Lyndsie Manusos’s fiction has appeared in PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked in web production and content management. When she’s not nesting among her books and rough drafts, she’s chasing the baby while the dog watches in confused amusement. She lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.
Lyndsie Manusos’s fiction has appeared in PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked in web production and content management. When she’s not nesting among her books and rough drafts, she’s chasing the baby while the dog watches in confused amusement. She lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.
Let’s get steamy! As in steampunk. Let’s wade into an alternate Victorian era—or even a secondary world similar to the Victorian era—where steam technology has leapt forward, with steam-powered ships and curious technology taking to the land and sea. Sometimes there’s even a bit (or a lot) of magic. Even better, let’s wade into such a world with romance at its forefront, where love triumphs over all and the swoons are top-notch.
There are many steampunk-like books that might not technically be steampunk (Victorian era science fiction is really key for steampunk), but they still have the vibes, and when it comes to steampunk romance books, the vibes are almost more important than whether it exactly, precisely fits under the steampunk definition. Forgive me, genre nitpickers.
For this brief list of recommendations, I am highlighting three steampunk romance books that get the steam right and then some. All three I’ve chosen are a part of a longer series, but the books themselves are standalones, where the two leads have a complete overarching romance that hits the Happily Ever After or Happy For Now romance requirement.
Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle #1) by C.L. Polk
Witchmark hits all the marks as a fantasy romance, and I’d argue its secondary world—though not Victorian—feels steampunk to me. The societal expectations compounded with the magic and technology of the time fit the bill, and the queer romance between Miles and Tristan is *chef’s kiss*. There’s a bicycle chase scene! And a shaving scene!
The story follows Miles as he hides from his family in a world still recovering from a terrible war. Miles escaped his family to become a doctor in the war and avoid magical enslavement, being magic-marked. When one of Mile’s patients is murdered, revealing Miles’ witchmark and healing powers, Miles must solve the mystery. Then there’s Tristan, the most beautiful man Miles has ever met, who knows much more than he lets on.
Gunpowder Alchemy (The Gunpowder Chronicles #1) by Jeannie Lin
If you enjoyed Jeannie Lin’s historical romance, Butterfly Swords, then you’ll love her steampunk romance series. In 1842 China, the Qing Dynasty fell to Britain’s steam engines, and the emperor, in his fury, executed all of his engineers. One of these engineers was Jin Soling’s father, and she’s been trying desperately to keep her family afloat since the loss.
Her actions to try to sell what’s left of her family’s valuables catch the Imperial Court’s eye. Now, to restore her family’s honor, she is tasked with finding a rebel alchemist in order to restore China’s Ministry of Science. Not only that, but she must work with a mysterious engineer who was, at one time, supposed to become her husband.
Evernight (Darkest London #5) by Kristen Callihan
Kristen Callihan is back on the romance scene with her contemporary romance Game On series, but when given the chance, I always try to recommend her highly underrated paranormal/steampunk romance Darkest London series. Evernight is not my favorite of the series, though it comes in a close second. Sarah MacLean also highly recommends this book in the popular Fated Mates podcast.
This London is rife with magic, technology, and a mix of the two. Will Thorne is a demon losing his sanity in a transformation he cannot control. Slowly turning to metal, the only person who can help him is the enigmatic Holly Evernight. Evernight is as genius as she is curious, particularly about Will’s predicament, but someone also wants Holly dead. As the two unravel each other’s mysteries, they are also entwining each other’s hearts. Oh, the romance and spice in this book is good, y’all.
Full Steam Ahead!
I hope this list satisfies your craving for steam and steampunk, dear readers. The beautiful thing about subgenres like steampunk is there are authors who are always down to reinvent and reinvigorate the genre. I’m sure there will be more steampunk romance books in our future, and we are lucky for that indeed. If you’re searching for more steampunk and/or romance recommendations, check out these Book Riot articles:
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