The Viper and the Urchin — Celine Jeanjean

Being Damsport's most elegant assassin is hard work. There are devilish poisons to concoct, secret identities to maintain, and tailoring to consider. But most importantly, Longinus has to keep his fear of blood hidden, or his reputation will be ruined.

Rory lives on the streets. After her partner-in-crime steals all her money, she wonders if she'll ever be able to afford her dream of becoming an expert swordswoman. When she walks right into Longinus' inadvertently bloody assassination attempt, she learns a secret that may just secure her wish.

As Longinus trains the urchin to keep her silence, he runs headlong on into something much worse than blackmail. A copycat assassin is on the loose, and Rory and Longinus must work together to stop him. But darker forces than they realise are at play, and with time running out, the unlikely duo find themselves the last line of defence against a powerful enemy who seeks to bring Damsport to its knees.

"The Viper and the Urchin" is the first instalment in the Bloodless Assassin Mysteries, a collection of steampunk/fantasy books set in the tropical Victorian-like city of Damsport. If you like quirky characters, richly imagined worlds, and fast-paced action, then you'll love Celine Jeanjean's rollicking novel.

Buy "The Viper and the Urchin" and get swept away in the adventure today

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q - So, what makes the Bloodless Assassin series special?

A - It's a mix of things really. When I started writing The Viper and the Urchin, I wanted to create something that I'd want to read. My top picks are usually novels that feature quirky characters with humour to them, anything steampunk or fantasy, and I do love a good mystery.

The Viper and the Urchin is a great mix of all these things. It's a fun and easy read with a darker mystery threading throughout the story.

Q - The setting is a little unusual for steampunk.

A - Yes. One of the things I love about fantasy is being whisked away to a completely new and unknown world, and I wanted to recreate that feeling. So I've kept the aesthetic and technology of steampunk, but set my story in an exciting tropical world that's very different from what readers will have encountered before.

My world is also at the start of its development of steam technology, so the city of Damsport is very much a mix of old and new.

Q -Will there be more books in the series?

A - Absolutely I'm working on Book 2 now and I have a few more in the works. You can get notified first when a new book comes out by going here: bit.ly/CJeanjeanNewReleases (just paste into your browser.

"Thank you for reading "