Delightfully Deadly

Delightfully Deadly contains three standalone novels set in New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger's steampunk Parasolverse. The novels feature the exploits of graduates of Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy, filled with manners, tricky lady spies, and supernatural creatures taking tea. Spinning off from the Finishing School series, these stories contain a great deal of forward flirtation between sweetheart gentlemen and deadly women. May also involve excessive use of velvet, melodramatic lobsters, and the strategic application of interpretive ballet. Poison or Protect In a battle of wits, Preshea may risk her own heart – a terrifying prospect, as she never knew she had one. 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. Defy or Defend A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful intelligencer with a sparkly plan. The bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other. Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office's best and most decorative fixer. She's sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives. Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee. Neither one is a vampire expert, but when the Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire. Ambush or Adore London’s greatest and most covert spy tries to escape the man who has always adored her. Agatha Woosmoss, the Wallflower, is the greatest intelligencer of her generation. And no one knows she exists. She has been invisible, capable, and cunning for well over four decades. Her greatest skill is in her ability to go forever unnoticed. Except by one man. Pillover Plumleigh-Teignmott is a professor of ancient languages at Oxford University. He’s done his best to ignore his training as an Evil Genius and live a quiet life away from politics and intrigue. With one major exception, Agatha Woosmoss. When an assignment goes horribly wrong, Agatha must hide and heal. So she goes to ground with the only person who’s always kept her safe, Pillover.

The novels feature the exploits of graduates of Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy, filled with manners, tricky lady spies, and supernatural creatures taking tea. Spinning off from the Finishing School series, these stories contain a great deal of forward flirtation between sweetheart gentlemen and deadly women. May also involve excessive use of velvet, melodramatic lobsters, and the strategic application of interpretive ballet. Poison or Protect In a battle of wits, Preshea may risk her own heart – a terrifying prospect, as she never knew she had one. ASSASSIN 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. VERSUS SCOTSMAN 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. Contains plaid, gentlemen eating dainty tea sandwiches, and the strategic application of leather gloves. Defy or Defend A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful intelligencer with a sparkly plan. The bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other. SPY Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office's best and most decorative fixer. She's sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives. VERSUS KNIGHT Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee. Neither one is a vampire expert, but when the Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire. In a battle for survival (and wallpaper), Dimity learns that not all that sparkles is good, while Cris discovers he likes honey a lot more than he thought. Ambush or Adore London’s greatest and most covert spy tries to escape the man who has always adored her. INTELLIGENCER Agatha Woosmoss, the Wallflower, is the greatest intelligencer of her generation. And no one knows she exists. She has been invisible, capable, and cunning for well over four decades. Her greatest skill is in her ability to go forever unnoticed. Except by one man. VERSUS INTELLECTUAL Pillover Plumleigh-Teignmott is a professor of ancient languages at Oxford University. He’s done his best to ignore his training as an Evil Genius and live a quiet life away from politics and intrigue. With one major exception, Agatha Woosmoss. When an assignment goes horribly wrong, Agatha must hide and heal. So she goes to ground with the only person who’s always kept her safe, Pillover. Can Pillover hold onto the deadly woman who always gets away? Will Agatha realize that patience is indeed a virtue, and that perhaps it is good to be noticed by the one who waits?