I really enjoyed them. World War I + Steampunk + Biopunk = What else could you want? Admittedly, I don't think the plot is particularly groundbreaking, but it's enjoyable and the characters are sympathetic (this is one of those rare cases where I'm not annoyed at the Action Girl).

I don't know much about the steampunk community either, but I've always felt like "steampunk" is very loosely defined. I agree with you about researching Punk Punk stories, though.