Blog Tour: Winter of the Passion Flower by Annie Seaton

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.

Click on the Blog Tour Banner above for the complete tour schedule.