Kiss of the Spindle

by Nancy Campbell Allen Narrated by Justine Eyre

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/26/2018
Allen (Beauty and the Clockwork Beast) delivers pure reading joy in a steampunk riff on “Sleeping Beauty” that is equal parts race-against-the-clock adventure, social comedy of errors, sweet romance, and clever alternate history, with a strong moral compass befitting its fairytale heritage. Isla Cooper, a kind and empathetic physician and advocate for peaceful shape-shifters (and a hunter of criminal ones), negotiates passage on the private airship of wealthy, dashing Capt. Daniel Pickett, who smuggles shifters to the Caribbean. She has a sleeping sickness that plagues her for six hours a day; the voyage is her last hope of obtaining a cure before she falls permanently asleep. The charismatic and delightfully developed other passengers—the automaton servant who’s part Data and part Jeeves, the shape-shifting older English intellectuals sadly leaving home, the antagonistic government official with an awkward secret—come together to support Isla in the tricky work of solving her problem, while Daniel starts looking like a good candidate to deliver the fabled curative kiss. Allen turns Sleeping Beauty’s passive story upside down with Isla’s active competence and frustration with how the curse interferes with her work; fans of strong heroines will be deeply satisfied. Agents: Bob DiForio and Pam Victorio, D4EO Literary. (July)

Booklist

"In Allen’s imaginative adaptation of the famed fairy tale 'Sleeping Beauty,' tensions fly as high as the airship itself as Isla and Daniel explore their attraction while protecting the shifters’ secrets, and their own. As in Beauty and the Clockwork Beast (2016), Allen crafts a witty romance set against an exciting steampunk backdrop, capitalizing on both the sweet appeal of a Victorian romance and the adventure of a light fantasy."

BookPage

"Allen's extensive world building provides a view into an intriguing alternate universe, and readers will delight in following the author's imagination into its heart. Isla and Daniel have full lives and believable motivations, and the humor provided by a very realistic automaton—yes, an automaton!—is a welcome touch. This kisses-only love story is an action-packed thrill ride, complete with a ticking clock sure to keep readers’ pulses racing."

Midwest Book Review

"Another deftly crafted and simply riveting read from first page to last by a master of the romance fantasy genre."

Historical Novel Society

"Charming tale is fun and easy to read. The heroine is as kind as she is well armed and the moral of the story seems to be that no (wo)man is an island. Some gentle escapism and a splash of feminine badassery."

Booklist

"In Allen’s imaginative adaptation of the famed fairy tale 'Sleeping Beauty,' tensions fly as high as the airship itself as Isla and Daniel explore their attraction while protecting the shifters’ secrets, and their own. As in Beauty and the Clockwork Beast (2016), Allen crafts a witty romance set against an exciting steampunk backdrop, capitalizing on both the sweet appeal of a Victorian romance and the adventure of a light fantasy."

SEPTEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Justine Eyre narrates a steampunk “Sleeping Beauty” that combines fairy-tale and paranormal elements. Doctor Isla Cooper is cursed, and must find a way to undo the curse before it becomes permanent. Captain Daniel Pickett is due to depart for the Caribbean and has no room for unwanted passengers. Eyre portrays Doctor Cooper as a smart, confident woman at the top of her professional game who has suffered a major personal setback. Captain Pickett is similarly presented as professional and capable by Eyre, but with a deep emotional core. When the two finally realize their feelings for each other, Eyre captures the passion and the nerves of the moment. A few secondary characters have slightly questionable accents, but on the whole Eyre performs well. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169781533
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	07/03/2018
Series:	Steampunk Proper Romances , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

"Captain," Isla called, grateful for the relative seclusion behind the ship.

He turned and she reached his side, hating that she was slightly breathless and knowing it wasn't because she was winded from the brief run. Isla Cooper faced down dangerous predators on a regular basis. She would not be intimidated by one bad-tempered man.

He frowned, and her breath caught in her throat. Oh, dear. Evidently the photos she'd seen had come criminally far from doing him justice. Even frowning, his face and form spoke to an element of feminine approval within that she usually had little time for.

"Yes?" he prompted.

She exhaled. "I need to join you on this voyage. Money is no issue; I am prepared to pay twice the usual fare."

"This is not a commercial flight, miss." He turned away and she grasped his arm. He looked at her in some surprise, which turned quickly to incredulity and then something she decided she'd rather not decipher.

Isla tightened her grip on his bicep, noting the very human feel of the very not-human limb. "I must get to Port Lucy. Immediately."

He pulled away but she held tight.

"There is a commercial flight bound for New Orleans, and a connecting ship to Port Lucy in six weeks."

"I do not have six weeks, sir. Furthermore, I am a natural empath and a Doctor of Shifter Therapy and Human Relations.

He stilled. "I do not see the relevance."

"I believe you do."

"What exactly are you implying, Miss…?"

"Dr. Cooper. I am implying that with this particular cargo, you might benefit from my expertise."

He pulled his arm roughly away from her with a scoff. He opened his pocket watch again. "If you'll excuse me, Dr. Cooper, I have an airship to fly."

"Or perhaps Her Majesty's Cyborg Regulations Division would be interested to know that England's most prominent airship mogul is rather more than he appears to be."

He stopped midstride and she swallowed. Her heart thumped, and she rather wished she were facing a beast with fangs; those she could usually tame.

Mr. Pickett slowly returned. "I do not know what it is you think you know, lady, but you can take your threats and-"

"Your arm, likely fusing into your pectoral," Isla said quietly and pointed from his bicep and up along to his chest. "Most forward, rational thinkers realize such implants have no bearing on one's ability to live a healthy life, run an empire. Government agencies are not always known for rational thinking, though, are they?"

His jaw clenched visibly, and his nostrils flared. Isla forced her feet to remain firmly planted.

"Turn around and walk away now, Dr. Cooper, and I'll do you the favor of forgetting this conversation occurred."

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