Forged by Desire

Starred review from July 14, 2014
McMaster’s fourth Steampunk London novel (after My Lady Quicksilver) once again captivates readers with evocative and sensual imagery with exquisite descriptions of life in a lush and intoxicating alternate Victorian London. Perry Lowell was once a thrall, a human blood slave to a member of the vampiric aristocracy known as the Echelon. She escaped her captor and found safety in employment as a Nighthawk guard. A female Nighthawk is rare, but Perry insists that everyone ignore her gender. Nonetheless, Garrett Reed, her partner, finds her staggeringly attractive. When two of the Echelon’s debutantes are murdered, Perry is struck by strange recollections of her past. As more macabre discoveries are made, Perry starts to wonder whether they are connected to the horrors she suffered. McMaster outdoes herself with this strong installment. The heady romance and dark suspense keep the pages turning, and a cliffhanger finale sets the stage for book five.

Starred review from September 15, 2014
McMaster continues her wonderfully intriguing, genre-blending vampire romance London Steampunk series (My Lady Quicksilver, 2013). Until they shared an unexpected kiss, Garrett Reed never thought of his partner, Perry, as a woman. He always saw her as another Nighthawk tasked with policing the dark corners of London and maintaining order for the blue bloods of the Echelon. Now all Garrett can think about is what it would be like if he and Perry did more than just kiss, which makes working with her on their latest case extremely difficult. The bodies of two young ladies have just been discovered in the only currently working blood factory in the city, and as the new Master of the Guild of Nighthawks, Garrett is being pressured to find the killer as quickly as possible. Of course, if Garrett were to discover Perry's connection to the murderer, it could either help him close the case quickly or make things even more complicated between them. McMaster has created another riveting mix of imaginative world building, danger-fueled plotting, and sensual romance that is guaranteed to hook readers. This is also an excellent readers' advisory crossover suggestion for those who have fallen under the spell of the television show Penny Dreadful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)