Ashes and Alchemy (The Gaslight Chromicles) by Cindy Spencer Pape

Steampunk Romance

What Goodreads says:

"A Gaslight Chronicles novella

London, 1860

Police inspector Sebastian Brown served Queen and country in India before returning to England to investigate supernatural crimes alongside the Order of the Round Table. If his wifeless, childless life feels a little empty sometimes, that's not too great a price to pay in the name of duty.

Minerva Shaw is desperately seeking a doctor when she mistakenly lands on Sebastian's doorstep. Her daughter Ivy has fallen gravely ill with a mysterious illness the same illness, it seems, that's responsible for taking the lives of many of Ivy's classmates.

Seb sniffs a case, and taking in Minnie and Ivy seems the only way to protect them while he solves it. But as mother and daughter work their way into his heart and Seb uses every magickal and technological resource he can muster to uncover the source of the deadly plague, it's he who will need protecting from emotions he'd thought buried long ago."

I love the stories Cindy Spencer Pape has created in the Gaslight Chronicles.  Ashes and Alchemy fits right into the flow that started with Steam and Sorcery.  There is less of the magickal in this story.  Instead there is more of attraction and romance.  Inspector Sebastian Brown and Minerva Shaw are a great couple.  Minerva does not expect romance and is only concerned with her daughter.  Seb feels that he has let down everyone close to him and has walled his heart off.  Of course when life throws them together there is a good story in the making.

It was great seeing characters from the previous books.  Each plays an important part in Seb and Minerva’s story and each helps move the romance forward.  Ashes and Alchemy is a well-planned and interesting story that left me with a nice warm feeling as Seb and Minera got their HEA.   Like previous stories there are some loose ends in Ashes and Alchemy that seem to be hooks for future stories in the Gaslight world.

Ashes and Alchemy can stand-alone but I recommend you read the previous books.  The stories in the Gaslight Chronicles are all a fun read.  Each is novella length making reading the entire series much easier.

Carina Press published Ashes andAlchemy by Cindy Spencer Pape in 2014. 

I received an ARC of Ashes and Alchemy from Netgalley.