The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele Book 1)

Great story plot and loveable characters. Magic, mystery, and love story all in one. Fun to read and not complicated. Can't wait to read the next book.

India Steele has lost her father, her no-good ex-fiance, and her family's clock shop all in the last two weeks. She has nothing left, so when a mysterious American man offers her employment helping him navigate the industry her father weened her on, she jumps at the chance. He's looking for a specific watchmaker to fix a special watch and she knows every shop in town.However, she sees him use the watch's special powers on the same day she sees a notice than an American outlaw is on the run and has been spotted in London. India has questions, but she's afraid of the answers. She needs the job, after all. The man plans to leave town in a week, so if she can complete her task for him, she can use the money to get back on her feet, and maybe even claim the reward money in the process. She just needs to avoid being distracted by his motley crew of friends, his charm, or his undeniable good looks.Pros: Fantasy romance and clean read. It's fun, it's quirky, and I'm more than a little in love with one of the side characters. The chemistry between India and Mr. Glass is fun and tension-filled without being forced. SIngle POV.Cons: A wandering subplot and pacing issues. I have been assured by a friend that what I call a wandering subplot is not so wandering once you read the rest of the series, but I think that means it could have been handled better in book one.Overall: An interesting premise, good characters, and strong voice overcome the structural flaws to make this book lovable. It would make a great weekend read and despite its issues, I had fun with it and plan to read the second book of the series.

Left to her own devices by the death of her father and the machinations of her former fiancé, India Steele finds herself struggling. Fortunately for her, an accidental encounter with Matt Glass enables her to find a new job helping the enigmatic American find a mysterious watchmaker, one who they say might just be the key to saving Matt’s life…Set in the Victorian era, this book is steampunk without the steam (well watches have cogs and gears, so it counts!). The characters are quite delightful, though if you were like me, you’ll have met a few of these characters some thirty years on in the spin-off glass library series. Yes, that means some things were slightly spoilered, but not too badly.India is a brave mix of innocence, bravado, and competence. She’s smart, and observant, and makes for an interesting sleuth.Matt Glass is a mysterious figure, and rather roguish in his behaviour (and misbehaviour) which makes him just as intriguing.Put them together with their misfit crew, and you have an entertaining, and very enjoyable historical mystery, with slightly magical overtones.The book completes one part of the mystery story, but there is an overarching mystery that isn’t completed yet, meaning it will have to be finished in future stories. It’s not quite a cliffhanger, but you’ll want to read the next book to find out what next!That being said, this is an entertaining tale, with an intriguing, mysterious, magical element, which means it’s a great read for paranormal mystery enthusiasts.

MY RATING SYSTEM5 stars--WOW4 stars--would read again3 stars--was good, won't read again2 stars--read it, but didn't enjoy it1 star--didn't finish, it was so awfulDo I need to read books before this one: noCliffhanger: a littleSUMMARYIndia Steele has no father, no fiancé, no home, and no money. No watchmakers will take her on as an assistant, even though she'd been running her father's shop for 3 years until he died. She hates seeing her ex-fiancé's game on her shop door; she disparages him as a liar to his customers. One of them, American Matthew Glass, hires her to assist him in finding a specific watchmaker, known only as Chronos, to fix his watch. She knows all of London's watchmakers, had even applied to the Guild but was denied because she was a woman. Without membership, she can't have a shop of her own. She gladly accepts employment, even if it's only for a week.EVALUATIONIndia is an interesting character: independent, willful, confident in her skills, exactly what I would expect a lone child of a merchant to be. She's also got excellent insight into choosing a life partner. Matt and his friends are mysterious because we only get India's point of view, and they're foreigners, possibly criminals. The story drags at times, but overall an enjoyable historical urban fantasy.RECOMMENDATIONYoung adults and older who like English historical mysteries with a touch of magic and romanceFAVORITE QUOTES"My name is India Steele." "So you said." "And you are?" "Not trusting you."He'd never laughed at the jokes I laughed at. I should have taken that as a sign that he wasn't for me, at the very least. A lifetime without laughter would have been sheer drudgery."If she gets arrested, we'll just crack her out of jail like we did that time in Tombstone." I gasped. "You broke her out of jail? Or a cemetery?" "Holding cell. Tombstone is a town." "Strange name for a town." I felt as if I'd stepped into a sensation novel."If I learned one thing from my time with Eddie, it's that I didn't like the person I became when I was with him. I was trying to be an ideal version of womanhood to make him like me. I haven't had all that much luck with men, you see, and Eddie made me feel special. I didn't want to lose him because I voiced an opinion he didn't agree with. I thought it would help keep Eddie. I was wrong. Not only did I lose him anyway, I almost lost myself too. That was much worse."POSSIBLE TRIGGERS (SPOILERS)Sex: nearly touching a breast, threatened sexual assaultLanguage: .5 F words, 25 Lord's name in vain, 0 S wordsViolence: intruder with gunfire; slap; kidnapping; magical torture; brawls with knives, guns, and bats

Enjoyed the book.plenty of suspense. Interesting characters. A bit of magic . keep me guessing and intruigrd.strong characters . plan to.read the next one in the series

A bit of a slow start, but it starts spinning up an never let's go. A fun read with what I thought were clear and accurate descriptions and depictions of life at the time.Characters develop nicely as we move forward and the action moves at a daily pace... for a change. Society and its classes is well presented and becomes a character.The vocabulary selection even harks back to the time. There were some editing oopsies that stopped me but never for long.Thank you C.J.!

Really good book and surprisingly addictive! Easy, fast paced gripping read.

Very interesting series set in late 19th century London, part romantic, part detective and magical series. Well written and keeps one eager to read the next book as the first one keeps the reader hanging in suspense.I read books one to 3 and listened on Audible books 4-5 , it's superbly narrated! Kudos to the narrator for doing justice to the books.My favourite new author!

Kindle

This is a real page turner of a novel. Just enough magic not to turn the reader off. Instead I read it traight through in two days. I loved it. The author has total control over tension and mystery until the last page. Highly readable.