EDEN'S VOICE

Sparks fly when an unapologetically quirky football fan meets a traveling reporter in Stein’s (Mating Habits, 2019, etc.) steampunk-ish romance novel.

It’s 1904, and Eden Randall, the daughter of an inventor and an “automechanologist,” is driven by “a deep desire to know everything”—as well as a desire for her home state of Michigan’s football team to claim another undefeated season. But after sports journalist Bruce Caldwell and ruthless industrial mogul Evan Tagget arrive in Ann Arbor for the fall season, her quiet life begins to unravel. Armed with her mechanical dragon, Vox, Eden must navigate not only the two men’s battle for her affections, but also an intricate web of secrets, engineering patents, and sabotage. Eden also has a secret of her own to protect: She relies on her parents’ advanced biomechanical technology to assist her with her hearing disability. In an era governed by strict Victorian morality, Eden fears that her use of this “controversial” science might turn her into an unsavory public “spectacle.” In a refreshing twist, Eden is not the only major character with a disability; half of the story is narrated by Bruce, who also identifies as “biomechanical.” With both of these well-rounded characters at the helm, Stein’s novel comments poignantly on what it means to identify as an “other.” Eden and Bruce ultimately face off against Evan, another nuanced character that transcends the stereotype of the suave businessman; however, he’s never rendered quite believable as a long-term love interest for Eden. This may be, in part, a result of the dialogue, with its turn-of-the-century niceties; it sometimes has a stilted quality that occasionally bogs things down. That said, readers never have to wait too long before the breakneck pace resumes.

A smart, unconventional romance drives this layered tale.