Review Under Her Brass Corset by Brenda Williamson
Since the loss of her father, Abigail Thatch’s life has been in turmoil. Her social status is in shambles, her finances depleted, and she’s on the verge of losing her beloved home. But everything changes when she meets the dashing flying machine captain Jasper Blackthorn. Not only does he introduce her to a world she thought only existed in myth and legend, he awakens sensual feelings deep within her…
Jasper may be immortal, but he hasn’t truly lived in years. Having secretly watched over Abigail as a favor to her notorious grandfather, he can’t resist arranging a “chance” meeting with the beauty. But he has an ulterior motive: to retrieve the mystical Crystal Compass hidden in her house before it falls into the wrong hands. He never imagines he’ll be tempted to love again…
When Abigail learns the truth, she and Jasper embark on a journey that will change both of their lives—and possibly the world…
Abigail’s father was murdered after an attempted break in at her home and ever since then her finances have been in dire straits, as she attempts to put her life back together after her fathers death.
Jasper Blackthorne is immortal because he drank the waters of Avalon 400+ years ago. He has watched over Abigail’s family ever since, because he felt responsible for them after giving her grandfather a sip of the immortal waters, which caused him to be somewhat immortal but unable to remember anything and turned him simple minded.
The really funny part, Abigails grandfather was supposed to be Blackbeard. (yep that one). SO Jasper has hidden the “GOLDEN COMPASS” (Pirates of the Caribbean anyone) in Abigails house which is what he suspects the home invasion that killed her father was really about. And he suspects that its her cousin that is after her for this magical compass that points the way to the waters of immortality.
Of course the rest of the book is about their journey together the wonders they see the mysteries of the world that only a man who has been a live for 400 years would be able to show her. But jasper is scared the whole time, he loves Abigail, having watched her since her birth, she challenges him, and he has seen his feelings deepen since she was little to what they are now in the novel which is a deep and abiding love, however he is scared because he loved another woman who refused the immortality and he has mourned her ever since.
The romance is pretty nice, it’s so great because Abigail doesn’t believe anything that Jasper says initially, and you completely understand why Abigail is skeptical and it makes her so much more realistic and relatable because she isn’t immediately accepting of what Jasper says.
The story was just a bit too much, when you combine the lady of the lake, the Avalon elements, the black beard elements, the Search for the compass, and the immortality, it just became too much for me.
Overall Rating: C-
