Feature: Beauty And Beastly by Melanie Karsak (Steampunk Fairy Tales)

**Beauty And Beastly by Melanie Karsak**

I hope everyone is having a beautiful morning! Today I have something a little bit different for you all to explore. This book is a steampunk infused spin on a classic fairy tale. The fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. The end result, BEAUTY AND BEASTLY. I don’t regularly feature steampunk because I don’t seem to come across them all that much, but I also know very little about them. I have read a couple of steampunk stories, but I would call them mild infusions versus what this book sounds like. Maybe you all can tell me what you know about this genre – or even this author. I’d love to get a little more insight in this genre! Please allow me to feature on the blog, Ms. Melanie Karsak and her latest release in the STEAMPUNK FAIRY TALES series …

**Melanie Karsak**

**BIO**

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, The Burnt Earth Series, The Celtic Blood Series and Steampunk Fairy Tales. A steampunk connoisseur, zombie whisperer, and heir to the iron throne, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.

 To find out more about Ms. Karsak, please visit:

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**BEAUTY AND BEASTLY**

Series: Steampunk Fairy Tales
Publication date: December 6th 2017
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, Steampunk

**BLURB**

In this tale as old as time, Isabelle Hawking must tinker a solution to a heartbreaking mystery.

When Isabelle Hawking and her papa set out from London on a sea voyage, Isabelle is thrilled. Visiting foreign courts, learning from master tinkers, and studying mechanicals is her dream. And it doesn't hurt that the trip also offers Isabelle an escape from her overbearing and unwanted suitor, Gerard LeBoeuf.

But Isabelle never arrives. Swept up in a tempest, her ship is lost.

Isabelle survives the storm only to be shipwrecked on a seemingly-deserted island. The magical place, dotted with standing stones, faerie mounds, and a crumbling castle, hints of an ancient past. Isabelle may be an unwilling guest, but her arrival marks a new beginning for the beastly residents of this forgotten land.

See how NY Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak puts a steampunk spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale.

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**EXCERPT**

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

“Hello, Miss Hawking,” a sultry voice whispered in my ear. A red rose suddenly appeared over my shoulder. “For you.”

I exhaled heavily. “Hello, Gerard,” I said, stepping away. The smell of cologne nearly overwhelmed me. I tried to plaster on a fake smile, but failed. I turned to find Gerard LeBoeuf standing far too close to me.

He pressed the rose toward me again. “Please, ma cherie. For the most beautiful girl in London.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and debated. It was far easier to accept the gift rather than put up with the display he’d put on if I didn’t. Besides, it was just a rose. What harm could a single rose cause? And while I had no interest in Gerard LeBoeuf, I wouldn’t be cruel. He was an enthusiastic suitor. And, given he was also the most gifted cartographer in the realm, he was a man of some quality. Unfortunately, his merits weren’t what I was looking for in a man. I wanted someone reserved: quiet, considerate, even a bit shy. I wanted someone the complete opposite of Gerard LeBoeuf. “Thank you, Gerard,” I said politely. “That’s very kind of you.”

He smiled happily, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He turned to look at the velocipede. “Fascinating, isn’t it?” he said, nodding with his chin toward the device. He set his hand on my shoulder and moved close to me once more. “See there,” he added, pointing. “The friction from the velocipede moves through the conductor and—”

“Yes, Gerard. I understood. It is very fascinating. Now, if you will excuse me, I should find Papa,” I said then turned away, heading back into the hall.

To my horror, he followed me. “So, I understand you and Master Hawking are going on a trip. Scotland, is it? Or was it Ireland? How could you leave without telling me? What will I do without seeing your beautiful face every Wednesday?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you will find something else to keep you distracted.” Namely, the next pretty woman who walked through the hall.

“But Isabelle, there is no better distraction than you. I tell all my friends, ‘Wednesday is my favorite day of the week.’ And they ask me ‘Why?’ I tell them ‘Because Isabelle Hawking comes to Tinker’s Hall. She is the most beautiful girl in London. She has a cute little walk, hair brown as a chestnut, and big curious eyes. She is the perfect woman.’ They call me a man in love. Maybe I am. I don’t know. But I do know that sometimes Isabelle Hawking comes to Tinker’s Hall, and sometimes she even smiles at me,” he said, setting his hand on the small of my back. Well, not quite the small of my back somewhere a bit lower.

Stopping, I frowned at him.

“Alas. Not today.”

“Kindly remove your hand,” I said, helping him move his paw from my backside. “No, not today. Not next week. Not next year. Now, if you please,” I said then turned and walked away.

To my surprise, however, Gerard reached out for my hand. “Miss Hawking, please. I would die for you, don’t you see?”

Gasping, surprised by the strength of his grasp and the firmness of grip, I twitched my fingers, activating a lever that caused a spring inside my ring, which was shaped like a hedgehog, to pop up. Needle-sharp spines pierced Gerard’s hand, fending off his unwanted touch.

“Ouch!” Gerard said, pulling his hand back.

I gave him a hard look.

He laughed. “Oh, Miss Hawking, you are so clever,” he said as he sucked the blood from the wound between his thumb and forefinger. “You will put up a fight, eh? Not so easily won? Good! I need a woman with a spine of steel and skin like silk. You are perfect in every way, Isabelle Hawking. You must marry me, Isabelle. Say yes.”

Gasping, I stared at him. “You must be joking.”

Gerard laughed again. “Please, Isabelle. I love you!”

At this point, I realized that several of the shoppers and vendors had stopped to watch the exchange. I exhaled deeply, feeling a flash of angry red burn in my cheeks then turned away from him. An elderly woman who was watching the exchange chuckled then winked at me. Glaring at Gerard, I handed the rose to her then stalked off.

“Isabelle,” Gerard called.

I didn’t look back.

“Isabelle, marry me. Please?”

I rolled my eyes and kept walking.

“Give up, LeBoeuf,” one of the tinkers called with a laugh.

“Not today, LeBeouf,” another added.

“Never,” a third called.

“Marry me! I’ll marry you,” the old woman called then cackled loudly.

I glanced over my shoulder.

The old woman was waving the rose toward Gerard.

Annoyed, Gerard turned on his heel and headed back to his own stall.

Sometimes it didn’t pay to be nice. Gerard was perfect on the outside, but inside he was a slimy rat. I was growing tired of his romantic jokes and pawing hands. It was one thing if he wanted to court me properly, but such outlandish exchanges were just vulgar. I felt embarrassed.

Shaking my head, I moved toward the back of the hall where my father usually lingered. Of all the men in London, why did Gerard LeBoeuf have to set his cap toward me? I mean, it would be nice to have a suitor, but not him. I’d thought I’d found a match with the brooding, but kind Doctor Murray. The doctor had frequented my home and was a friend of my father’s. He was the perfect man: intelligent, handsome, and reserved. But I should have known Doctor Murray was in love with his childhood friend, Elyse McKenna. My affection for Doctor Murray had been entirely one-sided. My hopes had come to nothing. I couldn’t begrudge Doctor Murray and Miss McKenna—well, she was Missus Murray now. I had never seen a happier couple. I only hoped that I could find a love like that one day.

**BONUS  EXCERPT**

“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.

**GIVEAWAY**

Disney’s Belle Funko Pop

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Writing Journal

Beauty and the Beast Light-up Rose Cup from Disneyland

    a Rafflecopter giveaway        

Seriously, I don’t even know what to say. I am crazy intrigued by this blurb and excerpt. It’s all so new, yet familiar and I think that is what is drawing me in so easily. What can you all tell me of steampunk and your experience with it? Have you read Ms. Karsak before? I can’t wait to read your comments! Your feedback is always wanted.  I hope you all enjoyed your time here today. A thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for putting all of the info together. And a special thank you to Ms. Karsak for allowing us to feature her book today!

As always, buy links are included in the post. If you are so inclined, purchase the book for yourself. There is no better way to support an author. I would like to thank each and every one of you for joining us today. Wishing you all a fabulous day. Until next time …

HAPPY READING!!!