Charmain "Kit" Kittredge doesn't believe in magic despite making a living by debunking and solving alleged magical crimes. Her latest case involves Lady Diana Walsh, a wealthy young woman who lives on the Hill. Lady Walsh believes she has been cursed and is hiding the magical wounds she receives nightly as she doesn't even want her husband to know about it. Kit suspects something else is at work than magic, but she's constantly warned from investigating on the Hill. Her childhood friend, Chief Inspector Tommy Doyle, and the enigmatic deathmage, Lucien Dredmore, are both very interested in Kit's activities... but can she trust them? What larger conspiracy is at work?

DISENCHANTED & CO. combines the two separate eBooks, Her Ladyship's Curse and His Lord Possessed, into one edition. Lynn Viehl creates a magnificent steampunk setting for this tale where history is turned upside down. I like that Lynn Viehl allows the world building to unfold naturally, letting us see it evolve through Kit's eyes rather than trying to explain all the various ins and outs of the world upfront. Kit is a very matter-of-fact narrator and so the strangeness of the world seems quite believable when viewed through her perspective.

DISENCHANTED & CO. almost seems like a steampunk Sherlock Holmes tale (with a female Holmes, of course!). I love how Kit works her way through the investigation, using her various connections for disguises. Kit's associates are a bit disreputable but Lynn Viehl showcases the strong loyalty and bond that exists between the women. Women have very few options in the world of DISENCHANTED & CO. and seeing this makes Kit's accomplishments all the more impressive.

DISENCHANTED & CO. is a fun, fascinating steampunk novel with characters I want to visit again and again. I look forward to seeing what trouble Kit will find herself in with her next adventure, The Clockwork Wolf.

Book Summary

In the Provincial Union of Victoriana, a steampunk America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian “Kit” Kittredge makes her living investigating crimes of magic. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Unlike most folks, Kit doesn’t believe in magic, but she can’t refuse to help Lady Diana Walsh, who claims a curse is viciously wounding her while she sleeps. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks are part of a more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of a nefarious deathmage and the unwelcome scrutiny of the police chief inspector. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. For the truth promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.