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Poison or Protect

A Delightfully Deadly Novella

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About this listen

Can one gentle Highland soldier woo Victorian London's most scandalous lady assassin, or will they both be destroyed in the attempt?

New York Times best-selling author Gail Carriger presents a stand-alone romance novella set in her popular steampunk universe full of manners, spies, and dainty sandwiches.

Lady Preshea Villentia, the Mourning Star, has four dead husbands and a nasty reputation. Fortunately, she looks fabulous in black. What society doesn't know is that all her husbands were marked for death by Preshea's employer. And Preshea has one final assignment.

It was supposed to be easy, a house party with minimal bloodshed. Preshea hadn't anticipated Captain Gavin Ruthven - massive, Scottish, quietly irresistible, and...working for the enemy. In a battle of wits, Preshea may risk her own heart - a terrifying prospect, as she never knew she had one.

Delicate sensibilities? Contains men pleasing women, and ladies who know what they want and ask for it, sometimes in detail. May also contain plaid, appearances from dandy vampires, and the strategic application of leather gloves.

©2016 Gail Carriger LLC (P)2017 Gail Carriger LLC Fantasy Fiction Historical Science Fiction Steampunk Marriage Heartfelt Highlander
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This book follows on from the finishing school books. It gives you a very good insight into Preshea, who was one of the students. It helps you to understand why she is the way she is. Definitely worth a try, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Excellent Story

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I love that all Gail's characters get an ending. they are so well written and thought about that you can't wait to see how their stories finish.
another great book.
thank you.

love Gail's stories

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Listener received this title free

This is a fantastic novella, well narrated and a very enjoyable story. I’m usually a little dubious when reading or listening to novellas, as romances tend to be rushed and come off as inauthentic – not this one though! I enjoyed the antagonistic relationship between the main characters, which gradually softened but never lost my interest. The plot, though simple, was engaging and as this is a Gail Carriger book, the attention to detail with regards to the dress and etiquette of the era was top notch. Highly recommended.
*NB: I received a free copy of this audiobook after winning it via a competition run by the author.

A lovely romance, witty and warm

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While I'd read the book of this story previously, the audiobook is expertly narrated by Suzanne Lavington to bring the story to life. She really captures the characters brilliantly, and builds the tension fabulously at the right times. I also like the levity she brings to the romantic moments, keeping them both 'in the mood' but preventing the characters' previous history from over-colouring their experiences, which would've been easy to do. So if you enjoy stories from the Parasolverse, steampunk stories with a romantic twist, and can accept a little adult content, I highly recommend this story - either as a book, or as an audiobook.

A fabulous story, brilliantly told. Highly recommended!

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It is very unusual for me to listen to an audio version before having read something in book form, so it took a bit longer for me to really get into the story than I had expected. Now after repeated listenings, I love Preshea and Gavin's story, and enjoyed the mystery element to it. I very much liked their back and forth "are we on the same side or aren't we". The story makes me want to curl up to listen with a hot drink.. and a helping or two of shortbread.

Enjoyable & cosy

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