ROMANCING THE INVENTOR
GAIL CARRIGER
SERIES: SUPERNATURAL SOCIETY, #1
REPRESENTATION: LESBIAN MC, FF ROMANCE
GENRES/ SUBJECTS: PARANORMAL – VAMPIRES, HISTORICAL, WOMEN IN S.T.E.M., NOVELLA
★★★★☆
GOODREADS LINK
Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve’s heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry?
Romancing the Inventor is a novella set in Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate universe. You don’t need to have read the series to enjoy this stand-alone but I think having read up to the second PP novel — Changeless — which introduces Genevieve and has a few plot points mentioned in this might make it more enjoyable.
I really loved the new character, Imogene. I thought Carriger did a great job of balancing out a sweet, slow-build romance and the paranormal elements with the more realistic trails of being a lesbian and a working-class woman in Victorian England. It was really nice to see Imogene‘s point of view on sexuality and class issues seeing as the rich/gay/camp trope seems more common in Carriger’s work (and historical novels in general, to be honest).
I also found I liked Genevieve more than I did in Changeless (which is as far as I’ve read so far). Together, they’re adorable. Plus, its really great to have some female characters who are interested in science, math, and engineering.
Romancing the Inventor is a wonderful addition to Carriger’s series’ and would make a good introduction to her writing. It’s put me in the mood to go back and read the next book in the Parasol Protectorate series.
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