I only vaguely like steampunk and paranormal romances, having had bad experiences with both (I'm pretty sure that, as a culture, we have had one collective, prolonged bad experience with paranormal romances: it's called Twilight). This left me feeling a bit underwhelmed by Wicked Gentlemen, even though I loved everything else about it.

The mystery is satisfying (rare in crime fiction!); the worldbuilding is, too, unfolding subtly enough to pique interest without ever overwhelming.

Hale is also just a really good writer: she underwrites rather than overwrites, leaving you wanting more, and she knows exactly how to draw you through the story with good pacing and dialogue. I read this in a single afternoon, pretty much straight through, it was that seamless.

I'm giving this four stars, because it's written exactly the way I love novels to be written, and hey, it's not Ginn Hale's fault that I'm fed up with Byronic heroes.