Delphine Dryden, one of the fabulous ladies over at wonkomance.com, is one of my auto-buy authors, and since I’m one of the ones who includes steampunk in paranormal, well, here ya go, this is what I’m highlighting today! I finished Gossamer Wing yesterday, the first in her new Steam and Seduction series, and it didn’t disappoint.

Dryden is a deft hand with words and emotion, and here she spins a tale that puts us right into a rich world, where the United States is known as the Dominions (never having left England’s wing) and they’re dealing with a shaky peace after a long war with France. The heroine, a widow, is the spy here, yay! And the hero is such a delightful blend of alpha and beta rolled up in an honest, endearing and frank demeanor, with such a sweet heart. Dryden sidesteps typical romance tropes in how he reacts to such an intelligent and headstrong heroine, and because of it, wins her heart (don’t think I’m giving anything away there, it is a romance, after all).

Here’s the official blurb:

After losing her husband to a rogue French agent, Charlotte Moncrieffe wants to make her mark in international espionage. And what could be better for recovering secret long-lost documents from the Palais Garnier than her stealth dirigible, Gossamer Wing? Her spymaster father has one condition: He won’t send her to Paris without an ironclad cover.

Dexter Hardison prefers inventing to politics, but his title as Makesmith Baron and his formidable skills make him an ideal husband-imposter for Charlotte. And the unorthodox undercover arrangement would help him in his own field of discovery.

But from Charlotte and Dexter’s marriage of convenience comes a distraction—a passion that complicates an increasingly dangerous mission. For Charlotte, however, the thought of losing Dexter also opens her heart to a thrilling new future of love and adventure

What about you? Have you read Gossamer Wing yet? Are you a Dryden fan too?