About the Book...
*Title: The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House
*Author: Joanna Davidson Politano
*Genre: Christian historical romance (w/ steampunk elements)
*Series: No, seems to be a standalone novel
*Recommend for: ages 15+
My Personal Rating
📖Synopsis
A clever young woman, a contested will, and an estate that does not easily give up its secrets.It is 1901 when clockmaker and tinker Sydney Forrester receives a most unusual inheritance. Blakely House, the island estate of an estranged uncle she's never met, seems almost alive, revealing and hiding its secrets at will. It is filled with remarkable inventions, including an intriguing unfinished automaton Sydney is itching to get her skilled hands on.
The estate is also home to a number of peculiar people--including two men intent on removing this interloper from the island. Convinced that Sydney has something to do with their uncle's death, the late master's nephews contest the will and work against their cousin at every turn.
Sydney finds a sometimes-ally in the estate's butler, an ex-adventurer who ran aground on the island years ago. But when a mysterious man washes ashore with a stunning surprise that upsets everything, Sydney must prove she has inherited the late master's brilliance as well as his property--or someone else will.
💭My Thoughts
"...Suddenly I couldn't think of a clever thing to say. 'Good day, then.' I pulled out my emergency book and buried my burning face in it as I pushed my way out the door. This was precisely why I would never marry."
Now that was...intriguing 👀
The premise was super interesting, and I really got sucked in, especially towards the beginning (I will admit once the romance entered I got slightly bored at times). I'm not sure that I've ever read a book quite like this one, and again, those first several chapters when Sydney is exploring Blakely House, I was gasping and my heart rate was definitely increased...although perhaps that was simply because it was past midnight and I was reading in bed when a thunderstorm was happening. ;)
I really liked Sydney as a character and how quirky and bookish she was, and I loved that it was first person for her POV. Also that she compared people to clocks ("Clocks made sense. People seldom did."). It was a bit heavy in the details of the machinery and gadgets and such, but I honestly visualized everything very well, almost like a movie, which was quite enjoyable. The "pirates" were very...stereotypical, but a fun and unique addition nonetheless.
One small thing was that I'm a little tired of the main girl always being the one who doubts God, however, I did love that Sydney came back to God because she saw the Maker's mark in everything, and how nature and such clearly shows design and thus, a Designer.
This was my first Politano novel, and I am really looking forward to hopefully picking up more of her books soon!
Read for...
🕰️1901 historical fiction
🕰️ Gothic mansion full of surprises
🕰️ Intriguing mystery involving inheritance and family secrets
🕰️ Action and adventure
🕰️ Steampunk elements
🕰️ Pirates
🕰️ Love letters
🕰️ A feline friend named Micah
🕰️ Strong, witty FMC
🕰️ Threads of faith and romance
⚠️ Broad content notes
No language besides "what in heavens name", "be hanged", "confounded", "dash it all", and "blazes"; Semi-descriptive injuries, pain, and a near drowning; lots of mentions of murder and a mention of eloping; noticing, attraction and a few semi-descriptive kisses. Note: a character is insecure at times because he had lost his arm prior to the book starting.
Bookishly yours,
Lottie M.
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