Mission: Improper: London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy (45 page)

Gruff, and slightly embarrassed, he couldn't quite hide his pleasure as he cleared his throat.
"I love you, Ingrid.
They're the only words that I know, and they're not empty."
Pressing her hand to his chest, he gave a faint smile.
"They fill me up, in here.
I never knew there was so much emptiness inside until I met you, but you fill me up.
You make every day a revelation."

Ingrid gave a hiccupping laugh that was filled with more tears.
Her family....
She still couldn't believe it.
"Thank you."

"I thought we could take an extended honeymoon," he suggested, offering her his handkerchief.
"Since we missed out on our first one, thanks to that debacle at Malloryn's wedding."

"A honeymoon?"

Fingers tiptoed down her bodice, pausing at the lace along her décolletage.
"We leave in two days time.
So you'll have to pack.
But that's unimportant.
I believe you were saying something about another type of present?"

Ingrid curled her fist in his collar.
"Come here," she growled, and hauled him against her for a kiss.

Lynch's desk be damned.

I
f you enjoyed
Mission
: Improper
, then get ready for
The Mech Who Loved Me
!
Book two in the Blue Blood Conspiracy series, it features Kincaid and Ava,
and continues the mystery of figuring out just who is the figurehead behind the
dhampir
and SOG.
If you want to know more about its release date, cover reveals, and pre-order links click
here
.

I
f you'd like
to receive notification of future Bec McMaster titles, giveaways, and exclusive first looks at new covers, sign up for my
newsletter
.

C
an't wait
for more blue blood action and romance?
Or did you miss the first arc of the series,
London Steampunk
?
Check out the
whole series
.
I recommend starting with
Kiss Of Steel
.
Not only is it the first book, but it also features a cocky, bad boy anti-hero who captured my heart from the very first moment he came onscreen.
There's humor, heroes-to-die-for, dangerous plots, sexy corsets, kick-bustle heroines, duels, steamy kisses (not-just-kisses), and vampires.

D
on't forget
to keep an eye out for new releases.
Hexbound,
the second book in the Dark Arts series is out in October 2016,
and features the reclusive and scarred assassin, Adrian Bishop, and a thief who just might be able to help him recover the Chalice she stole from him.
Then in December,
The Last True Hero
, continues the Burned Lands series, with the story of what happened to Adam McClain.

T
hank you for reading
Mission
: Improper
!
I hope you enjoyed it.
Please consider leaving a review online, to help others find my books.
Read on for more information on the Blue Blood Conspiracy series.

T
he Sons
of Gilead are rising, threatening the very heart of the Empire: the Queen herself.
Only a secret handful of people dare to stop them, though they may be risking life and limb–and even their hearts–in the process.

Freed from the grips of a madman, Miss Ava McLaren has had a difficult time fitting back into the life of a gently bred young lady.
Stricken by the craving virus, she found solace in the laboratories of the Nighthawks trying to create a synthetic solution for blood, until one day a strange missive arrives, asking for her help in thwarting a plot against the Queen.

Thrown into the Company of Rogues, Ava finds herself intimidated by the dangerous men and women who form the core of the group, particularly the brutish mech, Kincaid.
The man's a devilishly handsome rake who barely notices that she's even female.
Indeed, he considers her blue blood status a personal insult and makes it clear he'll never trust her.

Until an assassination attempt proves that Ava's experiments just might have caught the attention of the Sons of Gilead.
Kincaid's the only one who can protect her from the dangerous anarchists–and together they are forced to discover just why Ava is suddenly the most sought-after bluestocking in London...

L
ONDON STEAMPUNK SERIES

K
iss Of Steel

Heart Of Iron

My Lady Quicksilver

Forged By Desire

Of Silk And Steam

N
ovellas in same series
:

Tarnished Knight

The Curious Case Of The Clockwork Menace

L
ONDON STEAMPUNK
: THE BLUE BLOOD CONSPIRACY

Mission: Improper

The Mech Who Loved Me (Coming 2017)

D
ARK ARTS SERIES

Shadowbound

Hexbound (Oct 2016)

B
URNED LANDS SERIES

Nobody's Hero

The Last True Hero (Dec 2016)

S
HORT STORIES

The Many Lives Of Hadley Monroe

B
ec McMaster is
the award-winning author of the London Steampunk series.
When not poring over travel brochures, playing netball, or cooking things that are very likely bad for her, Bec spends most of her time in front of the computer.
A member of RWA, she writes sexy, dark paranormals, and adventurous steampunk romances, and grew up with her nose in a book.
Following a life-long love affair with fantasy, she discovered romance novels as a 16 year-old, and hasn't looked back.

I
n 2012
, Sourcebooks released her debut award-winning novel,
Kiss of Steel
, the first in the London Steampunk series, followed by:
Heart of Iron
,
My Lady Quicksilver
,
Forged By Desire
, and
Of Silk And Steam
.
Two novellas -
Tarnished Knight
and
The Curious Case Of The Clockwork Menace
- fleshed out the series.
She has been nominated for RT Reviews Best Steampunk Romances for
Heart of Iron (2013)
, won RT Reviews Best Steampunk Romance with
Of Silk And Steam (2015)
, and
Forged By Desire
was nominated for a RITA award in 2015.

I
n 2016
, she debuted the
Dark Arts
series with
Shadowbound
, and the second
London Steampunk: The Blueblood Conspiracy
series begins in July 2016 with
Mission: Improper
.

F
or news on new releases
, cover reveals, giveaways, and special promotions, join her
mailing list
.

• @BecMcMaster
  
• BecMcMaster
  

T
he storyline in
Mission
: Improper
first began to rear its head in
My Lady Quicksilver
(book three in London Steampunk).
We were rapidly heading toward the revolution, but what happened next?
After all, there were a lot of threads to tie up, a few characters who needed to find their HEA, and just how well was the Queen going to rule now that she was out from under the grip of her tyrannical husband?
One of the things I liked exploring in this book is the fact that not everything is perfect.
We like to pretend that when we overthrow the villains, the world is suddenly sunshine and roses.
But mistakes get made, and sometimes those changes don't just happen in the blink of an eye.
London is now changing, but slowly, my friends.
Slowly.
And we've got a bit of a ways to go yet.

I
enjoyed
every second of writing this novel, but as with every project I take on, I couldn't have done it without a lot of help from these amazing people:

I
owe
huge thanks to Jennie Kew and Kylie Griffin for the beta read–who else highlights every cat reference in somebody's manuscript *grin*–to Olivia from Hot Tree Edits for all the editorial efforts on this project, and my wonderful cover artists at Damonza.com for that glorious cover.
Special thanks go to my very own beta hero, Byron–who encourages and supports me every step of the way–and to the Central Victorian Writers Group, for all of the tea and chocolates consumed at our meetings/brainstorming sessions.

A
nd to everyone who read
/loved/reviewed/ or talked about this book, you guys are awesome!
And yes, Charlie is coming!
He just has a little bit of growing up to do.
I hope you enjoyed Ingrid and Byrnes's HEA!