I've been reading Zoe Archer's Blades of the Rose series. They are set in an alterternative history Victorian era where magic is real and there is a feud between warring factions. The evil group is called the Heirs, and they want to control magical items in order to advance Britain's Colonial goals. The group of good guys called the Blades of the Rose are trying to stop the Heirs from stealing magical items from indigenous people's around the world.
Using some steampunk-esque inventions made by character Catallus Graves, the Blades of the Rose pledge not to use any magic that is not their own. The Heirs are not so nice! Catullus Graves is a cool character - a black guy (Negro, in the vernacular of the book) who uses Victorian materials and technologies (metal building) to make amazing inventions.
Each book has a sometimes steamy romantic element along with lots and lots of nail biting adventure. They basically spend each book on a series of treasure hunts while racing the Heirs to see who will get the goodies first.
I recommend this series if you are looking for some light adventurous reading with some romance thrown in.
Right now Amazon has a special deal on the Kindle versions of the 4 books in the series for $9.99. Of course all the books are available in paper format as well.
