India Steele makes a great hero: brave, bold and talented. She finds unlikely friends in this exciting book.

CJ Archer is one of my absolute favourite authors, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of The Watchmaker’s Daughter, book 1 in the Glass and Steele series. This is an amazing book. I can’t say that enough. CJ Archer’s writing style is absolutely gripping. It took me less than 24 hours to read the whole book because I just couldn’t put it down. I don’t know what it is, but her writing style is enthralling. I am yet to come across another author who can pull me in with their words in the way CJ Archer does. I’ve been a huge fan of CJ Archer’s other works for years. Her historical fantasies are the perfect blend of my two favourite genres. The Watchmaker’s Daughter is no exception. The fantasy is subtle, but it is present throughout the book. The historical setting isn’t in-your-face, but it suits the book perfectly. The setting and the plot are intertwined in such a way that I can’t imagine the book taking place anywhere else. India Steele is a highly developed character, and she’s one of the best I’ve come across in such a long time. She’s a 27 year old woman, which makes her one of the oldest characters I’ve read – speaking of which, why are most female protagonists in their late teens or early 20s? Anyway, India. She’s a 27 year old spinster, who also happens to be an orphan and homeless and broke. After being thrown out onto the street, she finds a job with a man named Mr Glass, which leads her on a journey to discover the truth about the world she lives in. Magic is real, and it’s all around her. What I find with all of CJ Archer’s writing is that she creates these highly developed and unique characters. In this book, she also creates a superb sense of suspense. Mr Glass was such a complex character (I know, I’ve been saying that a lot, but it’s true). I never could figure him out. For most part, I thought he was a vampire – after all, CJ Archer has written about ghosts and magic before, so why not vampires? But no, he isn’t a vampire. He’s just a mystery that I liked trying to solve as I read the book. So if you’re looking for a book that will suck you in and hold your attention, then The Watchmaker’s Daughter is definitely worth the money. The writing is impeccable, the story is fantastic, and the characters are so real with all of their flaws and redemptions. You could not find a better book (except maybe another CJ Archer story).