LeFoux is a French inventor who wears pants instead of dresses, and sometimes her inventions blow up. Her adopted son, Quesnel (“Custard Protocol” books) is away at university. Genevieve is indentured to the local vampire hive because of the chaos she created in London (“Changeless” book). Luckily, her status as an inventor means the vampires will use her to make them money rather than using her for food.--When Imogene falls for Genevieve, trouble erupts. It takes the help of Lady Maccon, her alpha werewolf husband and pack to sort it out. Because, as Gail puts it: “Vampires were not werewolves. Everyone knew the truth – werewolves were the real gentlemen, vampires only acted like gentlemen.”--Our awesome steampunk author did it again. This novella is sweet, slow-burning, funny, and makes some pertinent points about society. It will make you feel good about life in general. If you are a Parasol Protectorate newbie, you may end by finding all of Ms C’s books so you can read more about her steampunk universe! It’s 5 stars from me! 🌵📚👩🏼🦳.”
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Jess Gofton
F/F Fantasy of Manners done well
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 3, 2019neverwhere
Sexy science and fluffy female romance awaits in this delightful new entry in the Parasolverse!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 4, 2016Kindle Customer
Sweet romance between two women - enjoyable to read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 2, 2016Lolah
An excellent story brilliantly told in audiobook form. Contains F/F relationship and some violence
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 21, 2018
Mandy Ward
A wonderful addition to the Parasolaverse!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 24, 2017
