Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Steampunk Fairy Tale retelling
Book Description: 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: This was a fun and exciting take of Sleeping Beauty I loved the adventure, mystery, and romance. The first difference noted in the book is that this is a steampunk version. The characters are armed, some with robot parts, some are shifters, and the feel of the story is unique.
The story begins with Isla. She hunts shifters gone bad and brings them to justice. She is feisty, strong, and is a force to be reckoned with. She is desperate to find a cure for the sleeping curse that has been put on her. Time is running out for her.
The part of the prince is Daniel. He is a good guy who has his own secrets that if exposed could ruin him. The rest of the characters are shifters who are amazing people. They are all good guys that are being unfairly persecuted.
There is one passenger on-board who is antagonistic. You always wonder when he is going to make his move and do something to destroy anyone on the ship.
This book is fascinating. I loved how Nancy Campbell Allen set the whole thing up. There are pieces that remind you of the original story, but this book is very different. You wonder how and when Isla and Daniel will find the witch to save her. The fun of the book is the journey. I loved seeing pieces of each of the characters. They are a wonderful group and it would be wonderful if there will be more in a future book about any/all of them (hint, hint).
The book contains non-graphic violence and mild romance with some innuendo.
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About the Author: (Taken from Amazon) Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of 14 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 steampunk novel, Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, was released August, 2016, through Shadow Mountain. She served on the 2015 LDStorymakers Conference Committee and currently serves as the contest coordinator for The Teen Writers Conference. She has presented at numerous conferences and events since her initial publication in 1999.
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 releases, We Knew Howard Hughes, by Jim Whetton, and My Life Encapsulated, by Kenneth Brailsford.
Her agent is Pamela Howell of D4EO Literary Agency.
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.
I loved the first Steampunk novel she wrote, and have been eagerly awaiting this one! It is one of those genres that you aren't sure how it will come together, but Nancy's take on the clean romance/retelling of tales/steampunk twist were fresh and exciting. Fun review, thanks for confirming I need to read this asap! :)
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