India Steele is desperate. Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who’ll accept her – an enigmatic and mysterious man from America, a man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he’s ill. Matthew Glass must find a particular watchmaker, but he won’t tell India why any old one won’t do. Nor will he tell her what he does back home, and how he can afford to stay in a house in one of London’s best streets. So when she reads about an American outlaw known as the Dark Rider arriving in England, she suspects Mr. Glass is the fugitive. When danger comes to their door, she’s certain of it. But if she notifies the authorities, she’ll find herself unemployed and homeless again – and she will have betrayed the man who saved her life. With a cast of quirky characters, an intriguing mystery, and a dash of romance, The Watchmaker’s Daughter is the start of a thrilling new historical fantasy series from the author of the best-selling Ministry of Curiosities, Freak House, and the Emily Chambers Spirit Medium books.
Intriguing and surprisibg The Watchmaker’s Daughter was not what I was expecting. The historical setting was refreshing, the characters interesting and well developed and the plot full of intrigue. The only disappointment was that the novel ended too soon! The sequel is definitely on my wish list.
Don’t waste your time on this one! I cannot believe how many 5-star ratings were given to this book. I kept waiting for something to finally click to make all these little bits and pieces fit together and it never happened. What is her “magical” ability and does it actually have anything to do with Matt’s watch? Why are all the watchmakers “afraid” of India? Everything was left hanging. What was with Willie’s locket being won back in the poker game? What was the purpose of the locket being lost in a poker…
Not that they were bad works, only that I might not enjoy them Before reading this book I was tentative. C.J. Archer’s work had popped up on my recommendations time and time again, but I read reviews that made me wary of her other two series. Not that they were bad works, only that I might not enjoy them. This series however really intrigued me, so I finally bit the bullet and bought the book.