Railroad Rising: The Black Powder Rebellion by J. P. Wagner

Carrtog is the third son of a Lord, so there is no chance he will inherit.  He decides to hire out as a mercenary.  He has some knowledge of magic, a friend that is teaching him common sense and how to fight, and a good horse.  Of course, he has to be careful about politics.  They can kill him, too.

Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  You can get a copy on Amazon now.

I wasn't sure about this book, but it had gunpowder magic, steam power, a touch of romance, and great characters in it.  Once I began reading it, all my doubts went away.  This is a great adventure with the enemy having magic and a campaign against the king.

Carrtog rescues the King simply because he was there when they tried to kidnap him.  He then gets pressed into service.  Carrtog is young, though.  He manages to anger the King before they get back to the castle.  He also finds the Princess' lady in waiting very attractive.  That's not a good thing, either.  Mercenaries don't have wives.

As his reward for saving the King, he's appointed as a Lord.  He's also given the lady in waiting in marriage.  That's all well and fine, but then the King starts giving him impossible assignments waiting for him to fail.  The King knows he failed on his mission in the past and Carrtog is a reminder.  Carrtog is in a catch-22 situation.

It's a busy story with lots of action and it was a great read.  If you like sci-fi, you should read this.