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Nancy Campbell Allen
The Lady in the Coppergate Tower
by: Nancy Campbell AllenHazel Hughes has spent her life believing she is a Medium—someone who can talk to ghosts. But as of yet, that skill has remained frustratingly elusive, and Hazel begins to question her place in society. Compounding the problem is the fact that she was raised by the housekeeper of one of the most prestigious families in England, the Blackwells. Caught between two worlds, she doesn’t really feel like she belongs in either one.
Sam MacInnes is a talented surgeon who runs in the highest social circles thanks to his friendship with Lord Blackwell, but he’s never forgotten his own humble beginnings. When Sam meets Hazel at the Blackwell manor, he is immediately drawn to her, and he sets out to convince her that social status doesn’t have to be a barrier to falling in love.
His plans are thwarted one evening when a mysterious man shows up at a party and reveals to Hazel that he is her uncle come to take her home to Romania. Even more startling is the news that Hazel has a twin sister who is being held against her will in a cursed tower that will slowly drive the young woman insane.
Hazel agrees to return with her uncle in order to save her sister, and Sam insists on accompanying her. Along the journey to Romania, Hazel discovers that her talent as a Medium was a lie her mother told by to hide the fact that Hazel and her twin sister are both Healers, a rare and very powerful talent. The man holding Hazel’s sister captive wants to use the sisters’ combined power to create an unstoppable revenant army. If Hazel enters the tower to save her sister, she might be walking right into a trap. But she can’t abandon the only family she has left.
Hazel and Sam must fight their way past vampires, clockwork beasts, and their own insecurities as they try to reach her sister in the impenetrable Coppergate Tower before time runs out.
- A steampunk retelling of Rapunzel, set in Victorian London and Romania, the setting for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
- Character spin-off from Beauty and the Clockwork Beast and a standalone title.
- Nancy Campbell Allen is known for her ability to weave intrigue and adventure with a romantic plotline.
- Story provides a commentary on strict Victorian social classes. Sam’s father was a wealthy textile merchant, which allows Sam to move among the upper crusts of society even though he was not born with a title. His skill and reputation as a surgeon, and his association with the Lord of Blackwell Manor, also add to his social prestige, all of which intimidates Hazel, who was born to a working class family. The difference in social class proves to be a significant obstacle as Sam and Hazel try to navigate their feelings for each other.
- The story explores the dual themes of defining family and exceeding expectations. Hazel discovers that she is a twin, and instead of being a Medium who can speak with those who have passed, she and her sister are Healers with the ability to bring those who have passed back to their loved ones.
- Features new steampunk gadgets. Sam and Hazel’s journey takes them underwater in a steampunk submarine not unlike Jules Verne’s Nautilus, then over land through the wilds of Transylvania that are filled with dangerous clockwork and human beasts.
- Clean content, suitable for all ages.
ISBN: 978-1-62972-554-3
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Publish Date: 2019
Page Count: 368
-Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A fantasy-laden Victorian era tale whose fascinating world is filled with drama and adventure. The adventure aspects of the tale are engaging and tense. An entertaining romance set in interesting lands."
-Foreword Reviews
