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Reeling from her brother’s death, beautiful American spy Claire Brooks has vowed revenge on the member of The Company who she believes to be responsible: Stanton Howard. But when she chases the man to London, Claire is captured by the Wardens of the Realm and placed in the custody of the Earl of Wolfred, the dashing Alistair Payne.
Seeing the prospect of retribution slipping away, Claire convinces Alistair that she has defected and will help him take down The Company. As they travel via steam liner, Claire and Alistair must pretend to be engaged. Claire can’t deny the growing attraction she feels for her pretend husband, but when Howard is finally within her reach, she will have to decide whether her true loyalties lie with The Company or with her heart…
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
December 4, 2012 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781101607169
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781101607169
- File size: 894 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 29, 2012
In Cross’s second steampunk romance, following Heart of Brass, rival operatives find love together while chasing a master criminal. American spy Claire Brooks, having been captured in England by elite government agents, the Wardens of the Realm, agrees to help them apprehend evil genius Stanton Howard. Paired with the aristocratic Alastair Payne, Claire finds herself on a New York–bound steamship, with Stanton also aboard, pretending to be her new partner’s fiancée to deflect suspicion. Claire and Alistair’s initial distrust soon turns to respect, and then to love, even as Claire secretly plans to countermand their orders by killing Howard and thereby avenging her brother’s murder. Alastair cuts an appropriately dashing figure, suggesting a cross between Wolverine and the Six Million Dollar Man, while Cross creates a richly imagined alternate world deftly straddling the line between romance and SF. Agent: Irene Goodman, Irene Goodman Agency. -
Starred review from December 1, 2012
A loyal Company agent for most of her life, American spy Claire Brooks is stunned when the Company takes no action against Stanton Howard, a fellow agent, after he murders her brother. Vowing revenge, she pursues Howard to England, watches as he barely escapes, and ends up falling off a building, onto a carriage, and into the hands of the Company's archrival, the Wardens of the Realm (W.O.R.). Still bent on retribution and with little choice, Claire agrees to help the Wardens track down Howard, a master of disguise, as well as the notorious "Doctor." But traveling in the custody of recently wounded but now "augmented" W.O.R. agent Alastair Payne, Earl of Wolfred, and posing as his mistress is a challenge for them both, especially as their initial hostile reactions evolve into something quite different--and potentially dangerous. VERDICT A pair of exquisitely matched, lethal protagonists, a plot overflowing with unexpected twists, and a stunning, cleverly developing steampunk world combine in another hard-hitting, violent, sexy romantic adventure that takes Cross's steampunk series to a new level. Brilliantly done! Cross (Heart of Brass) lives in Connecticut. Note: Although there is no real magic here, the steampunk world has a magical, otherworldly quality that seems to make it fit.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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