THE WATCHMAKER’S DAUGHTER

In the first novel in Archer’s Glass and Steele historical fantasy series, a woman who’s been cheated out of her family legacy begins working for a man with a magical secret.

In London in 1890, India Steele prepares to confront Eddie Hardacre, the scoundrel whom she nearly married. India’s father, Elliot, died recently and left his watchmaking shop to Eddie under the assumption the young man would marry his daughter. Instead, Eddie canceled the engagement, swiping the shop and apartment above it from India and rendering her destitute. Worse, because she’s a woman, India has been rejected by the watchmaker’s guild. No shops will hire her. In Eddie’s shop, her attempt to embarrass him backfires when Matthew Glass, a customer, picks her up and carries her outside. Matt then invites India to Brown’s hotel for tea. There, she learns that he’s an American in possession of a special watch made five years ago by a man named Chronos. Matt met Chronos in Broken Creek, New Mexico, but must now track him down because the watch is damaged. Matt hires India as his assistant, even allowing her a room at his lavish home in Mayfair. Yet the situation isn’t as it appears: India sees Matt’s likeness on a “Wanted” poster and witnesses the purple glow and regenerative power of Chronos’ watch. Early on, Archer establishes a bouncy, romantic tone for her Glass and Steele series, which delights in historical detail and slowly unfurls the central mystery. Sharp dialogue displays Eddie’s awfulness when India questions whether she should accept Matt’s invitation. (“You don’t seem like you’re in a position to worry about what’s proper.”) Chapters end on reliably jolting notes, as when Willie Johnson, Matt’s hard-living female cousin who eschews societal conventions, accuses India of spying. Period phrases, such as “he doesn’t want to swing for his crimes,” bolster the narrative’s Victorian aspect while Matt’s American manners often shock India; during a chase scene, he unbuttons her waistcoat so she can breathe. This first volume focuses on India’s personal woes. The mystery of the watch carries into the next installment.

Archer will hook genre fans with a likable cast and overarching plot worthy of further worldbuilding.