Soulless

Victorian London has few places for an unmarried woman who lacks a soul, and Alexia Tarabotti has more than her share of problems. Her late father was Italian, which her society finds suspicious, and at her age she is considered long past the marriage market. Her troubles worsened when a vampire attacked her in public, an act so improper that it scandalized the room, and she responded by accidentally killing him.

The trouble does not stop there. Queen Victoria dispatches Lord Maccon, a loud, untidy, and undeniably handsome werewolf, to look into the matter. Vampires are turning up where none should be, while others vanish, and most people are quick to blame Alexia. She must work out what is really happening among the city's elite, and decide whether her unusual ability to suppress supernatural powers is a help or simply another embarrassment. Who is behind it all, and what do they make of afternoon tea?

Set in a steam-powered version of Victorian England, full of werewolves, vampires, airships, and tea, this is a witty comedy of manners. It is the first book in The Parasol Protectorate series.