The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele #1)

Title: The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele #1)

Author: C J Archer

Published in: 2016

Date read: 11th August 2026

Score: 4/5

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
The Watchmaker's Daughter is the first book in C.J. Archer’s popular Glass and Steele series. It sets up an alternative Victorian London where magic exists hidden just beneath the surface of polite society.

Plot Overview:
1. Desperation in Victorian London
Following the death of her father, India Steele is left destitute and facing a grim future. Her father’s deceitful former apprentice, suspecting that India possesses a secret family heirloom, steals the family horology business and leaves her with nothing. Desperate to find work using her own skilled watchmaking abilities, India struggles to secure employment in a male-dominated trade.

2. An Unusual Client
Her fortune changes when she meets Matthew Glass, a charismatic and wealthy American who recently arrived in London. Matt is looking for a skilled watchmaker, but not for standard clockwork. He needs someone to repair a unique, intricate watch that holds supernatural properties. India quickly proves her talent by fixing the device, revealing her keen eye for detail and steady hand.

3. The Search for the Magician
Matt reveals that he isn't just looking for a repair—he is desperately searching for a rogue magician who holds the key to curing a fatal, magical affliction that threatens Matt's life. However, magic is forbidden and deeply feared in London, forcing those who possess it to operate in the shadows.

4. A Partnership Formed
Realizing they need each other, India and Matt form a partnership. In exchange for helping him navigate London’s underground world of magicians, alchemists, and collectors, Matt promises to help India reclaim her father’s shop and reputation from the apprentice who ruined her.

5. Climax & Resolution
Together with Matt’s eccentric group of allies, they unravel a conspiracy involving stolen artifacts, dark magic, and a murderer lurking in London's fog-drenched streets. Along the way, India uncovers surprising truths about her own family's past and realizes that Matt is hiding dangerous secrets about his true origins and powers.

By the end of the novel, they manage to thwart the immediate threat, cementing a deep trust between them and laying the groundwork for their ongoing adventures together.

Comments:
This book was recommended to me some years ago and has been sitting on my Kindle since 2020. I have been that used to it just being a part of the background that I have been ignoring it. I started it on holiday and, unsurprisingly, I have enjoyed it. There was a part in the middle when I was not as drawn to it as I have been with others of the that genre but once those few chapters had passed, i loved it. I am not rushing out to get the next one in the series, however, when an offer come up for this author, I will be buying.

Books that we've read by C J Archer (1):
The Watchmaker's Daughter (Glass and Steele #1) (2016)