That “finish it out well” will not include reading, alas — at least not until I finish this book. Which is especially sad for me because of two recent releases that I’m dying to get my grubby eyeballs on, but for now I have to settle for looking at their covers on my ebook reader. These are releases from two of my friends (which, I know, suggests automatic bias … but often the reason writers become friends and begin talking in the first place is because they really like each others’ work!)

If you haven’t been reading her Disillusionist books, then you probably know Carolyn Crane from our Wild & Steamy antho — she had a fabulous novella set between Books 2 & 3 of her trilogy. If you have been reading the trilogy, then you know what happened at the end of Book 2 (Double Cross) that made me do a OMG! OMG! and why I’ve been waiting along with so many others for the conclusion to this story.

Well, unless you are me and you aren’t reading anything until a book is turned in, you don’t have to wait any longer! Head Rush is finally here!

I will be avoiding any and all spoilers (but if it doesn’t end the way I want it to, I will be a whiny, petulant baby the next time I see Carolyn.)

And of course Ilona Andrews’ work needs no introduction here. Ilona and Gordon have a ridiculous ability to write anything and make it some of the best, most imaginative and strong work out there today — and her Edge series is no exception.

Fate’s Edge, the latest in this paranormal (rural fantasy?) romance series hit shelves last week (I always get so twisted around with end-of-the-month release dates!). As Ilona puts it: What do you get when you take the best conman in the world and make him into a secret agent? You get Kaldar Mar.

And because it’s Ilona Andrews, we get an awesome freaking story, too.

So go forth! Read it. Love it.

ETA: Oh my god, and Agony/Ecstasy, too! lol, this is how out-of-it I’ve been — I totally spaced this release!

AGONY/ECSTASY

Erotic romance collection

My contemporary short story, “Rescue Me,” will be included in this anthology (official site here, including excerpts from each story and a full author listing). This story stands alone, and is unrelated to my Guardians and Iron Seas series.

$15.00 Berkley Heat | $9.99 Berkley Ebook
ISBN 978-0425243459 | November 1st, 2011

I couldn’t find a good image, and I don’t have a scanner, so the cover doesn’t really show up well. [Meljean here: I found a new image.] Anyway…I mentioned this book as my favorite in the SBTB meme post, so I thought I should make it clear that although this is my favorite romance novel ever, it isn’t the *best* one I’ve ever read.

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THIS NOVEL:

~debbie~ gave the book a B-, and I can’t say I blame her. Everything she says is exactly right. There are plenty of things in this book that would normally leave me frustrated, swearing at the characters or the author for certain contrived plot points and resolutions. There are a few character resolutions that actually disappointed me…and yet it is still my favorite romance novel.

Okay, the ‘official’ description of the novel is this:

Beautiful young Georgia Wells had heard ominous rumors about Nicholas Daventry at Ravenswalk. She had heard of the devastating good looks and unpardonable passions of this man exiled to India by his uncle, Lord Raven, for his scandalous behaviour. She had been warned to beware of him by the mistress of Ravenswalk, the ravishing and ruthless Lady Jacqueline Raven.

Now Nicholas Daventry has returned to Ravenswalk. . .to claim the legacy he said was his by birth. . .to wreak the vengeance he said was his due. . .and to plunge Georgia into a dizzying, dazzling vortex of desire, as she discovered that she was now the stranger-in a world of love that this man she did not know knew so very well. . .

This is such a load of crap; not only does Georgia know next-to-nothing about Nicholas when she first meets him, Nicholas is the beta-ist hero ever (okay, maybe not ever…but pretty darn close).

And this book is sweet in the “Oh my god I love to watch them fall in love” way. Both Georgia and Nicholas are so likeable, I fall in love with them falling in love. God, that sounds stupid, but that’s exactly how it is. They’ve both have had shitty things happen to them, but they still enjoy life, both have a wonderful sense of humor; they know the shitty stuff is still out there and take it seriously, but there’s always a sense of fun in their relationship.

Okay, the storyline is this: The book opens with Nicholas waking from a nightmare after humping some nameless girl in India (but the nightmare wasn’t about humping her). He is summoned back to England via a strange note from his uncle. Georgia is a widow, and seamstress to a bitch who keeps her locked in a turret, but she has no way to escape, so she tries to resign herself to a life of drudgery for the Wicked Bitch of the East (and, at the same time, avoid the advances of the creepy stepson of the Wicked Bitch).

When Nicholas returns to England, he finds out that he can’t claim his inheritance (a house that his parents raised him in, and for which he has a deep attachment) unless he gets married in, like, three weeks (I know, I know!) When he gets home and find out the Wicked Bitch has let it fall into terrible disrepair, he is devastated. He sitting on the ground and crying about it when Georgia first meets him. When she expresses her own sadness about the house’s state, he kisses her.

He blinked, and then before Georgia knew what was happening, she found herself being pulled into his arms and kissed. It wasn’t at all like the kisses Baggie had forced on her, which had been clammy and wet and suffocating, nor like Lord Herton’s kiss, dry as parchment, the one time he’d caught her by surprise. This was quite a different sort of thing, but nevertheless it deeply alarmed her, and she took a deep breath and pushed him away, hard.

“You presume greatly, sir,” she said, trying to stop the shaking that had come over her, and wondering why the words sounded so silly.

He ran a hand through his hair, agitated, and took a step backward. “My apologies,” he said. “That was unforgivable. I’m afraid I was overcome by a momentary pang of some hopeless emotion. I trust you won’t send your husband after me, crying for pistols at dawn.”

Georgia shook her head. “He’s already dead.”

“Already…Madam, do you have any sensibilities?”

“Oh, yes, many, although sensibilities aren’t allowed at Ravenswalk, so I suppose I’m out of practice.”

And this is a small example of why I love this book–there is a dry, almost irreverent humor throughout, and each protagonist takes part in it. Neither character broods overmuch (except about things that are brood-worthy, like the creepy nephew and the things going on there). These two characters like each other from the very beginning–there’s no “I love you, I hate you, I screw you, I love you!” stuff going on.

Anyway, that night Nicholas has the swell idea that Georgia is the perfect choice for a wife; he already knows he likes her, she’s beautiful and he’s attracted to her, and he’s in a hurry and she’s in desperate circumstances. Georgia resists, of course–she’s no ninny. She knows that there would be plenty of eligible girls in England to marry him.

And this is where the first misunderstanding comes into play: Georgia comes to the conclusion that Nicholas must be dirt poor, and that is the only reason she finally agrees to marry him. Her response: “Well, I suppose I have nowhere else to go and nothing more important to do.”

Then they get married, start rebuilding the house, save some people from shipwrecks, Nicholas becomes a vegetable for a while, Nicholas discovers how much smaller his penis is than Georgia’s former husband’s, and eventually defeat the Wicked Bitch.

And I love every single bit of it.

But! …there’s the issue of Things That Might Drive Many People Nuts [SPOILER WARNING!]:

I’ve already mentioned the “have to get married to inherit” thingy, and the “Georgia doesn’t know he got rich in India” thingy. I didn’t mind either of these; the first, because it was a small little thing, and fit in with Nicholas’s exile and the Wicked Bitch’s bitchiness, and the second, because it gave the opportunity for the love story to develop. Nicholas, once he realizes that Georgia wants a poor husband, decides to rebuild the house by himself instead of hiring others to do it. Much of the romance and buildup of sexual tension is at this point.

Another misunderstanding is that Nicholas is under the impression that Georgia loved her first husband–and, of course, she didn’t. Not only did she not love him, the sex was terrible due to the Monstrous Penis…so bad that it made her afraid of performing her conjugal duties. Nicholas thinks she just isn’t ready to part with the memory of Poor Farmer Wells (which is another reason why he pretends to be poor–because he wants Georgia to want him, too). But this is all carried off with just the right amount of humor, and resolved halfway through the book.

About five-eighths of the way into the book, there are really no secrets left between them, they know each other completely, and have declared their love to each other–and ~debbie~ is right, it does slow down. There is also the final big issue: the “Georgia is not a commoner as she originally appeared to be” one. Part of the revelation involves the Wicked Bitch and how they get back at her for being horrible and evil. (This is a theme in the entire trilogy, actually–heroes and heroines finding out they aren’t who they thought they were.)

Also: the entire trilogy (NO GREATER LOVE, NO SWEETER HEAVEN, NO BRIGHTER DREAM) has a theme of Faith (primarily Christian). This book has the lightest touch, and I don’t feel that any of them are preachy; Kingsley ties it all into the characters’ development. I’ve read some revies that state this has been an issue for some of her readers in her later books (particularly LILIES ON THE LAKE, THE SOUND OF SNOW). There is, particularly in NO SWEETER HEAVEN, some miracle-working by a certain character who first appears in this book. In NBD, the heroine is raised a Muslim and later becomes Christian, but her personal relationship with God doesn’t change. So, there is a touch of “Inspirational” that might turn someone off–I read it as just having faith, and Christianity just happened to be the majority religion in England at the time. But, as I said, in this book it isn’t so much.

Finally: I’m torn over the fate of the creepy nephew. On one hand, he did some really, really horrible things (killed a cat and put it in Georgia’s bed); on the other, he had some pretty horrible things done to him. I felt that he was working toward a kind of redemption–but in the end (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) he is killed saving Nicholas from the Wicked Bitch. At times I think that maybe he was so tormented that it was better for him to have gone that way; at others, I wish he’d lived to fight against everything the Wicked Bitch had done to his psyche. He was a victim–but he was also responsible for his actions, and I can’t decide if the death is to punish him for those actions…or for being a victim. Or if it is to punish him at all, and I’m just projecting my own muddled sense of justice onto the book. Anyway.

Really lastly: a word about the trilogy. NO SWEETER HEAVEN is probably the better book, in a “I have to grade this on its technical merits and originality and such” and I would probably grade it higher than NGL if I actually graded using A-F or something. (Does that make any sense at all? Do people knock off points on a book they love because of things they feel “shouldn’t” be in a perfect book? I feel the need to, which is why I have so many books in the B or even C range that I’ll never get rid of. It’s like the grade is a technical thing, and the “keeper” is a heart thing.) I reread NSH about once a year; it’s another keeper. A little less for NBD, but even that is still a keeper (actually, it is a “reread certain scenes keeper”).

But Georgia and Nicholas are just…perfect. In less skilled hands, the misunderstandings and plot twists would have turned the book into a wallbanger–but Kingsley made them work for me. And this book makes me feel great.

And that’s why a book that is very likely a B is my all-time favorite romance novel and an A+ to me.

Now I have to wonder: when grading a book/reviewing a book–is there a difference between how you feel about it and what you think of it? Am I going to have to reread Hume to figure this out? Is this the difference between taste and judgment? Normally, I’d call that a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel this book is a guilty pleasure. It’s just a pleasure, pure and simple.

And are things that can be viewed as a flaw of convention (the virgin widow/unsatisfied widow, for example) no longer flaws in the right hands?

This is just a reminder for those of you in the Portland area — on Sunday, November 13th at 4:30pm, I’ll be in Beaverton, OR and signing at Powell’s local Authorfest. Directions are here.

If you can’t make it Sunday, remember that I’ll also be at the Cheeky Pages book club meeting at Powell’s on November 18th with Theresa Meyers, whose steampunky-paranormal The Hunter just released last week. I’ve heard that she’s bringing treats of eatin’ kind.

That’s not the only Wild & Steamy-related news today. As many of you know, my friend Jill Myles from that anthology is also Jessica Sims, and she debuted her new Midnight Liaisons series with BEAUTY DATES THE BEAST. If you missed my earlier post about this book, simply scroll down for a description and cover.

Today also marks the audiobook releases for Carolyn Crane’s Disillusionists series — including the third book in the series, HEAD RUSH. If you’re like me and you can’t listen to books, this might drive you crazy, because there’s still a bit of time until the ebook releases from Samhain. But if you do listen to audiobooks and the ending of DOUBLE CROSS made you want to scream and have the next book now! this is a great way to get a jump on the rest of us (you lucky bastard).

UPCOMING SIGNINGS AND APPEARANCES

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, I might be in your area soon!

On October 29th, I’ll be in Seattle and signing at the Emerald City Writer’s Conference Book Fair from 4:30 – 6pm at the Westin in Bellevue, WA. I think I will have copies of HEART OF STEEL.

On November 13th, I’ll be in Beaverton, OR and signing at Powell’s local Authorfest. If you can’t make it that night, however, check out November 18th!

On November 15th, I’ll kind of be at the Denver Lady Jane’s Salon — I’ll be using Skype to answer questions about the Iron Seas series.

On November 18th, I’ll be at the Cheeky Pages book club at Beaverton Powell’s with author Theresa Meyers, who will be talking about her steampunky-western-paranormal THE HUNTER. I’ll have copies of HEART OF STEEL to sign.

#19 – H. Imre
#5 – RebeLovesBooks
CONGRATULATIONS!

Winners, I can send these books to you as a print book or, if it is available to you in your area, as a Kobo or Kindle gift on the date of its release. (I would send B&N nook, but it doesn’t have a gifting option.) Please let me know what you prefer!

I was lucky enough to get a chance to read this book earlier this year, and I gotta say: this is a hell of a lot of sexy fun. No threesomes this time, but a really fabulous hero and heroine, a secondary couple to die for (I’m really looking forward to the sequel), and a creepy-as-hell villain.

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read her work, Jessica Sims has a light, contemporary voice, combined with a scorching pen when it comes to the sexy times. I’ll let you see that for yourself, however; here’s an excerpt of the book with Pocket’s Browse Inside feature (scroll down to the “Browse Inside” graphic).

WANTED

Single human female to join charming, wealthy single male were-cougar for a night of romantic fun – and maybe more.

Me: The tall, sensuous, open-minded leader of my clan.

You: A deliciously curvy virgin who’s intimately familiar with what goes bump in the night. Must not be afraid of a little tail. Prefer a woman who’s open to exploring her animal nature. Interest in nighttime walks through the woods a plus.

My turn-ons include protecting you from the worst the supernatural world has to offer.

Ready for an adventure? Give me a call.

Vampires and doppelgangers need not apply.

I’m giving away two copies of Beauty Dates the Beast this week — all you have to do to enter is comment and tell me: Which supernatural beastie would you be interested in dating? Or, which one would you absolutely not? (If you are on Goodreads, please come to blog to enter!)

The small print: Comment by 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on 10/22/2011 for your chance to win. Two winners will be selected randomly using random.org, and their name posted on this blog 10/23/2011. Winner must provide Meljean with their mailing address by November 10th, 2011 or the prize will be forfeit. Only one entry per ISP address. The contest is open to international readers. No purchase necessary to enter. A review of the book is always deeply appreciated. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.

I’ll be at Powell’s tomorrow (Tuesday) night for Ilona and Gordon’s signing with Lili Saintcrow and Devon Monk, and I’ll be picking up a few signed copies to give away — stay tuned for those details.

Finally, I’m sending four of these pretties to the printer this week:

Kitsune did an amazing, amazing job on all of them, and after RWA (early July) I’ll put up a page up showing the complete set, as well as details on how to receive yours.

STEAMSIDE CHRONICLES

To get us started, I’ve invited Ciar Cullen, author of STEAMSIDE CHRONICLES, to tell us a little bit about steampunk and her book. A seasoned author of paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and romantic suspense (you can check out her backlist here) STEAMSIDE CHRONICLES is Ciar’s first steampunk, and it was released in August. I want to thank her for joining us — and so let’s get started!

How do you define steampunk?
Aw, really, Meljean? I mean, seriously? (Ha! Yes, seriously.)

Okay, there’s this cool group called the James Gang (Google those cats). They look like Steampunk to me. There are so many definitions out there—I would say that they typically point out the combination of Steam Age technology with anachronistic elements in an alternative setting. To me, however, it’s the aesthetic. Which takes me back to the James Gang and the hip factor meets – in my case – my grandparents (for others, it would be great, great, great somethings). I think fighting about what is legitimate Steampunk is akin to debating what Elves do and don’t do. Let’s face it, it’s fiction. And it’s really evolving quickly.

Even if you didn’t know the term ‘steampunk,’ what was your introduction to the genre? Do you recall when you first heard the term ‘steampunk’?
I’m old enough to remember the TV show “Wild Wild West” which unfortunately, despite my total lust for Will Smith, was remade into a loathsome film. That was no doubt my first exposure to the aesthetic. I don’t know when I first heard the term. But I’m old and I forget things.

Do you have any favorite books or movies that you’d like to recommend?
There’s this new one out called… um, like Gold King or Silver Pope… ah, got it. Iron Duke by Meljean somebody. Finished this weekend. Seriously? How good was that? But hey, I have loved you long time… I want to be able to write description like that when I grow up. *pause while Meljean forks over the agreed-upon promo cash* There are other titles out there that have not “grabbed” me, although they’re considered the “big thang” in Steampunk romance. I have been doing some editing for the new Decadent Publishing and had the chance to work on “The Curious Fate of Capricious Jones” by Robert Roman. That’s hardcore steampunk, no romance, and not much romanticism. Civil War meets Lord of the Rings with feminine heroines.

What draws you to the genre?
I’m a lifelong fantasy and science fiction reader. To me, steampunk is fantasy. Fantasy I haven’t read before. A welcome change.

How would you describe the tone of your novel?
Ah, tone. This was my very first attempt at first person (except for short stories). So the tone is not your average steampunk fare. I would describe Steamside Chronicles as time travel with steampunk elements. That is, what if those Steampunk fans who go to conventions, etc., actually got sucked back into an alternative 1890 Manhattan? What the heck would they do, and what would it look like? How about if they get sucked into the “real” 1890? Oh, tone, you asked… quirky, touching, fantastical, mystical, romantic.

Will you tell us a little bit about your steampunk world?
Most of Steamside Chronicles is grounded around Central Park in New York. The book is layered—modern day, historical 1890, and an alternate 1890. The alternate 1890 is where my Punks live. (Or are they even alive?) They also go to Egypt, where they meet Howard Carter and other Egyptologists, because I always have to get some archaeology into my books, and let’s face it—mummies and Steampunk? Perfect together. In Steamside, nightmares literally come alive, and anachronisms pop up willy nilly.

And will you tell us a little bit about your characters and the challenges they will face?
Emily Fenwick, like the Punks before her, is sucked to Steamside after a near-death (or actual death?) experience. Steamside is run by a brother sister team, Jack and Annalise (Petti) Pettigrew and about 50 screw-ups in their twenties. The Punks (as they call themselves) are faced with trying to get home (and clicking their heels together doesn’t seem to be working), trying to save the folks in “real” 1890 from anachronistic threats, and trying to get through the trials we all face on a daily basis, no matter what the century. That does include, of course, falling in love.

Is there an invention that you particularly love in your story?
Not an invention (although there is a steam-powered skateboard), but an object of great importance for our hero and heroine. Cleopatra’s Needle, the Egyptian obelisk that actually stands in Central Park.

Do you have any other steampunk romances coming up?
I’m kinda hedging my bets. I love the world of Steamside, I miss the Punks, and I’d like to go back there. We’ll see. I have actually had a movie rights request (!) but I’ve had those before. We’ll see… If that turns into something, hell yes, there will be a sequel.

Is there anything else you’d like the reader to know?
I would like the reader to know that I had a freaking ball writing this book. It was HARD, but although it’s nothing like my previous titles, it is closest to my personal style. And also, I picked 1890 because it’s the year my grandmother was born. When my mother died two years ago, I inherited a number of my Nan’s things, and it got me thinking about the year she was born…this book is the result of that research.

With such a strong connection to the material, I can see why this would be a work that is more ‘you’ in style — and I can totally relate to the having-a-ball-but-it-was-freaking-hard feeling. Thank you so much for visiting us today, Ciar! (and now I’m so tempted to title my next book THE GOLD POPE, hehe). For more information and a short excerpt from STEAMSIDE CHRONICLES, you can visit the book’s page at Decadent Publishing. It’s also available for purchase as an ebook from Amazon, or your favorite online bookstore.

Love's Alchemy

Ciar will be coming by, so please feel free to ask questions in the comments. Ciar will also be giving away a copy of any ebook from her backlist (or a print copy of Love’s Alchemy). To enter, please mention in the comments which book from her backlist you’d like to try before midnight on October 24th. You don’t have to put your e-mail address in the comment box! (just in the info section, where it will stay hidden from spammers.)

The small print stuff: Comment by 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on 10/24/2010 for your chance to win. One commenter will be selected to win using random.org, and the winner’s name will be posted on this blog 10/25/2010. The winner’s e-mail address will be forwarded to Ciar Cullen. Commenters should name which book from Ciar’s backlist they prefer to receive, and if they fail to name a title, may receive a book of Ciar’s choosing. Only one entry per ISP address, but multiple comments are allowed. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.

On Monday, I’ll begin featuring a series of guest posts from authors who have previous, current, and upcoming releases in the steampunk romance genre, so that we can learn a little more about their books and their steampunk worlds (if you want a peek, you can find many of them tagged “steampunk romance” at Amazon already).

Until then, here are a few that you can check out now.

Emma Holly’s THE DEMON’S DAUGHTER

I think this one is often overlooked as a steampunk romance — first, because it was marketed as a paranormal romance, and because later books in the series moved away from a Victorian setting, and they don’t have that same steampunk feel to them.

And, please excuse me while I get all nostalgic for a minute.

This book came out in November of 2004. At the time, I was writing Demon Angel, and had pushed my steampunk series far in the back of my head, but I was still looking for anything that might resemble it … because I so, so wanted any kind of steampunk romance. Then this showed up, and I was SO FREAKING HAPPY. It was so close to everything I’d wanted, and I’d hoped that it would open up the market to more steampunk romances like it.

But…we didn’t see that many. Sigh.

Other romance readers might recall something that came out earlier, but as far as I know (and I was looking, believe me) this was the first romance steampunk novel, not just a steampunk with romantic elements. Again, it is marketed as a paranormal, and the “demon” in the title suggests paranormal (there’s no mention of steampunk anywhere in the description) but it definitely has more of a science fiction/alternate history base to the worldbuilding. I highly recommend it. Emma Holly is an amazing writer in every genre, but if you’re looking for steampunk romance, this has plenty of both.

I think more readers are familiar with Dru Pagliassotti’s CLOCKWORK HEART. And, okay — this (like SOULLESS) is more “strong romantic thread” than “romance genre”, but, if you’re like me, as long as the romance is there, you’re a pretty happy camper.

A steampunkish romantic fantasy set in Ondinium, a city that beats to the ticking of a clockwork heart. Taya, a metal-winged courier, can travel freely across the city’s sectors and mingle indiscriminately among its castes. A daring mid-air rescue leads to involvement with two scions of an upperclass family and entanglement in a web of terrorism, loyalty, murder, and secrets.

I think this might be out of print, but shouldn’t be too hard to find at online stores — and let’s hope that Dru eventually finds a home for the sequel.

I’m not sure I really need to introduce SOULLESS — this book and its sequels are probably the reason why I get so many hits from readers searching Google for steampunk romance. But just in case you haven’t heard of the Parasol Protectorate series yet, they are witty, steampunky comedies of manners that follow the adventures of Alexia Tarabotti. (Carriger’s site is awesome, by the way. Very fun to poke around in.)

Book #1

Book #2

Book #3

And earlier this year also saw the release of Katie Macalister’s STEAMED (which I think(?) is the first book out of New York* to be marketed explicitly as steampunk romance, rather than pushing it under the ‘paranormal’ umbrella), and which got an awesome starred review from Booklist:

*Starred Review* Captain Octavia Pye is surprised to find an unconscious, oddly-dressed man and an equally unusually clad woman aboard her airship. There’s evil afoot in her world, and Octavia wonders if these two are pirates or secret agents. After an explosion in his lab, Dr. Jack Fletcher is shocked to wake up beside his sister in a Victorian airship, complete with a no-nonsense captain and crew, all of whom are outfitted in late nineteenth-century fashion. Jack thinks he has gone back in time; instead he’s astounded to learn that it’s the same day as the explosion. Caught in a parallel universe where technology is still at the steam engine stage, Jack finds himself pulled between a longing for home and an increasingly stronger desire for the intrepid Octavia. MacAlister hits it out of the park with this highly entertaining steampunk fantasy. There’s danger, adventure, romance, and lots of humorous moments as Jack and Octavia discover that the laws of love always trump the laws of physics. –Shelley Mosley

I also can’t count the number of rave reviews I’ve heard for Ginn Hale’s WICKED GENTLEMEN. The description:

Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction. And Belimai Sykes is the only man Captain William Harper can turn to when faced with a series of grisly murders. But Mr. Sykes does not work for free and the price of Belimai’s company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation. From the ornate mansions of noblemen, where vivisection and sorcery are hidden beneath a veneer of gold, to the steaming slums of Hells Below, Captain Harper must fight for justice and for his life. His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well.

So, that’s a few to get us started. Have you read any of these? Feel free to post away in the comments. We have a lot more coming up next week, so I hope that you’ll join us on Monday!

*A few e-publishers marketed romances as steampunk and actually used the term in the description a little earlier.