Review! Crimson & Steam by Liz Maverick

Crimson & Steam (Crimson City series, book #8)
Liz Maverick
Love Spell
December 29, 2009
ISBN: 0505527790

Named for the angels, Los Angeles is a city of demons, a crucible of souls. It is Crimson City. Here vampires and werewolves vie for dominion, humans build soldiers of flesh and steel who seethe with fury. But alongside strife can be love--a love that cares nothing for species or origin. 

Yet, love doesn’t always conquer. Marius and Jill have long been kept apart. Bound by destiny yet forbidden true union, he is vampire; she, human. And a marriage alliance that promises peace for all others shall separate them forever. 

As if peace might be achieved so easily. Darkness is rising: a mysterious plot shall force every inhabitant of Crimson City to take sides. Deliverance exists, but first must come a tale of impossible passion and discovery, of Marius and Jill in a race against time leading back to the city’s paranormal beginnings, to Victorian London, to an era of invention and a world of CRIMSON & STEAM.

Marius, the vampire master of house Dumont has always been about doing the right thing for his people, for his city. Unfortunately, he's in love with a human woman, Jill, but his latest political move include him marrying someone else, more specifically Tatiana Asprey, a werewolf. Jill is enraged and incredibly hurt that he's even considering it, that for years now, she's been waiting for him and now they'll never have a chance.

What neither Marius or Jill know, but will soon find out, is that there are people plotting against them. In fact, there are some who wants them dead and they have to work together to flesh out who it is and stop them before it's too late.

Crimson & Steam is unlike any other book I've ever read. First of all, let me start by saying that it's the eighth book in the Crimson City series and I have not read the previous book. I was a bit wary before I started reading it due to that fact but while at first I was slightly lost, the reader doesn't need all that much backstory to be able to follow this story. I can tentatively say that Crimson & Steam can be a stand-alone novel, however I do recommend you read the previous books!

With that said, I definitely enjoyed reading this story. Maverick has a way with words that you can't help but fall into. It's definitely not a traditional story, there's kind of two plots intertwined that at first, I admit, I was completely lost about because I could not find the connection! But that's what is so fun about Crimson & Steam. As the story progress, the reader founds out more info and the multiple plots become clearer. The characters, even the "bad guy" are completely easy to relate to, the plot unlike any I've read before and all-in-all, after a rocky start, I absolutely enjoyed reading Crimson & Steam.