Cara Devon has always been curious and impulsive, but tangling with a serial killer might cure that. Permanently.1861. Cara has a simple mission in London – finalise her father’s estate and sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when a killer stalks the nobility, searching for an ancient Egyptian relic rumoured to hold the key to immortality.Nathaniel Trent, … immortality.
Nathaniel Trent, known as the villainous viscount, is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on both Cara and the priceless artifacts. His icy exterior and fiery touch stirs Cara’s demons, or could he lay them to rest?
Self-preservation fuels Cara’s search for the gem known as Nefertiti’s Heart. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she sacrifices her own heart and life.
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*** 5 Reasons to Read Nefertiti’s Heart***
1) Fun introduction to steampunk romance as a genre
2) Spunky heroine who sports a pixie cut and trousers in 1860s London
3) Compelling love interest in the “villainous viscount” Nathaniel Trent
4) Multiple mysteries threaded throughout the book, including a serial killer
5) There are 3 more books in the series if you like the first one
Bonus: The first book is permafree
#topfives
Set in Queen Victoria’s world, I’m loving Exley’s series. The Artifact Hunters series book 1 introduces Cara, another strong heroine not afraid to get herself out of trouble. However, has she more danger than she can handle in Nate? Extra highly recommended. 5 stars
This book has everything you could ever want: Murder mystery, airships, sleuthing, ancient mystical artifacts, pompous chauvinistic pigs getting their just desserts – in public, mechanical horses, spoiled debutantes, a hot as hell viscount who may or may not be the bad guy – and a kick ass female lead. Oh yeah, and it’s all set in a Steampunk’d Victorian London! What more could you ask for?
The author’s note simply states that the book is written in British English, which I have no problem with, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s written in plain, British English and not the overly formal Victorian dialect, so it was extremely easy to follow and stay within the story.
Cara Devon was born a noblewoman to a father with a heavy gambling problem, an obsession for ancient artifacts and no love for his unruly daughter. Now, he’s dead. The only reason why she has returned to the city that scorned her, turned its back on her when she needed it most. Her only desire is to find all of the treasures her father has stashed away and sell them so she can stay independently wealthy and free from society’s trappings. But just after her arrival, the daughters of the city’s nobles start turning up dead in very symbolic, ritualistic ways and as the number one suspect for her father’s murder, Cara finds herself under the ruthless scrutiny of the Queen’s Enforcers.
Nathaniel Trent, Viscount Lyons is a self-made man. Though the title is real, his father had brought their family to the brink of bankruptcy leaving him with one option: marry some boring twit for her family’s fortune. Nate chose to start his own airship company, employee sky pirates and become the Lord of the Criminal Underground, instead. No one, not even the Queen’s Enforcers, dare to lay a finger on him or his business. His men are just as untouchable, until the feisty tigress, Cara Devon, decides to send two of them running home with bullet holes, rather than the book they’d been ordered to relieve her of.
A tantalizing game of cat and mouse ensues, rife with sexual tension. All while Cara’s trying to keep her head held high in a society that views her as “damaged, tainted goods” and now wants to blame her for the psycho on the loose killing all the wealthy women her age. Not knowing who to trust, Cara takes on her father’s cryptic journals to track down his hidden relics, while she’s being watched by the authorities and stalked by the villainous viscount.
When the connections start becoming too clear between the serial killings, her father’s murder and one of his relics known as Nefertiti’s Heart, Cara might have to swallow her independent pride and seek the help of the two men she’s been spending so much time avoiding: One copper, one criminal.
In the meantime, she finds herself being called upon to help the women of the city that don’t have the kind of freedom she does, who are still imprisoned by their family names, expectations and most importantly, their valuable reputations. Which, gives Cara ample opportunity to thumb her nose at society even more in the most creative and hilarious ways.
I look forward to reading the rest of this series and would recommend this book to everyone I know, because it doesn’t fit into just one genre or category. It touches on so many things at once. Women’s rights (or lack thereof), the age of invention, the frustration of police work without forensics, the constraints of a backward thinking society, the psychosis of a serial killer and a hint of supernatural intrigue. Of course, at the heart of it all is an emotionally charged romance and the evolution of a woman learning to face the horrors of her past, to discover if she can survive what she might become beyond them.
Trigger Warnings: Mild to moderate graphic depictions of fight scenes, murder, corpses, nudity and sex, as well as memories and discussions of rape and physical abuse.
This book had great potential. It drew me in quickly by using past and sci-fi together. The male main character was amazing. The storyline however took too much leeway to be a good book. Went out of the realm that was needed and actually squashed the book for me.
A great steampunk read
I enjoyed this book. Great world building. Smart characterizations. Something completely different while still being anchored in a familiar genre. Bought the next two books in the series immediately and loved those as well
I love Cara and her adventures. This was a wonderful continuation of the story.
Nicely done! A bit of steam punk mixed with Victorian mores and Egyptology!
Love her books and writing style. If you like steampunk, adventure and romance, you’ll love all of her books.
It is difficult for me to describe the plot of this book and that is why it is a terrific story. The background is London, but not as we know it, so expect an atmosphere of urban fantasy. However one can see from time to time clever clues of this alternative civilization pointing out towards steampunk, also considering it talks about exceptional “artifacts”. This whole package is wrapped into a tale of crime and deceit, which to me is an added bonus. The characters which dance harmoniously into this scene are well-developed and the reader can sense that more is to come, which is to be expected in a series. Overall a very entertaining experience.
I found the book to be at odds with what it wanted to do and what it wanted to be. On the one hand it would seem there is a desire to create a story about feminine strength and overcoming one’s trauma. On the other hand, it wants to be a steamy Victorian romance with all the bells and whistles that that merits. Unfortunately, I never felt these ideas achieved a comfortable harmony.
The empowering journey of reclaiming one’s desire and sense of self is trivialized by the way the romance plays out. The male lead attempting to help our heroine overcome the remnants of her trauma by challenging her aversion to touch (yes, it’s exactly how it sounds) wasn’t inherently bad, but it came off as counter to what the characters were. Is the heroine, Cara, a confident, independent woman, the type who defies any attempt to claim her? That’s what she claims and that’s what we are lead to believe, but that is not necessarily supported by key moments, particularly within the dynamics of her relationship with the love interest, Nate, who does on some level want to possess her. That type of verbiage can be fun when reading a steamy romance but doesn’t quite fit into a narrative with such persistent talk of sexual violence.
I did enjoy it, and anyone who likes Victorian romance and/or mysteries will likely enjoy it too on some level. I think the disconnect would not be so heightened if the problem didn’t stem from something as heavy as sexual assault. That aside, there is mystery, steamy romance, and soft steampunk and fantasy elements to enjoy.
For a full review please visit https://tinyurl.com/yb49uo3f.
Once opened I did not put this book down until I was finished. I loved it.
Cara Devon’s father was NOT a good man. At the age of fourteen, after some seriously rotten events (that are revealed during the book), Cara bolts and doesn’t return until seven years later after the death of said father. Her arrival thrusts her smack dab into the middle of a mystery.
Viscount Nathaniel Lyons wants Cara’s artifacts. He wasn’t prepared for the spit fire that shot his henchmen or sent him a message for a partnership.
I can’t wait to read Hatshepsut’s Collar (the next book in the series).
I found this very interesting, in-spite of the sexual content. Turns out that our heroine has to recover from abuse. Her savior, the tall dark handsome villian of the well-to-do class. Cara returns to London because of her father’s death with the intent to rid herself of any ties to his legacy. Her intent to sell of his treasures meets with very usual circumstance.
I do not recommend this for young readers due to the sexual content. Violence is not a problem. There is suspense, intrigue, and the occasional problem with grammar.
Enjoy the story, I did.
Exley is a writer that excites and thrills After reading this I bought all the books in the series. They are fabulous.
Great book. Enjoyed it from beginning to end. Lots of action and surprises. Would recommend to anyone.
Great read
This book is fantastic, compelling story and well developed characters. The alternate universe created is intriguing and fun
Great book! Definitely a page-turner. Looking for the next one in the series.
Not good