Beauty and the Clockwork Beast
by Nancy Campbell Allen
4 stars
When Lucy Pickett goes to stay at Blackwell Manor to care for her ill cousin Kate, she’s surprised to learn that her recently wed cousin may be cursed. Women who marry into the Blackwell family tend to die mysterious deaths, including Kate’s brother-in-law’s late wife and sister.
Miles, the lord of the manor, is concerned for his new sister-in-law, but also has other issues to worry about. Ghosts are haunting his guests, vampires have been reported nearby, and he has a dangerous secret of his own. Not to mention his attraction to his most recent guest, Lucy.
Lucy and Miles work together to try to figure out what’s happening at Blackwell Manor and bring peace back to the family in this steampunk romance. I haven’t read many steampunk titles before, and I really enjoyed this one. There’s definitely a lot going on, which sounds a bit chaotic when describing the story, but Nancy Campbell Allen makes it all work together. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales.
Read-alikes
Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine
The Water Witch by Juliet Dark
The Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen
