CLAWS AND CONTRIVANCES by Stephanie Burgis – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Claws and Contrivances by Stephanie Burgis
Series: Regency Dragons #2
Published by Five Fathoms Press on July 10 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 286
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Engaging characters, romance, intrigue and dragons make Claws and Contrivances another delightful entry in Stephanie Burgis’s Regency Dragons series.

“It has been delightful to meet you, Mr. Aubrey. I shall look forward to meeting you again, for the first time. Just remember: you’ve never seen me before!”

I’ve been a fan of Stephanie Burgis for years, but this might be her best book yet. This is the second installment of her Regency Dragons series, but it can easily be read as a standalone without reading Scales and Sensibility first (although you should read that book too!) Claws and Contrivances is a feel-good, romantic story that simply sparkles. With unforgettable characters and a lot of heart and humor, fans of Regency-inspired stories with a touch of romance and fantasy will not want to miss this book.

Rose Tregarth and her two sisters lost their parents in a horrible carriage accident, and since then all three have been separated from each other, sent to live with different relatives scattered around Wales. Scales and Sensibility followed the adventures of eldest sister Elinor, and now it’s Rose’s turn. Rose has fortunately ended up with her Aunt and Uncle Parry and their three daughters Serena, Beth and Georgiana, a loving but disorganized family who have embraced Rose as one of their own. Rose has happily made herself part of the family in Gogodd Abbey, the crumbling but charming manor they call home, but secretly she yearns to find her true purpose in life and is in fact working on her “Grand Plan.” Rose’s mother was a pillar of the community before she died and dedicated her life to helping others, and Rose wants nothing more than to follow in her footsteps.

One day, however, Rose discovers a big surprise. Hiding in the abbey’s buttery is a small dragon, and Rose soon realizes the dragon must have escaped from nearby Penryddn House, the home of the intimidating Sir Gareth (nicknamed “the ghoul”). Dragons, after all, are way beyond the means of the Parrys, and when Rose notices scars on the dragon’s legs, she decides to confront Sir Gareth herself.

But as she’s walking to Penryddn House, a carriage nearly runs her over and this is when Rose meets Cornelius Aubrey, a renowned dragon expert who is actually on his way to visit her uncle. Rose soon finds herself knee-deep in the mystery of the lost dragon and how it came to be at Gogodd Abbey, and with the help of Aubrey and her cousins, she devises a way to save the dragon. Suddenly Rose’s purposeless life is full of adventure, a fake engagement, stolen kisses, unexpected magic and more, as she tries to set things to rights.

Readers may gravitate towards this book because of the dragons on the cover, but as I mentioned in my review of Scales and Sensibility, the dragons are mostly in the background and serve as catalysts for the characters’ actions. This leaves room for Burgis’s stellar characters to shine, and boy do they shine! Rose is a wonderful character, a brave, inquisitive girl who isn’t afraid to step outside the boundaries of society in order to get things done. When she meets Aubrey, the sparks between them fly, even if it takes a while for them to realize their feelings for each other. At first Aubrey comes across as a sort of nerdy character with his nose in a book, not interested in anything around him, but little by little he begins to “see” Rose, and I absolutely loved their interactions and dialog.

I also loved the Parry family. Aunt Parry is such a warm, caring woman, always looking out for her family. She’s also a novelist and spends hours in her office writing romances (such a charming touch!) Each of the cousins has a unique personality—Serena loves anything Gothic or spooky, and Georgie hates wearing dresses—and even Uncle Parry has his own sort of charm. And for added tension, we have the despicable Sir Gareth, who I thought at first might be a love interest for Rose (heaven forbid!), but he soon shows his true colors, and I loved watching the Parry family come together to put him in his place.

Burgis keeps the plot interesting with lots of twists and surprises. Truly, there’s never a dull moment, as she adds in a couple of side plots that fit in perfectly with the main story. I laughed and smiled my way through most of the book, and the ending left me with a warm glow. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to tell you that everyone gets a happy ending, and Burgis is simply brilliant at tying up all her lose ends. Claws and Contrivances may be the perfect antidote to all things grim and serious, so if you’re in the mood for something cozy, I suggest grabbing a copy as soon as possible.

Big thanks to Stephanie for providing a review copy.