I wish I could recall where I heard about Gail Carriger's Soulless (Book 1 in "The Parasol Protectorate" series) because I just read it and flat out loved every blessed second and really want to thank that person. It's a mix of romance and steampunk, with vamps and werewolves AND.....parasols. Also much witty humorous banter of a decidedly British sort as well as much witty romantic banter of the Myrna Loy/William Powell sort AND...a fabulous bluestocking protagonist who I fell so hard and fast for that I swear I very nearly swooned with pleasure each second Miss Alexia Tarabotti opened her mouth.

I mean really, it's that fabulous.

Short set-up: Alexia is soulless, a so-called preternatural in a Victorian England that long ago signed a pact to allow vamps and werewolves in society. Preternaturals don't generally mix with the supernaturals however as at one time they hunted them - especially vamps. If a preternatural touches a supernatural they render them human as long they touch - removing their healing abilities, fangs, etc. (Alexia can turn a werewolf from wolf to human form for example.) Alexia is largely just a typical society lady however, although at 26 an unmarried spinsterish one. She is also half Italian and thus much darker than those in society (her olive complexion is a continuous bone of contention with her mother and two younger half sisters) and, typical bluestocking, she is smart as a whip and way too outspoken. In other words, she's bored out of her mind around her silly sisters and mother (although she does love them) and wishes she had something else to do with her life. Fortunately the book opens with major drama and there isn't a lot of time for Alexia to sit around.

The romantic interest is Lord Maccon, local Alpha werewolf and more importantly head of the BUR which is kind of the supernatural Scotland Yard. He knows what Alexia is and they have had run-ins in the past, both over supernatural and society interests. When a strange vamp attacks Alexia at a party in the first chapter (and doesn't know what she is to boot) and she is forced to kill hm, Maccon investigates. It quickly becomes obvious that there are all sorts of nefarious things going on that put all kinds of individuals in danger AND....that Maccon has a major crush on our girl Alexia. She's a bit slow on the uptake there - having been hearing forever that she is unsuitable for any kind of decent match she can't imagine why any important man (especially a Lord, even though he's a werewolf) would be interested. Having read about one too many smart Victorian spinsters who were vastly under appreciated in their day, I get her point.

Things buzz along rapidly between the two as they are swept up in the book's events and while the kisses do come with nice regularity, don't worry that you are being plunged into a steamy romance. (More like Laurell K Hamilton before she jumped the erotica shark - and then just kept jumping it.) This is first and foremost a steampunk mystery with a couple that harken back to the best of the crime-solving relationships. There's also a ton of humor, some grand supporting characters (both human and not) and atmosphere that fairly drips off the pages.

Pardon my gushing but after you've read an entire column's worth of the world is going to hell in a handbasket and then your Booklist editor sends you titles on Burma, food politics and feminist struggles around the world, well you are so aching for light reading fun that you think you might bust from anticipation. It is usually at these junctures that you are horribly disappointed and instead to be surprised in the best kind of way, well, a girl is allowed to get a bit gushy.

I do love an adult book - not that the content is too racy for older teens or wouldn't be appreciated by them (in fact Soulless won a 2010 Alex Award) but the conversation are situations are clearly aimed at those who have moved beyond relationship melodramatics. It just is written for those with a certain awareness of the humor in male/female relations if that makes any sense. Like I said, it's all very Myrna Loy and William Powell and while I certainly know some adults who act like idiots you really need to be past the stage of game playing to appreciate Alexia and Lord Maccon.

Ah, now I'm overthinking the whole thing. Bottom line is, I love Loy & Powell (I have all the Thin Man movies) and I love steampunk and I love smart vamp/werewolf novels and I love Soulless. It was a lot of smart fun and I really can't ask for more than that from a book.

See more at the author's site - and the sequel, Changeless is due out next month.