A Beauty's Bargain
- Reads 41
- Votes 1
- Parts 1
In the award-winning steampunk universe of Ashley R. Carlson's The Charismatics, the rich live in floating cities over the achingly poor, flaunting their wealth constantly. Merry Coyne is one such pauper in the frozen landscape of Shinery, caring for her elderly parents and toiling into the night as a seamstress, where the shop owner craves more than just her needlepoint skills. On one particularly dreary day, news spreads faster than Shinery's dwindling food deliveries: the wealthy Duchess Ambrosia La Marck will hold a drawing for two handmaidens, a lucrative position that promises stability for Merry's family. In order for her to enter however, Merry must bargain with the only currencies she has: her beauty...and her bravery.
A Beauty's Bargain is a standalone short story perfect for those who wish to explore The Charismatics' world and its key players, before the rebellion has begun.
All Rights Reserved
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Dissolution
WATTY'S 2017 NEWCOMER AWARD WINNER: What would you sell yourself for? Madeline knows. She's spent the last eighteen years impatiently waiting for her Auctioning so she can sell herself to MERCE Solutions Limited for a hundred thousand credits. But when the Auctioneer fails to call her and two suits show up at her doorstep, Madeline discovers there are far worse bargains to be made. So when your loved ones are in danger, there's a bounty on your head and your entire city might turn out to be a lie... what would you sell yourself for? "An action-packed cyberpunk thriller in the vein of Phillip K. Dick." ~ KISA WHIPKEY, REUTS PUBLICATIONS "A book that shakes you to the core and makes you take a close look at the world around you." - A DROP OF INK REVIEWS Updated every Wednesday and Saturday (Australian Time). Published under the pen name Lee S. Hawke and available in full on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Nook.Complete
Out of the Ordinary (USUALLY #2)
"You're crazy if you think I'm doing this just for me." They hooked up once and didn't think much of it. Now, they're stuck living with one another and refusing to ask the other for help fighting their own battles. JADE PASTERNAK, the woman whose life everyone desires, doesn't lead as glamourous a life as everyone suspects. After the suspicion that somebody from her past has found her again, she knows she's not safe in her luxurious mansion. Thanks to the predicament she's in, she is forced to live frugally in comparison to what she's used to. After getting hired at a hoity-toity unisex salon, she begins to realize that some people do, in fact, have it worse than her. LEON STEELES is given the conflicting news that their cheating father has died. While they don't want this news to affect them, it does to the point where they blow their rent money on drugs and have to work overtime just to make that money back. Due to this low point, they struggle keeping both their place and life in an orderly fashion... until a new unsuspecting roommate needs a place to lay low. (This story contains adult themes such as sexual content, drug use, sexual assault, mentions of acts of rape, and talk of death. Read at your own risk.)Complete
The Lost Pixie
Early 19th century Spain. Maricruz wants a place to belong. Somewhere that will accept her gifted eyes that can see into people's hearts and read their deepest desires. She's convinced her place is somewhere beyond the manor walls she grew up in, but her adoptive mother has other plans. When all of Maricruz's attempts to sabotage her adoptive mother's plans to marry her off fail, she begins to give up hope of ever finding her true place in the world. Until a mysterious white tiger reveals itself to her. Turns out, Maricruz is half-pixie, and the pixies want her to come home. Finally, it seems Maricruz's wish has come true. Her joy is short-lived, however, when the pixies reveal they need her to save their race by becoming their Pixie Mother. After she becomes a full pixie, of course--a process all the half-pixies before her haven't survived. Determined to escape her possible death, Maricruz strikes a deal to cure the pixies infertility in exchange for her freedom. With her dear friend Mateo, and her new companion Silvio by her side, Maricruz prays she'll survive the dangers of the magical world long enough to find her true place.Complete
Song of Ramona (Book #1 in Pirates of the Cloudsea Trilogy) (Teaser)
| Featured Story | This fast-paced novella follows the adventure of a fledgling sky pirate as she becomes entangled in a revolution. For a year, the scrappy picklock Clikk has flown aboard The Wastrel disguised as a man. When her captain kidnaps a girl named Molly, Clikk is furious to learn that he plans to sell her as a bride to a despotic emperor. Molly has a secret that could be the catalyst of a revolutionary war, but the captain can't wait to be rid of her. Girls are bad luck on airships, and this one suffers a curse that makes her unable to stop crying. Clikk schemes to help Molly escape, but to do so, she must inspire a mutiny, stop an imperial wedding at sky and sneak the girl onto a hijacked ship, all while enduring the child's intolerable crying curse. *************** "If you have ever loved a fairy tale, odyssey, or penny dreadful, you'll feel right at home." -- Sarah Toledo "A coming of age story introducing Merriet's well designed steam world." -- Alan ReidComplete![The Maad Doctor [The Maad Series #1]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/71784227-256-k617386.jpg)
The Maad Doctor [The Maad Series #1]
On a night where everything changes, Don and Sky are on separate missions that take place at the same event. By the end of the night, the two become the talk of Virtue City without anyone knowing who they really are. And by the next day, they are the most wanted people in Sin City. Every second that passes, someone new and desperate joins in on the bounty to catch them--dead or alive. So when the two cross paths and realize what the other has done, they embark on an adventure full of steam-powered gadgets and machinery, all in an attempt to stay alive for as long as possible. But what they don't know is: On that fateful night in Virtue City, their actions gave birth to The Maad Doctor. Copyright © JaxonBlacc. All Rights Reserved.Complete
Plagium (Keepers Book 1)
[2022 WATTYS WINNER] | Tracey Higgenbottom, Mr. Porter's witty assistant, finds herself at a dead-end when constables dismiss a case of his possible kidnapping. With the unexpected help of a spunky adventurer, a chimney sweep boy and his sister, and a reluctant records keeper, she suddenly finds herself on the hunt for Mr. Porter herself. When she starts searching too deeply, however, matters complicate beyond her expectations. A steampunk adventure for all to enjoy! ***This is a late (but not final) draft!*** (Plagium || Plah-gee-um: The crime of kidnapping a child) ⭐Plagium has won a Watty in the "Mystery & Thriller" category AND The 2022 WWS Animation Prize! ⭐ NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! Coming out July 7th wherever books are sold online. Link in author bio. :) (Relaunched February 2021) Alt. Title: A Curious Case of Plagium HIGHEST RANKINGS: #1 Middle grade, #1 Mystery adventure, #3 Family friendly, #3 steampunk, #1 cozy mystery, #5 cozy 9x READING LIST FEATURES: 🔹WATTPAD - Editors' Choice (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD EXPLORER - Editors' Choice (October 2023) 🔹TEEN FICTION - Teen Featured (October 2023) 🔹MYSTERY - Featured Mystery/Thriller Stories (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD PUNKFICTION - Punkfiction Favorites (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD FRIENDS AND FAMILY - Certified Bonds | Wattpad Picks (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD - Dangerous Worlds (October 2023) 🔹WATTPAD EXPLORER - Dangerous Worlds (October 2023) 🔹ADVENTURE - Featured Stories (October 2023) 🔹EDITOR'S PICK (July 2023) ***PLAGIUM is the first book in The Keepers Series.*** KEEPERS SERIES ORDER: 1-Plagium 2-AnnuletComplete
WATTY'S 2017 NEWCOMER AWARD WINNER: What would you sell yourself for? Madeline knows. She's spent the last eighteen years impatiently waiting for her Auctioning so she can sell herself to MERCE Solutions Limited for a hundred thousand credits. But when the Auctioneer fails to call her and two suits show up at her doorstep, Madeline discovers there are far worse bargains to be made. So when your loved ones are in danger, there's a bounty on your head and your entire city might turn out to be a lie... what would you sell yourself for? "An action-packed cyberpunk thriller in the vein of Phillip K. Dick." ~ KISA WHIPKEY, REUTS PUBLICATIONS "A book that shakes you to the core and makes you take a close look at the world around you." - A DROP OF INK REVIEWS Updated every Wednesday and Saturday (Australian Time). Published under the pen name Lee S. Hawke and available in full on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Nook.
More detailsContent Guidelines