Title: Winter of the Passion Flower
(Steampunk Rebels, Book 1)
Author: Annie Seaton
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Length: 25,000 words
Genre(s): Historical Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Steampunk Romance
Available
at:
Amazon
| Lyrical
Press | BookStrand
| ARe
Blurb:
Sexy
heroine seeks captain for time-traveling submarine.
Indigo de Vargas is determined to exhibit her
products at the Great Exhibition in Crystal
Palace . The evil Duke
Lorca and his shape-shifting servants, however, have thwarted her preparation
at every turn. Indigo's only hope is the brooding captain who appears on her
doorstep in the midst of a fierce snowstorm offering to navigate her submarine
to the Amazon so she can collect passionflowers for her potions and
hallucinogenics.
Steam powers more than the submarine on this
voyage. Sparks
flying between Indigo and her captain may ignite a passion neither can avoid.
Ably assisted by quirky servants, brass goggles and inappropriate
accoutrements, they must fight those out to foil her mission.
My Take:
I am new to the Steampunk genre. Winter of the Passion Flower sounded really interesting, so I figured I'd give it a try. I will admit, I had a bit of a hard time orienting myself to the story. I kind of felt like I was walking into the middle of a movie. I would have liked a little more background in the beginning. Having said that, I did find the story entertaining. I liked the characters and scifi aspect of the book. I think fans of this genre will love this story. I can see that it is the first in a series, so stay tuned for another great work from Ms. Seaton! Check out the excerpt below for a sneak peek!
Winter of the Passion Flower excerpt:
A strong wind
buffeted the scarab on the short journey to the biomes. Drifts of snow covered
the fields beneath, the wind pushing the vehicle off course. The snow-removing
blade flicked across the glass as the snow iced up around the glass. Zane
leaned forward to touch the other levers on the panel in front of him and
Indigo pushed his hand away.
“You will have us
upside down,” she snapped, her heart racing from his proximity
Indigo parked the
scarab in a huge tunnel behind the complex, leading Zane to a door at the back
of the beach biome. They entered the huge dome through a series of doors,
circled by cogs with levers on each side. The happy squealing of children
muffled by the soft whoosh of waves greeted them as the final door closed
noiselessly behind them, camouflaged behind a large sign. Stepping onto a wide
esplanade, Indigo stood back with a satisfied smile, watching as Zane’s eyes
widened. Children built sandcastles with buckets and spades on a beach bathed
in sunshine. A panorama of seaside activities stretched along the esplanade.
Donkeys, roundabouts and a Punch and Judy show added to the noise of gulls
screeching overhead. Parents strolled with their children, eating fish and
chips, fairy floss, and ice cream.
“Never in my wildest
dreams did I imagine that something like this could exist.” Zane turned to
Indigo, eyes still wide as he took in the vista in front of them.
“How is it daytime?”
He pointed at the brilliant blue sky. “Where does the sunshine come from? It is
midnight and snowing outside.”
“You have many
questions.” His interest pleased her. “It is satisfying to see the wind taken
out of Captain Dogooder’s sails.” Indigo smiled at the unintended pun. “I will
quickly show you the other biomes. We must embark on our voyage. You have many
more surprises in store this evening, Captain. Are you up to the challenge?”
As the scarab stopped
behind the next biome, she paused. “There is one question you may have that I
am unable to answer at this time.”
Entering the biome
through a similar sequence of sliding doors, the last metal door was overlaid
in the familiar pattern of their tattoo. Indigo pushed the door open slowly,
inhaling with pleasure as the sweet smell of exotic blooms hung in the air
around them. She passed the captain a pair of dark glasses and donned a similar
pair to protect their eyes from the intense blue of the sky. The humid warmth
of the biome engulfed them and the deafening screech of multi-colored birds
darting through the treetops surrounded them. Indigo led the way past rows of
high benches, containing hundreds of blooms at various stages of growth. “They
are all the same?” asked Zane
Indigo spread her
arms wide. “Captain, this is the reason for our next voyage. The blue
passionflower.”
About
the Author:
Annie Seaton lives on the
beautiful east coast of Australia ,
where she loves sitting in her writing chair, gazing at the ocean and writing
stories. She has always been fascinated by all things historical and has found
her niche writing contemporary romance and steampunk, where strong heroines and
brooding heroes fight together to make their alternative world a better place.
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