CRIMSON AND STEAM

Author: Liz Maverick ISBN: 9780505527790 1/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: DORCHESTER

Named for the angels, Los Angeles is a city of demons, a crucible of souls. It is Crimson City. Here vampires and werewolves vie for dominion, humans build soldiers of flesh and steel who seethe with fury. But alongside strife can be love—a love that cares nothing for species or origin. Yet, love doesn’t always conquer. Marius and Jill have long been kept apart. Bound by destiny yet forbidden true union, he is vampire; she, human. And a marriage alliance that promises peace for all others shall separate them forever. As if peace might be achieved so easily. Darkness is rising: a mysterious plot shall force every inhabitant of Crimson City to take sides. Deliverance exists, but first must come a tale of impossible passion and discovery, of Marius and Jill in a race against time leading back to the city’s paranormal beginnings, to Victorian London, to an era of invention and a world of…Crimson & Steam

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I'm a little at odds with this book and this review.  On the one hand... a new Crimson City book!  After two years we're given a new book, and it promises to settle the score between Jill and Marius.  This was welcome news!

Except that it wasn't really up to snuff.

Let me rewind.  Marius: Über bigwig for Vampires.  Jillian: Human reporter.  Tatiana: Princess of Werewolves.  Marius and Tatiana marry to stop the warring between Vampires and Werewolves; meanwhile, Marius loves Jillian because they're soulmates.  Fate keeps throwing them together, because they are soul mates, but they have remained stoically strong.  They know their roles and keep a close friendship but have never crossed the line before.  All well and good, but doesn't make for a great romance.

Fate conspires once more to draw them together, and time has begun to run out for Marius.  Jillian is desperate to save him, to the point of foolishness.  The Jillian of the past, strong and resourceful, is buried under this woman who spends half the book bemoaning how things are going.  This is not the Jillian from SHARDS OF CRIMSON.

Point in fact, this isn't quite the Crimson City series I remember.  The past books, written by several other authors outside of Maverick, focused more on the paranormal elements and less on the romantic plotlines.  CRIMSON AND STEAM, going back and forth with the Marius/Jillian plotline and the Charlotte plotline, focuses more on the emotional side of things. 

The Charlotte plotline, taking place in 1850's England and running the background for an important plot development later on, was more interesting to me.  It becomes clear pretty quickly how important the story is, but it sometimes felt out of place as if it was meant to exist outside of CRIMSON AND STEAM, but was placed within for filler. 

And the resolution to Marius/Jillian... I'm not sure how I felt about that, either.  I can't see how it would help their plans; if anything it should make things more awkward for them to go public with their relationship, but it's what happened.  At least some of the angst can be put to rest now.

Alexandra Cenni