Steele
City Blues
Hell’s
Belle Series
Book
3
Karen
Greco
Genre: urban
fantasy/paranormal romance
Date of
Publication: January 3, 2017
Word Count:
98,000
Formats
available: epub, mobi, pdf
Cover Artist:
Robin Ludwig
Book
Description:
Blood Ops leader
Dr. O is chained in the bowels of Steele City, the state’s maximum security
prison, and the clock is ticking for Nina and Frankie to bust him out.
Now that
supernatural creatures are out of the closet, Providence is descending into an
Apocalyptic wasteland. With the abrupt shut down Blood Ops, Nina and Frankie
are on their own to save Dr. O and the other supernatural prisoners from
certain death. Not knowing where Demon Mayor Bertrand’s loyalties lie, they are
forced to rely on some questionable allies to battle Leila, a powerful
vampire/witch hybrid hell bent on creating an indestructible supernatural army.
She also happens to be Nina’s mom.
Alliances are
tested and relationships fractured as Nina and her band of supernatural crime
fighting misfits are pushed to the breaking point.
A (Virtual) Tour through Hell’s Belle’s
Providence
The city of Providence, RI is as much of
a character in the Hell’s Belle books as Nina, Frankie, Babe, etc. Some of the
places are figments of my imagination, but a number of them really do exist!
Here’s a virtual walking tour of these locations.
Nina’s factory apartment
The apartment Nina lives in in Hell’s
Belle is located in the Olneyville section in Providence. This is the old
manufacturing hub in the state, with beautiful old factory buildings circling
the main street. While the Olneyville that Nina inhabits is run down and
desolate, the area is experiencing a bit of a resurgence with artist friendly
policies that are turning these old gems into live/work spaces for creatives.
Venda Ravioli
A quick walk (or motorcycle ride) from
Olneyville is Federal Hill, Providence’s Little Italy. This is where Nina and
Max have coffee and we are introduced to Bertrand for the first time. Venda is
a real place, it exists, and it’s something of an institution! You can buy
prepared foods, fresh pasta, pastries and coffees. Go hungry, leave stuffed.
Biltmore Hotel
When I was growing up, the Biltmore was
to Providence what the Plaza Hotel was to NYC. Over the years, a number of
large hotel chains as well as charming boutique hotels have upped the
competition for tourist and event dollars, but this Art Deco gem still cuts a
striking appearance. In the Hell’s Belle world, this is ground zero for the
city’s poltergeist problem, and serves as our demon mayor’s office away from
City Hall (which is, in actuality, right across the street).
The Tunnel
The big battle in Tainted Blood happens
in the long abandoned East Side Railroad Tunnel. When I was yound, the tunnel
was easily accessible - some silly “no trespassing” signs were going to keep
out a bunch of creative college kids eager to party. During the era of
underground raves, this was a key spot for artsy-grunge parties. After a
particularly rowdy party, tunnel was finally sealed over. But its legacy
endures!
Babe’s On the Sunnyside
Lets head on over to Fox Point, where
Babe’s On the Sunnyside still exists in the Hell’s Belle world. Babe’s was a
real watering hole when I was growing up. The kind of neighborhood bar that
served cheap beer and the only “small plates” served were the pickled eggs. The
original proprietor was an old boxing trainer, and old pictures of fighters
adorned the walls. I recently saw the place described as “an old punk rock
hangout.” And I am not sure that moniker is entirely accurate, not for the
Babe’s I knew from my younger days, nor from the Babe’s the exists in the
Hell’s Belle world. It was a good, old fashioned bar where as long as you
didn’t cause any problems, you were welcome. And that’s what Hell’s Belle
Babe’s continues to be.
About
the Author:
Karen Greco is
originally from Rhode Island and loves hot wieners from New York System, but
can't stand coffee milk. She studied playwriting in college (and won an award
or two). After not writing plays for a long time, a life-long obsession with
exorcists and Dracula drew her to urban fantasy, where she decapitates
characters with impunity. Steele City Blues is the third book in the Hell’s
Belle series, after Hell’s Belle (the first) and Tainted Blood (number two).
She writes contemporary romance for a small press under the pen-name Jillian
Sterling, and has a day job in entertainment publicity.
Tour
giveaway
10 copies of the
book in Kindle or Epub format.
Cool cover!
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