Review: Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendon.                                                                        A sixteen-year-old governess becomes a spy in this alternative U.S. history where the British control with magic and the colonists rebel by inventing. It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family—but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister—but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause—but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.

I had previously read the first book in the Enchanted Ink series and so I was looking forward to reading her latest offering. This was very different but was good. It is an alternative history in which the British rule the colonies by virtue of their magical powers. It is set in the Victorian era. It has a steam punk element as the rebels are using steam powered machines in order to break up the British monopoly on transportaction and various other fields. This will allow them to challenge the governing authorities infrastructure.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          I particularly enjoyed the world building in this book. I also found Verify a brave and smart heroine. Likewise I enjoyed Lord Henry , her employer who was by turns bumbling and dashing. The rebels were exciting and made you like them . There were many points throughout the story where I sort of held my breath waiting to see what would happen. There are plenty of tight spots loaded with action and adventure as well as secret missions. There is plenty of romantic tension as well and more than one love interest. The smaller children remind me of some that I know and were well written as was the bored, fashion crazy teen. I found it to be an original concept which was well executed. It was good as  a stand alone but I could also see it as the first in a series. Thoroughly enjoyable for teens through adults.