Author Ambsuh with Zoe Archer

Happy Columbus Day Everyone! 

Book Monster Reviews is happy to welcome  

Zoë Archer back to the site today!

Zoë Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there's nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master's degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF THE ROSE series and the paranormal historical romance series, THE HELLRAISERS. She and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, created the steampunk world of THE ETHER CHRONICLES together.  Her steampunk romance, SKIES OF STEEL, is now available from Avon Impulse, and Nico’s steampunk Western, NIGHT OF FIRE, is also available now. Zoë and Nico live in Los Angeles.

To find out more about Zoë and her books you can visit her Website, or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and her Blog

Today we are helping Zoë promote the newest release "Skies of Steel" the third book in THE ETHER CHRONICLES series.  Let's take a look at the books in the series:

THE ETHER CHRONICLES

“Skies of Fire”, Book #1:

Man made of metal and flesh

Captain Christopher Redmond has just one weakness: the alluring spy who loved and left him years before…when he was still just a man. Now he's superhuman—a Man O' War, made as part of the British Navy's weapons program—and his responsibility is to protect the skies of Europe. If only he could forget Louisa Shaw.

A most inconvenient desire

Louisa, a British Naval Intelligence agent, has never left a job undone. But when her assignment is compromised, the one man who can help her complete her mission is also the only man ever to tempt her body and heart. As burning skies loom and passion ignites, Louisa and Christopher must slip behind enemy lines if they are to deliver a devastating strike against their foe . . . and still get out alive.

"Night of Fire", Book 2

(published under Nico Rosso (Zoe's Husband)

"Night of fire, night of passion"

US Army Upland Ranger Tom Knox always knew going home wouldn't be easy. Three years ago, he skipped town, leaving behind the only woman who ever mattered; now that he's seen the front lines of war, he's ready to do what he must to win her back.

Rosa Campos is long past wasting tears on Tom Knox, and now that she's sheriff of Thornville, she has more than enough to do. Especially when a five-story rock-eating mining machine barrels toward the town she's sworn to protect.

Tom's the last person Rosa expects to see riding to her aid on his ether-borne mechanical horse. She may not be ready to forgive, but Rosa can't deny that having him at her side brings back blissful memories . . . even as it reignites a flame more dangerous than the enemy threatening to destroy them both

SKIES OF STEEL, Book 3

Links to buy:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Books A Million

In the world of The Ether Chronicles, the Mechanical War rages on, and appearances are almost always deceiving . . .

The prim professor

Daphne Carlisle may be a scholar, but she’s far more comfortable out in the field than lost in a stack of books. Still, when her parents are kidnapped by a notorious warlord, she knows she’ll need more than quick thinking if she is to reach them in time. Daphne’s only hope for getting across enemy territory is an airship powered and navigated by Mikhail Denisov, a rogue Man O’ War who is as seductive as he is untrustworthy.

The jaded mercenary

Mikhail will do anything for the right price, and he’s certain he has this mission—and Daphne—figured out: a simple job and a beautiful but sheltered Englishwoman. But as they traverse the skies above the Mediterranean and Arabia, Mikhail learns the fight ahead is anything but simple, and his lovely passenger is not entirely what she seems. The only thing Mikhail is certain of is their shared desire—both unexpected and dangerous.

Excerpt

"Nights of Steel", Book 4

Coming November 6, 2012

by Nico Rosso

Return to The Ether Chronicles, where the skies above the American West are about to get wilder than ever…

Bounty hunter Anna Blue always finds her fugitive. But her latest mission is filled with mystery: a high price for an eccentric inventor. And her biggest rival, Jack Hawkins—a startlingly handsome, entirely unsettling man whose abilities match her own—is hunting the same bounty. Neither will back down.

When a rogue Man O' War flies his airship into the California skies, guns blazing, Anna and Jack are forced to team up or die. But it isn't the danger that has them ready to flare like gunpowder. They've circled each other for years as competitors only. Fighters and outsiders, they never thought they'd find a kindred soul. As hot passion and raw need draw them together, can they survive this mission long enough to track the most elusive fugitives… their hearts?

by 
Zoë Archer

My husband, Nico Rosso, and I have co-created the steampunk romance world of the Ether Chronicles.  One of the central elements of the series is the existence of Man O’ Wars.  A Man O’ War is a man who has been transformed through technology to be stronger, faster, and have sharper senses than normal men.  Not only are they fierce warriors, but because of their implants, Man O’ Wars can power and fly airships.  Almost all European nations have Man O’ Wars in their navies, using them in the ongoing Mechanized War—a global war in which many countries vie for resources to make them even more powerful.

Having Man O’ Wars captaining a fleet of airships definitely gives a country an advantage.  Consequently, Man O’ Wars are often treated like heroes by their home country.  It costs a lot of money to transform a man into a weapon, so Man O’ Wars are rare and precious commodities, and they often turn the tides of battle.

But sometimes…Man O’ Wars go rogue. 

They turn their back on their country and their duty, often taking their airships with them.  (Man O’ Wars overload on energy if they don’t have their airships nearby to draw the energy off of them, which would trigger a berserker rage.  So a Man O’ War can’t survive without his ship.)   Some of the rogue Man O’ Wars have joined the flying city of Dr. Allegra Rossini, the scientist who developed the technology to make Man O’ Wars possible.  But most serve only themselves, becoming pirates or mercenaries.

Why would a Man O’ War turn rogue, especially if they exist at the top of the military food chain?  Some do it because they want more freedom.  A few leave because the experience of war has left them disillusioned.  Others are just plain greedy, and know they can make tremendous profit through more nefarious means.  One thing that unites them all is that rogue Man O’ Wars are dangerous and unpredictable.  They have strength, power, the ability to fly an airship anywhere, and no rules holding them back.

Captain Mikhail Mikhailovich Denisov was once one of the most decorated airship captains in the Russian Imperial Aerial Navy.  I can’t reveal why Mikhail went rogue—not without serious spoilers—but trust me when I say that he’s got major reasons to turn his back on his country.  He lives his life as a feared and rich mercenary, but he’s also haunted by all that he’s lost.

When Professor Daphne Carlisle shows up at a shady Sicilian tavern, offering to pay Mikhail for transport to Arabia, he initially refuses.  After all, a rogue Man O’ War usually doesn’t do business with English academics.  But Daphne needs to get to Arabia to free her parents from a ruthless warlord’s clutches, and if her offer of gold wasn’t enough to interest a tough mercenary like Mikhail, Daphne’s fascinating combination of primness and resilience definitely have him intrigued.

So, my question to you is, what would make you turn your back on everything that ever mattered?  Could you do it?  Leave a comment and follow me on my blog tour for SKIES OF STEEL, and you could win a copy of the book!

Book Monster is giving away any one book in the

ETHER CHRONICLES series to one lucky winner 
(winners choice of book).

Contest is open to international members as well

To Enter:

Fill out the Rafflecopter widget for Zoë's Event, follow the directions, take action, and mark as 'Done'.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway