Jillian Stone
Kensington Brava
Purchase links:
THE YEAR IS 1889 and Queen Victoria,
exemplum of decency and sobriety, is in her fifty-second year of reign.
Paranormal Investigator, Phaeton Black, on the other hand, couldn’t be less interested
in clean-living. He has recently taken up residence in the basement flat of
London’s most notorious brothel. A dedicated libertine with an aptitude for
absinthe, he wrestles with a variety of demons both real and self-inflicted.
Unfairly linked to Scotland Yard’s failure to solve the Whitechapel murders,
Phaeton is offered a second chance to redeem himself. A mysterious fiend, or
vampire is stalking the Strand. After a glass and a consult with the green
fairy, he agrees to take on the case.
On his first surveillance, Phaeton
pursues an elusive stranger and encounters several curious, horrifying
beings. But the most intriguing creature of all is a Cajun beauty who
captures him at knifepoint and threatens to spirit away his heart.
She had never met the like of such a
man.
After a few deep draughts of spirit, he
kicked a chair out from under the table and straddled the seat. “The chair
rails guard my bulging privates. Not to be confused with filthy pirates.”
He took another swig from the bottle.
“Tell me about these imaginary, cutlass wielding corsairs. Miss––?”
“My name is America Jones.”
He set an elbow on the chair back and
cupped his chin. He had a wary way of studying her, as if she were some kind of
curiosity. “Are you incapable of answering questions in a truthful manner?
Again, Miss––?”
She set her jaw and glared. “America.”
“Is the name of a continent, or two. I
can never remember if there are two continents designated north and south, or
one continent designated south and north. Which is it?”
Why did he play the Mad Hatter? Leaning
far back off the chair, he had to catch himself. The grog appeared to be having
an effect. “And there is a new country, the United States of America.”
Even with arms tied down, she still
managed a shrug. “It is my name, sir. America Síne Jones and I have learned to
live with it these twenty-ought years.”
“I believe I may call you by your middle
name.” His mouth twitched. “Sin–ay. I
do so admire the first syllable.”
Her gaze narrowed to a quizzical squint.
“Is your mind always in the gutter, Mr.––?
“Black.” Liquid sable eyes flecked with
gold drank in every inch of her. “Only when I am interested, Miss Jones.”
“And are you interested?”
“I once enjoyed a meal at the Langham
Hotel, which I thought about repeating for weeks afterward.”
“Is that what I am to you? A supper?”
He lowered his chin. “A banquet, my tempting
dark dove.” Hooded ebony eyes crinkled at the sides. He enjoyed taunting
her.
Captivated for a moment, she mentally
slapped herself. “I would love to stay
and chat, really I would, but I must be on my way.” She flashed the faintest of
smiles. “Now that we are introduced, certainly you can release me from
bondage?”
“One more thing, Miss Jones.If you would
kindly explain about the pirates?” He tilted his head. “Your eyes are most
extraordinary. Almost feline.”
What an exasperating man! While he
swigged from the bottle, she tugged again on her bindings. “Why do you insist
on torturing me?”
She pressed her lips together and chewed
the inside of her bottom lip. A force of habit when vexed beyond endurance.
Well, she supposed two could play this silly, annoying interrogation game. “Are
your parents still living, Mr. Black?
He sat up and blinked. “Mother died of a
virulent meningitis years ago. My father teaches advanced mathematics at
Trinity College.” He ran a hand through thick waves of dark brown hair. “He
might as well be dead. We don’t get on.”
“I could not tell you if my mother is
alive or dead. I’ve not been home to Louisiana in many years. Buried my father
four short months ago. Charles Gardiner Jones.” She leaned forward
purposefully. “A decent and honest merchant trader. Acquaintances said he
couldn’t face his business failure––that he died of drink. People who knew him
well, told a very different story. My father’s heart was broken by his lying,
scheming business partner.”
When her eyes threatened to tear, she
lifted her chin. “After his funeral I vowed to bring Yanky Willem to justice.”
“And how goes this pursuit?”
She frowned. “Not as well as I’d hoped.
Last night Willem caught me rifling through a year’s worth of cargo manifests.”
He arched a brow. “Searching for––?”
“Proof of piracy, Mr. Black.”
He smiled that maddening grin of his. “I
knew if I was patient, we might actually get round to the original subject of
my query––the filthy pirates.”
“Chased me from the Docklands all the
way down the Strand.” She laid her head back against the padded chair and
counted the cracks in the ceiling. “When you stepped into the sharp edge of my
blade, I was clean out of bullets.”
“Bullets? And where, pray tell is your
pistol?
Now it was her turn to grin. “Untie me,
and––“
“I think not, Miss Jones.” From behind
protective rungs, Mr. Black stepped over the seat of his chair and ventured
closer. “Shall we search together?”
Author Bio:
Jillian Stone’s Victorian Romantic
Suspense novel AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY won the 2010 RWA Golden Heart
and is the first novel in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series for Pocket
Books. Her sexy, supernatural Steampunk novel, THE SEDUCTION OF PHAETON
BLACK, won the 2010 Romance Through The Ages Erotica category and sold to
Kensington Brava. Jillian lives in California and is currently working on
the next adventure for both series.
Facebook: G Jillian Stone
Twitter: @gJillianStone
Pinterest: Jillian Stone
Website: Jillian
Stone
Tour
Wide Giveaway Details :
The Key to Phaeton's Heart and ten print copies of The Seduction of
Phaeton Black are being given away tour wide
5 comments:
I haven't read any steampunk yet and would like to start seeing I've been hearing so much about it...
I love the excerpt! It had me captivated to the end. "The Seduction of Phaeton Black" sounds like a fun read.
I've only read a few steampunk novels but am loving this new era! There's just something totally cool about this idea of an 'alternate' history, I can't really pinpoint it but all I know is that I'm just loving it!
Cherry, Daniel and tiensblurb,
Thanks for stopping by and I do hope you all get a chance to read The Seduction of Phaeton Black. The novel is set in late Victorian London, complete with black fogs. Steampunk elements/gadgets like goggles, and airships were also fun to incorporate in the story!
I love Steampunk because of its can-do attitude. Like, the world has problems, but with the right application of gadgets, gears, and a little hot water, we can fix them. It's so much more optimistic than the nihilistic punk that was popular when I was a youngster (like, the '80s). That attitude was more like, "we're all going to die so might as well get drunk".
The book looks awesome, and I loved the excerpt. Thanks!
Post a Comment