Book picks similar to
Clockwork Gold by Jenny Schwartz
steampunk
romance
ebook
free
Mongrel
K.Z. Snow - 2010
A shadow is cast there one day when a tall, cloaked figure approaches the stand of Will Marchman, a young patent-medicine salesman. Fanule Perfidor, commonly known as the Dog King, isn't welcome at the Circus. No resident of Taintwell is; they're all Branded Mongrels, officially shunned. But Will is beguiled by the stunning, mysterious Perfidor. Their mutual wariness soon gives way to desire, and a bond forms.Soon the naive but plucky pitchman becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest. Fanule suspects Alphonse Hunzinger and Purinton's civic leaders are responsible for the disappearance or incarceration of countless Branded Mongrels. But why? As Will's passion and regard for his tormented lover grow, he's determined to help Fanule get answers and prevent any further persecution... or worse. They just have to stay together-and stay alive long enough-to see their plan through.
Carson Mach: The Complete Series
A.C. Hadfield - 2021
1000+ pages of explosive, military space opera action, filled with characters that leap off the page. Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, is seeking to revive his fortunes. Heeding a call from a friend in the Commonwealth government, he's tasked with a series of missions that few would ever agree to, much less with eagerness. But Carson Mach is a special kind of risk-taker and is known for cleaning up the quadrant's dregs in his unique, chaotic way. With few resources and overwhelming odds, Mach must reunite some of his old buddies: tech specialists, military veterans, assassins, and puzzling AIs, and form them into an elite fighting force. If he fails, the threats to the Commonwealth may spell the end for millions of lives. This is his last chance. Should he fail, he'll either be dead or back in the gutter with no more favors to call in and few friends ready to lend a hand. From hunting down mythical ships and recovering powerful artifacts to preventing the Commonwealth's center of power from falling to the enemy, Carson Mach and his ragtag crew of the starship Intrepid must do the extraordinary if they're to succeed. That's if they don't tear each other apart first. Experience this complete Military Space Opera series from Amazon Bestseller A.C. Hadfield. It's perfect for fans of Jamie McFarlane, JN Chaney and Jay Allan. This boxset contains three full-length novels: Book 1: The Atlantis Ship Book 2: The Lost Voyager Book 3: The Terminal War
In the Garden of Iden
Kage Baker - 1997
In the 24th century, the Company preserves works of art and extinct forms of life (for profit of course). It recruits orphans from the past, renders them all but immortal, and trains them to serve the Company, Dr. Zeus. One of these is Mendoza the botanist. She is sent to Elizabethan England to collect samples from the garden of Sir Walter Iden. But while there, she meets Nicholas Harpole, with whom she falls in love. And that love sounds great bells of change that will echo down the centuries, and through the succeeding novels of The Company.
Daughter of Time
Sarah Woodbury - 2011
He saves her, and she in turn saves him, thanks to her knowledge of future events. Although powerful forces seek to divide them, by working together, Meg and Llywelyn have a chance to navigate the dangerous and shifting alliances that constantly undermine his rule and threaten the very existence of Wales — and to create a future in which Llywelyn's death does not come too soon.Daughter of Time is a stand-alone novel within the world of the After Cilmeri series. Other books in the series include Footsteps in Time and Prince of Time.
Dark Metropolis
Jaclyn Dolamore - 2014
Her mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules.Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club, attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, who agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets - even while he hides secrets of his own.Together, they discover a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. Soon, Thea and Freddy begin to realize nightmarish truths about the city's dark underbelly, and that time is running out for Nan. And if they're not careful, the masterminds behind the disappearances will be after them, too.Jaclyn Dolamore weaves a chilling tale with a touch of magic in this lyrical thriller, where the dead don't always seem to stay that way.
Tempted By Trouble
Christa Wick - 2019
Sure, she’s taken a few risks to try to stop the expansion of Skipjack Bay. And yes, okay, the first time she met with Austin to plead her case, she’d technically been trespassing. But this? His bed, his rules, his massive, let’s just say confidence. Not to mention his uncanny ability to make her come... completely undone. It’s all beyond crazy. Still, the chance to help the families in her hometown is something she can’t turn down. So, she agrees to his terms. Total surrender. Hers. To him. A simple business deal where they both get what they want. The absolute last thing Gina expects is for Austin to want her to surrender her heart to him, too. Previously published as Black Gold 1 & 2, (c) 2012 & (c) 2014 revised throughout with newly added content and an extended ending. Story Note: This steamy standalone includes cameos by a few characters from Tempted Beyond Reason (formerly titled Waking Up Her Curves, which has similarly been republished with revisions and new content), but not to worry, both stories are completely independent from each other.
Hull Damage
Timothy J. Meyer - 2012
Contending daily with the mechanical failures of their haggard spaceship and the best efforts of bounty hunters to collect the growing price on their heads, this crew of cutthroats, buccaneers and scofflaws use wits, weapons and wisecracks to make off with as much booty as they can, with the forces of law and order never more than one step behind.The only impediment between them and a quiet criminal career is their blowhard of a captain. Ace pilot, megalomaniac and complete moron, Captain Nemo leads his motley crew with bluster and bravado through planetary blockades, space station shootouts and rowdy barroom brawls, hell-bent on becoming the most fearsome dread pirate this galaxy’s ever seen. A bidding war between three of the galaxy’s least forgiving crime lords could very possibly be his worst idea to date, but when it comes to The Unconstant Lover and her captain, the line between brilliance and insanity might just have disappeared.
Memory of Morning
Susan Sizemore - 2011
R. Martin … From the pen of New York Times bestseller Susan Sizemore, an all-new full-length novel that sweeps you into a strange new world of fantasy, romance and adventure… On the island world of three moons, after years of war, Naval Surgeon Megere Cliff returns home to find herself caught between her obligation to her family and her need to be free at last. But duty must always command her, and so she puts herself on the marriage mart, in the rites of the Seeker Season. Beautiful, intelligent, and brave, Megere attracts suitors who view her as prime breeding stock, but beneath the frivolity of the parties and balls, trouble is brewing. Caught between conspiracies and fanatics, danger buffets Megere. Should she trust the enigmatic, imperious Lord Adrew North? Or is he the very enemy she fears?
The Steam Pump Jump
Jodi Taylor - 2018
But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What’s needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding. Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc., are things that happen to other people. Combine a fanatic from R&D, a head of Security with his own problems, a steam-pump, two historians who can’t even be in the same room as each other, some fractious Protestants and a large body of very dirty water. Told in Markham’s own words, this is the story of an intervention – St Mary’s style.
The Breeders
Katie French - 2012
When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley.When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is shot and forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.
The Clockwork Dagger
Beth Cato - 2014
Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened.Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger is only beginning, for Octavia discovers that the deadly conspiracy aboard the airship may reach the crown itself.
Eternal Vows
Chrissy Peebles - 2012
even if he is a drop-dead gorgeous immortal king.Never pretend to be a princess.And most importantly... never slip on an ancient wedding ring you know nothing about.Sarah Larker returns to a cave where her sister disappeared ten years earlier. She walks through a portal and is mistaken for a runaway princess on the run by a dangerous immortal king in medieval times. Her plan is bold as well as daring-become this princess, wed the king, and slip on an ancient wedding ring that will unlock the portal back home. Then find her sister and run as fast as she can out of Dodge. But taking on the identity of Princess Gloria comes along with dangerous consequences; and slipping on the ruby ring comes with an even higher price.
Anja's Star
Lyn Brittan - 2013
One could have it ripped away by the captain’s idiot son, Retzi, who used it as collateral in a card game, but one does not lose it. At least, not Anja, but if the captain finds out, she’s the one who’ll be held responsible. She has exactly two weeks to get that ship back before the authorities, the Captain or the galaxy at large, calls in their debts. If she can manage to keep Retzi focused on helping her steal it back, rather than getting her in bed, they just might have a shot at making it out of this mess.
Sky Hunter
Chris Reher - 2013
The difference between the well-ordered Union air fields and this dusty garrison is made painfully clear when she runs afoul a brutal commander of ground troops.Her assignment takes her from the midst of a bloody uprising to the elegant new space station where she hopes to train for her Hunter Class pilot grade. But not all runs according to protocol and she soon suspects that more than farming is being done up there. When she uncovers the treacherous and illicit schemes taking place, it seems that local riots are the least of their troubles.
Karen Memory
Elizabeth Bear - 2015
See, my name is Karen Memery, like memory only spelt with an e, and I'm one of the girls what works in the Hôtel Mon Cherie on Amity Street. Hôtel has a little hat over the o like that. It's French, so Beatrice tells me."Set in the late 19th century—when the city we now call Seattle Underground was the whole town (and still on the surface), when airships plied the trade routes, would-be gold miners were heading to the gold fields of Alaska, and steam-powered mechanicals stalked the waterfront, Karen is a young woman on her own, is making the best of her orphaned state by working in Madame Damnable's high-quality bordello. Through Karen's eyes we get to know the other girls in the house—a resourceful group—and the poor and the powerful of the town. Trouble erupts one night when a badly injured girl arrives at their door, begging sanctuary, followed by the man who holds her indenture, and who has a machine that can take over anyone's mind and control their actions. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the next night brings a body dumped in their rubbish heap—a streetwalker who has been brutally murdered.Bear brings alive this Jack-the-Ripper yarn of the old west with a light touch in Karen's own memorable voice, and a mesmerizing evocation of classic steam-powered science.