by Nancy Campbell Allen
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
August 2nd 2016
by Shadow Mountain
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?
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?
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My Review: 5 Stars
I've never read a steampunk novel before and I actually had no idea what that even meant. It's a type of science or speculative fiction that usually features fantasy or horror themes. How intriguing is this? Especially in a proper romance setting?
One of my favorite classic novels is Jane Eyre and one of my favorite fairy tales is Beauty and the Beast, so just image my delight in discovering a way for these two favorites to mesh in a way that involves vampires and werewolves too. This story concept is so new and unique to me and completely captured my attention and I found myself furiously flipping through the pages to find out what could possibly happen next. I was enthralled by animals, servants, and parts of humans that had mechanical elements.
As for the characters, Lucy is a very no-nonsense kind of woman and works hard to find resolution for some of the issues plaguing society. She's very likable and deals with the paranormal in stride. Her cousin, Kate, has some mysterious issues and even in the midst of that, their camaraderie is very tender. Miles is scary to most, but his desire to solve the mysteries surrounding his estate throws him in with Lucy and the way they work together to figure things out is so sweet. I loved all of the characters, the relationships, and the way the story flows. The pathway of the different components just captured me, heart and soul. As always, with a book of this magnitude, I'm hoping for more.
Content: mild romance; mild violence (death, murders, attacks--nothing graphic). Clean!
*I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
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Buy Links
About the Author
Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of 12 published novels and
several novellas, which encompass a variety of genres from contemporary
romantic suspense to historical fiction. Her Civil War series, Faith of
our Fathers, won the Utah Best of State award in 2005 and two of her
historicals featuring Isabelle Webb, Pinkerton spy, were finalists for
the Whitney Award. Her newest Regency romance, My Fair Gentleman, will
be released from Shadow Mountain January, 2016, and her steampunk novel,
Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, will be released also through Shadow
Mountain later in 2016. She served on the 2015 LDStorymakers Conference
Committee and currently serves as the marketing coordinator for The Teen
Writers Confrerence. She has presented at numerous conferences and
events since her initial publication in 1999. Her formal schooling includes a B.S. in Elementary Education from Weber State University and she has worked as a ghost writer and freelance editor, contributing to the recent release, We Knew Howard Hughes, by Jim Whetton.
Nancy served as the Teen Writers Conference chair in 2011 and 2012, and has presented at numerous conferences and events since her initial publication in 1999 with Covenant Communications. Her agent is Pam Van Hylckama Vlieg of D4EO Literary Agency.
Nancy loves to read, write, travel and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She and her husband have three children, and she lives in Ogden, Utah with her family and one very large Siberian Husky named Thor.
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