by Melanie Karsak
Genre: Adult Fiction (Fractured Fairy Tale/Steampunk)
Date Published: December 6, 2017
Publisher: Self
In this tale as old as time, Isabella Hawking must tinker a solution to a heartbreaking mystery.
When Isabelle and her papa set out from London on a sea voyage, Isabelle was thrilled. Visiting foreign courts, learning from master tinkers, and studying new ways to manipulate mechanicals sounded like a dream. But an unexpected gale turns the waters violent, and the ship is lost. Isabelle survives the tempest only to be shipwrecked on a seemingly-deserted island. Dotted with standing stones, faerie mounds, and a crumbling castle, the haunting place hints of a magical past. Isabelle may be an unwitting guest, but her arrival at the forgotten citadel heralds a new beginning for the beastly residents inside.
Beauty and Beastly is a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale set in 1814 Regency England.
“She’s coming around,” a soft, feminine voice said. “Go tell him.”
A pair of feet clomped heavily across the floor followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.
My head ached miserably, and I felt ill. I was lying in a warm and comfortable bed. I hated to open my eyes, but it wouldn’t due to leave my hosts worrying about me after I fainted at the doorstep.
I opened my eyes and sat up slowly. I sat nestled in a massive poster bed. Sheer drapes had been drawn to mute the sunlight.
“Awake, mistress?” a soft voice called.
“Yes, thank you.”
“You gave us a fright. You’ve been out for two days. You had a very nasty bump on the back of your head.”
“I was shipwrecked.”
“Indeed?”
“Are there any other survivors here? My father… We were separated in the wreck. Any of the other passengers or sailors wash ashore?”
“I have a pot of tea ready for you and a bite to eat,” the woman said. “Let me bring your tray.”
I sat up, adjusting myself in bed and coaching myself to be patient. I was a guest here, after all.
The woman pulled the drape aside. “You need to eat, mistress. You’ll need to get your strength back. Mistress… My name is Missus Silver. Please, don’t be frightened.”
“Frightened?”
I stopped fluffing the pillows and looked up at the woman. My breath caught in my chest. Standing at my bedside holding a breakfast tray was an automaton. My mind flung back to the night I’d arrived and the hulking creature I’d seen in the hall. I hadn’t hallucinated it. It was real, and so was the creature standing before me.
She looked every bit like a woman. She even had a mop of curls frozen in bronze, but her face had been made of porcelain. Where she should have had eyes, there were bright blue optics. Her mouth was jointed so it could open and close. She wore the gown of a maid with a long white apron and cap, but the dress was out of fashion, worn, and ripped at the seams. Her movements told me her entire body was machine.
A pair of feet clomped heavily across the floor followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.
My head ached miserably, and I felt ill. I was lying in a warm and comfortable bed. I hated to open my eyes, but it wouldn’t due to leave my hosts worrying about me after I fainted at the doorstep.
I opened my eyes and sat up slowly. I sat nestled in a massive poster bed. Sheer drapes had been drawn to mute the sunlight.
“Awake, mistress?” a soft voice called.
“Yes, thank you.”
“You gave us a fright. You’ve been out for two days. You had a very nasty bump on the back of your head.”
“I was shipwrecked.”
“Indeed?”
“Are there any other survivors here? My father… We were separated in the wreck. Any of the other passengers or sailors wash ashore?”
“I have a pot of tea ready for you and a bite to eat,” the woman said. “Let me bring your tray.”
I sat up, adjusting myself in bed and coaching myself to be patient. I was a guest here, after all.
The woman pulled the drape aside. “You need to eat, mistress. You’ll need to get your strength back. Mistress… My name is Missus Silver. Please, don’t be frightened.”
“Frightened?”
I stopped fluffing the pillows and looked up at the woman. My breath caught in my chest. Standing at my bedside holding a breakfast tray was an automaton. My mind flung back to the night I’d arrived and the hulking creature I’d seen in the hall. I hadn’t hallucinated it. It was real, and so was the creature standing before me.
She looked every bit like a woman. She even had a mop of curls frozen in bronze, but her face had been made of porcelain. Where she should have had eyes, there were bright blue optics. Her mouth was jointed so it could open and close. She wore the gown of a maid with a long white apron and cap, but the dress was out of fashion, worn, and ripped at the seams. Her movements told me her entire body was machine.
Join Melanie’s Newsletter and get 2 FREE books!
To learn more about Melanie Karsak and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
This giveaway is set up and managed by author, not Xpresso Book Tours or What's Beyond Forks?
No comments :
Post a Comment
Thank your for stopping by. Please comment! I'd love to hear from you!