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Clockworks and Corsets
Everybody's looking for something.
Captain Rose Madigan of the airship The Merry Widow is looking for a paying job for her all-female crew. Gabriella Upstairs, her newest recruit, is looking for a reason to be glad she's on board. And Madam Ruby of the Red House Bordello is looking for the secret laboratory of a missing mad scientist--and is willing to hire the airship. When they find the lab and its single occupant, Atom Loquacious, danger and passion start steaming up.
Everybody's got a secret.
Captain Rose is secretly too ethical to complete this job. Gabriella's secretly attracted to Atom. Madam Ruby's secretly hungry for power. And the secret Atom is hiding might just threaten the lives of everyone on board.
34,219 Words
Captain Rose Madigan of the airship The Merry Widow is looking for a paying job for her all-female crew. Gabriella Upstairs, her newest recruit, is looking for a reason to be glad she's on board. And Madam Ruby of the Red House Bordello is looking for the secret laboratory of a missing mad scientist--and is willing to hire the airship. When they find the lab and its single occupant, Atom Loquacious, danger and passion start steaming up.
Everybody's got a secret.
Captain Rose is secretly too ethical to complete this job. Gabriella's secretly attracted to Atom. Madam Ruby's secretly hungry for power. And the secret Atom is hiding might just threaten the lives of everyone on board.
34,219 Words
134 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
5 people are currently reading
751 people want to read
About the author
Tonia Brown
85Ìýbooks102ÌýfollowersTonia Brown is a Southern author with a penchant for Victorian dead things. She lives in North Carolina with her genius husband and an ever fluctuating number of cats. When not writing she raises unicorns and fights crime with her husband under the code names "Dr. Weird and his sexy sidekick Butternut."
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 14, 2011
Rating 4.5...
Concoction of a Review:
If you skipped straight to the review, this novella had to be full of steampunkery wonders. How could the Mad Scientist pass this one up?
Clockworks & Corsets was very fun romp through the Steampunkery genre. Right from the start she tosses you into a unique world where an airship is crewed by the damned... Wait, *shakes out all images of Depp out of her head.* The airship is manned by women. Regina Riley tosses out the set images of an androcentric world.
Rose Madigan is the captain of an steampowered airship, The Merry Widow, which is used for a small parcel pick up and drop off service around the world. However, she has been looking for a job for quiet sometimes. When she is hired by Madame Ruby of the Red House Bordello the crew is tisking over working for a whore or what problems will arise if they do not get a paid job soon. They obvious wins. The crew is off to a mysterious island in the South Pacific to find a unknown object located in a missing Mad Scientist's, Doctor Laquacious, laboratory. The crew finds themselves the island entering into the long lost laboratory, meeting the son of the crazy Doctor Atom Laquacious, and caged up by the hands of the indigenous population.
The captain and some of the other crew members also find themselves in the arms of Click the cabin boy, the only male aboard the ship. The love making was steamy and sexy. Many of the scenes were explicit. BDSM and Masturbation can be found in Clockworks & Corsets.
Meanwhile, the sex continues we find out that Madame Ruby has an intent of taking over the world with this secret weapon that Rose's crew is to be bringing back to her. She is willing to use all of her charm to get what she needs to acquire it. One wealthy man at a time. The Mad Scientist is not a person who really enjoys a read with some sort of political agenda. Frankly it makes me search around looking for some gunpowder so I can blow something up. Nonetheless... I can hardly wait to see what our dear Madame Ruby has up her power hungry sleeve.
However, I must say that even though I greatly enjoyed Clockworks & Corsets it could of used more detail. Yes, I understand the purpose of novella is to have a short read. But if there was anything that could make this novella a bit better it would be details. So, simple. More details. I wanted to know more about the fashion, moreover more about corsets. It was in the title after all. Also, more details about the ship. I was happy to think of the Black Pearl the whole time but I think a bit more would help others see a airship more clearly.
Overall, I really enjoyed all of the Steampunkery elements that were to be had in such a short amount of pages including Jayne and her infinity for creating devices and scientist brain. There were plenty of fantastic characters. All of which, I will be waiting to read more of.
Concoction of a Review:
If you skipped straight to the review, this novella had to be full of steampunkery wonders. How could the Mad Scientist pass this one up?
Clockworks & Corsets was very fun romp through the Steampunkery genre. Right from the start she tosses you into a unique world where an airship is crewed by the damned... Wait, *shakes out all images of Depp out of her head.* The airship is manned by women. Regina Riley tosses out the set images of an androcentric world.
Rose Madigan is the captain of an steampowered airship, The Merry Widow, which is used for a small parcel pick up and drop off service around the world. However, she has been looking for a job for quiet sometimes. When she is hired by Madame Ruby of the Red House Bordello the crew is tisking over working for a whore or what problems will arise if they do not get a paid job soon. They obvious wins. The crew is off to a mysterious island in the South Pacific to find a unknown object located in a missing Mad Scientist's, Doctor Laquacious, laboratory. The crew finds themselves the island entering into the long lost laboratory, meeting the son of the crazy Doctor Atom Laquacious, and caged up by the hands of the indigenous population.
The captain and some of the other crew members also find themselves in the arms of Click the cabin boy, the only male aboard the ship. The love making was steamy and sexy. Many of the scenes were explicit. BDSM and Masturbation can be found in Clockworks & Corsets.
Meanwhile, the sex continues we find out that Madame Ruby has an intent of taking over the world with this secret weapon that Rose's crew is to be bringing back to her. She is willing to use all of her charm to get what she needs to acquire it. One wealthy man at a time. The Mad Scientist is not a person who really enjoys a read with some sort of political agenda. Frankly it makes me search around looking for some gunpowder so I can blow something up. Nonetheless... I can hardly wait to see what our dear Madame Ruby has up her power hungry sleeve.
However, I must say that even though I greatly enjoyed Clockworks & Corsets it could of used more detail. Yes, I understand the purpose of novella is to have a short read. But if there was anything that could make this novella a bit better it would be details. So, simple. More details. I wanted to know more about the fashion, moreover more about corsets. It was in the title after all. Also, more details about the ship. I was happy to think of the Black Pearl the whole time but I think a bit more would help others see a airship more clearly.
Overall, I really enjoyed all of the Steampunkery elements that were to be had in such a short amount of pages including Jayne and her infinity for creating devices and scientist brain. There were plenty of fantastic characters. All of which, I will be waiting to read more of.
September 16, 2022
Fun though predictable
If you don't mind descriptions of graphic sex and a somewhat predictable plot, this is a cute steampunk romance. I found it amusing though the character development of the secondary characters was pretty minimal.
If you don't mind descriptions of graphic sex and a somewhat predictable plot, this is a cute steampunk romance. I found it amusing though the character development of the secondary characters was pretty minimal.
February 1, 2011
I have to admit, I was pretty excited about reading this book. It is about an airship called The Merry Widow, captained by a widow named Rose. The story is about Rose and her crew of all women including the newest member of the crew, Gabriella, along with the "cabin boy" a native by the name of Click. The crew has been hired to search a remote island for the lab of a mad scientist who is missing. First the crew is not willing to complete the task, as their current employer is a well known Madame Ruby of the Red House Bordello. Yet with no work or money in the last six months, beggars can't be choosers and the crew decides to go ahead with the job. After finally gaining access to the lab they meet Atom Loquacious, the son of the scientist. Atom is immediately infatuated with Gabriella, just as she is with him. While trying to return the airship, they are caught by unfriendly natives. After a quick escape, and a spear to Atom's shoulder they make it safely aboard to start their new adventure. Meanwhile, we learn that Madame Ruby has ulterior motives for wanting the weapon Dr. Loquacious created. With the intent on ruling the free world, Ruby uses her charms to gain the advantages she needs.
While I liked and enjoyed the book, I felt it was lacking something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The plot and Steampunk theme is very cleaver and inventive. The strong women that peppered the book, yet had just enough of the less dominant characters to balance it all out were awesome. But in my opinion, the one thing that could have made this book great would have been more details. The back story of Rose and each of her crew members, what was it that set Madame Ruby on her path of destruction and more about Jayne's devices would have really gave the book the sizzle it was lacking . I would have loved a more detailed description of the Merry Widow, since it was something as magnificent as a floating ship. More detail about the clothing they all wore, because the book is named after the one item the captain requires the girls to wear. While the sex scenes were enjoyable and sexy, a little more detail would have really brought this book up a level. The ending left the door open in several ways for the sequel that is due out in a few weeks, one that I am eagerly anticipating.
--Brandi, The One Hundred Romances Project
While I liked and enjoyed the book, I felt it was lacking something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The plot and Steampunk theme is very cleaver and inventive. The strong women that peppered the book, yet had just enough of the less dominant characters to balance it all out were awesome. But in my opinion, the one thing that could have made this book great would have been more details. The back story of Rose and each of her crew members, what was it that set Madame Ruby on her path of destruction and more about Jayne's devices would have really gave the book the sizzle it was lacking . I would have loved a more detailed description of the Merry Widow, since it was something as magnificent as a floating ship. More detail about the clothing they all wore, because the book is named after the one item the captain requires the girls to wear. While the sex scenes were enjoyable and sexy, a little more detail would have really brought this book up a level. The ending left the door open in several ways for the sequel that is due out in a few weeks, one that I am eagerly anticipating.
--Brandi, The One Hundred Romances Project
May 11, 2014
I have yet to have read something by author Tonia Brown that I did not thoroughly enjoy. I may have cocked my head to the side like a quizzical dog while reading certain scenes, but that doesn't mean I didn't like what I was reading. Tonia has a style that is all her own and in Clockworks and Corsets her style is taken into the world of steampunk & erotica. This is some of Ms Brown's earlier work, thus it may lack a slight bit of the polish that comes with time, but it is still very much the work of one of my favorite authors.
Clockworks and Corsets takes us on a journey into the skies where the all female crew of the Merry Widow has been hired to find a secret laboratory of a very elusive and now missing scientist. While they head to their destination we learn a bit about each of the crew and, at times, even more about their ways around the bedchamber. Once on the island, the Merry Widow's crew finds more than they expected and, also, find themselves in a heap of trouble. What, or more accurately, who exactly did they find in the laboratory? And how will they get themselves out of the predicament that they find themselves in?
As always with Tonia Brown, these characters are very entertaining, well thought out and with dialogue that I cannot help but find truly well done. Each character is given enough of a backstory where you feel that you know enough about them to care/or not. Their actions and attitudes fit how we have come to "know" them and, as a reader, I felt the camaraderie even when they were at odds.
Steampunk is a major influence in this tale as is sex/sexuality. I would not claim this to be a strong erotica influenced novella, as there is not a great number of sexual encounters. However the scenes that are there are definitely hot! I truly enjoyed reading this novella and look forward to passing my thoughts along for book two Pistons and Pistols soon.
Clockworks and Corsets takes us on a journey into the skies where the all female crew of the Merry Widow has been hired to find a secret laboratory of a very elusive and now missing scientist. While they head to their destination we learn a bit about each of the crew and, at times, even more about their ways around the bedchamber. Once on the island, the Merry Widow's crew finds more than they expected and, also, find themselves in a heap of trouble. What, or more accurately, who exactly did they find in the laboratory? And how will they get themselves out of the predicament that they find themselves in?
As always with Tonia Brown, these characters are very entertaining, well thought out and with dialogue that I cannot help but find truly well done. Each character is given enough of a backstory where you feel that you know enough about them to care/or not. Their actions and attitudes fit how we have come to "know" them and, as a reader, I felt the camaraderie even when they were at odds.
Steampunk is a major influence in this tale as is sex/sexuality. I would not claim this to be a strong erotica influenced novella, as there is not a great number of sexual encounters. However the scenes that are there are definitely hot! I truly enjoyed reading this novella and look forward to passing my thoughts along for book two Pistons and Pistols soon.
July 4, 2013
***2.5***
For the last six months The Merry Widow and its crew haven't received any job offers. When they do get one they can't be picky even though they don't really like their new client. Madam Ruby wants Captain Rose Madigan and its crew to go to a secret island and loot what is left in Atom Loquacious's lab. They did not expect to find Atom there.
I realy didn't like some of the women on this airship. The one I hated the most is Jayne. She is jealous and judgemental. They managed to get into that lab only thanks to Gabriella. If they listened to Jayne who didn't even want to pay attention to the words above the door, they would never enter. Atom liked Gabriella the moment he saw her, so when he asked her if she was an angel, Jayne couldn't help but shout: "She's no angel. She's just a spoiled little rich girl." Nothing in Gabriella's actions showed her as spoiled, just a little homesick. It's not a spoiler to say Jayne is a horrible person since the first thing we meet Gabriella we find out that Jayne doesn't want to show her how her devices work (not that it prevents Jayne to say stuff like "...he would distract our debutante from what little work she manages to get done.").
Madam Ruby is a hypocrite. When she thinks of herself as a future power, then women are great. However, she isn't above using the opinions she supposedly hates and hire all-female crew. ("What was more innocuous than an airship crew of women?")
Even with Jayne this is a nice, short adventure. It starts a bit slow and then turns out to be something completely different. The rating has more to do with the abrupt ending and something that was missing ().
For the last six months The Merry Widow and its crew haven't received any job offers. When they do get one they can't be picky even though they don't really like their new client. Madam Ruby wants Captain Rose Madigan and its crew to go to a secret island and loot what is left in Atom Loquacious's lab. They did not expect to find Atom there.
I realy didn't like some of the women on this airship. The one I hated the most is Jayne. She is jealous and judgemental. They managed to get into that lab only thanks to Gabriella. If they listened to Jayne who didn't even want to pay attention to the words above the door, they would never enter. Atom liked Gabriella the moment he saw her, so when he asked her if she was an angel, Jayne couldn't help but shout: "She's no angel. She's just a spoiled little rich girl." Nothing in Gabriella's actions showed her as spoiled, just a little homesick. It's not a spoiler to say Jayne is a horrible person since the first thing we meet Gabriella we find out that Jayne doesn't want to show her how her devices work (not that it prevents Jayne to say stuff like "...he would distract our debutante from what little work she manages to get done.").
Madam Ruby is a hypocrite. When she thinks of herself as a future power, then women are great. However, she isn't above using the opinions she supposedly hates and hire all-female crew. ("What was more innocuous than an airship crew of women?")
Even with Jayne this is a nice, short adventure. It starts a bit slow and then turns out to be something completely different. The rating has more to do with the abrupt ending and something that was missing ().
April 4, 2014
this book is definitely on the naughtier side of steam punk. Characters are believable but a little on the predictable side. It is well written, has a decent pace, and the story moves forward without feeling stilted or slow. Plot line is a little on the week side, but if you are looking for a quick read, with sex and a smidgeon of romance, than it is worth reading. All in all, I like the concept of this book and will read the second on because I like the crew Regina Riley has created. Would love to see some back stories about each one.
December 31, 2024
The crew of the Merry Widow were hired by Madame Ruby to locate an artifact in the lab of the mad scientist Dr. Grant Loquacious on a South Pacific island. But nothing is simple in this steampunk world - what with restless natives, strange creatures, backstabbing contacts and the like. So sail through the air with the Merry Widow crew as they adventure around the world!
May 18, 2022
Cute, very sexy story about a mostly female crew of steampunk airship sailors.
January 4, 2011
So. I'm sitting here getting ready to write this review and I'm trying to figure out how to say this without coming across as an angry fan of steampunk. Uggh. I've already said it wrong. See, I liked this book. I think I would have liked it more if I had realized going into it that it isn't a self-contained novel. It's the first in a serialized novel, which means that there's plot movement but no resolution. Which means that I'm left hanging.
That's one of those things that you can plan for if you know it's coming, but when you don't know it hits you like a train and you're left floundering and weeping inconsolably on the side of the tracks. The good news on this is that it looks like the second part of this story (Pistons and Pistols) will be out sometime in 2011. The bad news is that there's no other news on it so I don't know if it's the final part of the story or one of many.
Anyway. Now that my sad and angry inner steampunk fangirl has come to grips with being left mid-read, I do want to stress that I really did enjoy this book. It's very tongue in cheek and slyly fun. The hardest part for me to get a grip on was which of the characters was which. They all have nicknames and keeping them straight was making my head spin. What? I'm not always good with names.
As for the characters, I loved Atom and Gabriella. I thought Rose and Click were downright naughty. I think that someone needs to keep an eye on Jayne. I'm extremely curious to see what Madame Ruby has up her sleeve, so to speak. The sexy shenanigans start up almost from the first page and they don't let up.
I liked the writing and I liked the story. If this had been a complete novel, I would have been the happiest steampunk fan in the history of the world.
-Kelly @
That's one of those things that you can plan for if you know it's coming, but when you don't know it hits you like a train and you're left floundering and weeping inconsolably on the side of the tracks. The good news on this is that it looks like the second part of this story (Pistons and Pistols) will be out sometime in 2011. The bad news is that there's no other news on it so I don't know if it's the final part of the story or one of many.
Anyway. Now that my sad and angry inner steampunk fangirl has come to grips with being left mid-read, I do want to stress that I really did enjoy this book. It's very tongue in cheek and slyly fun. The hardest part for me to get a grip on was which of the characters was which. They all have nicknames and keeping them straight was making my head spin. What? I'm not always good with names.
As for the characters, I loved Atom and Gabriella. I thought Rose and Click were downright naughty. I think that someone needs to keep an eye on Jayne. I'm extremely curious to see what Madame Ruby has up her sleeve, so to speak. The sexy shenanigans start up almost from the first page and they don't let up.
I liked the writing and I liked the story. If this had been a complete novel, I would have been the happiest steampunk fan in the history of the world.
-Kelly @
April 26, 2013
I chose not to finish this. I rarly give things 2 stars - I didn't hate it but I didn't like anything but 2 our of 3 sex scene and nothing in between in the book, so that is a low score from me.
This is oddly written. A bit melodramatic, with too little sex (for an erotica) and a native Polynesian man that is portrayed in a way that feels exploitative. But mostly it is just melodramatic. Good idea but not lacking excursion. Ok I know this is suppose to be humors but a lot of it is just plain not funny humor of the narrow minded kind - and yep that sounds really harsh but it is really distracting for me.
The sex scenes are mostly good, now if the scenes in between were as nice it would be good. But the "native" man is portrayed as the simple savage that has good instincts and is easily trusting - while the civilized women need his help. The woman do not feel like real people but like caricatures of them self. I am sure it is suppose to be a caricatures of the genre but I don't think it succeed.
Again I didn't hate it but it was pretty disappointing.
This is oddly written. A bit melodramatic, with too little sex (for an erotica) and a native Polynesian man that is portrayed in a way that feels exploitative. But mostly it is just melodramatic. Good idea but not lacking excursion. Ok I know this is suppose to be humors but a lot of it is just plain not funny humor of the narrow minded kind - and yep that sounds really harsh but it is really distracting for me.
The sex scenes are mostly good, now if the scenes in between were as nice it would be good. But the "native" man is portrayed as the simple savage that has good instincts and is easily trusting - while the civilized women need his help. The woman do not feel like real people but like caricatures of them self. I am sure it is suppose to be a caricatures of the genre but I don't think it succeed.
Again I didn't hate it but it was pretty disappointing.
June 17, 2012
The all female crew, except for the captain's pet cabin boy, of the airship Merry Widow set off to retrieve a renowned scientist's last invention from his abandoned lab somewhere in the South Pacific. That's that basic story, and does well to frame this tale's more bawdy elements. These include shenanigans between the captian and her cabin boy, as well as some rather bizarre happenings in a bordello. If you would rather not have any spice with your steampunk, then Clockworks and Corsets is not for you; however, if you rather enjoy a bit of bump and grind with your gears and gadgets, then this is a delightful book to add to your collection. The plot elements are well paced, the characters just quirky enough to set them apart and the intimate scenes are hot enough to boil water.
I get the feeling this story is intended as the begining of a series. If so I look forward to the next installment.
I get the feeling this story is intended as the begining of a series. If so I look forward to the next installment.
June 28, 2011
Hmm . . what can I say about this book.
Hehe, first! As always, shall we take a moment to check out the cover?
Beautiful, huh!
Now, for the story.
Either this one took some time to grab my attention . . or I was taking my time enjoying it because it was going to end way to soon, I'm not actually sure which.
What I am sure of, is this: Excited am I that there is a book to follow. Pistols and Pistons
Everything was included in this short read. There was humor, sex, romance, drama, and mystery. (Psst, there is a sexy cabin boy . . I mean cabin man.)
Take a ride with women of the Merry Widow and join them for an adventure. One that will end rather quickly, but promises to pick up again in Pistols and Pistons.
Hehe, first! As always, shall we take a moment to check out the cover?
Beautiful, huh!
Now, for the story.
Either this one took some time to grab my attention . . or I was taking my time enjoying it because it was going to end way to soon, I'm not actually sure which.
What I am sure of, is this: Excited am I that there is a book to follow. Pistols and Pistons
Everything was included in this short read. There was humor, sex, romance, drama, and mystery. (Psst, there is a sexy cabin boy . . I mean cabin man.)
Take a ride with women of the Merry Widow and join them for an adventure. One that will end rather quickly, but promises to pick up again in Pistols and Pistons.
February 5, 2011
This is a very short book; I'm not sure that it would even qualify as a novella. Also, be warned while it reaches a logical stopping point, it is obviously incomplete. It is my understanding that more are planned.
I really wanted to like the book. The concept is intriguing and the author has some good ideas and suggests an interesting world. However, the writing is just bad - the misuse of words is most egregious but there are grammar and editing errors as well. A good editor could make a world of difference - hopefully, the author will find one prior to publishing the next in the sequence.
I really wanted to like the book. The concept is intriguing and the author has some good ideas and suggests an interesting world. However, the writing is just bad - the misuse of words is most egregious but there are grammar and editing errors as well. A good editor could make a world of difference - hopefully, the author will find one prior to publishing the next in the sequence.
May 12, 2013
When I got this book I didn't realize it was erotica. The description makes it sound more like an adventure steampunk. However, this book pretty much fails in all categories in my opinion. The adventure is a bit lame, the characters are lack luster, and there were on really three sex scenes in the whole book. It was a short read so that was good I guess. The steampunk elements were interesting, but not really what I think of when I think of steampunk. The only thing I can say si the writing style was okay and it was well edited. Really all the way around tho it wasn't for me.
September 21, 2011
Quick read. More romance novel than steampunk novel. A diverse set of women crew an airship and are hired to find an unnamed object on a remote island. There clearly are intended to be other books (a series).
September 3, 2015
This was such a good concept - which would have been a really good book - but is more a so-so novella.
The sex scenes were OK - but one of them seemed to add nothing to the story really. It might have done if the story had been longer.
The sex scenes were OK - but one of them seemed to add nothing to the story really. It might have done if the story had been longer.
August 2, 2012
I liked some of the stories a lot and others not so much. But I will read more steampunk novels.
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