Author: Nancy Campbell Allen

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast Blog Tour

07 Aug, 2016 by in proper romance, Shadow Mountain, steampunk Leave a comment

I received this book for free from Shadow Mountain in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

by Nancy Campbell Allen
Published by Shadow Mountain on August 2, 2016
Genres: Steampunk
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
four-stars
Source: Shadow Mountain
Buy the Book
When Lucy Pickett arrives at Blackwell Manor to tend to her ailing cousin, Kate, she finds more than she bargained for. A restless ghost roams the hallways, werewolves have been reported 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. He is unsettled by the mysterious deaths of his new wife, Clara, and his sister, Marie. 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?

There is so much packed into this book. Steampunk, Victorian Era romance, paranormal elements, and plot twists on past storylines pulled from Beauty and the Beast and Jane Austen. About 2/3 of the way through the book I was hooked on main character Miles, earl of Blackwell Manor and his house guest, Lucy. Ms. Picket is trying to solve the mystery of her cousins mysterious illness and in the process meets with ghosts, vampires and automatons. I loved the botanical descriptions and use of old apothecary methods to heal with plants.

The plot took a while to get into. The reader may get lost in the world building if they’ve never read steampunk. Tesla was overused a bit. The only other hitch for me was convincing myself that Lucy was not a spinster, but rather a young woman of marrying age. For some reason, there was a lack of the physical and emotional elements that fleshed out her young personality. She was head strong and accomplished, but when the romance picked up I still saw her as 40’s or 50’s in age.

I did enjoy this one. Lots of suspense, mystery and rich descriptions. It was a truly one of a kind combination of well-loved tales.

Content: drinking, kissing and sensuality.

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Autumn Masquerade Blog Tour

16 Oct, 2015 by in autumn masquerade, josi kilpack, timeless regency Leave a comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Autumn Masquerade Blog Tour

Autumn Masquerade

by Donna Hatch, Josi S. Kilpack, Nancy Campbell Allen
Series: Timeless Regency Collection
Published by Amazon Digital Services on October 1, 2015
Genres: Adult, Clean Romance, Historical Fiction
Pages: 235
Format: eBook
four-stars
Source: Publisher
Buy the BookGoodreads
Amazon Top 100 in Regency Romance**
**Amazon Top 50 in Victorian Romance**

From the publisher of the #1 Amazon bestselling A Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean Romance.

Join three bestselling Regency romance authors, Josi S. Kilpack, Donna Hatch, and Nancy Allen, for three new Regency romance novellas in AUTUMN MASQUERADE.

A MERRY DANCE by Josi S. Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain.

UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept.

WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

Other Timeless Regency Collections:
A Midwinter Ball (Coming December 2015)
Spring in Hyde Park (Coming March 2016)
Summer House Party (Coming June 2016)
A Country Christmas (Coming October 2016)

The timing of the release of Autumn Masquerade is perfect. Pick this one up for a reading by the fireplace with some mulled cider. The setting: Regency Era, the season: Fall, the characters: all dressed up for a Masquerade ball. Each of these stories is unique, clean and well written. They are long enough to give the reader a full taste and the plot line has time to fully unfold. I loved that they are short enough to digest in one sitting and that this time there are only three stories in the anthology so you don’t feel rushed. Well-known, experienced authors offer up historical fiction at its finest.

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TimelessRomanceAnthologies

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