Nancy Campbell Allen - Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts

Emmeline O’Shea is determined to save the world—single-handedly, if necessary. A strong voice for societal reform, she is the natural choice to deliver a key speech at the end of the International Shifter Rights Organization’s week-long Summit in Scotland.
But when a death threat arrives at Emme’s home, she is immediately placed into protective custody, watched over by none other than her personal nemesis, Detective-Inspector Oliver Reed. The two have crossed paths many times, with disastrous results, but now they will have to work together in order to reach the Summit before midnight of the last day in order to ensure legislation is passed to protect the Shifter community.
As unseen enemies close in around Emme and Oliver, they struggle to reach Edinburgh by any means necessary, only to find Emme’s vindictive stepsister, Oliver’s vampire brother, and a dangerous political minefield awaiting them in Scotland.
Even more difficult is their own refusal to admit that the fiery animosity that once burned between them might be turning into the heat of romantic passion. Could a straitlaced policeman determined to uphold the law and an outspoken activist willing to break the rules ever find true love? Or will all their dreams shatter like glass when the clock strikes midnight?

Comment: I liked the previous three books in this series and I would most definitely read this fourth one, which I managed to do recently. However, it didn't impress me as much as the others.

In this final installment of the fairy tale adaptations into steampunk like stories set in England, we finally have the focus on Emmeline O'Shea, the activist determined to advocate the shifters' rights. This has put her often on the sights of the police, usually because of manifestations going too far, and Oliver Reed has watched this for a long time, since he is a police detective. They also have another thing in common, their friends who seem to have paired up and now they are the only ones left single.

When Emme is set to present an important speech in Edinburgh, after having received some threats, Oliver is tasked to act as a sort of bodyguard and they travel together. Perhaps this is the time for them to work on their mutual feelings, which have developed without the other being aware, but someone is keen on not letting Emme reach her destination. Will they be able to do their jobs without falling into more danger?

This was a fun and action paced story, as the others have been but I confess I just wasn't as dazzled by it as I hoped I would. The situations which were developed here weren't as fascinating as the ones in the other books, I mean, the setting of the previous book was mostly inside a submarine!

In fact, this was probably what disappointed me the most, how boring the plot felt when compared to what came before. I know this doesn't have to be an issue if the story is compelling on its own worth, but I just can't help comparing. Besides, the main characters involved, Oliver and Emme, have been portrayed in a sort of mix between enemies who might become lovers and opposites attract. Both these tropes (and variations on the theme) are exciting but these two, in my opinion, made everything feel bland.

Oliver is a good guy and very honorable, especially in contrast to what we are told of his brother, who wasn't a good person and is even less so after becoming a vampire. This brother isn't on the page much, which I liked, but there are enough references to infer how different they are in everything. However, his honor and morals aside, Oliver didn't seem to be a very well developed character, I don't think he had a personality I'd remember much of and he read as someone not as key as Emme.

Emme is, obviously, a good girl, full of dreams and expectations and almost as if she is on a quest in how she can help save shifters. I liked that she was vibrant and dedicated and some of her personality shone when she talked about her hopes, but at the same time she wasn't such a novelty, or perhaps I should say her interactions weren't as specific in ways to make her seem like the only one could be protagonist in this exact story. 

The romance between them is pretty low key, as it had been with the others, but I was disappointed because the small things which could give us hints of how their feelings were changing or progressing felt very bland as well. I know we would not have passionate scenes in these types of books but the fact Emme and Oliver had known each other since the first book and their interactions were more on the animosity level, made me expect to want sparks when they finally admitted they saw the other differently. I think this didn't happen, for me the admittance of feelings/emotions felt too easy, too quick, in the sense they have always felt that way but only now could share. When did this happen? I feel we didn't see the fun part of the relationship progress.

There is also the use of the fairy tale idea, which in this book is loosely based on Cinderella. The author uses, mostly near the end, a few details that clearly indicate this choice but I will be honest, it felt too little too late. For me, the best part of the Cinderella story is that fantasy of two people from different backgrounds - or with different experiences in life - to finally accept they have in common sentimentally to justify a HEA. Oliver and Emme might have different social origins but this is never highlighted, never important for their paths/roles. It felt like the Cinderella connection was a bit more than loose, for me.

All things considered, the story as a whole is interesting, people looking for to help those who need, at the same time there are some secrets, some antagonists playing the villain role... but as a complete story this didn't convince me. There are also some loose threads - or that I see as such - which didn't seem to be fully explained... I don't know if it was intentional because more books might come, or just a choice, in which case feels the wrong one... I don't know, but this wasn't as amazing as I hoped.

Grade: 6/10