Cards & Caravans

Cards and Caravans is the fifth book in Cindy Spencer Pape's Gaslight Chronicles. The series combines two of my favorite genres steampunk and paranormal.  It mostly, in some way, involves The Order, which consist of magic wielders that are descendants of the Knights of the Round Table. These books are quick reads being as they are about novella length, but they pack a lot of action and romance into them.

In this book Connor McKay has returned home to the Scotland office to work after being rejected by Wink in the last book Moonlight & Mechanicals. While there he gets a call from the circus owner in the last book, who is concerned about his niece in Scotland.  Connor goes to investigate it, and finds the widowed Belinda locked in the goal accused of witchcraft and set to burn at dawn. After poking around a little bit, Connor finds that this accusation is definitely sketchy.  He breaks Belinda out, and they make a dash through the country side in her grandfather's steam powered circus caravan to his family's estates where she should be safe.

Once at the estate, all his family and friends are there or soon will be to celebrate his grandparents 60th anniversary.  Connor comes up with a plan to make sure that Belinda will always be safe.  That doesn't entirely stop her accusers for busting in and trying to take her away again.  Probably not their best idea, since it is a room full of magic using knights.  When they question those they arrested, there seems to more cases like Belinda's happening all around.  They call up Belinda's uncle and use the circus to set a trap to catch those behind the plot.

I enjoyed the book even if it will never win a Nobel prize for literature. It made a nice little study break to read a chapter or two while I study for my block exams.  I think that Pape writes very likable characters, and her romance is good and steamy (pun intended).  I liked that all the main characters from the past books in the series made an appearance in this one.  This Moonlight and Mechanicals and this book both have hinted at a romance between Tom and Nell, so fingers crossed that they are the stars of the next book.

Currently Reading:
Insurgent
by Veronica Roth