Review: Mission: Improper

Mission: Improper by Bec McMaster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So, I started reading the London Steampunk series but got bogged down in book 2 and never recovered but I love a steampunk story and I was sooo over contemporary romance so when I saw this on my shelf (well actually the second book but I backtracked and started this one) I decided a palate-cleanser was in order.

Despite not having read books 2-5 of the London Steampunk I didn't find it difficult to follow the story, indeed a revolution has occurred (presumably the climax of the previous series), the Queen has overthrown her consort and imposed some enlightened laws upon her citizens: recognising the rights of verwulfen and mechs; and removing the absolute power of the Echelon, the upper class blue bloods who formerly ruled. Blue bloods are similar to what we would normally term vampires, however in this world vampires are what happens when a blue blood goes to far into the blood craving - once a blue blood becomes a vampire they are creatures driven by their lust for blood and are supernaturally strong (stronger even than a blue blood or a verwulfen) and almost indestructible.

However, not everyone is happy with the Queen's reforms, especially the blue bloods who are no longer entitled to do whatever they want. A series of bizarre events have seen whole groups of people simply disappear: an entire street in the East End of London, 40 members of the Echelon at a private party in pleasure gardens etc.

Caleb Byrnes is the illegitimate son of a blue blood and his mistress, accidentally infected with the virus. A member of the Nighthawks, he is invited to join a mysterious elite group to investigate the disappearances. The elite group comprises: Caleb; a verwulfen called Ingrid Miller with whom he has a chequered history; Ava McLaren, a blue blood laboratory assistant with a mechanical heart; Kincaid, a giant mech who hates blue bloods; Charlie Todd, one of the rookery lads who has also been infected by the blue blood virus; Gemma Townsend, another blue blood who deals in information; and the Duke of Malloryn.

As Caleb and Ingrid fight their animal attraction whilst investigating the disappearances we are plunged into blue blood conspiracies, secret societies, underground chases, vampires, dhampirs, false leads and corsets galore. I loved it.

Off to read book 2 ...

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