Kiss of the Spindle (Steampunk Proper Romance #2) by Nancy Campbell Allen

A steampunk Sleeping Beauty story from the author of Beauty and the Clockwork Beast.

Doctor Isla Cooper is cursed. Literally. Each night, at the stroke of midnight she falls into a death-like sleep from which she cannot be awakened for six hours. To make it worse, the curse has an expiration date—after a year, it becomes permanent. And the year is almost up.

In a desperate attempt to find Malette—the witch who cursed her—Isla blackmails her way onto Daniel Pickett's private airship bound for the Caribbean, only to discover she's traveling with three illegal shapeshifters and the despicable Nigel Crowe, a government official determined to hunt down and exterminate every shapeshifter in England. Isla and Daniel must work together to keep the identities of the shapeshifters hidden while coming to terms with their own hidden secrets, and their blossoming attraction to each other.

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and plenty of romance, Kiss of the Spindle is steampunk Sleeping Beauty story. It is a race against the clock as Isla and Daniel try to hunt down the elusive Malette before Isla's death-like sleep becomes permanent.

 * Goodreads * Amazon * Deseret Book *

It took me a quick minute or two to get into this book but once I did, I was hooked.  I couldn't put it down.  The story builds and builds until by the end I was feeling quite frantic and desperate.  It was so exciting!  I love when that happens.

I love that Nancy Campbell Allen is writing these steampunk romances loosely based on classic fairy tales.  It gives everything such a fun twist.

The relationship and chemistry between Isla and Daniel was also one that kept building.  I loved the explosive first kiss (😍) but mostly I loved how devoted Daniel was to Isla once he learned how vulnerable she was because of her curse.  He was so sweet, so invested in her.  I just LOVED him.

Yup, this was a good one!  I'm so excited to see what's coming next!

Content:  some violence, kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast.

When Lucy Pickett arrives at Blackwell Manor to tend to her ailing cousin, Kate, she finds more than she bargained for. A restless ghost roams the hallways, werewolves have been reported in the area, and vampires lurk across the Scottish border. Lord Miles himself is clearly hiding a secret. He is brash and inhospitable, and does not take kindly to visitors—even one as smart and attractive as Miss Pickett. He is unsettled by the mysterious deaths of his new wife, Clara, and his sister, Marie. Working together, Miles and Lucy attempt to restore peace to Blackwell Manor. But can Lucy solve the mystery of Miles? Can she love the man—beast and all?

 * Goodreads * Amazon *

I have been anxiously waiting to read this book.  It's been sitting on my shelf for awhile now, staring at me, begging to be read.  :)  I was so happy to finally settle in and get to read it.  I've been so curious about it.  This book is a combination of so many genres- steampunk, paranormal, mystery, romance.  It really does have a Jane Eyre slash Beauty and the Beast feel to it.  There is something dark and edgy about it while also being romantic and sweet.  It's so hard to explain but I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like it!

This book is thick!  Good and long.  All the details are meaty and full of depth.  I think I would have loved this book simply as a paranormal romance but the steampunk aspect brought in a whole new dimension.  It was worked in seamlessly and made the whole story feel like something new and exciting.  What a clever idea!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.  The pacing was good- especially in the second half of the book where things really pick up.  I was compelled to continue reading and reluctant to put it down.  What a fun adventure this book is!  I hope I get more books like this- there are a few other characters in this book that definitely need their stories told.

Content:  Some mild gore/violence.  Clean!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Second Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn

The sequel to the steampunk fantasy romanceThird Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1) is here!

Assassins, skyships, and royal intrigue...

With plans for a second skyship exposed, Third Daughter Aniri fears her sister, Seledri, will be caught in a war between the three Queendoms. Seledri is the Second Daughter of Dharia, which means she had no choice in her arranged marriage to the First Son of Samir—a country with whom they may soon be at war. As Aniri fights to free her sister from a husband and a country she does not love, she questions her own rushed betrothal to Prince Malik, the noble barbarian who controls the skyship—and whether a love pledged in the heat of adventure can survive the looming threat of war.

Second Daughter is the second book in The Dharian Affairs trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, assassins, royal romance and intrigue.

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs is a new series filled with equal doses of action-adventure and romance, meant to appeal to fans of Mindjack.

This is a series that I'm really excited about.  The first book hooked me and I've been waiting, waiting to hear about the second book's release.  I love the "east-Indian-flavored" steampunk romance.  It's unique and because Susan Kaye Quinn is a gifted author, the flavor part of that statement really shines through.  I always feel like I'm immersed in richness when I read her books.  Especially these.

One of my favorite parts of this book was a scene where Aniri dresses up for a traditional celebration with Prince Malik's people.  There is dancing with oil lamps and colorful costumes.  I could see and feel everything.  I really wanted to be there too.

Because this is the second book in the series, you really need to read Third Daughter first.  Here we pick up right where we left off in the first book.  The romance, the action and intrigue continue.  It's a thrilling ride.

I love Aniri.  Sometimes she makes mistakes but she has a good heart and she longs to be the kind of woman and leader others will be proud of.  When Aniri does make mistakes, she tries her best to fix the situation.  She owns up to her mistake and doesn't make excuses.  That was one of the best standout messages for me in this book.  Aniri is also fiercely loyal to those she loves.  She risks her life for her sister, she defends Prince Malik to everyone and those are the things that really endear Aniri to me.

And the ending.  Are you kidding me?  That's where you are going to leave things?  I'm not really happy about the cut-off ending.  The whole bit with Prince Malik and Aniri- get my hopes up, dash them and then leave me hanging?  No good, that.  I'm a bit annoyed at the ending, but I guess that was the author's intent.  She wants to make sure I come back for more in the next book.  And I will.  (but I would have anyway-even without the big cliff hanger ending)  I have a feeling the third (and last) book will be my favorite, but we'll see.

You can find Second Daughter at Amazon.

You can find out more about the author and all her books at her website.

http://www.susankayequinn.com

Lumiere by Jacqueline Garlick

One determined girl.

One resourceful boy.

One miracle machine that could destroy everything…

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own.  

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same goal, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

When darkness is safer than light…

I do believe this is labeled as a "romantic steampunk".  This is the second book of this flavor that I have read in the last couple months.  I can't help but compare a bit as it's the same genre, but I really shouldn't because the two books were nothing alike.  The feel, the way they were written were completely different.

I will admit that it took me awhile to become invested in this book and it's characters.  The storyline is a good one though.  A magic machine, an evil madman, a girl searching for answers.  Eyelet is the underdog.  You can't help but root for her.  She is smart and curious and she is determined to find the truth.  I liked her no whine attitude.

If you think rooting for one underdog is good, you should try two.  Urlick is an underdog too.  Put Eyelet and Urlick together and you get, well, underdog squared.  ha!  They sort of have an annoying relationship at first that I didn't quite get, but after they started working together, I really enjoyed them both.  That's when the book turned around for me.  Up until then I just wasn't in.

There are all kinds of things against Eyelet and Urlick.  The before mentioned evil bad guy, deadly vapors, zombie like creatures in the woods and a couple other surprises thrown in for good measure.  The flying machine creature is good.  I really like it.

As far as content, there was frequent profanity and swearing.  There is an "almost" sex scene but it is interrupted so it never happens but they both verbally consent to it.  The almost sex scene was so out of place.  The two characters hadn't even shared anything as intimate as a real kiss.  They had a day of adventure but honestly, not much more than that.  The emotional connection was underdeveloped.  I felt there was a bit of a physical attraction but not much more than that.

I would say that overall this was a good concept.  The characters were good but my connection to them didn't run very deep.  The second half was definitely better than the first half.  I could have done without the profanity and swearing.  

Oh, and I love the cover.  So, so pretty!

You can purchase Lumiere at Amazon.

About the author:

I'm Jacqueline Garlick. Author of YA, New Adult, and Women's Fiction. I originally hail from the shores of Bournemouth England. No I don't, I'm just kidding, but my father's parents did! Actually, I hail from another familiar shore though. I grew up on the banks of the Thames River in Chatham, Ontario, not Chatham, England, but trust me it's just as murky. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. (Doesn't everyone?) I love to read, write, paint (walls and paper) and plan cool writing events for cool writers (check out niagarawritersretreatandconference (dot) com.) I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology (doesn't everyone?) and would rather hang out with a dog, than a cat. I prefer creating things to cleaning things, and believe laughter is a one-stop-shop solution to all that ails you. It is also my position that ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky can improve on any bad day. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house (perhaps even a door) and a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won’t find a hidden passageway but a girl can dream, can’t she?) Oh, and tea. There will always be tea. I love specialty teas...and collecting special teacups from which to drink them (doesn't everyone?) (See website for collection.) 

In my former life, I was a teacher (both grade school and college-don't ask), but more recently I've been a graduate of Ellen Hopkin’s Nevada Mentor Program and a student of James Scott Bell, Christopher Vogler and Don Maass. An excerpt from Lumière earned me the 2012 Don Maass Break Out Novel Intensive Scholarship.

Because of my edgy, rule-breaking, Tim Burton-esque style of writing (yes I did just start a sentence with 'because'...it's legal now, get over it) I am often referred to as the Quentin Tarantino of YA among writing friends (in particular my agent.)  

Lumière—A Romantic Steampunk Fantasy—is my debut novel, Book One in my young adult The Illumination Paradox Series. I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.