Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Robert and Louie
SERIES: Steampunk Mystery #2
AUTHOR: Hollis Shiloh
PUBLISHER: Spare Words Press
LENGTH: 109 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 26, 2014
BLURB:
Hired to redecorate the Skeffield country home, Louie is both attracted to Robert Skeffield and abashed by him in equal measures. Louie, who favors bright clothing and has never been called butch in his life, has little in common with gorgeous, masculine, and closeted army officer Robert. But not everything is as it appears, at Skeffield Manor or in their hearts…
Takes place after “Wes and Kit”
This story contains some minor steampunk elements, magical elements, mysterious elements, flirting, a dog, and a strawberry-colored waistcoat.
REVIEW:
Oh, I just loved this! After finishing the first book in the series, Wes and Kit, I’d found myself intrigued by the world building and was looking forward to seeing what else the author would do with it and I’m so glad I continued with this next book! While I had liked Wes and Kit’s story, I wasn’t drawn to the characters in any particular way but Robert and Louie are a whole different story. Robert was introduced in the previous story and my impression of him was someone extremely uptight and, at the very least, a bit on the snobby side but here, in his own story, he really had a chance to shine and I found my opinion completely changed.
Robert was a lot more open here and showed a playful, flirty side that I hadn’t anticipated at all. There is a bit of attitude and snobbery that comes through at times but it was pretty on point with his career in the military and the fact that he grew up with a great deal of money. From his first interaction with Louie I found myself wondering where this new Robert had come from but I was totally on board with the change. Louie was the complete opposite of Robert; orphaned at a young age and obviously of a lower class, Louie puts on an air of nonchalance and dresses flamboyantly as part of an armor to hide how easily he can be hurt. There was nothing remotely easy about these two men but I freaking loved them together; playful and passionate by turns I was enthralled by them both through the entire story. I also got to ‘finish’ the hunt for the missing treasure with these two and I enjoyed every minute of it.
This was just a fantastic story; where I was interested by the previous book I’m now completely hooked and can’t wait to read the next book in the series. If you enjoy steampunk and like your mysteries on the lighter side, I’d recommend giving this one a try.
RATING: 
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