Book Review: Nefertiti's Heart by A W Exley

Title: Nefertiti's Heart

Author: A W Exley

ASIN: B0139OZJYK

Genre: Steam Punk

Print Length: 301 pages

Plot synopsis: Cara returns to “Victorian” London, after several years away, to settle her recently deceased father's estate and sell off his collection of priceless artifacts, one of which is Nefertiti's heart which seems to link her with a killer that is stalking the nobility of London. Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem, but her search is complicated by the appearance of the notorious and handsome villain, Viscount Nathaniel Trent. Does he desire a relationship with her because he loves her or because he is after her father’s artifacts?

A great cover, very stylish and gives a real sense of the story.

This is my first journey into the world of “Steam Punk” and I was pleasantly surprised. I must admit to having an agenda, as I plan to write western-style steam-punk novels in the future and I am pleased to say it seems to be a fun genre to write.

The narrative is smooth and flowing, and the plot(s) intriguing and well integrated. I found the characterisation within the book very good. All the characters were well rounded and entirely plausible. Indeed, the description of the main character’s fears of forming a relationship with Viscount Nathaniel Trent, and the tension between her fears and her desires are brilliantly done. The dialogue was well structured and helped to develop the personalities of the characters and provided a good extension to the narrative. Exley does not labour her descriptions within the book, but provides sufficient detail for the reader’s imagination to create the landscapes and settings within their own mind. All in all, a highly enjoyable read that I would recommend to readers of all genres not just those with an existing interest in “Steam Punk”.

I was introduced to A W Exley and her novel, Nefertiti's Heart, while listening to one of the excellent podcasts from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast. At the time of publishing this review Nefertiti's Heart was free on Amazon. Check HERE to see if it still is.

What others have said about Nefertiti's Heart

At the time of writing there were 78 reviews on Amazon.co.uk, 68 of which were 3* or above. The average rating was 4.1. I must say those that did not like it, really did not! So beware this book is not for everyone, but then very few are.

There were 633 reviews on Amazon.com, with an average ranking of 4.3 and 93% of reviews rating it 3* or above – a pretty good endorsement.

On Goodreads.com there were 375 reviews and 2,677 ratings with an average of 3.82, again 90% rated it at 3* or above.

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