Taking place after Wicked as They Come, this original eBook features a mysterious lady and a reclusive mechanical genius who find love and danger in a traveling circus. An elusive woman arrives at Criminy’s doorstep with a steamer trunk, begging for a position in the caravan to perform her unique new act. She opens her trunk to reveal a menagerie of brilliantly colored butterflies.
The woman, who calls herself Madam Morpho, is on the run from a dark past in London, where she was forced to leave her equipment behind and abscond with only her tiny performers. Playing a hunch, Criminy hires Madam Morpho on the spot. Taking her down to meet Mr. Murdoch, the reclusive talented engineer who keeps the carnival’s clockworks running,
Criminy instructs them to work together to design and build a groundbreaking new circus for the butterflies. Amid the magical ambiance of the circus and the hint of danger from Madam Morpho’s pursuers, she and Mr. Murdoch soon find that their scientific collaboration has produced chemistry of a more romantic kind. ~ Goodreads
Review:
The Mysterious Madam Morpho is a short novella from Delilah Dawson's imaginative Blud series that opens with Criminy and Letitia's POV (from Wicked as They Come, Blud #1) and a really intriguing glimpse of what is to come in Wicked as She Wants (Blud #2) - Casper's story - coming in April 2013.
There isn't as much of the world building in this novella as there was in Wicked as they Come (it is a novella after all, so that's to be expected) but the relationship between Madam Morpho and Mr. Murdoch is written very well. It wasn't rushed and was completely believable. I loved these two and their slow simmering romance filled with respect and admiration.
As with Wicked as They Come, there is a delightful sense of Steampunk whimsy. Clockwork creatures! A butterfly circus! It's these two things that bring our couple together and also places them both in a great deal of danger.
I expect we will see much more of Madam Morpho & Mr. Murdoch. The ending certainly made it clear that all characters are important to the future installments in the Blud series.
Rating: 3.5 out of 4 Delilah Dawson manages to pack a lot of story into this little gem of a novella. Action, romance and a satisfying peek at our favorite characters from Wicked as They Come. I always get a little dreamy eyed with her descriptions of the clockwork animals. They sound so COOL!
AND!!!! There is a preview of Wicked as She Wants at the end. This book sounds so good! I loved Casper (from book #1) and it looks like a wild ride ahead!
*** It isn't necessary to have read Wicked as They Come to read The Mysterious Madam Morpho as far as the relationship is concerned. You will probably be a tad confused by the crazy Blud (vampire) world but it's a fun introduction. My review for Wicked as They Come is here.
Author: website | twitter
Source: Provided by Simon & Schuster/ Pocket Books for review
Buy the book! The Mysterious Madam Morpho (Blud 1.5) | Wicked as They Come (Blud #1) | Wicked as She Wants (Blud #2) Pre-order
This sounds very cute and sweet. I think I would try reading this as it's a novella and don't have to commit to a full scale novel.
ReplyDeleteI always go past this book cos the cover looks so..dunno, cheap
ReplyDeleteYou are so evil - you just reminded me I haven't read Wicked as They Come yet. *sob* It was one of my "pleasure" reads and I haven't had time and won't for a while and I had forgotten. Maybe I can read all of them together when the second full book comes out.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it's fun - I'm a sucker for clockwork whimsy too. :) Great review!
It would be fun read them together. They do kind of flow into each other.
DeleteI love to read a novella before I jump into a series. I am glad you said it was OK to start with this. I am so intrigued now! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYou'll miss out on some of the background and might not understand some of the terms but since this novella focuses more not he relationship you should be fine and intrigued to read more.
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