Blameless Book Review *Gail Carriger*

**If you haven't read Soulless, you may not want to read this review because it will have spoilers in regards to that book. And there will be a spoiler discussed in Blameless that has made me less than pleased with the outcome of the book**

When we last left Lady Alexia Maccon, she had been thrown out by her husband Conall due to her being pregnant. Seeing as Conall is a centuries old werewolf, there's no possible explanation for Alexia to be pregnant with his child. He comes to the conclusion that she cheated on him and then turned her out. (Conall never stops to think that because Alexia is soulless, and when she touches a supernatural creature, she makes them human. So perhaps while they were intimate, there's a possibility he could get her with child). Alexia has no choice but to move back home with her mother, step-father and two annoying sisters who blame Alexia for their hardships in not finding any men to marry. Alexia is more than perturbed, not only by her husband's disregard, but the fact she's been saddled with an, "infant-inconvenience" as she calls the fetus growing in her womb. She can hardly keep anything down and her appetite has wasted away, another horrid side affect to her pregnancy. This is a woman who loves to eat and now she can't find joy in even that.

And the fact that Alexia is mark for extermination by the vampire community make things very hard indeed. She is almost killed by a group of mechanical ladybugs that infest her carriage. She captures one in a hat box and goes to see Madame Lefoux, a scientist, inventor and owner of a hat shop. Alexia has no one else to turn to, not even her good vampire friend, Lord Akeldama, who can give her sanctuary. He has gone missing, and now without the protection of her husband, Alexia and the baby she carries have been marked for death. She needs to figure out how and why she has gotten pregnant so she can show her husband that she hasn't been canoodling with another man. She, along with Madame Lefoux, and her dead father's former valet, Floote, will travel to Italy, not only for Alexia's safety but to find her roots, since her father was Italian and a soulless like she is.

Italy is just as precarious as England, with vampire assassins following their every move and a religious group called the Templars who welcome Alexia, but with disdain. They believe Alexia is a demon and have a devious plan regarding her. With only her specially made parasol as a weapon, and her analytical thinking, Alexia, as always, must save herself.

Blameless is book three in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. The reason I read these books is because of the character of Alexia. She is so very adorable with her thinking and dry wit. This woman gets in to so much trouble and, even with the possibility of death breathing down her neck, all she can think about is food. The reason she loves Italy is because of the pesto. But unfortunately for Alexia, her child causes her a great amount of grief. She isn't sure how she should feel toward her unborn baby. She is fearful she doesn't have maternal instincts and may not care for her child. Her goal in finding out why she is pregnant moves along the story, and for once you see a more delicate Alexia. She's hurting a great deal because her husband has cruelly turned his back on her. Alexia maybe very vocal about Lord Maccon's faults, but he's the only one who has given her true affection, something she can no longer live without.

Now where do I start with Conall Maccon, the alpha of the werewolf pack of London? I'm deeply perturbed by the way he has treated Alexia. If you're expecting him and Alexia to have a great deal of interaction in Blameless, you will be very disappointed. I was peeved, not only by the way Conall is portrayed this time around, but when he comes to the conclusion how wrong he was about Alexia, it was very, very lacking. The word- grovel comes to mind.

Spoiler: *Highlight to read*

If you're expecting a big outlandish groveling scene, there is none. This man basically calls his wife horrible names because he thinks she has cheated on him. Because he has turned his back on Alexia, she's no longer under his protection, meaning she's vulnerable and easier to be killed. He never says "I'm sorry" to his wife. And the reason Alexia forgives him is because of two small instances that she thinks shows how much he loves and forgives her. These two actions weren’t good enough for me. I wanted Conall to get down on his knees, crawl like the dog he was and shout to the world how wrong he was. I wanted him to suffer and have to work to regain Alexia's trust. That doesn't happen at all. Because of this I had to give Blameless a lower grade.

I was less than please in the outcome of Alexia and Conall's relationship because Conall didn't do enough, in my opinion, to have Alexia forgive him. The so-called grovel scene was unbelievably lacking. The man even has the nerve to be upset that Alexia didn't do enough on her part to try and make him believe her. I felt robbed in that sense and I hope in the next book that Conall will move Heaven and Earth to make Alexia happy.

Blameless is fun reading and I adore Alexia so much. I love her attitude, the way she looks upon the world and the non-stop loopy adventures she finds herself in. Even though one part of Blameless was less than satisfactory for me, I do look forward to Heartless and can't wait and see how the Maccons start a family. (Orbit, available tomorrow)

Final Grade: B-