Author, Beth Cato, is joining us today with her new steampunk adventure that should be on everyone's to-read list!
Romance in The Clockwork Dagger
by Beth Cato
My debut novel is THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER. It's a blend of epic fantasy, steampunk, and mystery--think Downtown Abbey with airships and healing magic. There's also romance.
My twenty-two-year-old heroine, Octavia Leander, isn't on the prowl for a man. She's an independent woman, setting out to establish her own healing practice in a remote, needy village. She's spent much of the past decade working in medical wards on the front lines of a never-ending war. What she really wants is a home. A garden. To help people. To belong.
Instead, her airship trip takes a dark turn. Murder, poison, and espionage plague the passengers--and it's soon clear that Octavia is the target. Fortunately for her, airship steward Alonzo Garret is looking out for her.
Alonzo's dark skin and blue eyes set him apart from everyone else, as does his formal accent. Octavia recognizes his name, too--Alonzo's father accidentally caused the deaths of her parents and everyone else in her village. She doesn't want to trust him, but times are desperate. He seems forthright and Octavia needs all the help she can get.
It doesn't hurt that he's awfully pleasant on the eyes, either. Uniform pants do fit in a very nice way.
As a reader and a writer, I have some confessions to make: I'm not attracted to bad boys. I like my heroes to be flawed yet good at heart. I also don't favor love triangles.
My two heroes have plenty of other obstacles in the way of their burgeoning romance: Edwardian-style rules of etiquette, Octavia's rather frumpy roommate, and also an assassin or two in their pursuit.
Bullets, terrorists, and physical assaults tend to put a damper on things. Even so, Octavia and Alonzo do manage to squeeze in a kiss or two. Priorities.
Octavia may not get her picturesque village and garden, but for now, she has a new friend and comrade--and maybe more--and together they just might survive.
The Clockwork Dagger
(Clockwork Dagger Duology #1)
by Beth Cato
ebook, 368 pages
Published September 16th 2014 by Harper Voyager
ISBN 0062313851
Full of magic, mystery, and romance, an enchanting steampunk fantasy debut in the bestselling vein of Trudi Canavan and Gail Carriger.
Orphaned as a child, Octavia Leander was doomed to grow up on the streets until Miss Percival saved her and taught her to become a medician. Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened.
Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger is only beginning, for Octavia discovers that the deadly conspiracy aboard the airship may reach the crown itself.
Beth Cato resides in the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ. Her husband Jason, son Nicholas, and crazy cat keep her busy, but she still manages to squeeze in time for writing and other activities that help preserve her sanity. She is originally from Hanford, CA, a lovely city often pungent with cow manure.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Due to time constraints we may not be able to personally respond to every comment made, but we do read and appreciate them all. 📚❤️🙂
✋ RBtWBC has a zero-tolerance policy for review harassment and author bashing. Such comments will be deleted at the the blog's discretion.