Showing posts with label Nancy Campbell Allen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nancy Campbell Allen. Show all posts

Friday, August 24, 2018

Kiss of the Spindle

Kiss of the Spindle (Steampunk Proper Romance #2)From Goodreads:    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.


My Thoughts:

-    The romance completely took over everything in this book, and it wasn't a good romance either. It was ridiculous. I don't remember rolling my eyes so many times during a book. 

-    I know this is a romance novel, and the romance should be a main focus, but it was just too much. I wanted more about the shifters and other things.

-    Isla was not a new character. Daniel pretty much fell in love with his sister. Yes, Isla is EXACTLY the same person as Lucy from Beauty and the Clockwork Beast.

-    I didn't care for Daniel very much. His emotions were everywhere. 

-    I wish the story had stuck with steampunk and science. All the magic and dragon stuff at the end stretched it a bit too far for me. 

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast (Steampunk Proper Romance #1)Goodreads Synopsis:    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?



My Thoughts:

-    This was more of a ghost and vampire steampunk romance than a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

-    I'm not a big vampire fan, but this was alright. I enjoyed the mystery, and the vampires were the bad guys that were hunted, which is where they should be. 

-    The story starts out slow, but it picks up, and the ending is exciting. 

-    I can see the Jane Eyre elements, and I'm not a fan.

-    I didn't care for Lord Blackwell too much, but I liked Lucy well enough.

-    I loved the steampunk and gothic elements. They were fun.

-    I think I liked this overall. I want to read the next book.