A CLOCKWORK FAIRYTALE
HELEN SCOTT TAYLOR
ISBN# Unavailable
August 24, 2011
Smashwords
www.smashwords.com
E-book
$2.99
187 pages
YA Romantic Fantasy
Rating: 5 Cups

Melba has lived her life as a thief and an orphan taken in by Master Maddox. When she comes up against Bluejackets while on a run, she is rescued by the spy extraordinaire, Master Turk, and she sees an opportunity to move up in station by pledging to him. Due to his nosy housekeeper, she is revealed as a woman, and one with extra toes to boot. Will Master Turk turn her out or will he honor his promise to make her a spy?

Turk has come far from his trash barge roots. Now a monk working undercover as a spy, he comes across the lost princess accidentally. Knowing what he has found, he goes to his master, the head of the golden robes. Advised to turn the street urchin into a lady, he does not expect the connection he feels to the lost princess.

With Melba’s evil uncle plotting against them and using evil Jinn to poison the king, the last thing he wants is the princess to arrive on the scene and shake up all that he has worked for. People that Mel and Turk think they can trust have motivations of their own. While training Mel, Turk’s feelings go from that of master to their pledge to romantic without him even seeing it happen. Will he risk everything for this one waif of a woman?

With steampunk done this beautifully, it was easy to slip into this world and fall in love with the characters. Ms. Taylor is a master storyteller, capturing the smallest details of world building and character development. Turk is a character I will not soon forget, and was balanced skillfully with the unrepentant and willful Melba. A fantastic book that will leave me searching the shelves for more from this gifted author.

Virginia
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance and More