Allen, Nancy Campbell

Readers will delight in this suspenseful Victorian mystery mixed with a slow-burn romance and will enjoy seeing many characters from other series installments play an integral role in solving the murder. Those new to the series should start with The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart.

Allen once again combines love and mystery in her second “Matchmakers” series installment (following The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart). Readers will enjoy how the intrigue and romance increase in tandem, ratcheting up the suspense, while Eva’s competent demeanor that hides a bruised heart makes this love story all the more touching.

With this new series launch, Allen (The Lady in the Coppergate Tower) creates an alternate 19th-century London with just enough steampunk elements (automatons, airships) to spice things up, and what could have been another stale version of a familiar fairy tale becomes a fresh retelling with plenty of danger and romance. An excellent choice for romance readers trying steampunk for the first time.