Avalon Revisited....Steampunk Continued.

From Amazon.com:

Arthur has made his existence as a vampire bearable for over three hundred years by immersing himself in blood and debauchery. Aboard an airship gala, he meets Avalon, an aspiring vampire slayer who sparks fire into Arthur's shriveled heart. Together they try to solve the mystery of several horrendous murders. Cultures clash and pressures rise in this sexy Steampunk Romance.

As many of you know, I just finished a guest post on Steampunk over at Not Really Southern Vamp Chick's Birthday Bash Countdown (I just love typing that because it sounds like a party in and of itself!!) in which I made mention of a few steampunk titles, one of which is the above pictured Avalon Revisited by O.M. Grey.

My first kindle edition...and to be honest, I was a tad worried. Not so much about the content, but about me.

You see, change, in its early conceptions, freaks me out. How was I going to read a book that's...not actually a book in my hot little hands? Where would the satisfaction of keeping track of my progress via my sometimes tacky yet lovingly placed bookmarks? Ack!

But there it was....Avalon Revisited, only on Kindle. But, I don't have a Kindle. And I lamented this fact on my twitter. Enter the lovely artist who did the cover art, Catherine Somerlot (she tweeted me, told me about the app for my itouch) and the rest , as they say, is history.

I won't linger too much on the whole steampunk genre (but, if you haven't clicked on the link above, you really should. If for no other reason than to join the celebration) which, I have to say is as varied and colorful as your imagination will let it be.

And Avalon Revisited is no exception. A combination of steampunk and paranormal romance which keeps its identity all through without having to remind you why at every twist and turn.

I tend to speed read, and sometimes that's a good thing, others, not so much. For the first time in a while, however, I took my time, allowing myself to fully enjoy the nuances and pacing O.M. Grey afforded. Cleverly intertwining history, Arthur, we learn, is a Tudor. Yep, you read it right. Given the recent popularity of this time in history, it was refreshing to have this angle. I loved it. Not only did it give him the identity that completely matched his personality traits, it added to his heartbreak.

To which we then meet Avalon...a spinster of sorts, who Arthur falls in love with, practically at first intriguing sight. On a dirigible. If there is one scene that really gives you the feel of the whole nature of steampunk, in my eyes, this is the one. Descriptive and layered, the main characters blend to give the reader a true sense of this world. Avalon is no shrinking violet, and is so intoxicated with the technology and the world around her she barely notices our...vampire.

Ahh, but its not just dirigibles and gears here, ladies and gentlemen. There's a killer afoot. A vampire...who, in fact, is not our narrator...but seems to follow in his footsteps. Is the killer perhaps a little more than your run of the mill vamp? Perhaps. And his victims are rising from the dead, just like their creator.

Which leads Arthur to team up with the lovely (who, in fact reminds him at first of Catherine..yep, that one) Avalon and her partner in um...vampire hunting, Victor. Who have no idea they are actually working with said creature they are supposed to be...hunting.

No spoilers here, though...but I will say there was a sprinkling of steampunk technology and subtle steaminess and at times, not so subtle ;).

If you've never dipped your toes in the genre, you won't be disappointed. And if you have, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Even on my Kindle app. Change can be a good thing.

(Side note, Avalon Revisited is available in Kindle and the good old fashion kind as well over on Amazon...)