“BEAUTY AND THE CLOCKWORK BEAST,” by Nancy Campbell Allen, Shadow Mountain, Aug. 2, 2016, Softcover, $15.99 (young adult)
“Beauty and the Clockwork Beast” is yet another book in Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance — or Steampunk Proper Romance as they’re calling it — line. As such, there are a few predictable elements throughout. What surprised me, however, was author Nancy Campbell Allen’s use of otherworldly characters as major players in this take on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast.
In this version of an unlikely love story, Beauty is played by Lucy — a smart, well-respected botanist — who is working on an anti-vampire serum. Lucy travels to Blackwell Manor to take care of her cousin Kate, who has fallen ill since moving into the manor. Kate is married to Jonathan, younger brother to Miles, aka Lord of Blackwell Manor, aka the Beast.
Lucy’s arrival at the manor isn’t completely welcome. Miles is cold, arrogant and not fond of visitors. It’s only been six months since Miles’ newlywed wife and sister died, and he’s still dealing with the fallout. There’s some question as to how the two died, and when a ghost makes a sudden appearance, the mystery deepens.
Lucy is convinced the two deaths are linked to Kate’s illness, and she’s pretty sure that Miles knows more than he’s letting on. Miles, on the other hand, is desperate to protect his family’s secret even if that means pushing Lucy, who he is deeply attracted to, away.
As you might have guessed already, the two come together to solve the mystery and fall in love in the process. I hope no one is too upset about the spoiler, but based you know it was going there anyway, right?
You know a book in a romance series is going to involve romance, and anyone with a working knowledge of “Beauty and the Beast” knows how that ends. From that standpoint, “Beauty and the Clockwork Beast” is completely unsurprising. And while some of the romance elements became a little too sappy for my taste, its overall feel is on point.
What make “Beauty and the Clockwork Beast” work, is the world Allen has created. Flying machines, automatons and clockwork carriages modernize the story and create an opening in which Lucy could plausibly work and live on her own while still being considered an upstanding member of society.
The introduction of vampires and werewolves is completely unexpected, and while they’ve been played out in other genres, they work well within Allen’s world.
“Beauty and the Clockwork Beast” is a fast and somewhat addicting read. It’s not overly challenging but has a meatiness to it that other romance novels lack. If you’re looking for a good beach book, this is a good choice.
Though its official publication date is Aug. 2, “Beauty and the Clockwork Beast” is already available from a number of online vendors.
