Just like in the classic"Beauty and the Beast, "this Steampunk Romance features an unlikely love story.
The Lord of Blackwell Manor, Miles, is plagued by a family curse that
changes him into a shape-shifting wolf every month during the full moon.
Lucy-a smart, attractive, and well-respected botanist-travels to
Blackwell Manor to take care of her sick cousin, Kate, who is married to
Miles's younger brother. For Lucy, the trip is a welcomed respite from
her work and recent discovery-a breakthrough serum that could eliminate
the scourge of vampires from London.
However, Lucy finds more than
she bargained for when she arrives at the Manor. Miles, who is brash and
inhospitable, does not take kindly to visitors. He is still unsettled
by the mysterious death of his newlywed wife. And then there's Marie,
Miles's sister, who was attacked and murdered just weeks earlier. Miles
is horrified to think that he might be to blame for the deaths.
And
who is the ghost that haunt the halls? Lucy is convinced that the death
of Miles's wife and sister-as well as her cousin's mysterious
illness-are tied together, but how?
Lady Charlesworth has her eye
on inheriting Blackwell Manor for her family. Could her daughter,
Candice, or her son, Arthur, have had a hand in the mysterious deaths?
The clues make a vampire suspect highly likely.
During her
investigation, Lucy finds herself caring deeply for Miles, but he fights
to keep his distance in order to protect Lucy from his family's secret.
And, yet, he feels attracted toward the woman who is able to look past
the fearsome-looking scar that has marred his handsome face.
With
no other option, Miles and Lucy must work together if they are to find
the answer to the mysteries at the Manor. But that's not all Lucy wants
to solve. There's a deeper mystery behind Miles. Can she solve that,
too? Ultimately, she must decide if she can love the man, beast and all.
Also includes a 15-page bonus prequel novelette, Marie's Story.
Marie Blake is Miles s younger sister, and her untimely death begins the
story of "Beauty and the Clockwork Beast. "Set on the eve of her murder
and told in the first-person from her point-of-view readers will get to
her know her as a person, and not just as the ghost who haunts the
halls of Blackwell Manor. The story provides greater depth and more
personal details to one of most memorable characters in the novel.
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 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
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.
AMAZON