Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

Steampunk Proper Romance #1

by Nancy Campbell Allen

Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast.

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. 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?

Genres: Steampunk, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Audiobook, Historical Fiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2016

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first foray into the steampunk genre. This was the most bizarre mashup of a book I have read but somehow it worked. This is set in Victorian England with advanced technology, vampires, werewolves, curses, murder, mystery and magic all twisted into a Beauty and the Beast mashed up retelling. I quite liked it although the I do admit the first 1/3 of this book I was wondering what in the world I was reading. By the halfway point I was hooked and ended up sitting in a mall parking lot unwilling to get out of my car until I finished the last few chapters.

Reread in June 2018 - Loved it just as much the 2nd time around.

Content: Clean
Source: Netgalley

[Ali Book World · Rating 3 out of 5]

لوسی به دعوتِ دختر عمویش کِیت و برای کمک به بیماری او به خانه‌‌اش "عمارت بِلکوِل" میرود اما بعد از مدتی متوجه وجود یک روح در این عمارت میشود. بعلاوه شایعات مختلفی پیرامون حضور گرگینه‌ها و خون‌آشام‌ها به گوش رسیده است. ولی رازآلودتر از همه‌ی این‌ها لردِ عمارت بلکول است، آقای مایلز بلکول برادر شوهر کیت که شخصیتی مرموز دارد، گستاخ است و اصلا نمیخندد. چیزی که لوسی رو ترسانده قتل‌های عجیب در این عمارت است. همسر لرد مایلز، دوشیزه کلارا به قتل رسیده و تنها یک شب بعد از آن هم خواهر مایلز، ماری بلکول هم کشته شده است. چه کسی در این قتل‌ها نقش داشته؟ آیا اینها با وجود روح عجیبی که در عمارت است مرتبطند؟

اول از هر چیز بگم که ژانر این کتاب فانتزیه اما از نوع استیم‌پانک.
استیم‌پانک چیه؟ نوع خاصی از زیرمجموعه‌ی ژانر فانتزی و علمی-تخیلی محسوب میشه که در اون فضای کتاب مخلوطی از جهان کلاسیک و وجود ماشین‌آلات پیشرفته‌ی موتوری‌ست. پس اگر مثل من جهان‌سازی‌های استیم‌پانک رو دوست دارید از خوندن این کتاب هم لذت میبرید.

و اما در مورد خود داستان، ماجرای کتاب خیلی پیچیده نیست و ری‌تلینگی از داستان مشهور دیو و دلبر محسوب میشه. یک عاشقانه‌ی ملایم و قشنگ که نویسنده انواع و اقسام موجودات رو توش جا داده. از ارواح گرفته تا خون‌آشام‌ها. همونطور که گفتم هم فضای کلاسیک انگلیسی در داستان هم فوق‌العاده جذابش کرده.

در کل کتاب پیچیده‌ای نیست و میتونید در کنار مجموعه‌های چند جلدی و کتاب‌های قطور، برای زنگ تفریح بخونیدش و ازش لذت هم ببرید.

ماجراها و معماهای جالبی هم داشت اما برای من قابل حدس بودند و بعد از مشخص شدن یکسری از حقایق سورپرایزم نکرد اما میگم فضاسازی و شخصیت‌پردازیش اینقدر قشنگ بود که از خوندنش واقعا خوشحالم.

و اما در مورد شخصیت‌ها بگم. لوسی به عنوان نقش اصلیِ دخترِ داستان، کاراکتر جالبی داشت، نه ازش بَدم اومد و نه خیلی هم خوشم اومد، در کل خنثی بودم. لرد جذابمان جناب مایلز هم که نگم دیگههههه... به شخصیتش خیلی عالی و خوب پرداخته شده بود. دنیل، جاناتان و کیت هم دوست داشتم.

یک نکته: این کتاب جلد اول یک مجموعه‌ست اما داستانِ "لوسی و مایلز" توی همین جلد تمام میشه و اجباری نیست که بخوای ادامه بدی. در حقیقت هرکدوم از جلدهای این مجموعه داستان‌های متفاوت و مستقلی دارن اما شخصیت‌ها به همدیگه وصلند. مثلا جلد دوم همین مجموعه که با اسم "خفته‌ی زیبا" چاپ شده داستانش مربوط میشه به دنیل، برادر لوسی. (که ری‌تلینگی از داستان زیبای‌ خفته‌ست)

خب دیگه فکر میکنم به اندازه کافی در مورد این کتاب حرف زدم. در کل کتاب خوبی بود، از خوندنش لذت بردم و عاشقانه‌ی شیرینی داشت.

[Mohadese · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆ ۴ ستاره‌ی نقره‌ای☆
"دیو کوکی و دلبر" یک کتاب تک جلدی که هر چی فکرش رو کنید داره!
فضای کلاسیک انگلیسی تو دوران ویکتوریایی ولی در عین حال مدرن و استیم پانکه که گرگینه، خون‌آشام، روح، آدم ماشینی هم توش پیدا می‌شه.
از طرفی ری‌تلینگ دیو دلبره و یک عاشقانه‌ی کیوت هم داره، دیگه چی از جون یک کتاب می‌خوام وقتی همه چیش تکمیله؟! :))))
تازه کلا کتاب فضای دارکی داره و من کتابای دارک رد خیلی بیشترتر دوست دارم.

داستان از اون‌جایی شروع می‌شه که لوسی یه نامه از دختر عموی تازه عروسش دریافت می‌کنه که حالش خوب نیست.
برای همین لوسی می‌ره به عمارتی که کیت، دختر عموش، و همسرش، جاناتان، اونجا زندگی می‌کنند: عمارت بلکول.
عمارتی که نه خودش و نه صاحبش مایلز بلکول، برادر شوهر کیت، بین مردم اسم و دسم خوبی ندارن و کلی شایعه در موردشونه. مثلا می‌گن عمارت "طلسم عروس" داره و زنانش به طرز عجیبی مُرده‌اند...
‌
یکی از کتابای پرماجراست!
از همون اول جذاب شروع می‌شه، فضای تیره و پر رمز و رازی داره و در کنار شخصیت پردازی و فضاسازی خوبش کلی اتفاقای مختلف رخ می‌ده که همه‌شون جذابیت خودشون رو دارند.
اما علت این‌که بهش ۵ ندادم این بود که به نظرم آخرای کتاب (یک سوم انتهایی) یکم کش‌دار شد ولی بعد یهو تو ۳۰ صفحه‌ی آخر یه عالمه اتفاقای مختلف افتاد، انگار نویسنده تند تند می‌خواسته سر و ته همه چیز رو هم بیاره!
یعنی کتاب یهو اوج می‌گیره و رازها برملا می‌شه ولی وقتی ورق می‌زنی بری صفحه بعد، فصل بعدی با مغز می‌خوری زمین! چون هیجانش به شدت فروکش کرد و همه چیز به خوبی و خوشی تموم شد...
‌اگه روند اتفاقات در آخر داستان یکم بهتر می‌بود واقعا بهش با اطمینان خاطر ۵ می‌دادم.
با این حال پیشنهادش می‌کنم، چون به عنوان یک کتاب تک‌جلدی هیجان کافی رو داشت و خوندنش لذت‌بخش و دل‌نشین بود!

پ.ن: مجموعه ۴ جلدیه، اما کتاب‌ها مستقل از هم هستن. داستان لوسی تو این کتاب تموم می‌شه و کتاب دوم داستان برادرش دنیله.

[booknuts_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

AAAH! I'm so mad! I wrote an entire huge review and then somehow got deleted...GAH!!! Okay so let's try this again shall we....?

I really liked this book, enough so that I would totally buy a hardcopy of it to own. This book really does have everything that makes me like a book, mystery, romance, good characters, great world building and just the right touch of paranormal. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who likes a good mystery and romance with a touch of paranormal. However, I'm not going to lie I did feel a little cheated...

This is a steampunk book. I like steampunk because it gives women that extra "umph" you know? It's the feminism coming out of me, but you can have that regency/victorian feel without the oppression of women of that era.

I really liked Lucy as a character, she is kind, beautiful, smart with just enough back bone that she is relatable and completely likable.

Lord Miles is what I felt almost cheated on. He didn't have that beasty quality I was expecting in his character. Granted he was cold and a bit of a snob and I totally get why but he just lacked a bit of extra beast or brute in his overall character. However I will say that I was satisfied with what beasty quality the author did give him. BUT I did greatly appreciate that he was a GOOD man, he wasn't mean but he kept people at a distance which is understandable.

Another part of the story that add to my cheated feeling is the romance. I felt like Lord Miles melted too quickly. There is this beautiful woman that enters his life and BOOM, heart already starts to melt, sure physical attraction and all I get that but I guess I was hoping for a slower pace I guess. I will say that my heart strings were still played upon and I still found myself clutching my chest and sighing at certain parts.

Overall: I really did like the book, enough that I will buy it to add to my library and I am very interested to see more from this author.

Sexual Content: mild
Language: none
Violence: mild
Drugs/Alcohol: mild

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book. I picked it because of the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, she is one of my favorites. And also because the synopsis reminded me of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. It was very similar to Carriger's Parasol world - it's Steampunk with vampires and werewolves. However, there are differences. While in Carriger's world, vampires and werewolves are part of polite society, in Allen's world they are not. Vampires have been banished to Scotland and are villains and werewolves are misunderstood and killed if discovered. The Earl of Blackwell is one such creature.

I really enjoyed the story and loved the characters. Of course the main protagonist, Lucy Pickett is capable, intelligent, and stubborn. She refuses to leave her cousin Kate's side (The Earl's sister-in-law) until Lucy figures out how to help her get well (Lucy is a botanist). Seems Kate has fallen under the bride's curse and is fading fast. There's a lot more going on at Blackwell manor than that, and the book's fast pace is filled with action. And the romance is well done. No insta-love!

If you enjoyed Carriger's books, then this is for you.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I've wanted to give the Steampunk genre a try for a long time now and was excited when I saw that one of my favorite authors wrote a book in this genre. I get to try out the genre by an author I trust and throw in a good Beauty and the Beasy plot and it turned out being pretty epic.

Lucy Pickett will do anything to help her cousing Kate. Kate is newly married and has taken up residence with her new husband at the family estate of Blackwell Manor. Home to the emfamous Earl of Blackwell, Lord Miles. Lord Miles has always been an outcast, but never moreso than when his wife mysteriously dies a month into their marrige, and his sister the very next day. Lucy is a fun character, she very self-assured and tenatious. She's a rising star in her field, but puts that all on hold to help her belovd cousin. She's has a good read on people and sees through Lord Mile's rough exterior to the good man beneath. I liked Lord Miles, I always like the broody hero that secretly has a caring heart. Lucy and Miles have great chemistry, the can but heads one minute and have a swoony moment the next. Lots of tension and obstacles for them to overcome.

I read a lot of regencies (I'm not sure if this is technically a regency, can't remember what year it was supposed to take place, but it feels like a regency timeframe), and I thought the added Steampunk and Paranormal elements were fun and unique. The mystery keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat, you won't want to put this one down. Can't wait to read more from this series!

Content
Romance: Clean
Language: None
Violence: Mild
Series: Steampunk Proper Romance, #1

Source: Netgalley, will be purchasing a hardcopy for my personal collection!

[Kathy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession. I have read this book at least once a year for the last 4 years. To say it's one of my favorites would be an understatement. While reading it this time around, a memory from the first time I read it came to mind and I just had to share it.

Picture this. It's almost midnight, my room is pitch black, minus the light from my kindle, my apartment is completely silent, and I'm fully engrossed in the story. I come to an extremely intense part of the book and I'm on the edge of my seat unsure of what's going to happen next. Just as something slams into a wall in the book, something slams into my wall in my bedroom! 😱 I screamed and jumped sky high. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. To say I was a little freaked out would be an understatement. It took me awhile to calm down and stop shaking. And I may or may not have slept with my light on that night. 🤪 I can laugh at it now but y'all! I was freaked out! 😂

Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairytale. There's just something about it that has this girl letting out all kinds of little dreamy sighs. And this book had me doing just that.

Lucy and Miles are seriously the best! Both of them can be pretty dang stubborn but they love fiercely and will do anything to protect the ones they love most. I loved watching these two navigate through their rough beginning, learn to trust and open up to each other, all while falling in love. They make the perfect team and I absolutely adore them!

This was my first introduction into the world of steampunk and I loved it! Sadly, I haven't found any other books that can hold a candle to the Steampunk Proper Romance series. But that doesn't stop me from continuing to try. 😉

Not only was this my first steampunk romance, but my first book by Nancy Campbell Allen. She did an amazing job of sucking me in to her world and making me forget reality. And y'all know how much I love it when that happens!

And of course I can't forget my casting! What do you think?

[ʙᴏᴋɪᴛᴀ.ɴɪᴋa · Rating 5 out of 5]

از قشنگترین های ژانر استیم پانک و ویکتوریایی با یک لیوان غذا خوری ریتلینگ افسانه های قدیمی برادران گریم و هانس کریستین اندرسون چقدر شیرینه چقدر متفاوت قشنگ فضاش چقدر دوست دارم 🥺💖
پنج میدم چون با امتیاز های گودریدز در حقش کم لطفی شد من هم که دست و دل باز تو امتیاز دادن.... 😂

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

From now on, when I imagine the perfect Steampunk, Paranormal Romance novel, Beauty and the Clockwork Beast will come to mind.
Victorian Era, Check
Werewolves, Check
Gadgets, Automatons, and Alchemy, Check, Check and Triple Check
Vampires, Check
Suspense and Mystery, Check
Paranormal Phenomenon, Check
This book had it all.

Lucy works for an organization that deals with supernatural and paranormal investigations. She is their expert botanist. She receives a letter from Kate the concerns her greatly.

Lucy Pickett knows something is wrong with her cousin Kate. Recently after marrying, Kate has become ill. Lucy implants herself into Blackwell Manor, were Kate lives in an effort to uncover the cause of Kate’s unexpected down cline.

Sinister, dark and unquestionably paranormal in nature, Lucy pulls out all the stops to save her cousin but the roguishly handsome Lord of the Manor, Miles is unhappy with the snooping Lucy Pickett. Lord Blackwell has something to hide and he doesn’t want anyone else uncovering his secrets.

Of course, the sexual tension between Miles and Lucy comes to a boiling point after Lucy proves to Miles that there is truly something sinister going on in his family’s manor. Can they uncover the truth before the “Blackwell Curse” claims more victims?

Sucked in immediately, I loved Beauty and the Clockwork Beast. Allen manages to blend all my favorite genre’s into one amazingly, suspense filled tale that kept me riveted.

I received this ARC copy of Beauty and the Clockwork Beast from Shadow Mountain in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication August 2, 2016.

[The Captain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ahoy there mateys!  Aye, this be another romance so quickly after abandoning ship on the last one but this one was supposed to be different!  Ye see it was described as "Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast."  These be two of me favorite stories.  It is a steampunk fantasy romance.  It has vampires and ghosts and werewolves.  The main character is a female botanist.  I adore retellings.  Matey Zeezee gave it a wonderful review and all the other crew gave it high ratings as well.  Yet again this Captain disagrees.

The main problem is that the premise and outlines of the story be great but execution faltered.  Badly.

The Pros:

The Main Character:  I actually mostly liked Lucy.  I adored that she was a female botanist who was on a secret vampire research team.  Hooray for science!  She was intelligent, witty, and tenacious.

The Love Interest: I would call him more of a Mr. Darcy instead of a Mr. Rochester.  He be rich and moody and secretive.  A bit dismissive of everyone though he loves his brother and cares about his tenants.

The Setting:  Who doesn't like a haunted, creepy manor house?  This is where a bit of the Jane Eyre setting comes in.

The Steampunk:  I enjoyed the idea of a steampunk Beauty and the Beast and was excited to see the elements it would involve.  I enjoyed the clockwork servants.

The Ghost: She was me favorite character by far.

The Mystery: I wanted to know how the two women were murdered and why.

Audiobook:  I thought the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did a decent job with the material she was given.

The Cons:

The Main Character:  While Lucy was set up to be a strong an independent women of science, she never really used the science in any realistic way to figure out the mystery of the deaths or the ghost.  She reacted with strong emotion & not her brain, kept depending on the love interest for strength, and seemed to turn into a nitwit at the first sign of trouble.  She also had the Mary Sue problem of being the most accomplished, beautiful, blahblahblah.  Also why did she feel she could fix everything and then get herself into stupid trouble.  Where is the confident women described in the beginning?

The Love Interest: While I thought the banter with Lucy worked in the beginning, a lot about his "Beast nature" was rather dumb.  He grows up with a scar that supposedly scares everyone (seriously?) and has a clockwork heart.  He is not actually really clockwork.  Later ye find out more of his supposed secret but it was lame and I guessed it.  How that was presented to Lucy was SO stupid.  Also he be possessive, rude, and alpha-male-like.  He treats Lucy more like an object to be possessed and not a person.  I actually started to dread his point-of-view chapters.

The Setting: I like dark houses and locked doors but there is no reason that the story should have taken place there.  If something is killing the cousin and she is SO sick and scared then they could have gone to their OTHER house.  Lame.  There also be a secret garden, forbidden gazebo, and hunting lodge that play silly somewhat pointless parts.  Too many locations for no real reason.

The Steampunk:  Other than a clockwork heart, some cars, airships, and the clockwork servants, the story didn't actually have a steampunk feel.  It just seemed like these elements were thrown in so the servants could be used to further the plot and it could be marketed as steampunk.

The Side Characters:  If I thought the two main lovers were flat and two-dimensional, all the other characters were seemingly pointless.  It's bad when the dead ghost who can't speak is the most interesting and only appears a handful of times.

The Mystery: So, so lame was the answer.  Also if Lucy was supposed to be investigating vampires, why did she never seem to care about the ones attacking the village?  She doesn't even follow up on any of that and also misses all the signs of the ghost mystery because she is too busy lusting.

The Plot: The plot was messy, convoluted, and made no sense.  The vampire, werewolf, and ghost subplots are never adequately explained and could have been removed and not changed that much of the story.  In fact nothing was really ever explained to me satisfaction.  What is the history of the shape shifters?  If machines are so advanced why bother with horse and carriage?  The reasons for the cousin's sickness seemed to be obvious.  How did nobody notice?  The story kept spinning in circles and got very boring at times.  Lots of plot lines were begun and subsequently abruptly dropped.  However, I was out and about and couldn't download something else.

Communication:  The absolute worst part is that the two lovebirds NEVER really work together or make plans to solve the case or really talk about their problems.  Assumptions abound.  Both people try to "protect" the other one and only manage to make every situation worse.  Both of them believe they are the only smart person in the room.  Most of the "plot problems" were due to avoidable misunderstandings and stupidity.  So much so that Miles complains at one point that Lucy has been in more danger in one month then ever in her line of work.  Blech.

I get the book's appeal but it didn't work for me at all in the end.  To the sharks it goes.  Arrrr!

Side note: Apparently lame is the word of the day.

[Michelle Griep · Rating 5 out of 5]

To begin with, I'm a sucker for Beauty & the Beast type stories, so I knew that was going to be a huge win for me. The unknown, however, was would I like a steampunk? I've never read one before…but I'm here to tell you this won't be my last, and you know what?

This book has earned a spot on my coveted keeper shelf.

I adored the characters. Lucy is a spunky, intelligent yet compassionate heroine. Miles is everything a hero should be with his dark and brooding side, keen protective instinct, and heart that he shares with only one--the heroine. The action was just how I like it: fast-paced. And the romance sizzles. Yes indeedy, hugh sigh worthy tale.

But allow me a disclaimer. If you don't care for vampires, shape shifters, or some violence, then this won't be your cup of tea because this story does include these elements.

Author Nancy Campbell Allen is now on my must-have-more list. Toodling off now to see what else I've missed from this masterful storyteller.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a steampunk novel before and I actually had no idea what that even meant. It's a type of science or speculative fiction that usually features fantasy or horror themes. How intriguing is this? Especially in a proper romance setting?

One of my favorite classic novels is Jane Eyre and one of my favorite fairy tales is Beauty and the Beast, so just image my delight in discovering a way for these two favorites to mesh in a way that involves vampires and werewolves too. This story concept is so new and unique to me and completely captured my attention and I found myself furiously flipping through the pages to find out what could possibly happen next. I was enthralled by animals, servants, and parts of humans that had mechanical elements.

As for the characters, Lucy is a very no-nonsense kind of woman and works hard to find resolution for some of the issues plaguing society. She's very likable and deals with the paranormal in stride. Her cousin, Kate, has some mysterious issues and even in the midst of that, their camaraderie is very tender. Miles is scary to most, but his desire to solve the mysteries surrounding his estate throws him in with Lucy and the way they work together to figure things out is so sweet. I loved all of the characters, the relationships, and the way the story flows. The pathway of the different components just captured me, heart and soul. As always, with a book of this magnitude, I'm hoping for more.

Content: mild romance; mild violence (death, murders, attacks--nothing graphic). Clean!

*I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[S._aqa._r · Rating 3 out of 5]

لوسی یه دختر باهوش، همه چیز تمام، زیبا،پولدار و ... هست که به عنوان مهمان وارد خانه لرد مایلز بلکول میشه(هرچی صفت خوبه مال لوسی)
دخترعموی لوسی (کیت) با برادر لرد ازدواج کرده و به شدت مریضه
لرد بلکول یه مرد جامعه گریز خوش هیکل، بداخلاق ، پولداره که یه زخم خیلی بزرگ روی صورتش داره
لوسی هم میخواد بفهمه چرا کیت انقدر مریض شده در صورتی که تا قبل ازدواجش حالش کاملا خوب بود
چیزی که من حس کردم اینه که نویسنده شخصیت های کتابش رو به شدت از کتاب‌غرور و تعصب جین استین الهام گرفته
هر شخصیتی که وارد کتاب میشد من یه معادل توی ذهنم داشتم براش:)
فضاسازی کتاب رو خیلی دوست داشتم
خیلی جاها میتونستم خودمو تصور کنم وسط داستان
یکی دیگه از جذابیت های کتاب دنیاش بود، دنیای کلاسیک با امکانات مدرن 😍
هیچ وقت فکر نمیکردم همچین دنیایی رو بتونم تصور کنم ولی دنیای قشنگی بود

×××-------اسپویل---------×××
شخصیت پردازی کتاب تا حدودی ضعیف بود
یعنی به نظرم روی شخصیت مایلز ، خوناشام ها و ... باید بیشتر کار میشد
تصور خوناشاما و تغییر شکلشون خیلی سخته
نویسنده روشون کار نکرده انگار پیش خودش گفته خب همه میدونن خوناشام چیه پس دیگه توضیح ندم
تغییر شکل گرگینه و نوع وراثتشون اصلا مشخص نیست و من با ذهنیت خودم از دنیای فیلم و سریال تونستم تصورش کنم
حتی هیچ توضیحی راجب قلب کوکی و کارکردش و شارژش و عمل نداد
ماری نقطه ی قوت داستان بود، خفن بودنش رو برنمیتابم🥺😍
نتیجه معماها رو میشه پیش بینی کرد
و خب کتاب یه ریتلینگ جالب از داستان دیو و دلبره پس همه میدونیم اخرش چی میشه
با وجود نکات منفیش من دوسش دارم❤️

[Mei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. Not bad at all!

A little bit slow, but the idea is good!

We have a ghost, a werewolf, a vampire, a botanist. We also have a murder and mystery!

As I said, it is slightly slow, but it is mostly in the beginning. As the story progress, the pace accelerates and toward the ending becomes break-neck! :)

I liked both the hero and the heroine, but I found their actions a tad confusing.

Lucy does speak, but I found her too reclutant to disclose her suspitions. It would have help enormously if she just plain told who she was suspecting instead of hinting and speaking around things! Her want to be polite in everything, even in the instances where it would have been more helpful to be a little rude, was annoying!

I found Miles to be justly rude and brooding because how people react to him. But, at the same time, he was blind to what was actually happening around him. His wife dies and his sister too a few days after her and he think that's due to his "curse"???!!! He never question if these two deaths are connected...

But, I still enjoyed both of them, even if I wanted to smak them often! They were like a children sometimes and thus endearing (if you know what I mean)...

I liked more the atmosphere that the author acreated. It was really gothic and make you feel scared (very little scared, tough!).

On to the next! :)

[Yasamanv · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتابو خیلی دوست داشتم جوریکه هی طول میدادم خوندنشو
الانم نگران اینم که جلد سوم و چهارمش که ترجمه نشده رو از کجا پیدا کنم🥲
عاشق تم استیم پاکنشم😭❤

[Mob · Rating 2 out of 5]

تاریخ اتمام : ۱۰/۲/۱۴۰۱
کتابی نیست که عاشقش بشید
روندش کند بود اوایل!
حتی ارزش قیمت الانشم نداره
ولی میدونم که قراره عاشق جلد دومش بشم
شخصیت پردازیاش خوب بود اما
فضاسازی که افتضاح!
همین
نخریدش توصیه نمیکنم

[⚫Avina⚫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

نیمه ی دوم این کتاب
امتیازمو به کتاب از ۲.۵ به پنج قاطع رسوند:)

[Tanya T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review

3.5 Stars

This was looking like a solid 4 until the last 20-30% of the book. It was good enough to keep me interested and finish the book but it has it's major problems. I just feel like it had too much going on that the author didn't have time to completely flesh out and it was all over the place. 

You had 

1.Steampunk which was there but should have been flesh out a little more.
2.Vampires and Werewolves which were never really explained on how they become to exist in Victorian London.
3.A ghost who probably had more character depth that all the characters combined  ( even the main two characters) even with no speaking parts. 
4.Two Murder Mysteries which was intriguing. 
5.An attempted murder. 
6.Blackmail which was kind of pointless. 
7.A heroine that even tho I liked her and though was a badass was kind of Mary Sueish cause she was perfect in everything.  
8.A hero who can shifted into a wolf but it's never fully explained how and if it's a curse he can break.  He was broody as hell which he pass the beast scale. 
9.A shitton of side characters that had no freaking depth and really didn't care about.. 
10.A villain that had no depth that I really didn't give a damn about. 
11. A romance that was good in the beginning with the Heroine and Hero having with banner and interaction but felt kind of flat towards to the end. That it honestly felt that hero was trying to get into the heroine corset towards the end. Call me old fashion but I like to hear a declaration of love before or during a marriage proposal and not like two chapters after they are engaged.  I was swooning over the declaration of love more than them getting engaged. 

I just wish the author picked like maybe four of the things on the list and focus on those things instead of putting a shition of things in here that made the plot felt contrived. The book would have been way stronger if she did instead of being weak. 

This supposed to have been a BATB retelling mixed in with Jane Eyre but it remind me more of Pride and Prejudice mixed with BATB than Jane Eyre mixed with BATB. I think because I not really familiar with JE with only seeing one adaption of while seeing like four adaptations of P&P and of course being highly verse in BATB . Even tho she kind of didn't follow the formula of BATB was kind of confusing. 

All in All in was ok read. Something that I probably won't read again. 

Would I recommend?

Yes If you want a BATB story with some steampunk. 

You can also read my review on my blog!

[Yeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been in the mood for Gothic romances lately and this one was just what I was looking for. This book is labeled as Steampunk, but I would call it Steampunk-lite. I easily fell into the story and didn’t want to put it down. I honestly enjoyed every second of this book and I'm happy to read it. I always loved and adored beauty and beast story and I will always enjoy every retelling about it.

I really enjoyed Lucy. She’s a strong character who wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself or do what’s right. She was also very progressive and that worked well in context. I enjoyed her strength and determination, and how that pushed Miles. Their romance was well done and very enjoyable. The mystery behind her cousin’s illness and the deaths of other members of the family was easily solved, but I liked watching the characters work through everything.

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast is an odd mishmash of Gothic, Steampunk and Fantasy Romance, but it really worked. If you’re looking for something a little different, or something paranormal with plenty of mystery and romance thrown in for flavor, then this is the book for you. I'll be reading the next retelling and see which one was my favorite(I will be very surprised if B&B one isn't that one 😉)

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good Gothic romance, and Nancy Allen's newest book is a creepily delightful read. Added to the charming Victorian era is a dash of steampunk, resulting in a fascinating new world to learn about. Miles and Lucy are the perfect hero/heroine. I enjoyed the combination of scientific and modern ideas, and now I want a book about Daniel. And then maybe later, Sam :-)

[Anna lost in stories *A* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to finish this book fairly quickly cause I am feeling myself heading toward a reading slump and it would have been a shame to toss this one aside because my mood was shitty… so I will keep my review short and sweet :) this is the first book in a steampunk / paranormal series but each book in it will concentrate on a different couple, and I can atest that we get answers to most of our questions in this installment and the few that are left I assume will be answered in the next stories :) as of right now two more books are available in this lovely series and I am definitely interested in reading both of them… I listened to the audiobook version of this one and can highly recommend it :) the writing style was wonderful, atmospheric and very engaging, I was hooked from the start… this story has everything I love, a strong and smart heroine, capable of standing up for herself, a mysterious hero, some beauty and the beast vibes plus an additional mystery… I gave it 4,5 stars cause it was highly entertaining and I didn’t even mind that this is a very proper romance, as in there are no sex scenes in it… maybe a kiss or two, but that’s all ;) I think it was very fitting for the slow burn romance that happened between our main couple :) definitely add it on your lists if you haven’t yet :)

XOXO

A

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Nancy Campbell Allen. So I ordered a copy of this book and then it sat on my dresser as I had so many other books to read. I would look at it and think I really need to read this. Then time would go by without me having done so, just continuing to stare longingly at it. Well enough was enough! I told myself it was past time. Also, I had just been given a copy of the next book, Kiss of the Spindle, from Netgalley and discovered that one of the characters from this book was the male MC in the next book. Of course this was just the motivation I needed to dive in and let the other books have their turn sitting waiting for me.

Let me just say this was not at all what I was thinking it was. Ok, yes there is the blurb that you can read and see what it is about. But I read it a year ago when I got the book and I just told myself it's Beauty and the Beast, steampunk style. Well, I was a little scattered brained after prepping to be out of town for over a month and forgot that steampunk can include werewolves and zombies and vampires. So I was quickly reminded about the fact when the female mc (main character) starts talking about her work in searching for information about the anti-vampiric aide.

I will say it took me a while to read this book. Not for the reason you may be thinking...I was absolutely exhausted. Prepping for your life to be away from home for so long and running and doing everything at home that normally happens completely wore me out. So after only reading a paragraph a day, I said that's enough, I'm reading it all! And I did! And I loved it! Can I just say that this author can write a great story with plenty of mystery and build plenty of sweet and clean romance between the characters. These two MCs were very strong willed but don't let that stop you from looking beyond the surface. The dancing in the ballroom scene was awesome! There might be some moments of suspense that are a little intense. Especially if you're reading it late at night, in the woods, with sounds creaking all around you, pitch dark and reading about mists and vampires, zombies and werewolves. Yeah, it was great! Ha ha ha ha!

Seriously though, I really enjoyed it. I did NOT expect what happened, nor who the bad guy was. Kudos to the author for fooling me, usually I'm spot on for who, why, where, what, etc. Grab this one if you're a steampunk and fairy tale fan. Or grab it if you've never entered the world of steampunk. Oh and by the way, I've read the next book too and it was just as fun!

Content: Zombies, werewolves, vampires and suspense. Some very mild gore and mild romance. But clean. I would let my older teenage daughters read this one (in fact one is about to right now).

My own personal copy.

Happy Reading!!!

[Happy Reading Watching]

This has been my 3rd read of Nancy Campbell Allen's Beauty and the Clockwork Beast! This one is my favorite in the series so far :) i like reading this around October time because it gives you the Halloween vibes. I enjoy reading about this world and most of all love how it's clean!
If you like light steampunk and retellings, i highly recommend this one!!

4th read 9/10/2020
I want to start by saying that Beauty & the Beast has never been my fairy tale. That being said, Nancy Campbell Allen can write any retelling, and I'll read!!! My sisters and I reread this series at least once a year around fall time. I LOVE how she writes her characters and the romance!!!❤❤❤

5th read/listen 4/29/21
I'm in a reading slump, so I wanted to revisit an old favorite ♡

6th read love , love this series♡ (2021)

7th read, I picked up another steampunk series, and it wasn't for me. The romance was just lust 😔 So I came back to the only steampunk I have truly enjoyed and is clean. ♡ (January 19th, 2022)

8th reread May 17/22
Love this series & last week, I was lucky enough to get my copies signed by the author ♡♡♡

9th Reread Aug 2023
Fun series ♡

10th Reread Oct 2024
The ONLY beauty and the beast retelling I enjoy. 🖤📚🌹

[Imaydahjr · Rating 5 out of 5]

اتمام
01:30
۱۸/آذر/۰۱

فقط اینکه
از خوندنش لذت بردم :)
دوست داشتم داستانشو..!
ریتلینگی از دیو و دلبر با چاشنی معما و خون در ترکیبی از دنیای کلاسیک و مدرن🫢
میگم ترکیبی چون جدای از خون‌اشام و گرگینه و روح، آدم های ماشینی (خودکار) هم داره :))
لازمه بگم من عاشق داستان های ریتلینگی ام؟؟
رومنس داستان کیوت بود🥺 اره حتی با وجود جناب لرد غولتشن‌مون و فضای دارک کتاب میگم کیوت بودن😂
به عنوان یه تک جلدی فانتزی خوندنش لذت‌بخش بود!

خب نکته منفی
تنها چیزی که باعث می‌شد ارتباط برقرار کردنم با داستان و کرکترها با مشکل مواجه شه، ترجمه ادبی کتاب بود! که منم اصلا این مدل ترجمه ها که حتی دیالوگ ها هم ادبی گفته میشه رو دوست ندارم :(
و فکر می‌کنم همینم باعث می‌شد که حس کنم کرکترها -بجز لوسی و مایلز- به خوبی شخصیت پردازی نشده بودن! یا شاید هم مشکل متن اصلیه🤧

پ.ن: ذوق مرگ برای کتاب بعدی که داستان برادر لوسیه :))

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book!! I stayed up way too late last night reading it and I was so sad when I finished it this morning. This is a steampunk, Victorian, paranormal, & clean romance book that just hooks you and doesn't stop. This book has vampires, ghosts, shape-shifters, murders, swoon-worthy kisses, and well-developed characters. If you are looking for an action-packed, romantic, well written story, I highly recommend this one.

[Fatima difarko · Rating 4 out of 5]

درحال حاضر نمیدونم این کتاب چه چیز خاصی داشت ولی میدونم خیلي دوسش داشتم!مخصوصا زوج مایلز و لوسی رو!وقشنگ کتابو حس میکردم یه استراحت کوچیک و قشنگ و،کیوت بین مجموعه ها بود و دوسش داشتم،دیگه

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been anxiously waiting to read this book. It's been sitting on my shelf for awhile now, staring at me, begging to be read. :) I was so happy to finally settle in and get to read it. I've been so curious about it. This book is a combination of so many genres- steampunk, paranormal, mystery, romance. It really does have a Jane Eyre slash Beauty and the Beast feel to it. There is something dark and edgy about it while also being romantic and sweet. It's so hard to explain but I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like it!

This book is thick! Good and long. All the details are meaty and full of depth. I think I would have loved this book simply as a paranormal romance but the steampunk aspect brought in a whole new dimension. It was worked in seamlessly and made the whole story feel like something new and exciting. What a clever idea!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The pacing was good- especially in the second half of the book where things really pick up. I was compelled to continue reading and reluctant to put it down. What a fun adventure this book is! I hope I get more books like this- there are a few other characters in this book that definitely need their stories told.

Content: Some mild gore/violence. Clean!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mary Sue Alert!!

She's perfect in every way, and LOVES to make sure the hottest men know it. But really, deep in her utterly perfect heart, buried in her even more exquisitely perfect body, is her perfect desire to fix everyone and everything. Because she can.

Is there a more annoying quality in a female lead in romance?

Why yes, there is...and that's the stupidly reckless heroine. She will walk through vampire riddled forests during a blizzard, because she must speak to the hero NOW, even though he forbade her to do so...because, she's Mary Sue, and can fix everything, and as we're told by her and the author, she's perfect.

So there.

[kazhin_rasoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

همین حس تازگی و ساده بودنش برام قشنگ بود:))
و من دوسش داشتم

[Zari.Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

۴/۵از۵⭐️
مگه میشه از مجموعه‌ کتابی که فضای دارک و کلاسیک توأمان با مدرنیته و ژانر فانتزی و علمی _تخیلیه و از همه مهم تر ریتلینگ باشه خوشم نیاد؟🌚
همه چیز به نظرم اوکی بود و من راضی بودم به جز آخرای کتاب چون به نظرم نویسنده نمی‌دونست کتاب رو چه جوری باید تموم کنه و سرسری یه چیزی نوشته که فقط کتاب تموم شه🤷‍♀️