Blameless (Parasol Protectorate Series #3)

Recommend if you like this genre

I have enjoyed the first three books of this series. Not my top picks, they are a nice read and I would recommend them. Look forward to reading the next book.

Simply Fantastic

Loving this story more and more with each and every book~

Best steampunk series there is!

**SPOILERS FROM CHANGELESS**

How I LOVE his new series by Gail Carriger! I was a little skeptical at first, but when I kept reading good reviews on Soulless, I gave it a try. Best decision ever! Blameless was wonderful and so worth the ever long wait! And my thanks mostly goes over to Jess at The Cozy Reader, for it was her reviews and recommendation that led me to read it!

It picks up relatively where Changeless left off. A few weeks or so have gone by and poor Alexia has been suffering with her family for this time. If you're read the first two books then you know she really is suffering, if this series is new to you, you must know that Alexia truly does have horrid family members! They take the phrase "family drama" to new meanings!

Alas, Alexia does not stay long as she decides to leave England and all the cruelty she has been suffering from the newspapers and just about everyone else. Everyone in England, it seems, blames Alexia for the fallout of her marriage with Lord Maccon. No one cares about her side of the story, for newspapers never lie! (ha!)

But this is no vacation for Alexia. She is determined to find information to prove her husband wrong. That the "incident" was not her fault in the way he thinks it is. But her quest takes serious turns for the worse, such as mechanical ladybugs intent to kill, more vampires and a few unsavory characters that Alexia isn't quite too sure of. Luckily she has her friends, Madame Lefoux and Floote with her. They make quite the interesting traveling trio.

This is definitely one of the best series I've read this year. It is entirely different than my normal genre reading. It's a historical paranormal romance--usually both two things I don't read all that much--but it is just incredible. There are times I forget that the time is set sometime in the past. There are some technology items that get a little confusing when describing them and how they work, part of the steampunk flavor I guess, but it doesn't really detract from my enjoyment, once again, I just roll with it.

There are quite a few LOL moments in here as well. My teaser from yesterday was one and there are still a few more chuckle moments. Alexia and Lord Maccon together are just to die for! Especially when Alexia finally comes face to face with him in the book and gets to have her "say" with him as it has been building up for quite some time.

Luckily, this one did not end with such a cliffhanger as Changeless did. The book finished itself off nicely with one or two somewhat loose ends. Really they were just a thread of info that we learned that didn't come up again, so it will have to wait til Heartless which releases in July 2011.

Overall I give the book 4.5/5 stars! The technological stuff derailed me a bit, but not by much. The book was well paced as Alexia and her friends literally had to move from to place quite quickly with the enemy on their tails. And there was still more going on in England with Lord Maccon being somewhat indisposed, leaving poor Professor Lyall to clean up after him.

This is a very entertaining series and one I highly recommend! Don't let the historical setting throw you off! There is quite a bit of action in here, suspense, some romance, and a lot of wit! Alexia's mannerisms are very entertaining as well!

Wondrous! Diverting!! Superb!!!

After the marriage of Alexia and Lord Conall Maccon, Earl of Woolsey, (in a world where Vampires and Werewolves are not only accepted, but are fashionable,) Lord Maccon throws his wife out in jealous rage and she sets off to find out more about her own kind. Every moment is an adventure and every turn of phrase a delight.

Another fantastic read!

My thoughts:
I love this series! I completely enjoyed the first two books and was looking forward to this one! I was not disappointed! I was less than thrilled with Lord Maccon's behavior, but of course I was supposed to be. I was thrilled that Professor Lyall gets to play such a large role in this book. He has been one of my favorite characters throughout the series and it was great to see him get so much print in this book.


The author once again builds an incredible story that is both believable and too much "the thing". She continues to create characters that the reader can truly sink their teeth into. The relationship dynamics between many of the characters are so balanced that it seems one could not stand without the other. In this third book of the series, suddenly these interdependent characters are playing strong, independent roles - it is pleasantly surprising.


The thing that stands out the most for me is the spectrum of emotion in this story - the reader is sent on a roller coaster ride throughout the story.


I love the end - I am always excited when a series is not over at the end of a book - no one really wants a book to end in a cliff hanger, but I get so involved in the lives of the characters that I just don't want the series to be over. So, on that note - can't wait for the next one!

Fast-paced story leaves you wanting more!

Another delightful installment in The Parasol Protectorate series! The wit and humor that defined the first two books is back in Blameless, along with the delightful Madam Lefoux and dependable Professor Lyall. Alexia's adventures in France and Italy kept the book moving at a fast pace, and the alternate settings between England and the Continent were handled quite well. I never once felt lost when the story shifted from Europe back to London. All in all, this was a fantastic romp through Victorian England and the Continent replete with fabulous inventions and quirky characters!

With no cliffhanger left dangling at the end of this book, I'm curious to see where Heartless will take Alexia ...

The perfect continuation to the series

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 plea

A bit too neat

While this series is quite fun, I get a bit frustrated with the overly-convenient info-dumps that occur about three fourths of the way through each one. It never feels these characters have *earned* their new knowledge but that it just falls into their laps. Perhaps it's the nature of a longer series, but feels like the characters, especially Alexia, never DO anything with their new knowledge. Just keep hoping the next installment will clear things up or show the mystery has been explored further, but so far, nothing has actually progressed

Pesto in Italy and infant-inconvenience

Lady Maccon, the former Alexia Tarbotti, is in big trouble. Queen Victoria has dismissed her from the Shadow Council and she's left her husband's house to reside with her parent's and step siblings. Worse. She's pregnant. A condition she was certain would never happen to her. A condition her werewolf husband is nearly certain he couldn't have gotten her in. A condition vampires are trying to kill her for.

After her family hears the tragic news and the paper implies unsavory things, Alexia makes the only decision she can: she decides to head for Italy and the only people who might have answers on how this could possibly have happened to her: The Templars. Sure, the Templars have pesto, but they also plan to use her in the war against the vampires, ghosts and werewolves.

And they don't need her alive to do it.

Blameless starts with Alexia's world in a great deal of flux and confusion. I thought perhaps this might just be me, as I read the books out of order, but fortunately Ms. Carringer's skill quickly explained the crux of the matter and I fell under the spell of the story. Deprived of her pack, Alexia begins to build a new one as she sets out on her latest adventure. Some characters return and new ones are introduced, but always there is Floote, her butler from the first book. There are delightful new steam machines that keep the story moving and wonderful twists and turns.

But what I missed most in the story was Alexia's husband, Lord Maccon. Where has my alpha hero gone? Sure, he comes back about a third of the way through, but for the most part, we're left in the head of his Beta, Professor Lyall. And I admit, while the good professor is funny, he is not Conall. I hope the yin and yang returns in the next installment, Heartless, as their dance is part of the fun of the story and actually gives soulless Alexia a bit of, well, soul.

Loved It!

I love this entire series and have added all of them to my personal collection. Carringer's writing style is perfect!!

Love this series!

Again, not quite as good as the first book in the series (Soulless), but I still can't wait for the next installment!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Okay...

Not as good as the first two. It seemed to ramble-on quite a bit. I found myself skipping pages..

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

I loved the first book in this series, the dynamics of the relationship between Alexia and Conall was great. In the 2nd I was hoping to see the relationship develop and see how they are able to integrate their strong personalities but that didn't happen, instead Alexia became spineless and ran away. I was hoping this 3rd release would see Alexia get her strong character back and her spine and stand up to Conall. Instead she runs away again and there is virtually no interaction between the two in the whole book until the last couple of pages, where she miraculously forgives him for all the things he said and did. RUBBISH! Come on Miss Carriger if you want people to pay good money for your books then try to keep the character's character consistent. What happened to the Alexia in the first book with her piss & vinegar and always getting in Conall's face? Well I thin I am pretty much done with this series; I wasted enough money on the last 2 books hoping to see the characters develop.

I read it in one sitting!

Blameless follows up the whammy of an ending in Soulless with a cross-continental adventure. The steampunky setting gets even richer with the addition of birdlike flying contraptions and aether sensing devices. The characters are even more endearing, especially the Professor and Biffy. You'll feel for Alexia as she struggles to come to terms with Conall's treatment of her and the "infant-inconvenience", all the while dodging vampire and Templar attacks. I read the book in one sitting! It's exactly what I've come to expect in Gail's writing, very witty and entertaining. Go read it!

Another solid read from Carriger

While the introduction to Alexia's world of werewolves, vampires, and flawed relatives hooked me from the start I admit I was a bit angry at the way the second book left off. I worried it might not go over well to the third book, but I was wrong. Learning more about not only herself and the child she carries Alexia also learns more about the rakish Tarabotti, her ever infamous father, and the world of the Templars while a poor Lyall must keep the Woolsey pack from utter chaos during Lord Maccon's inebriated wallowing. Set with action the likes of which only Carriger could come up with--poisonous, exploding ladybugs and more--Blameless is a book that continues to uphold its promises and I expect to see many more from Carriger! Definitely worth checking out the whole series if you haven't yet.

Reviewed before published ???

Publication date is September 1st 2010 (today), but the first review was on July 28th ??? Seems weird - especially since the first reviewer did not seem to offer an opinion of the book (even though it was awarded 5 stars) - just gave a synopsis. I've not read this novel yet - but will most likely purchase it. I greatly enjoyed the first book in the series. Hated the ending of the second. Hopefully the third book will explain the ending in a way that won't leave my head shaking in exasperation.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

This alternate Victorian world is an enthralling thriller.

Lady Alexia Maccon is a soulless, forever denied an eternal home because she was born without a soul; her touch renders supernaturals (vampires and werewolves) human for a period of time. She is the only known female soulless and her husband Scottish Earl Maccon, a werewolf, denounced her and tossed her out of his pack because she is pregnant. He knows the fetus is not his as werewolves cannot procreate so she obviously cheated. She is fuming at her spouse as she knows that she was only with him.

Alexia returns to her parents' home in England and they are upset because of the scandal she caused; which she notices does not include her spouse. When they learn she is pregnant, they throw her out as they know she cuckolded her husband as werewolves cannot procreate.

In London, vampires try to kill her and ladybugs attack her so she flees to the continent where the supernatural are uninterested in human affairs. She ends up in Florence captured by the Knights Templar because she can be a weapon. However, when they learn of her condition and what she might give birth to they want her dead. Only a miracle can save her and her unborn as everyone she encounters fears the abomination she carries.

The third Parasol Protectorate tale (see Soulless and Changeless) is an action-packed, at times amusing, but always suspenseful historical urban fantasy. Readers will root for the intrepid unsinkable heroine who does not adhere to Victorian societal rules. Usually mild mannered, only her husband can raise her ire, which leads to her landing in out of control dangerous scenarios. This alternate Victorian world storyline is an enthralling thriller.

Harriet Klausner

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.