Katherine Tulman's life is decidedly difficult and growing more so by the day. She must take care of her brilliant and fragile Uncle Tully and protect him and his dangerous designs from those who would use him. When men attack their home to kidnap Tully, Katherine knows they are no longer safe in England. Fleeing to Paris, Katherine is determined to keep Uncle Tully out of enemy hands, even if those hands are from her own country, but her real reason for choosing Paris is not so secret. She cannot believe Lane Moreau, her love, is dead despite multiple accounts of his death. Katherine won't stop until she has the right answers. When her search for Lane leads her straight into the sights of the Emperor Napoleon, Katherine knows she must do anything to keep Uncle Tully hidden from the world.

A SPARK UNSEEN by Sharon Cameron is the second novel featuring Katherine Tulman and her extraordinary family. Wonderfully gothic with a touch of steampunk, A SPARK UNSEEN captures the moody terror of a young woman's life as it disintegrates around her. Even with these broody elements, Katherine maintains a delightful sense of humor and hope. It is the complexity of relationships that provide the emotional backbone of A SPARK UNSEEN. Katherine's care for her Uncle Tully is heartbreakingly sweet. For anyone who's devoted their life to caring for another person with unique needs, Katherine and Tully's relationship touches that special bond. I applaud author Sharon Cameron for capturing that love inside a beautiful character who never once regrets her decision to be what her Uncle Tully needs.

A SPARK UNSEEN is a gothic, steampunk romance, but I'd have to say that the romance elements take second place to the adventure and mystery surrounding Lane's disappearance. Katherine is assured of her own love for Lane at the start of the novel which definitely moves the plot into solving a mystery rather than the unique journey of falling in love. The love provides the motivation while the mystery provides a fast-paced plot that twists around shadowy figures revolving in and out of Katherine's life.

Sharon Cameron is a talented writer who knows how to engage her reader from the start and keep them wrapped inside her words until the very last. A SPARK UNSEEN blends elements of gothic, steampunk, romance, and mystery to create a truly unique world that will be sure to delight readers.

Book Summary

When Katharine Tulman foils an attempt to kidnap her Uncle Tully, she finds herself caught up in international intrigue. Aware that there are people who want to turn her uncle's mechanical fish into an explosive device, and unsure of who to trust, she decides to fake her uncle's death and flee to Paris in search of Lane Moreau, her uncle's assistant.