Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts

Once again proving that genres are made to be melded, Allen (Kiss of the Spindle) puts a suspenseful twist on this enticing, steampunk retelling of Cinderella. Chaos follows 23-year-old Shifter’s Rights advocate Emmeline O’Shea everywhere she goes, making her Det.-Insp. Oliver Reed’s worst nightmare. He’s pulled her from countless riled-up crowds protesting the reinstatement of the discriminatory Predatory Shifter Extermination Act at the demonstrations she’s organized throughout 19th-century London. But after Emme receives a rather nasty threat in the mail, Oliver steps in as her bodyguard, escorting her on a dangerous trip to Edinburgh for a history-making summit. Passionate Emme makes for a delightful heroine who is well aware of her own privilege—she comes from a well-to-do family, even if her stepfather is an utter boor who came packaged with scheming twin daughters­—and uses her status in defense of the vulnerable. Allen seamlessly integrates gentle romantic tension and nods to the original fairy tale with paranormal and steampunk elements and political intrigue. This is a fun, arresting break from reality. (Aug.)