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    Steamed: A Steampunk Romance
    Steamed: A Steampunk Romance
    Steamed: A Steampunk Romance
    Audiobook9 hours

    Steamed: A Steampunk Romance

    Written by Katie MacAlister

    Narrated by Jonathan Davis and Bianca Amato

    2.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Award-winning author Katie MacAlister has published dozens of acclaimed novels. When Captain Octavia Pye discovers people not wearing proper 19th-century fashions aboard her Victorian airship, she wonders if they're pirates. The reality is-they're actually from an alternate universe. "MacAlister hits it out of the park with this highly entertaining steampunk fantasy."-Booklist, starred review
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 10, 2011
    ISBN9781461804901
    Steamed: A Steampunk Romance
    Author

    Katie MacAlister

    Despite her love for novels, Katie MacAlister didn’t think of writing them until she was contracted to write a non-fiction book about software. MacAlister resolved to switch to fiction, where she could indulge in world building, tormenting characters, and falling madly in love with all her heroes. More than thirty books later, her novels have been translated into numerous languages, recorded as audiobooks, received several awards, and landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. She also writes for the young adult audience as Katie Maxwell.

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    Reviews for Steamed

    2.5/5

    148 ratings28 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A fun adventure filled with air pirates, humor and romance. I loved the character of Francisco because he is the stereotypical Latin lover who thinks he's Gods gift to women.
    • 3/5
      Usually I love her stuff, but this one was a resounding eh.
    • 4/5
      I'm a SF fantasy reader who's read a little steampunk starting with Michael Moorcock's Warlord of the Air (1971)trilogy. I almost didn't read this book because of the slightly negative reviews on Amazon, but I happy to say I gave it a try and very much enjoyed it. I'd recommend putting on Abney Park CD and settling in for a lighthearted air ship fun. If the sex and romance are too much for you, non romance reader like myself a few pages skimmed will land you back into the adventure.
    • 2/5
      This is absolutely the best alternate universe / steampunk / romance / pirate adventure I've ever read. It's also the ONLY alternate universe / steampunk / romance / pirate adventure I've ever read and, with any luck, will the the last.It's all terribly silly, with great chunks of action off-page and summed up in a sentence. One chapter ends with our protagonists locked up and facing certain execution, and the next begins with them running down an alley and telling each other how lucky it was that XXX happened so that they could escape. They also have a tendency to leap upon each other's bones any time they have five minutes to spare, despite the press of events (like needing to escape from the bad guys or rescue someone).The only saving grace of this book is that it doesn't take itself at all seriously. The sex scenes are uniformly PG-rated, the steampunk technology is kept firmly in the background, and the characters -- if highly unbelievable -- are at least amusing.
    • 4/5
      This is another one of MacAlister's "it is but it isn't" books. Meaning it's steampunk, but it's only steampunk because the modern man gets tossed into the world of his favorite book and meets an intriguing airship captain.

      You either like Katie MacAlister's books or you don't. I do. I like her humor, her heroines, and the incredible supporting characters she comes up with. Her books are fun, light reads.
    • 1/5
      I'd give this a zero if i could. Bad plot, annoying and overly quirky characters and every time there was a situation that had you thinking "how could they possibly get out of this?" the action jumped to the next chapter and there the characters were just discussing how nice / fortunate / lucky it was that they got out of it - no explanation or discription of how: just "yay, we're out. what stupid thing should we do next?"
      I've read a few of Katie MacAlisters before and they were no where near this bad - not brilliant, but not total shit either. Don't let this stand as an example of her work.
    • 4/5
      First off, I love love love the cover of this book, it is absolutely gorgeous...get a copy to look at in your hands, the pictures do it no justice. It's beautiful. This is the second book in the 'steampunk' genre I have read, the other being 'Soulless'. This book was a completely different experience, it is set in present times in an alternate world as opposed to the past in the same world.

      The main characters Octavia and Jack are HILARIOUS, I kept cracking up at the most inappropriate moments, the book makes a scene feel serious, but not serious at all, in a whole new way, and just wait until you read one the sensual scenes, I laughed my way almost through the whole thing.

      The plot is sturdy and strong, except for the thing with Hallie, she just gets arrested, I wish that could have gotten a bit more explanation, but everything else was pretty good. Flowed well, no lulls, and kept a decent pace. I do wish we could have gotten to know some of the crew better but I have a feeling this is the first in a series for Ms. MacAlister.

      'Steamed' was an adventure to read, one I will gladly go on again and again
    • 1/5
      I tried. I tried so hard.

      The main character, Jack, is the most insufferable asshole in romance history. He's a nerdy Quaker nanoelectrical engineer who loves cons and Steampunk and hasn't met a woman he can't seduce. Oh and everyone thinks he's Indiana Jones. From the second he's introduced to Octavia, the love interest, he treats her like dirt. Even if you wake up on a dirigible and believe yourself to be at a convention, you should no openly oggle a woman's breasts. You certainly cannot touch them, or her, after she tells you to stop. You should never make a woman so uncomfortable with her body that you force her to button her coat so you'll stop sexually harassing her. And if you do all of these things, she will not fall madly in lust with you. And I will not read your terrible novel where this seems like a logical and reasonable course of action.

      I stopped reading once on page 89, when Jack and Olivia "share" their first kiss.

      "I'm going to kiss you, Octavia Emmaline Pye."

      "You may refer to me as Captain Pye, and I decline your offer," I said, a bit breathless to be true. *snip*

      "Your mind says no, but your body says yes," he said, gently, persistently tugging me closer to him.

      ENTHUSIASTIC CONSENT. PLEASE LEARN THE CONCEPT, AUTHORS.

      But, despite how badly that line pushes my buttons, I soldiered on until page 111-112 when I actually threw the book across the room. Emphasis mine.

      I shook away the memory of her mouth so softly enticing beneath mine and made an effort to focus on the words that emerged from between those delectable, delicious lips. "Sorry, you asked me what? Oh, what would interest us both? I though you could tell me a little bit about your father."

      Her gaze left my lips, the pupils flaring. "My father? Robert Ansthruther?"

      "Yes. Matt said you were missing him. I take it he's dead?"

      "He's gone, yes." She bowed her head. "And I do miss both him and his wife, Jane. As I mentioned, they were my foster parents, not my true parents, but I could not love them more if they had been."

      "Does it upset you to talk about them?" I asked, my erection dying in the face of her grief. I wanted to comfort her, to take her in my arms and protect her from the sadness in the world, but I had as suspicion if I touched her, my dick would take control again.

      So you pumped a crewmember for information on this woman you just met, found out about the greatest tragedy in her life, confronted her about her dead parents, and then, what, felt bad when your dick wilted? I can totally see why your secretary, who you mock behind you hand, wants another go. I'm going to stop there. Let's not ruin what we have, Jack.
    • 4/5
      Every now and then you come across a delightful piece of fluff reading that you enjoy, despite yourself. Such is Katie MacAlister’s Steamed, described in the title as a steampunk romance. I’m not much of a romance reader, but I enjoy steampunk, so I thought I’d give it a go. As a romance novel, it may not be that great (I don’t have much to compare it to), I’d rate it fair as a stempunk work and as far as steamy, well . . . it might be just a little bit more than PG13 and definitely not even R level. Together, however, it combines for a real nice bit of escapist reading.The set-up for the story involves one Jack Fletcher, a scientific researcher who is an avid fan of steampunk and a steampunk band called Airship Pirate, and his sister Halle. During a minor sibling squabble in his office, Halle accidently causes a flask of liquid helium to explode over a quantum computer project Jack is working on. As a result of the explosion, Jack and Halle wake from the shock of the explosion to find themselves aboard an airship in a steampunk themed alternate world.Ms MacAlister populates her novel with an oddball crew for this airship: Captain Octavia Pye, an officer called Mr. Christain, another creman who is a salty old dog of that has some of the most creative swearing I’ve ever heard and a mysterious crewman called Mister Llama. I thought this was going to be some type of literary parody when I realized Captain Pye was leading a Mr. Christain and a Mr. Fletcher (as the Captain insisted ion calling Jack), but that particular parody was never developed.I’ll save the plot details for you to discover. The way story ends, this could be the beginning of a series. Considering how prolific the author is, I’d be very surprised if this does not develop into a continuing adventure, much like Naiomi Novik’s Temeraire series, only much funnier. Overall it is a little above average, but it is a lot of fun to read: three and a half stars. If you have boring daily commute, this would be a nice way to spend your time. Don’t bother if you need a dark steampunk fix or are expecting lots of heavy breathing in your reading.
    • 1/5
      I've forced myself through a lot of mediocre books, but this one I gave up on after 130 pages. I was disappointed on a number of levels: for one, I love steampunk and was intrigued at a romance using the setting. I've also heard a lot of good things about MacAlister's books. So what went wrong here?The characters.The characters are all caricatures, completely over-the-top and too wacky to be believed. The male lead comes across as a pig. The first time he meets the heroine, all he can focus on are her boobs and other body parts. Then every other time he meets her it's the same thing. At one point, along with the rest of her airship crew--they have a FULL DISCUSSION on her beauty and body parts, right in front of her. Um, excuse me? She's supposed to be a mature airship captain in her 30s, but she comes across as wishy-washy and completely inept as a commander. A case in point: she's been captain of this crew for a week, and her annoyingly-over-the-top Spanish crewman claims to possess her and has thrown himself at her naked, and what does she do? Nothing. She's embarrassed, like a school girl dismissing a boy's crush. The guy should be in the brig.There's also the male lead's sister, who causes their transference to this alternate steampunk version of Earth by being Too Stupid to Live. I could cope with that as an initial plot device, but when she continued to be TSTL, she became the most annoying character of all. Which was really saying something with this cast.
    • 2/5
      I originally bought this book because I was getting into reading Steampunk, had just finished MacAlister's Aisling Grey series and found it amusing, and was looking for a light fun read. This book overall was a disappointment. I finished it because I was sitting on a plane for three hours and had nothing else to read. It started out kind of amusing but the plot got so convoluted and then wrapped up in such a contrived way I just had to roll my eyes.Jack Fletcher and his sister Hallie are zapped into an alternate reality when a lab experiment goes wrong. They find themselves on the airship of Captain Octavia Pye. Sparks fly between Jack and Octavia, but Octavia is wrapped up in a number of political schemes that entangle her whole crew in a fight for their lives.The book started out kind of amusing. Jack is a geek with a rep for being a ladies man and Octavia appears to be a straight-laced women commander who doesn't take Jacks advances at all kindly. Of course this book being what it is, that eventually changes and Jack and Octavia couldn't get enough of each other.The world is loosely steampunk. That is to say there are some automatons, a Europe and Asia still stuck in war, lots of airships and a Victorian feel to it all. Given that the world felt a bit incomplete. There was a lot of political stuff going on in this book but most of it seemed contrived and all of it was tied to men that Octavia had slept with. This really wasn't in keeping with Octavia's supposed stuffiness. Most of the plot seemed loosely thrown together in a way that enabled Jack and Octavia to have more sex.Jack was obnoxious as a character and I wasn't at all intrigued by him. His sister Hallie was a doorstop more than anything else, oh and she was a bit of a plot device since she got lost and had to be tracked down. I am really not at all sure why she was even in the book.The potential for Jack and Octavia to have a steaming hot relationship was there, but puttered out pretty quick. Octavia gives into Jack quickly and from there out they were pretty uninspiring. There wasn't a lot to keep the characters apart and, given that this book focused mainly on their relationship, it made things pretty boring for the remainder of the story. There was so much potential here for a steamy romance set in a steampunk Victoria era and it just wasn't realized. I felt like MacAlister wrote this over a weekend for fun and didn't bother really making her characters, plot, or world all that filled out.Given all of the above, the story was slightly amusing. I was stuck on a plane and didn't have much else to do so I finished it; although I have to admit I had trouble getting through the last third of the book even though I had absolutely nothing else to do.... Overall my recommendation would be to skip this book. If you want to read something by MacAlister pick up her Aisling Grey Guardian series, it is much much better than this book. Keep in mind that MacAlister writes light fluffly, funny, paranormal romance. If you want to read a steampunk paranormal romance that is awesome pick up The Iron Duke by Meljean Brooke; The Iron Duke has an actual plot, awesome characters, and an absolutely fantastic world. If you feel like you still absolutely need to read this book do yourself a favor and get it from the library.
    • 2/5
      Sounded like it could be an amusing, light read from the cover blurb, but turned out to be oh so disappointing.I was hoping for a steampunk novel with perhaps a little steamy romance thrown in. Instead, I got an overblown erotic romance with some flimsy steampunk trappings.The female lead, Octavia Pye, a rare female airship captain, looked on the surface like an interesting character but by a third of the way into the book had devolved into a completely unbelievable mishmash of uncertainty and oddly prudish sex-kitten. I totally lost faith in her as a "leader", and the list of past lovers she'd had that turned out to be key elements of the plot was ridiculous.The characterization of the male lead, Jack Fletcher, on the other hand, was all over the place. When first introduced, before the alleged steampunk elements come into play, he seems to be a bookish, professorial type. Once the action heats up, he suddenly becomes a combination of super action hero, MacGyver and lecherous pervert.I'm kind of sorry I finished the whole thing, but I had passed my self-imposed "quit if you don't like it by 50 pages" cut off point and it hadn't gotten too bad. Unfortunately, it just got worse the farther I went. The steampunk setting was poorly done; the supporting characters were such stereotypical caricatures that it was painful; the revelations about the characters' secrets were either haphazard or built up to with such intense drama that the ultimate reveal was a let down.And the dialog...oh don't get me started. The dialog was so trite and ridiculous that I cringed in most of the scenes in the second half of the book. Especially in what were ostensibly supposed to be romance scenes. The sex scenes in this novel were laughable -- I'm assuming they were supposed to be light but passionate. But they came off as jokes. And there was NO romance...it was all just sex. By the last 50 pages, I got to the point that I didn't even care if they were executed after getting caught having sex in a secret passage of the imperial palace -- frankly they deserved to be killed!Sigh...I'm only giving it 1 1/2 stars for the idea behind it and the cover illustration. What's between the covers was a disappointing mess.
    • 1/5
      Starts of rather silly, but at least in a fun sort of way. Steadily gets worse, however, and by the end its thoroughly awful: the plot becomes totally incoherent with convenient plot-twisting secrets revelled at a gut-wrenching pace, and the characters actions becomes increasingly unpredictable until everything they do and say seems to be completely at random.While I didn't exactly expect a queer-feminist deconstruction of gender politics, the romantic interaction between the protagonists is almost horrific. Jack is described in a way I believe is supposed to be endearing and cheeky but to me he more than anything comes of as a creepy molester. I'm pretty sure anyone in the real world trying to show affection the way he does would end up in jail.
    • 1/5
      I love steampunk done well. Unfortunately, this was not done well. I was hoping for steampunk with a side of romance, and this is definitely romance with a hint of steampunk. I found the writing to be nearly unreadable. I made it about halfway through the book before I had to put it down.
    • 3/5
      I had somewhat high hopes of this book. The beginning was really nice, I thought.In the middle of the book things started falling apart, with the characters in the middle of all kinds of events and yet the romance part of the story prevailed more than the events should give reason to.The end of the book was quite disappointing. It looked to me as a feeble and failing attempt to keep things together, with things happening without a proper explanation how they came to be. It felt to me as an attempt to kill the story before the reader wants to end the misery with a club.
    • 3/5
      It feels like half the book is banter between the main characters. Sometimes it is laugh aloud funny, but mostly it eventually got tedious. There was no growth in the one dimensional characters. They were more caricatures rather than characters, especially the supporting roles. You got told a lot about the people rather than shown yet there was a decent world set up. It was okay. It kept my interest enough to finish it in one day. This is my second of this author and I doubt I'll read another. I don't care for her style of constant banter.
    • 1/5
      Two Minute Review for “Steamed” by Katie MacAlisterOctavia Pye resides in a world where steam powers everything and airships are the norm. Jack Fletcher is a nerd from our world thrust into hers. I do not get steampunk nor this book. I usually adore anything Katie MacAlister writes, this was an exception. The dialog was stilted and forced. The concept seemed interesting in theory but boring in reality. The plot was convoluted and I did not care enough about it to work on figuring it out. The writing from a man’s point of view seems uncomfortable. It took me forever to finish. What the heck happened?
    • 2/5
      Not really the steampunk or the romance I was looking for. Jack Fletcher seems to always end up in a situation where he becomes some sort of hero even when he isn't trying. Somehow he gets thrust into strange circumstances that make him seem heroic... and the ladies love him ever the more for it. When his meddling sister Hallie drops by his place of business to discuss setting him up on a date he becomes the victim of strange fates again. When Hallie messes with the wrong nano-whatsamahoozit and explosion rocks the two into an alternate reality where the year might be the same but the Victorian-esque manners and airship travel could hop right from the pages of one of Jack's favorite steampunk graphic novels.Finding Jack and Hallie aboard her Aerocorps vessel, the HIMA Tesla, Captain Octavia Pye is in no mood to deal with stow-aways. As it happens Europe is in the middle of a war and between Moghul enemies and Revolutionaries dead set against bringing down the emperor Octavia has her hands full. But one look at the red locked Captain and Jack is smitten with lust. He'll have Octavia Pye and she him, if the two can survive the adventure ahead. If Hallie and Jack can't return to their own reality they may have to learn the ways of a steampunk lifestyle really fast.Yet another book where the concept seems really great but just doesn't quite work. I'm no purist when it comes to romances. Sometimes I do like one where the narration is done in first person. Unfortunately, Steamed is told from both Jack and Octavia's eyes. It might work for some readers but I found it hard to tell the difference between their "voices" in this format. I didn't like it and by the end of the book I found it insanely irritating how shallow and lusty it made each sound. I like a lusty romance as much as the next reader but with the Victorian era mannerisms and speech it sounded kind of crass.The story itself felt really slapped together. There were entertaining crew members aboard the Tesla to pepper it with funny dialog and euphemisms but at times it felt like there was no one really needed aside from the hero and heroine. It is my personal preference in reading—whether romance or not—that there be secondary characters. Those here in Steamed really do nothing for the story other than provide a little bit of conflicting force and backup. What little conflict there is resolves way too easily and that really cheapened the conclusion for me. This is the first time I've read MacAlister though I have some of her other titles in my TBR pile and if this is an example of the humor she threads into her work that is its main saving grace. In summation, liked the humor, liked the concept, didn't care for the narrative style or general storyline. Would I read another steampunk romance based on this one as a point of comparison? Probably not. But I'm open to trying other steampunkish titles with romance in them.
    • 3/5
      Steamed: A Steampunk RomanceAuthor: Katie MacAlisterPublisher: SignetDate Published: February 2010ISBN: 9780451229311Genre: Steampunk/Paranormal RomanceRating: 3 stars - It was ok but could’ve been betterJack Fletcher, and his sister Hal (short for Hallelujah) experience a nanoelectrical lab accident that knocks them out. They awaken in a Victorian/steampunk alternate history on an airship (steam-powered of course!). The Captain of the airship is Octavia Pye, who is on her first assignment. As you might guess there is an attraction between Jack and Octavia that develops throughout the story. Pros: some quirky characters and some funny moments, great cover artCons: alternating point of view between Jack and Octavia was very confusing, banter between Jack and Octavia got a little annoying, story was lacking.ah, the story… yes, what is the story…hmmm…having some trouble with that. I’m not really sure where the author was trying to go with this one. Let’s see, after Jack and Hal are found on the airship and convince Octavia they are not airship pirates (and Jack realizes that he actually hasn’t just woken up at a Steampunk convention) they end up traveling with Octavia’s quirky crew to their destination in Rome. Some adventures are experienced along the way but the focus seems to consist mostly of Jack chasing after Octavia. Hal is arrested in Rome (and not seen for most of the story) and then Octavia helps Jack with a rescue attempt. I do have to say I didn’t suspect the secret Octavia revealed toward the end, though as I look back at the story there were definitely some clues. I’ve read and really enjoyed some of MacAlister's Dark Ones paranormal romance series about vampires so I expected this one to be just as good but it fell a bit short. I’m not sure if I will try the next one. I am a bit intrigued to whether Hal will play a bigger role next time. And if the quirky crew is a big part of the next book then it may be worth it. :)
    • 5/5
      Jack Fletcher and his sister, Hallie, are involved in a nanotechnology accident that causes them to travel, not through time, but sideways to a Victorian science fiction-like world. They end up on a ship manned, or Captain-ed, by Octavia Pye. Octavia is suspicious of her unexpected guests. Jack cannot believe his luck, that he has landed in the steampunk world he adores. Along their journey they are attacked by pirates, Hallie is taken away, and they are dealing with the resistance to the king ...all while Jack and Octavia develop a relationship. The book was quirky and humorous, very enjoyable. This was my first foray into Steampunk and Katie MacAlister, and I will definitely be back!
    • 3/5
      This book was called a "steampunk romance” and I had absolutely no idea what "steampunk" was, but I have read every one of Kate MacAlister's books from historical romance to dragon sept, so of course I would give this a chance. I discovered steampunk is a sort of Victorian science fiction. It was not my thing, though the book was ok. It had MacAlister's usual crazy humor and wit, the main characters were lacking but I’m not sure I can’t put my finger on what it was. The side characters seemed more interesting, though, and I wish that we had seen more development of them. I didn't like it nearly as much as her other series of novels and It took me a number of days to get through the book because I always have 3 or 4 books I’m reading at once and this was easy to put down to read the others. Overall even though I Love Kate MacAlister's books I can only give her a 3.
    • 3/5
      Jack, a fan of Steampunk, and his sister Hallie, end up in altered reality when an explosion happens in his lab. They end up unconscious on an airship where most things are powered by steam or aether. Jack has an immediate attraction to Captain Octavia Pye, who easily accepts their explanation of coming from a different reality. The United Kingdom is under the leadership of an emperor, which is currently in a war with the Moghuls and a rebel band known as the Black Hand. We meet the leaders of all involved as Jack and Octavia attempt to rescue Hallie who was captured and charged with spying.As with all of this author’s books, there is a lot of fun chaos and some of the secondary characters are memorable. The best parts of the book deal with the dialogs surrounding sex and relationships. I did like the way the focus jumped from his point of view to hers for entire chapters, giving the reader a little better insight into each of their thoughts and motives. But it’s difficult to like Octavia outside of that, partly due to her “oh so proper” persona, which fits with the idea of the Victorian era. There are also a number of things that just don’t make sense, including her crew. Are they a good crew? They don’t seem to obey her orders, yet are loyal. They are even there when she needs saving, yet there is no way they could have known she needed saving, much less had time to come up with a plan and carry it out.It took me a number of days to get through the book because it was just too easy to put down.Upgraded to 3 stars for the humor.
    • 3/5
      Computer technician by day, steampunk rock afficianado by night, Quaker Jack Fletcher has a long and checkered history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time the place in question just happens to be his very own lab. When his sister accidentally triggers a quantum chip he's been working on the pair are catapulted through space and time. Their landing in an alternate reality is a bit bumpy, but the bumps in question are fairly attractive ones - at least Jack happens to think so.Prim and proper Octavia Pyle, captain in the Aerocorps by the skin of her teeth and a few favors owed, has an odd-ball crew and a huge secret. The secret alone would be enough to get her killed, when an unconscious pair of stowaways turn up in her cargo hold. Suddenly Octavia has rather more on her plate than she bargained for. As sparks fly, Octavia has to decide just how much of the truth to tell.Um.... where to start...I was really looking forward to reading Steamed. I like Katie MacAlister. I've read a bunch of her books and found them clever and entertaining in spite of being fluffy. This one left me fairly cold. From Jack's loudly proclaimed but barely held to religious beliefs (I'm all for giving people a better understanding of Friends, but the label seemed to be applied more for shock value than anything else) to Octavia's overly stilted Victorian language, what started off well had me dozing off by a few chapters in. Potentially interesting characters (Mr. Lamb, Hallie) disappear - literally - into the woodwork with no explanation for their absence - or for their presence to begin with. Obnoxious characters make repeated appearances for no apparent reason other than forced chuckles. Too many loose ends, not enough plot... I could go on, but I won't.
    • 2/5
      I've read nearly every book that Katie MacAlister has written. Her earlier books were ones that I really enjoyed but her latest works have left me feeling a little disappointed. So I was interesting in seeing what she would do with her new steampunk series beginning with Steamed.Great, snappy dialogue can really elevate an otherwise boring plot. The dialogue in this book however, left me frustrated, annoyed and wanting to knock the characters' heads together. Ridiculous and pointless conversations in Steamed drag down the story and make the characters seem quite stupid. The last straw was Octavia's conversation with one of her crew about his balls. It wasn't clever or funny, just in poor taste.Several times I set the book down and had to force myself to come back and try to finish it. I really didn't have any desire to see what happened to Jack and Octavia nor did I find Octavia's world very interesting. I've read other steampunk books by Emma Holly that I think are much better written. I wanted to like Steamed because I think it's great when writers break out of the publishers' mold and try something new. This one just missed the mark for me.
    • 3/5
      This book is quite odd. It isn't entirely odd in a bad way but as I was reading this book it felt more like I was reading a farce or a parody of the steampunk genre rather than reading a genuine steampunk entry. The basic summary of Steamed: Jack and his sister experience some kind of electric disaster (we never learn what REALLY caused this) and end up transported to an alternate world where they are aboard an airship flown by Octavia. Octavia is helping the emperor but in reality she is working for other forces, the Black Hand. Added to this is a third political force called moguls who I guess are the enemy of everyone. This whole political mess is never well explained and the reader never finds out why anyone is really on whatever side they are on. This is one of my biggest complaints about the story. This world is not well thought out or characterized. Octavia is a new airship pilot and doesn't want her first mission interrupted by the two oddly dressed intruders to her ship. Once Jack and his sister awaken the fireworkds between Octavia and Jack start a sparkin'. Unfortunately this relationship is cute but over the top and covers way too many pages in the story. There are also several scenes that felt completely missing. For instance one chapter would end with them getting taken prisoner and the next chapter starts with them running away, having just escaped prison. Did MacAlister get as bored with her story as readers will? Did she too decide to skim some of the pages? I also disagree with the MANY horrible times and locations the couple decided to do the deed. Jack claims to be horribly worried about his sister after she is kidnapped, but in the middle of his mission to save her they make time for a quickie. None of this story, including the language and background is at all buyable. I understand this is fantasy and that is fine and dandy but there were too many wth? moments in this story. Supposedly Jack has a habit of finding himself in over the top situations and a big deal is made of this in the first chapter, than it never comes up again. He also is immediately willing to give up his life in the 'real' world for Octavia and doesnt worry much about ever returning. I can't believe there was no form of struggle in coming to this conclusion, but it seems not. Despite my critisisms, this story does have several redeemable qualities. The supporting cast, including Octavia's crew, is a hoot and every scene with them is laugh aloud funny. If the story could have been built upon the entire idea that this was a 'joke' or a parody it would have been more fun. Stilll the book was a quick read and even as it was annoying and flawed, there was still something about it that made me want to continue reading. Still the book doesn't find complete sucess as a paranormal story, nor as a romance.
    • 4/5
      Steamed is a steamy romance, of fluffy variety. The viewpoint trades off between Octavia and Jack, the two romantic leads. The are a little annoying and two-dimensional, but still rather engaging. Octavia is the Captain of an airship, with, surprise surprise, a crew of quirky misfits! Overall the book is a fun read. Fans of Steampunk might be annoyed because it doesn't really feel like a steampunk book, despite the numerous times it tells you that it is a steampunk book. It feels like a dilettante dressing up in a new trend. There's no grit, there's no dark side of human emotion. So while it may not grip your psyche, it will make you laugh a bit. If you're a fast reader, it's not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
    • 2/5
      Katie MacAlister's "Steamed" claims to be "A Steampunk Romance" and takes the alternate history route toward the genre. Unfortunately, the result is a rather disappointing and laborious read. Even dismissing multiple implausible elements--an achievement given that it is supposed to be a variation of Sci-Fi after all--it is still difficult to buy into the plot and alternate reality that MacAlister proposes. The science seems off at times, detracting from the story by creating a problem with the credibility for readers with scientific knowledge of their own. This is NOT steampunk of the Jules Verne or "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" ilk with relatively believable secretive science and paranormal explanations. Ultimately, MacAlister fails at her Steampunk romance attempt and leaves this loyal MacAlister reader wishing for the return of her well-crafted paranormal romances populated by vampires and dragons. Despite the steampunk-like airship setting, "Steamed" drags instead of soars. In the end, it lacks steam and leaves the reader feeling as if they have instead been punked.
    • 2/5
      I'm not into the scene and don't consider myself a steampunk expert, but this really didn't seem all that steampunk to me - it was mentioned a lot, along with steampunk accoutrements like goggles and corsets - but the vibe was off. Most people probably won't care, but steampunk afficionados beware. Nanotechnology engineer Jack and his nitwit sister Hal (Hallelujah) find themselves transported to an alternate, steampunk-style Earth. They appear on Aerocorps captain Octavia Pye's ship. Hijinks ensue. I think I'd have found the humor funnier if the characters weren't all so... flat? moronic? derived from MacAlister's other books?That said, if you're a fan of her other works, you'll probably like this too. If you're new to her, I'd recommend one of her earlier vampire books first.Note: I received this as part of the LT Early Reviewer program.