| Title | : | Blameless (Parasol Protectorate, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0316074152 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780316074155 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 355 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2010 |
| Awards | : | Prix Julia Verlanger (2013), Goodreads Choice Award Paranormal Fantasy (2010) |
Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.
While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.
BLAMELESS is the third book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
The Parasol Protectorate
Soulless
Changeless
Blameless
Heartless
Timeless
For more from Gail Carriger, check out:
The Custard Protocol
Prudence
Imprudence
Competence
Reticence
Finishing School (YA)
Etiquette & Espionage
Curtsies & Conspiracies
Waistcoats & Weaponry
Manners & Mutiny
Blameless (Parasol Protectorate, #3) Reviews
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I just love ole Lyall! I prob spelled that wrong as I listened to it instead of reading my paperback!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 -
This one picked up right where the last one left off. Given that I did not like the ending of the last one, I was irritated with the ‘situation’ through most of this book. 😠 But it did have a lot of adventure and I did enjoy the side characters. 👍 I will continue the series, as I’m curious as to what will happen next.
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Three stars for this one because although I liked it, I like it less than the first two books. There was still a lot of good stuff going on though.
Some of the characters in
Blameless are just great. I loved the imperturbable Floote and the endlessly put upon Lyall. Alexia is always good and often very funny especially the way she thinks and refers to her pregnancy as "the infant-inconvenience". Unfortunately I do not care for Lord Maccon who, especially in this book, is a thoughtless oaf. There. I said it. Sorry to all the people out there who find him more acceptable.
The story was good but there were long periods where very little happened and skimming was tempting! Nevertheless I enjoyed it overall and will certainly go on to the next book. -
The Indecisive Cheese Theory of series fiction
See, it’s like when you’re handed a new kind of cheese, right? And you take a nibble and you think, “huh! Cheese! Yeah, okay. Kinda creamy, a little light, nice steampunk flavor as it finishes. I like it!”
So you take a bigger bite, and you think, “well, but hang on, there was something a bit funny going on with the aftertaste. And that sex scene was just absurd. I don’t like that . . . I think?”
But you’re not sure, so you take another bite, because at this point you’ve got to figure it out. And you think, “actually, you know, that’s kind of nice. Zing with the one-liners, and the cross-dressing lesbian inventor is great, and all that stuff about how our heroine doesn’t magically get maternal instincts just because she’s pregnant. I like it!’
So you take another bite, and you’re like, “. . . wait, shit. That was clumsy and it pulled the emotional punch -- do I like that?”
Yeah. This series is indecisive cheese. And this book is the one I’m making “wait . . . hang on . . . not sure” faces over. -
Souless was down right magical. Changeless had it moments but was all over the place. I probably would've have never finished it if a pal hadn't told me a spoiler connected to bk 3; that compelled me to push through so I could read Blameless. Blameless was slightly less irksome than Changeless, but still had whole sections where I had to force myself not to skim.
I'm not a big fan when slews of new characters are introduced, or too much focus on introduced side characters that don't significantly add to the plot and are just there to fill pages. Which has much to do with my discontent. Bk 2 and 3 have very minimal interaction btwn Alexis and Lord Macon and way too much everything else. The dialogue is still very witty ( maybe a touch too witty), but didn't put a dent in how bored I was 70%- 80% of the time reading these.
Also the way things were resolved at the end was very Silly, I definitely respect Alexia less and dislike Conall more for it. It was no where near enough, it's as if Alexia transformed into Miss Hisslepenny in the last few pages.
I'd rate
Souless 5 stars
Changeless as 2 stars
Blameless as 2 1/2 stars ( I can't round it up to 3 stars, because saying "I liked it" would be a fib) -
When we last left Lady Alexia Maccon, she had been thrown out by her husband Conall due to her being pregnant. Seeing as Conall is a centuries old werewolf, there is no possible explanation for Alexia to be pregnant with his child. He comes to the conclusion that she cheated on him and turned her out. (Conall never stops to think that because Alexia is soulless, and when she touches a supernatural creature, she makes them human. So perhaps while they are intimate, there is a possibility he could get her with child). Alexia has no choice but to move back home with her mother, step-father and two annoying sisters who blame Alexia for their hardships in not finding any men to marry. Alexia is more than perturbed, not only by her husband's disregard, but the fact she's been saddled with an, "infant-inconvenience" as she calls the fetus growing in her womb. She can hardly keep anything down and her appetite has wasted away, another horrid side affect to her pregnancy. This is a woman who loves to eat and now she can't find joy in even that.
And the fact that Alexia is mark for extermination by the vampire community make things very hard indeed. She is almost killed by a group of mechanical ladybugs that infest her carriage. She captures one in a hat box and goes to see Madame Lefoux, a scientist, inventor and owner of a hat shop. Alexia has no one else to turn to, not even her good vampire friend, Lord Akeldama, who can give her sanctuary. He has gone missing, and now without the protection of her husband, Alexia and the baby she carries are marked for death. She needs to figure out how and why she has gotten pregnant so she can show her husband that she hasn't been canoodling with another man. She, along with Madame Lefoux, and her dead father's former valet, Floote, will travel to Italy, not only for Alexia's safety but to find her roots, since her father was Italian and a soulless like she is.
Italy is just as precarious as England, with vampire assassins following their every move and the religious group of the Templars who welcome Alexia, but with disdain. They believe Alexia is a demon and have a devious plan regarding her. With only her specially made parasol as a weapon, and her analytical thinking, Alexia, as always, must save herself.
Blameless is book three in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. The reason I read these books is because of the character of Alexia. She is so very adorable with her thinking and dry wit. This woman gets in to so much trouble and, even with the possibility of death breathing down her neck, all she can think of is food. The reason she loves Italy is because of the pesto. But unfortunately for Alexia, her child causes her a great amount of grief. She isn't sure how she should feel toward her unborn baby. She is fearful she doesn't have maternal instincts and may not care for her child. Her goal in finding out why she is pregnant moves along the story, and for once you see a more delicate Alexia. She's hurting a great deal because her husband has cruelly turned his back on her. Alexia maybe very vocal about Lord Maccon's fault, but he is the only one who has given her true affection, something she can no longer live without.
Now where do I start with Conall Maccon, the alpha of the werewolf pack of London? I'm deeply perturbed by his actions and the way he has treated Alexia. If you're expecting him and Alexia to have a great deal of interaction in Blameless, you will be very disappointed. I was peeved, not only by the way Conall is portrayed this time around, but when he comes to the conclusion how wrong he was about Alexia, it was very, very lacking. The word grovel comes to mind.
I was less than please in the outcome of Alexia and Conall's relationship because Conall didn't do enough, in my opinion, to have Alexia forgive him. The so-called grovel scene was unbelievably lacking. The man even has the nerve to be upset that Alexia didn't do enough on her part to try and make him believe her. I felt robbed in that sense and I hope in the next book that Conall will move Heaven and Earth to make Alexia happy.
Blameless is fun reading and I adore Alexia so much. I love her attitude, the way she looks upon the world and the non-stop loopy adventures she finds herself in. Even though one part of Blameless was less than satisfactory for me, I do look forward to Heartless and can't wait and see how the Maccons start a family. -
-Las mismas carencias y habilidades que los libros anteriores.-
Género. Narrativa fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Sin culpa (publicación original: Blameless, 2010) nos presenta a una Alexia caída en desgracia social, política y familiar por estar embarazada y que su marido sea un hombre lobo que no puede tener descendencia. Los pocos amigos que le quedan la ayudan a alejarse de Londres y de la propia Inglaterra por el escándalo y porque se ha convertido en blanco para los vampiros por alguna razón que, tal vez, esté relacionada con el embarazo. Tercer volumen de la serie El protectorado de la sombrilla.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com... -
Faced with private heartbreak and public scandal, Alexia loses her strongest protection just as she needs it the most. She leaves for Italy, hoping to avoid dangerous enemies and learn more about her preternatural state. Alexia's search might get her some answers, but it also leads to a new danger.
I enjoyed the travel and adventure aspects of this one, and it was nice to see the people Alexia left behind in England dealing with the threats on that end. But Conall's behavior at the end of the previous book put a cloud over everything.
Again, I really enjoyed the rest of the book, but the relationship issues were so central to the story that the disappointing resolution to that plot kind of broke things for me. I'll happily read something different from this author, but it's hard for me to see how I'll be able to enjoy Alexia and Conall's partnership in the way I did during the first book and most of the second. -
After the way book two ended, I have to say this was still quite enjoyable. I thought Alexia wallowed for an adequate amount of time, considering the way Conall acted toward her to begin with, and even though she was obviously still heartbroken over what had happened, she compartmentalized enough for it to take a backseat to what was going on. I was a bit disappointed that they seemed to make up rather quickly (which might steer this more toward a high 3.5 rating), but I don't expect a ton from these books because they're so fluffy and overall feel-good in the end. I really enjoyed the romp to Italy, and how things turned out with both Biffy and Akeldama back in London. The narrator's voice for Queen Victoria sounded a bit like Judi Dench, which made me laugh. Looking forward to what happens when the baby finally comes!
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Huge as F cliffhanger at the end of book 2, so come at me, book 3
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Gail Carriger, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: La Diva Tarabotti. Lord Akeldama. Pesto. Formaldehyde. Templars. Biffy. Floote. Lord Maccon. "Parassault." Killer ladybugs. Vampires. Werewolves. Seriously, I could just go on and on and on about how I love Gail Carriger. And what do all of these tidbits (and more!) add up to? The latest, delicious volume in the Parasol Protectorate series.
Spoilers Ahead!
Blameless, the latest offering from Gail Carriger in her Parasol Protectorate series, finds our soulless heroine, Alexia Maccon (neé Tarabotti) is on the run. After the shocking revelations at the end of Changeless, she has been cast out by her brute of a werewolf husband, Lord Maccon, and has since discovered that for an as yet discovered reason, the vampires have set out to kill her, by any means possible (including killer mechanical ladybugs). Add to that the decision by the Queen to remove her status as muhjah of the Shadow Council, and Alexia is not having the best of times right now. Deciding that she needs some answers to her current condition, delicate as it is, Alexia travels abroad, in search of the Templars and some possible information regarding her, her father and her position as a preternatural.
Meanwhile back in London, there is intrigue and suspense galore as Lord Akeldama swarms from his home after a mysterious possession of his is stolen. How is this tied to the government? How do the werewolves play into all of this? And when will the formaldehyde run out?
And where exactly has Woolsey's Gamma run off to?
Gail Carriger has outdone herself with Blameless. I'll admit that I was a little concerned with the direction that Alexia and Co. were taking at the end of Changeless (I thought the situation seemed to come about a little too early), but I should never have doubted Ms. Carriger's ability, me the lowly reader that I am. She has taken a delicate state of affairs, and has made it into an integral, key plot point that helped move Blameless along with all the clever and witty pacing that I've come to love from her books. Having Alexia not attached to Lord Maccon was a refreshing treat. I think the characters are most interesting when they are apart, and Alexia is at odds with Connall. Of course, this situation won't always be that way, and of course they work well together, but I particularly loved the agitation felt throughout the book. The only other addition that I would have liked to see this time around? More Lord Akeldama. He has continually grown on me and may very well be my favorite character of the cast. He's just so over the top and divine.
The level of intrigue and the mystery behind the preternaturals was handled so well this time around. Ms. Carriger is developing a most engaging mythology and history for her characters, and I can't wait to find out more! There was just enough dangling plot lines left over to completely whet my appetite for more!
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the Parasol Protectorate series, do yourself a favor, quit reading this humble blog and dash off to your nearest bookseller and acquire copies of all three books. Immediately. Posthaste. You won't be sorry. Gail Carriger may be one of the funniest authors that I've come across in awhile, and her books and characters are among the most charming and scintillating that I've read this year. My only regret now is that we've had the pleasure of three books released with the last year, that now we have to wait until the spring of next year to see what happens next!
Highly, highly recommended. -
Reread in February 2021:
Upgrading this from 3 to 4 stars because I think this is still a solid book, despite its flaws. I still agree with myself: I don't think their... situation was resolved in a way that was remotely emotionally satisfying. Reading what happened at the end of book 2 and at the end of book 3 back to back, knowing that they didn't talk even once in between those scenes, is honestly upsetting. It makes for a missed opportunity for some serious pining, grovelling and emotionally taxing conversation. I love Lord and Lady Maccon in their witty, funny moments, but just as much do I love them in the earnest, heartfelt ones. This should have been the latter rather than the former.
However, I do love that this plot point is being used to expand upon the world and develop the characters further at the same time. I cannot remember much from reading these books the first time around so I'm actually excited to be reminded how the plot continues from here ;)
Read for the first time in January 2015:
Not quite on par with book 1 & 2, believe the major problem to be the fact that Lord and Lady Maccon are apart for literally the entire book - they spend 10 pages together in total and seeing how their relationship was such a focal point up to now I found it rather annoying to have their bickering hate-love taken away from us. Additionally I was incredibly annoyed at their 2-minute reconciliation - theirs was a situation clearly saturated with emotions and to still keep up the jovial atmosphere in what was supposed to be a slightly more sentimental scene felt like a lazy move that made it quite impossible as a reader to take them seriously and see them as people with actual feelings. I'm pretty sure no real person would have acted so nonchalant about both being unfairly mad at someone he loves on Maccon's side and clearly not being trusted on Alexia's. Up til that point I had been enjoying both of their personalities quite a lot in their uniqueness but this little stunt was utterly mishandled.
Also the plot wasn't the most captivating and slightly lacking in that there was so much going on at the same time it was difficult to care about and keep track of all of it.
Overall still a fun book but I'm starting to worry a little about the consistent decline in quality with each book. On to number Four. -
This series continues to be witty, fluffy fun. It’s really difficult not to just read one of these books in one sitting. They go down like ice cream on a hot day.
With the exception of this one thing that I’ll get to later, there really isn’t much to say about this book. Carriger’s writing continues to be witty and fun, and sly in all the best ways. Her sense of humor is definitely in line with mine. Her characters are flawed and lovable. Her sense of atmosphere is impeccable.
Basically, if you liked the first two books, you will like this one.
It picks up a few weeks after Changeless. Alexia is living back with her family, but when news of her scandalous predicament breaks, her family kicks her out, and she and Madame LeFoux decide it’s high time to visit Italy and find out more about what Alexia is now calling her “infant inconvenience”. Meanwhile, back in London, all the vampires have collectively gone insane and decided that Alexia needs to die, Lord Akeldama has skipped town, and the dum-dum Lord Maccon is constantly drunk, trying to buck up the courage to admit he was wrong to treat Alexia as he did at the end of last book.
Not all that much actually happens, but that’s okay, really. I’m not in this for the plot.
I’m not quite sure however, and spoilers here,
Whatever, though. It’s not a dealbreaker for me. I’m still having too much fun. Only two books left now! -
Killer ladybugs! Nightgowned knights! Floote fighting?! Not to mention lots of pesto…Blameless has it all!
Even though I haven’t been left in a tizzy by this installment (no cliffhanger this time, intrepid readers), I’m still anxious to get my hands on the next book. Ohhh, July--why art thou so far away?
Looking back, I’ll admit I had a few issues with the second in thee series, Changeless. It was entertaining, but compared to the shininess that was Soulless it faltered in terms of plot cohesion and consistency of character personalities. I‘m happy to say Blameless does not suffer from the same problems.
Swinging back and forth between the pack’s activities in London and Alexia‘s travels through the Continent, the story allows us to get a better feel for both. We witness the werewolves’ drama mostly through the eyes of Professor Lyall, a character whose steadfast and sympathetic nature I find rather impressive. The more I learn about him, the more I adore him. He’s a perfect foil for the boisterous, demanding personalities surrounding him. His understated sense of humor, keen mind and efficient manner make the pack scenes intriguing and I’m thrilled to see him get more page-time.
Alexia’s jaunt across Europe and the Mediterranean is equally interesting and rather action-packed. Her parasol and its many perks come in handy more than once, as she and her companions fend off vampires and religious zealots. In fact, the group does so much fleeing in this novel that I fully appreciate Alexia’s yearning for a large armchair in a quiet library.
In between assassination attempts, Alexia gains some insight into her own soulless state, as well as tidbits regarding her father‘s past. Carriger doles out the information as pieces of an intricate puzzle. Even though Alexia is progressing in her quest for knowledge, there’s still scads of room for speculation. We have a long way to go before we see the whole picture, but getting there is half the fun.
Speaking of fun, Blameless introduces more steampunk gadgetry for Alexia (and me) to drool over. Carriger weaves these elements into the story with just the right amount of detail. We can clearly picture the inventions involved without things getting bogged down in minutia. And what inventions there are! I foresee even more of them in the future now that Alexia has befriended yet another scientist--I’m looking forward to it.
Addressing the character issues I had with the previous book, I’m thrilled to announce that all of the annoying personalities have been put back in their rightful places. The Loontwills are scarce, placing Felicity and family squarely where they belong: as side characters who, in small doses, add a level of comedy and allow Alexia to showcase her defiant attitude. Ivy, too, plays only a small role and comes off all the better for it. Carriger has restored her to the woman we met in Soulless: loveably dippy, but capable of pragmatism and a bit of insight when the occasion demands it. Lyall goes so far as to wonder how much of her foolishness is simply for show--a question I never would’ve asked about the Ivy depicted in Changeless. Does the character variation irk me? Yes. Does it annoy me enough to harp on it? No, because this version of Ivy is preferable and much more in line with a friend of Lady Maccon.
On the whole, another worthwhile volume in the Parasol Protectorate series--one filled with daring escapes, tantalizing clues, emotional upheavals, and as always, wit to spare. La, my darlings, I can’t wait for the next! -
This book was really, really good and so far definitely my favourite of all of the books in this series so far. I thought that this book started off really well with a much more explosive and fast-paced beginning than the previous books and I definitely felt like I could get back into the story and characters very easily. The story itself follows Alexia once again as she is the main character and in this book we are thrust in to the deep end because the ending of book 2 is truly explosive. Alexia is left in a rather unfortunate and tricky situation which only gets worse when more of the supernatural sect (Vampires and Werewolves) decide to become involved, and she ends up travelling around to some entirely new countries and experiencing all sorts of adventures and difficulties as she does so.
I really enjoy all of the characters from this series and I feel that the host of characters we were mostly following in this book was really wonderful to the point where I just wanted to keep reading and actually read 3/4 of this book in a few hours. Some of my most favourite characters to learn about include -Alexia Tarabotti herself, a highly intelligent and truly inventive young woman with a rather tumultuous reputation which follows her around.
-Lord Maccon, whose character and personality within this book was sorely tested and went through a total upheaval as he attempted to deal with certain situations that had occurred in the end of book 2.
-Lord Akeldama, a rove Vampire who is positively over exuberant and highly fashionable but who also has some real moments of genuine compassion throughout the series and within this book.
-Floote, Alexia's butler who knows a lot more about her estranged and deceased father than she and is a wonderfully secretive yet completely entertaining character.
- Madame Lefoux, an inventor and good friend to Alexia who is not only highly intelligent and witty like Alexia, able to invent wonderful contraptions and mechinsms, but also (lo and behold) French ;)
-Professor Lyall, the beta of the Werewolf pack and a truly resilient and loyal friend to his Alpha, Lord Maccon. An excellent character to help in tricky situations because of his common sense and resourcefulness.
-Ivy Hisslepenny, Alexia's good, yet somewhat silly, friend who keeps her informed about all the most important topics e.g. gossip!
-Biffy, a young and enchanting lad who is a drone for Lord Akeldama but who ends up in some rather controversial situations within this book.
Overall all of the characters are wonderful and there are a lot of moments of great humour and entertainment when they are all talking together with one another, but I truly couldn't chose one over the other because they're all so fun!
The pacing and story for this book was excellent and I felt like I managed to race through the story and still enjoy it and learn more about the society and the other cultures and countries we visited. I also felt like there was a lot more humour and action within this book than the first in particular and that was great for me as it kept me hooked and really interested in the goings-on.
On the whole a really wonderful addition to the series and one I don't know how it could have been more fun so a solid 5*s and highly recommended series :) -
A delight as always!
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This book was just TERRIBLE! Definitely the worst I have read in quite a while. I'm only giving 2 stars to it because I still love the characters and the sense of humor the author has, but seriously this book was so not worth it. Since page 1 to the last one I was praying for it to end faster. It took me forever to finish it and only because I just could not stand any of the pages in it.
First of all, there is NOT any romance in this installment. The previous ones had not much as well but this one didn't had ANY at all. Moreover the plot was just lame. For the first 50% of the book we had a heroine running away from vampires who desperately wanna killed her. This was entertaining the first 50 pages, but after 150 pages about the same thing over and over again I just wanted to tear my eyes off! And I swear it was at least 150 pages of vampires chasing the heroine resulting in their death. The battles were terribly boring and predictable and not real at all. But then it only got worst. The heroine is captured by the Templars, an organization who specializes in killing vampires and werewolves because they believe they sold their souls to hell. ***LAME!!!*** I loved the 2nd book so much that this one was a huge disappointed.
I'm so frustrated right now, I just can't understand how an author could take such an entertaining series and turn it into this. I just want things to go back as to how they were. I'm so annoyed. Not even the ending was good, it felt forced and incredibly obvious. It would even seem like this book was written by a totally different author if it wasn't for the amazing sense of humor that was still present. I will still read the next one because I believe if things go back as they were the series can turn interesting once again. Let's just cross our fingers for it. -
I had a lot of fun with this! Lots of laugh out loud moments, loved the witty writing, and the fast pace. I was mad at Conall from what he did in the last book, but I didn't stay mad at him for long.
As usual the narration is perfection! Emily Gray nails all the accents wonderfully! -
Don't read this review if you haven't read Changeless yet.
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Okay. So we left off with Alexia, pregnant and outcast by her husband who assumes she must've been cheating!!!! Wha??? How could he????
In this novel, our usually jolly Alexia is replaced by a very disoriented and sad Alexia. It's very heartbreaking. And as it turns out....every vampire IN THE WORLD wants her dead. So, she decides to vacate England and go off in search of information on the history of supernatural/preternatural breeding.
Meanwhile, in England, Lord Maccon remains DRUNK while Professor Lyall attempts to run the pack and BUR while Conall is indisposed.
In Changeless I wanted to throw Ivy off the dirigible. She was sooooooo annoying. In Blameless there is not much of Ivy, but what little of her there is appears to be a different sort of Ivy. It seems she is getting a makeover into a someone who is not so much stupid as cunnily pretending to be stupid. That's a happy change!
Professor Lyall, Lord Akeldama, and Biffy's storyline is very touching and sad at the same time. I loved every minute of their part in this story.
On the other hand, Alexia's storyline (along with Floote and Madame Lefoux)was very frustrating for me. There was a lot of action, but it was the same SORT of action in the form of EVERY VAMPIRE IN EUROPE trying to kill Alexia...over and over and over and over and over again!!! It was TEDIOUS!! I found myself skimming over those scenes time and again. Then, there was not much left to Alexia's storyline. There was no real objective to her cross European adventure. Yes, she encounters the Templars and a crazy scientist...but there didn't seem to be a real plot to undercover or goal to achieve. She was looking for information, found it, and it was all very anti-climatic.
There was resolution to the Lord Maccon debacle, but it was too too easy for me. I think Lord Maccon got off WAY too easily. His reaction was cruel and disloyal. The poor girl had to move in with the Loontwills for goodness' sake!!! I know Alexia was just relieved to have him back, but YEESH. It was too easy for him. More groveling needed to happen.
All and all, the story was a tad disappointing. It was not one of the books I will be remembering fondly in this series, but I still love the characters and will be looking forward to continued reading of the series. -
Hm. I wish Conall had been made to grovel rather more than this, after his reaction in the last book; I especially wish that his horrible comments to Alexia weren’t just stupidity and were actually driven by a real fear of betrayal. That would make me feel less annoyed if he had some foundation for the way he treated her. Gah. Still, this book does allow Genevieve, Floote and Professor Lyall to shine. And get up to hijinks.
The series continues to be absurd, fun, and relatively inconsequential, with some surprisingly sweet moments — Biffy and Lord Akeldama, ach, right in my feels; Vieve’s caring for Alexia — and some things that can’t help but make you laugh. I mean, for example, this bit:Alexia found herself surrounded and embraced by a room of such unmitigated welcome and personality that it was akin to being yelled at by plum pudding.
Just. What? And yet it makes sense somehow, in the absurd and over the top context of the Parasol Protectorate (words which were finally used in this book).
Conall still needs to grovel.
Originally posted here. -
Probably 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because I love Alexia. Conall still has a lot of making up to do in my eyes!
Please note that although this review is spoiler free for Blameless it will contain major spoilers for previous books in the series so look away now if you've not already read Soulless and Changeless.
The end of Changeless saw Alexia discover that she was pregnant then immediately get accused of infidelity by her husband Conall. She has now returned from Scotland and after Conall told her he never wanted to see her again she's had to resort to moving back in with her family. We've all seen just how badly her mother and stepsisters treated her before so having her move back home in disgrace hasn't improved their relationship at all, especially not when the whole of London is talking of her assumed indiscretion. Alexia is determined to find out more about the abilities of the Soulless so that she can clear her name but when it becomes clear that the vampires have decided to execute her she realises it might be time to leave London. She sets out to Italy in search of the Templars in the hope that they'll have the information she desperately needs but danger isn't far behind her and she's going to have to figure things out quickly if she wants to survive.
I was incredibly disappointed with Conall's behaviour at the end of the previous book, I can understand why he was sceptical because werewolves can't have children but surely the fact that his wife's touch turns him human should be enough to make him pause before accusing her of something so horrible. It was the fact that he didn't even speak to her that really annoyed me, she wasn't even given a chance to defend herself before he had her thrown out of the house and basically abandoned her. Alexia is rightly mad at her husband and even though she wants to prove to him that he's the father she isn't so sure she can forgive him for doubting her, something I couldn't blame her for in the slightest. I was hoping that Conall would come to his senses quite quickly but he spends the majority of the first half of the book drinking away his sorrows and feeling sorry for himself. Meanwhile Alexia is dealing with the shock of her pregnancy, the disapproving frowns wherever she goes and multiple attempts on her life thanks to the vampires.
The poor girl has a lot on her plate but she copes admirably and I was pleased that she takes action rather than sits around mooning. Alexia has always been a practical woman and that really shows here, she reaches out to a few trusted allies and before we know it she is on her way to Italy with Madame Lafoux and Floote for company. As I'm sure anyone who is familiar with this series would expect plenty of hijinx ensue and Alexia is in for quite an adventure as she crosses Europe. One thing I was really pleased with is that Conall's second, Professor Lyall, believes Alexia is innocent. He tries talking sense into his alpha but the man is stubborn as hell and he's so drunk on formaldehyde that it takes quite a while for the truth to sink in.
I have to admit that as much as I still love Alexia and I enjoyed seeing her adventures I'm still annoyed at Conall. He takes far too long to come to his senses and when he finally did go after Alexia it was a case of too little too late for me. I expected him to do some major grovelling and for Alexia to make him work at earning her forgiveness so I was angry that she took him back so quickly and I'm no longer feeling quite so confident in their relationship. I'm hoping that we will see him really make amends to her in the next book, he's made a start but he has a long way to go in my eyes before I'll forgive him completely.
As much as Conall irritated me I still really enjoyed the rest of the story, there are lots of crazy antics, the story moved at a fast pace and this whole series really keeps me on my toes wondering what could possibly happen next. I'm very curious to see how Alexia copes with impending motherhood, she seemed quite cold when she thought about the baby in the beginning but by the end of the story it is obvious she has already become quite attached to the "infant-inconvenience" and I think it'll be fun to see her as a mother. Whatever happens I think the baby is going to make life interesting for the whole pack and it's sure to have a knock on effect when it comes to the whole supernatural community so I'm definitely looking forward to Heartless. -
3.5
Another fun and witty entry, though perhaps not quite as good as the others. Still, couldn't bring myself to give it anything less than 4 stars. I did still quite enjoy it - enough to finish it in two days.
I especially liked seeing so much of Professor Lyall and Floote.
Conall was forgiven too easily, but at least he realized how much of an ass he was and went to some lengths to make amends.
And, best of all, this one did not end in a dreadful cliffhanger, though there are quite enough thread to carry into the next book: what will become of Biffy, how will the Fangs react to the goings on, and what is the nature of the infant-inconvenience?
July seems so far away. I can hardly wait! I suppose I must have some tea to calm my nerves. It seems the thing to do. :)
***
On the re-read, the bits with the Templars seems a bit slow and draggy. The parts with Lyall & Co. where much more interesting. And I do still hope that Alexia gives Conall more grief in the next bok, because he really did get off quite too easily. -
2.5
It's almost impossible to say anything about Blameless and not spoil it because most of the plot is centred around the dreaded thing that happened at the end of Soulless. Alexia is in trouble. Again.
Her friend Lord Akeldama has disappeared and for some reason, the vampires want her dead.
Some of the funniest parts of this book show Professor Lyall's way of dealing with various problems caused by his Alpha's recent behaviour. In case you needed more reasons to like the guy.
To be honest, I am glad the problem is resolved here. Now I can read the remaining two books in peace. -
In real life, a ladybug is a small, red, spotted flying insect. In Blameless, a ladybug becomes a most lethal mechanical contraption, able to poison or subdue, and most likely to explode.
Blameless continues where Changeless left us hanging. I really do like this series and I have rated this book rather high, but – I felt that there were a lot of things lacking in this instalment of the story. There were things that were done right as well.
I’ll start with the things done right. First of all, the secondary characters seemed to hold the story together. I love Madame Lefoux. Madame Lefoux still carries that air of mystery and is an incredible scientist. Her attraction, and shall I say it, affection for Alexia made me really enjoy her as a character. I also enjoyed her choice of wardrobe as well. A truly original woman.
Ivy, now a married woman living beneath her station in life and very happy about it, came through for Alexia in many ways. Ivy takes over Madame Lefoux's business and goes to work inventing new styles for the fashionable women of London. I found her less annoying than in the previous books and I am fully convinced that her ditzy behavior in the past books was simply an act.
The long suffering Beta Professor Lyall earned my support. What an endearing character. Professor Lyall was so loyal, so well dressed, and so politically correct.
The gadgetry continued to impress me. I still wish that the book or the author’s website contained pictures or schematics for some of her contraptions.
What I missed in this book was the romance between Alexia and Lord Maccon. Lord Maccon is basically a blithering idiot throughout the book - pretty much 90% of the book. For me, that was way too much. I wanted to see him grovel, beg, and plead for forgiveness for his stupidity. It just wasn’t enough for me. Alexia was in mortal danger and he spent almost the entire book sloshed or acting like an idiot. Or being sloshed and an idiot at the same time. It just didn’t work for me.
I did find myself drinking tea as I was reading this novel. I do enjoy the series, even though this book was not the best so far. I will most likely find myself reading the fourth book Heartless when it is available. -
4.5 stars! I am writing this review via phone. Excuse any grammatical errors until tomorrow when I can fix them.
Blameless is the third book in this series and although not as gripping as the last two books was very informative.
Let's see no spoilers. Alexia and Maccon are fighting again. Her reason is sound...Maccon is an "unfeeling", "traitorous", "mistrusting", "rude"---"booby!" and then there is Maccon's reason "You should have known I didna mean it. You should have realized I needed time to recover from being an idiot."
They didn't share much screen time in this book which made me sad because I do so enjoy their bantar. We did however, get a look at the infamous Templars in all their prejudiced glory. A horribly immoral German scientist and mop companion. And a wonderfully skillful clockmaker.
One of my favorite lines from this book was..."It looks like you managed to build your own pack...a parasol protectorate, perhaps one might say." I agree with Lord Maccon. On the journey to Italy to get answers about her heritage she is joined by three unlikely people. Which held their own remarkably.
I hope to see more of the parasol protectorate in the last two books. Jolly good fun and all that.
Next month...book 4! Squee so excited. -
4.5 Stars... Conall Maccon is in the doghouse, literally... With her husband's horrid accusations and dismissal, Lady Maccon must pull herself together and go on a journey to discover the how's and why's of her pregnancy... Seeking answers amongst the Templars may be a bit more harrowing than she bargained for, however, Lady Maccon is learning she is quite capable with her handy parasol and trusted friends... The answers she discovers may be a game changer in the world of the supernatural as well as her own life... A humorous adventure of epic proportions; I certainly enjoyed every moment!:)
-
This is the third installment in a steampunk series with some interesting paranormal vibes and unfortunately it was my least favourite so far… in each book we follow Alexia and her adventures so you should really read all those novels in order to understand what’s going on… in case you are new to it, please stop reading this review unless you want to be spoiled about the events in the previous two books, cause I can’t express my thoughts and feelings about this one without discussing what happened earlier :)
I gave this book 3,5 stars… it was definitely the most chaotic and all over the place one so far… I still don’t really understand how Alexia could got pregnant and what exactly her child will be… and speaking of that pregnancy… after Conall accused her in some very hurtful words of cheating on him and threw her out of the house… and don’t get me wrong, I sort of can understand his knee jerk reaction to the situation based on the fact that the whole world thought it’s impossible for a werewolf to sire a child, and add to it that he’s very hot tempered, but still… I was hoping to see how they will get back together… so imagine my disappointment when not only did it took forever, but was also at the same time very rushed… let me explain here’s hoping the next one will be better :)
XOXO
A -
Definitely better than the second in the series, Blameless has a fairly tight plot, some terrific characters and excellent commentary on both ladybugs and Catholic fanatics. It also features Carriger's trademarked 20th century jargon in Steampunk Victorian England so I'm just wincing and living with it. This is one of those books where I have a couple of positives, then a negative, throughout the whole read: I did read the entire book and enjoyed it, but it's left me a bit incoherent. Although that does seem an appropriate response to a Carriger book, on second thought.
The second book had ended with Alexia's husband, Conall, behaving inexcusably and driving her away; frankly I'd've appreciated a little more pain on his part and a bit more realization of precisely how badly, potentially fatally badly, he'd behaved. He gets humorously drunk a lot but given how non-humorously the second book ended, a bit more self-realization would have been appropriate. Also, no-nonsense Alexia seems oddly passive when total strangers speak to her very rudely, I would've liked her to verbally fence with a couple of (obvious) bad-guy characters instead of allowing herself to be insulted: that didn't fit her character at all and was like a splinter in the finger every time it happened.
Nevertheless the pacing here is brisk and the secondary characters bring a lot of life to the story, without the Redoubtables (Madame Lefoux and Professor Lyall) this wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Carriger's writing continues to amuse although I do wish not quite so many people/places had amusing last/place names: after a while that becomes a bit overdone. However, Carriger's description of a beard is almost reason enough to read the entire book:"... in addition to the ubiquitous mustache, the clockmaker also wore a golden-brown beard of such epic proportions as might dwarf a mulberry bush. It was as though his mustache had become overly enthusiastic and, seized with the spirit of adventure, set out to conquer the southern reaches of his face in a take-no-prisoners kind of way."
Homicidal mechanical items are also wonderfully well done -
Quick review:
Cover:Interesting
Rating: R
Thumbs Up: 4
Overall: Still enjoying this series as much as the first
Characters: Well done
Plot: Spunky Alexia isn’t one to sit back and whine. She gets into action.
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.?Yes
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Professor Lyall
SUMMARY (50 words or less)
Does anyone else want a HEA for Professor Lyall. I almost thought for a second something might happen between him and Biffy. Wishful thinking I guess. I admire Alexia and even though she’s soulless, we get to see her heart.
To see my full review and likeness of my book boyfriend, check out my blog post.
http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/2...
Audio Review
Emily Gray continues to do a bang up job. See my review on Soulless to get more information about this narrator. -
After the bombshell ending of the second book I was definitely looking forward to continuing Alexia's story. Blameless, book 3 in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate, turned out to be just the right amount of fluffy fun I needed to get through rough week. This review contains spoilers for the previous books.
The story picks up a few days where Changeless leaves off, with a pregnant and shamed Alexia dealing with rejection by her husband. While I can understand Connall's scepticism over the situation, you'd think that the fact that Alexia's touch can turn a supernatural human might mean there's a chance he could become human enough to be able to father a child. As annoying has his reaction is it ends up being a good thing as it allows Alexia's strength of character to come shining through and her determination to understand the whole mess leads us on quite a fun journey to Italy. Homicidal mechanical ladybugs included!
The book opens with Alexia having breakfast with her horrible family, which definitely doesn't help the situation in any way. Poor Alexia! It is such a great display of Carriger's wit that I can forgive her putting Alexia into the situation on top of all the woes she's already dealing with.
I enjoyed the change of scenery and had a blast with Alexia's fraught filled travels to the continent. Separating her from Connall was a great idea as it gave other characters more page time, especially Floote, Madam Lefoux and Professor Lyall. There is so much more than just a reserved butler to Floote that I hope we get more insight into his character over the next two books. Professor Lyall has the unfortunate job of trying to keep a despairing and drunk Lord Maccon from embarrassing himself too badly. He also has a great chance to show off exactly why he is the pack beta. He'd be one heck of an alpha if he ever wanted the position! Ivy is not in the story as much which means we are subjected to a lot less descriptions of ugly hats. More of Madam Lefoux's past is revealed and her brilliance as a mechanical scientist is played up nicely. In fact I'd say that it is the secondary characters that brought the most to the story.
One of my favorite parts is that we finally see the origin of the series title, Parasol Protectorate. I love when books do that.
The story has has just the right amount of light-hearted silliness, sly wit and absurd attacks by ladybugs that I enjoyed the read immensely. I'm looking forward to seeing just how the infant-inconvenient continues to ruin Alexia's life.
