Review: The Steamside Chronicles by Ciar Cullen

The Steamside Chronicles by Ciar Cullen

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Genre: Fantasy Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb


Emily Fenwick, formerly with the NYPD, is now the reluctant defender of 1890 New York. Unfortunately for Emily, who hates "the creepy stuff", she ignored her inner voice, went to a carnival in Central Park, and entered a Victorian tent in hopes a psychic would have some encouraging news about her woefully boring love life. The guarantee she received of meeting a tall, dark, and handsome stranger comes with a huge catch - he lives in an alternate dimension of the past. 



Jack Pettigrew leads a quirky band of lost souls in a battle to save New York circa 1890. Nightmares have come alive and threaten to terrorize a fragile era. Jack leads the “punks,” who have been sucked back in time through a vortex. Each has a fleeting memory of their own death–or near death–and must determine for themselves why they have been chosen for this mission. Is Steamside their Purgatory? Could an Egyptian obelisk in Central Park be the cause of the time rift, or is Emily herself to blame for the goblins, zombies, and other nightmarish scenes plaguing them?



If the Punks want to return to 2010, they must ensure there’s going to be an 1891. If they conclude they’re really ghosts, then it might be time to party like it’s 1999.



Hunter's Review

I think this is one of the best books I’ve ever been lucky enough to stumble upon accidently. From the title, I expected to read a book similar to MelJean Brook’s Iron Duke undertaking, a more traditional steampunk romance. While this book has those elements, it is so much more complicated than the so-called (if there is at this point a so-called) steam-punk romance.

Ciar Cullen has created two characters if Emily and Jack that are unforgettable. Jack is the kind of hero all writers wish they could create. He is at times wonderful, sexy, and Alpha and then he turns around and he is insecure, pigheaded, and confused. Emily is lost in a world she doesn’t truly understand but is trying to navigate just the same.

I cannot imagine how much research must have gone into this book. The author has captured police work, the year 1890, religious motifs, paranormal elements, sex, and Egyptology. Not to mention time travel and circus life…

Cullen writes like an expert. Her writing is as good as any I have ever read anywhere—it is clean, perfectly crafted, and well thought out. Every character in the book sounds different and unique. She is not afraid to take chances.

I do realize I’m raving about this book like a teenager but what can I say? I was blown away. Please go read this book. I’m hoping the author will write more!

5 Tea Cups and a Recommended Read!