Ice and Embers by Melanie Karsak

Synopsis - 
It takes more than an inferno to thaw a frozen heart.

Actress Elyse McKenna only wants to perform in Shakespearean dramas—not live in one.

With the 1814 London Frost Fair in full swing, Elyse and her troupe at the Ice House Theatre find themselves at the heart of the excitement on the frozen Thames. While the Ice House Theatre’s production of A Midwinter Night’s Dream thrills the London crowd, Elyse’s backstage life begins to take on a distinctly Shakespearean turn. 

When she fell in love with Lord John Waldegrave, she was prepared to keep their liaison secret. But she wasn’t ready for her newfound love to rock her relationship with her dearest friend, Doctor Kai Murray. Everything Elyse thought she knew about her feelings for her old friend gets flipped upside down when an exotic ship captain, whose ship is frozen in the Thames, turns her attention to Kai.

If Elyse hopes to escape the Thames with her heart intact, she must find a way to discover the truth about the captain, Kai, John, and her own feelings—before it’s too late.

Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Again I am impressed with Melanie Karsak's retellings. For this one, I was a little disappointed by how little of the steampunk theme was involved. The only time it was mentioned was when Master Hawkings and his daughter Isobell were brought in. I liked the little references back to Curiouser and Curiouser.