Ella is an Edwardian Cinderella with an undead problem.
The flu pandemic of 1918 took millions of souls within a few short weeks. Except it wasn’t flu, and death gave them back.
Seventeen-year-old Ella copes the best she can by caring for her war-injured father, scrubbing the floors, and slaying the undead that attack the locals. Like rats, these vermin spread pestilence with every bite. Ella’s world collides with another when she nearly decapitates a handsome stranger—one who is very much alive.
Seth deMage, the new Duke of Leithfield, has returned to his ancestral home with a mission from the War Office: control the plague of vermin in rural Somerset. He needs help; he just didn’t expect to find it in a katana-wielding scullery maid.
Working alongside Seth blurs the line between their positions, and Ella glimpses a future she never dreamed was possible. But in overstepping society’s boundaries, Ella could lose everything—her home, her head, and her heart.
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“Here’s a retelling of Cinderella—but set in a Downton-like abbey, with zombies! Narrator Gabrielle de Cuir’s deep, smoky voice fits Ella’s practicality, toughness, and good humor in the face of horror. And there is horror—for not only is Ella’s father a shell-shocked veteran of WWI but also zombies (called ‘vermin’) roam the British countryside. And Ella is adept at killing them. De Cuir portrays Ella’s wicked stepmother as a velvety-smooth villain, while the stepsisters are daft twits with upper-class accents. Seth, the duke (think Prince Charming), sounds well bred and calm. De Cuir’s excellent narration makes listening to this ‘fairy tale with a scary twist’ a fun diversion.”
— AudioFile
“Fans of fairy tales, true love, and zombies (without a lot of gore) will enjoy this tromp through the English countryside.”
— Second Run ReviewsA. W. Exley survived school by hiding out in the library with several thousand fictional characters for company. Today she writes twisted historical novels. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful horses, cats, a mad boxer, and chickens who think they are mini velociraptors.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.