Beauty and the Clockwork Beast Summary
In this second installment of Nancy Campbell Allen’s fairy-tale inspired Steampunk Proper Romances, Lucy Pickett arrives at Blackwell Manor to tend to her ailing cousin, Kate, she finds things aren’t quite what they seemed. A restless ghost roams the hallways, reports of werewolves abound 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. The mysterious deaths of his new wife, Clara, and his sister, Marie have unsettled him. Could Miles himself be to blame for the deaths?
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?
Beauty and the Clockwork Beast Review
Beauty and the Clockwork Beast opens with Lucy Pickett’s arrival at Blackwell Manor to tend to her ailing cousin, Kate. The human occupants of the manor are just as puzzling. Lord Miles is abrupt and inhospitable, almost to the point of rudeness. He is clearly hiding a secret and has no interest in visitors of any kind, even one as attractive, educated and interesting as Lucy Pickett.
The recent mysterious deaths of his sister Marie and his new wife Clara only add to the tension. As Miles and Lucy reluctantly begin working together to solve the mysteries and restore peace to Blackwell Manor, their relationship changes. Whether Lucy can solve the mystery of Miles and save Kate from a strange ailment that seems bound to end her life will only be found in the pages of Beauty and the Clockwork Beast.
I have to admit when I first picked up this book, billed as Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast, I was skeptical. I wasn’t too sure about the Steampunk angle. But it only took a few pages before I couldn’t put it down. Rather than the Steampunk element being a major focus of the story, as in some books I’ve read, it was just another layer in the setting, actually adding to the interest instead of competing with it. The characters are well-developed and intelligent. Relationships develop naturally and personalities are revealed much as in the way as real life.
An Engaging Series
Not only is this book immediately engaging, but I found myself making excuses to go and read as I got farther into it, until I finally had a late night reading marathon to get to the end.
I thoroughly enjoyed Beauty and the Clockwork Beast and would highly recommend to any lover of mystery and/or romance. It is part of Shadow Mountain Publishing’s “A Proper Romance” series, making it suitable for all ages. With engaging characters, plenty of mystery and intrigue and a storyline that will draw you in and hold you throughout the book, this is definitely one to add to your reading list. Ms. Allen’s Steampunk “fairy-tale” stories are not a series in the traditional sense. But they do include a cast of recurring characters, and so will feel familiar as you continue through her books.
You can find my review of Nancy Campbell Allen’s first book in this series, My Fair Gentleman, here.
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