Today on Novels On The Run I have my review for Winter Of The Passion Flower by Australian author, Annie Seaton and a Guest Post.
Enjoy!
Published By: Lyrical Press
Released: Available Now
Details: Digital, 70 Pages
RATING: 3 STARS!
Blurb:
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 accouterments, they must fightthose out to foil her mission.
WARNING: Steam and immodest clothing.
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
My word there is a lot going on in this 70 page novella. I am a great lover of Steampunk and have read quite a few books in this genre. Annie gives us steampunk gadgets a plenty, a time travelling submarine, ray guns, inept henchmen and shapeshifters.
I’ll be honest and say I felt like I came into this story a bit ahead of time. Maybe I time travelled in.
Indigo de Vargas is a character I did not really connect with. She is supposed to be a strong willed woman, but I felt like she was too brazen and too moody, without provocation, sometimes.
Indigo has her heart set on gathering the Passion flower blooms from the Amazon and completing her father’s work. She uses her Biomes to camouflage her true business. I did like the idea of Biomes. They simulate various warm climates. She has an entertainment Biome and a beach Biome. They sound very cool.
Captain Dogooder aka Zane Thoreau arrives on her doorstep, sporting a Cornish accent and assuming the role of her new captain. Her old vessel and crew came into a spot of trouble.
Duke Leopold of Lorca is jealous of Madam de Vargas’ enterprises and at all costs wants to stop her getting her place at the Great Exhibition. He has a crazy suspension bridge he likes to taunt his visitors with... lol!! Indigo knows how to make an entrance and won't let a suspension bridge stop her.
Indigo wants none of the Dukes marriage proposal, she wants her Passion flower blooms and nothing will stop her, she has discovered they have healing properties, and she is going to get them and keep her place at the Great Exhibition.
Annie has a very colourful imagination. I would have liked Zane to have been a stronger male lead. Indigo was just too strong a female lead that tended to act too aggressively, in my opinion only. Not saying I am right.
I didn’t connect with their romance. I think there was maybe too much going on in this small novella. If this book was normal length and the time spent on the character and villain development then I would have connected with the story better. Annie can certainly write, it was just a lot to absorb in 70 pages and the connection for me personally was not strong. I did love all of Annie’s gadgets and the viewing room and perambulator. Annie has an AWESOME imagination for steampunkery.
I thought there may have been a bit more of a mysterious reason for the same tattoos Indigo and Zane sported.....lol!!
This is a light, kind of cheesy in parts story. I did enjoy the steampunk aspect, I just needed time spent with the characters and story development. A big story was written into a novella sized read.
Michelle
GUEST POST by ANNIE
Hi...
I’m Annie Seaton and I live by the beach on the east coast of Australia. I write across a variety of genres from steampunk to romantic suspense but my favorite genre is contemporary romance. I love putting my characters in exotic locales and everyday settings and watching them overcome a variety of obstacles as they fall in love.
My first two stories are set near the water... from the South Pacific in Holiday Affair where we follow the development of Nicks and Lissy’s romance, to the underwater submarine adventures of Indigo and Zane in my steampunk novella Winter of the Passion Flower.
Holiday Affair holds a special place in my heart. It is the story that simmered in my creative mind for many years as I undertook a full time career in education. The day I gave up full time work, I sat down and put fingers to keyboard, and wrote the story that had been waiting to be told for many years.
I was delighted when Entangled Publishing decided to add it to their Indulgence line and I have now written three books about the Richards family and their romances in seaside settings. I will keep you posted of release dates.
The story closest to my heart is Blind Lust, a little paranormal novella about a witch, a warlock and a country and western singer. Part of the story is based on a real ghost who haunts a kitchen!
I loved this reviewer’s comment—It is so satisfying when someone really ‘gets’ what you were trying to do “The descriptions and even the dialogue had a sort of dreamy quality - except when it was used to contrast the new kid in town (the sexy country star) with witchy Lizzy and the Old Folk.”
I have a sequel in mind for this book too...there is another story waiting to be told.
A little bit about Annie..
When I am not reading or writing, I love walking on the beach and dreaming up new stories. My love of reading and history began at an early age and I was a child who always carried a book (or two) no matter what I was doing. Several of my favourite books were confiscated from underneath my desk by teachers who had no understanding of my capacity to read while I was doing my schoolwork!
My love of writing developed in "composition" classes during primary school and continued throughout the completion of an English and History degree.
My working life has seen me through several major career changes.... hospitality, librarian, teacher, and technology consultant. I now have retired from the world of full time work and have fulfilled my lifelong dream of writing.
Come and visit me
Twitter @annieseaton26
I love steampunk! Unfortunately I haven't read as much of it as I would like. I think I'd probably like this one even if I'll end up wishing I'd gotten to know the characters better.
ReplyDeleteJesse @ Pretty in Fiction