His Clockwork Canary

“Contemporary romance author Ciotta’s first steampunk series blasts off with this
exhilarating riff on bodice-ripping romance, hurling twentieth-century technology
into an alternate Victorian England . . . the start of a delectable series.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“In this first in her new steampunk series, Ciotta brings us into a world where science
and inventions abound within the Victorian era. Masterfully written, with an intriguing
plot and a sassy, strong, and intelligent heroine at its center. Add to that a heroic-cowboy
love interest and a supporting cast of distinctive characters, and this story is one
fanciful, flying adventure.”

—
Romantic Times
(top pick, 4½ stars)

“Freaks, Mods, Vics, Flatliners, cowboys in airships, evil scientists, nefarious flying
pirates, and time-travel Victorian England was never so much fun. Ciotta’s whimsical
steampunk romance, the first in the Glorious Victorious Darcys series, is too good
to miss.”

—
Booklist
(starred review)

“Steampunk is still an evolving genre. In most cases, it’s a hit or miss with either
the romance or the steampunk story line. [Ciotta’s] ‘vision’ on an alternate take
on historical romance, though, was very well done, and I enjoyed reading it. . . .
If you’re looking for something a bit different and fun, then I’d pick up
Her Sky Cowboy
.”

—
USA Today
Happy Ever After

“Ciotta’s delightfully imaginative steampunk historical has just the right mix of
adventure and romance.”

—
Chicago Tribune

“Beth Ciotta’s
Her Sky Cowboy
is pure charm. This is a must read for anyone who loves the genre—or hasn’t even
tried it yet. You’ll be hooked!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Heather Graham

“A wildly inventive, action-packed steampunk adventure! Lady inventors, sexy renegade
lawmen, airships, acid rock, and flying horses—
Her Sky Cowboy
has it all!”

—Zoë Archer

Her Sky Cowboy

His Broken Angel

(A Penguin Special)

THE GLORIOUS VICTORIOUS DARCYS

BETH CIOTTA

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com.

First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright © Beth Ciotta, 2013

Excerpt from
Her Sky Cowboy
© Beth Ciotta, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed
in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in
or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
Purchase only authorized editions.

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

ISBN 978-1-101-61476-1

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility
for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

I’d like to share my heartfelt appreciation with everyone at Penguin for supporting
this series and helping to bring the Glorious Victorious Darcys to life! Your creativity
and expertise help to fuel my own imagination and enthusiasm.

I especially want to acknowledge my amazing editor, Jhanteigh Kupihea, as well as
my dazzling copy editor, Michele Alpern. Thank you for helping me to make this story
shine!

A special shout-out to my agent, Amy Moore-Benson—my champion, my friend. Thank you
for keeping me sane.

A huge, sloppy thank-you to my critique partners, my sister and fellow author Elle
J. Rossi and my cherished friend and fellow author Cynthia Valero. You ROCK!

My love and appreciation to my biggest supporter—my husband, my hero, Steve. Thank
you for everything, always.

To my many wonderful and supportive friends and family members, loyal readers, and
enthusiastic Facebook friends—thank you for brightening my days and enriching my life.
To the hardworking bloggers and reviewers who help to spread the word—thank you for
your thoughtful time and energy. And to all of the wondrous librarians and booksellers
who live and breathe and promote literature—thank you for being.

Greetings, fellow romantics and daring adventurers,

I don’t know about you, but one of my most cherished possessions is my imagination.
It’s taken me to some wondrous places, but none so personally thrilling as the alternate
world I created for
Her Sky Cowboy
and the subsequent stories in the Glorious Victorious Darcys series.

Imagine the 1960s. Race riots. Vietnam. The Cuban Missile Crisis.

Imagine a group of fanatical peace activists happening upon a means of time travel
and jumping back to the source of departure, the mid-1800s, in hopes of altering the
future and avoiding specific global atrocities.

Imagine their good intentions going horribly wrong and, instead, the two centuries
melding, setting the world on an unknown course.

I imagined and ended up with a spectacular and endearing alternate era—the Victorian
Age meets the Age of Aquarius.

Every decade, every era, and every world has its own lingo. In kind, there is terminology
specific to the GVD universe. I’ve included a glossary for easy reference should you
desire clarification. Also for those who have not read
Her Sky Cowboy
, the first installment in the series, I’d like to offer some history on how this
world came to be. If you prefer to discover while reading, then skip this part. But
for those who prefer background, this is for you!

Spectacularly Astonishing Exclusive Peeks into Marvelous Historical Facts (sort of)

1851
—Great Britain. The Great Exhibition is held at the Crystal Palace. Prince Albert
encourages the celebration of inventions and technology.

Engineer/visionary Briscoe Darcy introduces his one-of-kind time machine, vowing to
journey forward in time and to return with a futuristic marvel. He vanishes in front
of thousands of people, never to be seen again. Historically, Darcy is known as the
Time Voyager.

1856
(a leap year)—A caravan of twentieth-century time travelers arrives in the nineteenth
century via a time vehicle dubbed the Briscoe Bus. Their mission: to alter history
for the preservation of mankind. Known as the Peace Rebels, these Mods spread the
message “Make love, not war.”

Hungry for knowledge regarding technological marvels of the future, Prince Albert
embraces the PRs, causing a rift between him and his old-fashioned wife, Queen Victoria.
The PRs’ loose morals and advanced knowledge threaten their original goal. Some PRs
are corrupted, selling knowledge to power-hungry Vics. Soon society is divided into
two main factions: Old Worlders and New Worlders.

1860
—The Peace War breaks out, and when the dust settles . . . a hybrid of the 1860s and
the 1960s is born.

—Beth Ciotta

Terminology and definitions exclusive to the Glorious Victorious Darcys (and related
spin-offs)

aero-hangar
—a cavernous shelter used for housing and repairing airships.

aeropark
—a public or private airfield.

ALE
—acronym for Air Law Enforcement. A legion of law enforcers who police the skies in
airships.

Aquarian Cosmology Compendium
—
an elusive journal compiled by the scientific faction of the time-traveling Peace
Rebels. According to legend, the ACC features designs and scientific data pertaining
to twentieth-century technological wonders, as well as engineering details of a functioning
time machine.

automocab
—a hired road conveyance powered by steam or petrol (e.g., taxicab).

automocoaches
—road vehicles of various size and construction, powered by steam or petrol. Often
a cross between late-1800s mechanics and mid-to-late-1960s designs (e.g., steam-powered
Beetle Bug).

Book of Mods—
an extensive compilation of sketches, essays, and cautionary tales pertaining to culture,
politics, technology, and significant events of the twentieth century. Written by
a faction of the original Peace Rebels, this published journal was once widely read,
but is now banned.

clockwork propulsion engine
—a unique engine, originally designed by Briscoe Darcy, enabling a vehicle to travel
through time.

corneatacts
—cosmetic optical lenses utilized by Freaks to disguise their kaleidoscope (rainbow)
irises. Constructed to fit over the cornea,
corneatacts
create the illusion of normal, unicolor irises.

Disrupter 29
—a modified derringer (pocket pistol) enhanced by twentieth-century technology. An
advanced weapon available for purchase only on the black market.

Flatliner
—someone who cares only about his/her future and not the future or welfare of mankind.

Freak
—the offspring of a Vic and a Mod. Cross-century humans with varied supernatural gifts.
Freaks
are born with kaleidoscope eyes (irises that swirl with a rainbow of colors) and
a unique blood type. A powerful and unpredictable minority,
Freaks
are regarded as a curiosity and/or a threat. As such, their civil rights are restricted
by law.

Freak Fighters
—any person belonging to the underground organization fighting for the emancipation
of Freaks.

Freak Rebellion
—a brewing revolution intent on winning equal rights for Freaks.

Her Majesty’s Mechanics
—highly trained, highly covert agents who “fix” sensitive and controversial matters
for the British government and its sovereign.

Houdinians
—a secret “security” team.

Mod
—any person born of parents from the twentieth century.

Mod Tracker
—similar to a bounty hunter. Someone who tracks and locates Mods for monetary gain.

ModVic
—a cross-century clothing trend; 1960s Bohemian meets 1880s Victorian.

New Worlder
—liberals who embrace advanced knowledge and technology in hope of creating a better
tomorrow.

o’blaster
—a black market weapon similar to a shotgun. Instead of pellets, the cartridge is
packed with razor-sharp metal shards and heated by a core-propulsion blast.

Old Worlder
—conservatives who shun radical change and fear divergence, preferring to move forward
with the natural march of time.

Peabody 382
—an enhanced gentlemen’s pistol. Pretty but deadly.

Peace Rebels
—twentieth-century peace fanatics from the fields of the arts and sciences who traveled
back to the nineteenth century, intent on altering history and circumventing future
chaos and destruction . . . and ultimately Armageddon. As time went on, also a moniker
for any Vic who joined their cause.

Peace War
(1860–1864)—a four-year transcontinental war stemming from advanced twentieth-century
knowledge that led to corruption on both sides of the Atlantic, infecting Americans
and Europeans, Vics and Mods, blurring politics, culture, and beliefs. As a result,
society divided into two factions—Old Worlders and New Worlders.

Remington Blaster
—a nineteenth-century revolver enhanced with twentieth-century technology.

skytown
—floating pleasure meccas composed of three to five airships. “Above the law,” these
traveling hippie circuses offer illegal and outlawed entertainment and welcome equal
fraternizing amongst Mods, Vics, and Freaks . . . and assorted criminals.

stun cuff
—a common weapon of defense. A highly charged metal bracelet that “zaps” the attacker
with a jolt of electricity. Works through the same concept as a twentieth-century
stun gun.

telecommunicator
—a handheld communication device that transmits coded messages.

tele-talkie
—similar to a twentieth-century walkie-talkie; a personal two-way radio device.

Thera-Steam-Atic Brace
—a steam-powered prosthesis.

Time Voyager
—Briscoe Darcy, nineteenth-century engineer/visionary who invented a time machine
and traveled into the future, ultimately enabling the twentieth-century Peace Rebels
to travel back to the 1800s.

time-trace
—a supernatural skill. The ability to experience another person’s memories.

torchlight
—a battery-powered tube of light similar to a twentieth-century flashlight.

Vic
—any person born of parents from the nineteenth century.