Tempered
Book Four of The St. Croix Chronicles
Forced out of London's coal-blackened streets, Cherry St. Croix is faced with her most difficult undertaking yet: sobriety.
At long last, my guardian, the enigmatic Mr. Oliver Ashmore, has revealed
himself — and his order is clear: I am to be dried out at once, regardless of my wishes.
I loathe the country estate I am imprisoned
within. Footsteps follow me, voices call for me, and my sanity wavers.
In my fevered dreams, I am haunted by those I failed, while waking
proves no protection from the ghosts of my reckless past. The craving
for laudanum plagues me. I require a distraction.
To unravel the
alchemical mysteries of my mother's family, I must rely on Ashmore's
tutelage. I am lured to the art and drawn by the secrets my guardian
possesses. Yet the deeper I delve, the more I believe that something
dreadful disturbs these haunted corridors. In my madness, I fear that
what it wants most... is me.
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Karina Cooper
Born from the genetic mash-up of lesser royalty, storytellers, wanderers and dreamers, Karina Cooper was destined to be a creative genius. As a child, she moved all over the country like some kind of waifish blonde gypsy. When she grew up, she skipped the whole genius part and fell in love with writing about romance because, really, who doesn't love hot men and a happy ending?
When she isn't writing about things that go bump in the night, Karina designs Steampunk and neo-Victorian fancery. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with a husband, four cats, one rabbit, the fantasy of a dog and a passel of adopted gamer geeks.
The St. Croix Chronicles
A series featuring fearless heroine Cherry St. Croix - debutante by day, bounty hunter by night - set in an alternate London where proper Victorian society sits above a seedy steampunk underworld teeming with dubious loyalties, advanced technology, and incredible magic.
The St. Croix Chronicles consists of six primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
