We're still within the 12 days of Christmas, aren't we? I mean, this is my last day of Christmas break (as is The Husband's and the kids) so I think I'm good in getting this review posted in the nick of time for the holiday season. Not that it really matters, because even though A Clockwork Christmas is billed as "A Steampunk Christmas Anthology," there isn't very much in the way of the yuletide in these four novellas that comprise this collection. Trust me when I say you're good to go if you want to read this in the middle of July.

A Clockwork Christmas does, however, deliver in regards to the steampunk elements - which I had to look up, being that I'm very new to the steampunk genre. I requested A Clockwork Christmas from NetGalley because I thought a Christmas-themed collection of novellas would be a good introduction to the genre as well as be a fun, entertaining book to read on my Kindle during our 6 hour drive (each way) to and from Philadelphia for the holidays. And that it absolutely was.

(For those who, like me, are unfamiliar with steampunk, here's how Wikipedia describes it: a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that involves a setting where steam power is used, most often in Victorian era Britain or the Wild West era of the United States. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians might have envisioned them, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architecture, etc.)

Now, there's an added element in A Clockwork Christmas that certain readers might want to know about beforehand and that bears mentioning. Carina Press is a publisher of romance novels - some of them on the steamy side, from some of the descriptions of ones I've seen - and the first two steampunk novellas (and even the fourth) in A Clockwork Christmas are definitely powered by that particular type of ... uh, steam. From what I understand and can gather from reading other reviews, this isn't typical of most steampunk works. (Or maybe it is. I don't know. I don't have enough experience with the genre, truthfully, but I do know that it is definitely present here. In great - sometimes, often graphic - detail.)

So, some readers may not appreciate that added romantic element. As for me? Well, that didn't bother me nor did it take away from my enjoyment of these four novellas.

Take Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail, the first novella in the anthology and my favorite of the four. This is the story of Cornelia, a beautiful professional thief who grew up knowing no other way of life and who keeps her physical and emotional scars hidden from anyone who tries to get close to her. When Roderick discovers that Cornelia has stolen a valuable (and sentimental) Faberge egg from him, he demands that she return it - or he'll make certain that she won't live to see Christmas Day. The tension between the two is delicious and makes for a fun and entertaining (and steamy!) story.

Then we have This Winter Heart, by PG Forte, which I also liked. Destitute, Ophelia has returned (from eastern Pennsylvania!) to her husband Dario's estate in the Wild West, after being away for eight years during the Civil War. (An interesting twist there: in this tale, the Civil War happens to have been won by the South.) Lia, as she is known, doesn't return alone; she arrives with her 8 year old son, whose father happens to be (you guessed it) the cad Dario. This comes as somewhat of a surprise to Dario, who believed Lia to be barren - and, because of her father's inventor interventions - inhuman as well. He treats her callously, refusing to admit that he once had feelings for her - and perhaps, still does.

Esme Smith is the protagonist of Wanted: One Scoundrel, Jenny Schwartz's novella about a suffragette in Australia who hires Jed Reeve ("a scoundrel") to promote her feminist agenda in the male social clubs that she's denied access to because she's a woman. I gotta say ... I loved Esme, who was my favorite of all the strong female lead characters presented here. I just adored her independence, smarts, and spunk in a time when women's voices were often silenced and that made Wanted: One Scoundrel a fun story to read. (Plus, there was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.) And while I liked the romance between Cornelia and Roderick in Crime Wave in a Corset, I really liked the relationship with Esme and Jed.

Finally, JK Coi's Far From Broken was a heartbreaking story about a accomplished ballerina who suffers a horrible crime as revenge for her husband's work as a government spy, the lengths that one will go to save a life, and what it means to be human. There are some similar thematic elements to This Winter Heart in this one, but it is different enough to stand alone. This one had me riveted to my Kindle, as it was the novella I spent New Year's Eve with.

While I thought the Christmas aspect of A Clockwork Christmas was definitely lacking, overall this was an enjoyable, entertaining, turbo-charged romantic read with strong characters and good writing. I'm glad I gave it a try, as it was one of my most surprising reads of 2011. These four novellas were a great introduction to steampunk and while I don't think I'll be abandoning my regular preferences anytime soon, I would certainly consider reading additional works by these talented authors.

Originally posted on http://bettyboochronicles.blogspot.com
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This collection of four steampunk short stories was fun. My favorite stories are the first one "Crimewave in a Corset" and the third story "Wanted, One Scoundrel". I thought the other two stories were good but I didn't find the characters and settings as engaging or interesting as the first and third stories.
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4 Stars/Fiction; Steampunk, Christmas

A new genre to me, A Clockwork Christmas is a collection of four Christmas themed steampunk stories that I enjoyed very much. I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by the writings of these four authors. Each story was well paced and gave enough detail to allow for a good connection with the characters. Some anthologies lack in this area, but the stories in this book flowed nicely without feeling rushed. I definitely plan to read more of this genre in the future.

The four stories included are:

Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail
This Winter Heart by PG Forte
Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz
Far From Broken by JK Coi

Recommended. ( )

Reviewed by Aubrey
Review copy provided by NetGalley
I have never read any steampunk but I've seen many novels popping up with this tag line and I was curious. I figured an athology would be the perfect way to introduce myself to this genre. I love the fact that each novella was drastically different from the next and were all from authors I have never read before. I did not think it really dealt with the topic of Christmas at all. It was not at the forefront of the stories. The first novella by Stacy Gail had the most Christmas feel to it than the other 3. A thief needs to steal something by Christmas or risk death. Gail's novella was also the one that seemed the most "steampunk". I was fascinated with the intricate descriptions of all things steampunk. My favourite novella was by Jenny Swartz and I will definitely be buying anything else she writes. Her novella was about a suffragette that needed a man to front her political party. I really liked reading a part of history that I love told in a steampunk fashion. The two novellas that I liked were beliavable ones with the added element of steampunk whereas the two I did not care for were too far fetched for me. I'm not sure if it is because I have not read any steampunk prior to this anthology or I cannot put the futuristic feel to a time period that is historical. JK Coi's novella is about a woman's body that has been put back together so to speak by mechancial limbs and PG Forte's novella is about a marriage that has broken down because the wife is not really human but a robot.

Even though 2 of the novellas were not my favourite they were well written. The anthology was an excellent start to reading steampunk and I will be reading more in the future. I will recommend it to others that I know like to read things outside of their comfort zone. ( )

This is a collection of four steampunk novella's based upon Christmas themes. Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy GailThis Winter Heart by PG ForteWanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny SchwartzFar From Broken by JK Coi I think this book started off strong. Crime Wave in a Corset was by far my favorite novella in this book. This was your classic bad person realizes they're not so bad after all story. I really liked it. This one was really strong in the Christmas theme.The second one, This Winter Heart was also good. I really liked it. Christmas was a theme but it was sort of passed over. We know it's coming but we don't see a lot of it in this story and that is what I was really interested in. Stories with Christmas themes.Wanted: One Scoundrel has a fleeting glimpse of winter celebrations. Now we start going down hill. The story line was cute although towards the end I really didn't care to be reading the story. I was just ready to finish.By the time I reached Far From Broken, I was pretty much done with this book. I skipped around a lot. This one just wasn't as good as the others. Either that, or I was just tired of pretty much the same theme, guy either wants girl or has done girl wrong and wants so badly to be forgiven. My overall opinion was, this started out strong and was very promising but by the end, I was kind of done. Overall, not a bad compilation but I really wanted stronger Christmas/seasonal themes. This is the biggest reason why I picked up this book.Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the chance to review this book. ( )