• Steamed. Katie MacAlister. Signet. 352 pages. $7.99 in paper.

The publishing industry keeps throwing out these crazy sub-subgenres: Historical paranormal romance; forensic fantasy; steampunk romance. There are some great stories hiding out in these obscure little corners. Read Annaliese Evans' Nights Rose or Tamara Siler Jones' Ghosts in the Snow for sterling examples of the first two. But steampunk romance? Seriously? Isn't steampunk supposed to be sort of dark and dreary without a lot of happy endings? Apparently not always. In fact, steampunk romance seems to be, well, picking up a lot of steam.

While perhaps not a bellwether of the genre, MacAlister's Steamed is positioned perfectly to draw a lot of outside readers into its increasingly not-so-little corner of the genreverse. Following the adventures of dubiously named airship captain Octavia Pye and her misfit crew, Steamed doesn't take itself too seriously for even a single sentence. Ranging from light hearted to downright silly, the story pokes gentle fun at steampunk and romance tropes alike without ever succumbing to self parody.

Captain Pye's romantic entanglements are provided by Jack Fletcher, a handsome, two-fisted Quaker computer scientist (try saying that with a straight face) flung from contemporary reality into this alternate-history universe by some bizarre lab accident. Together they face the daunting tasks of rescuing Jack's sister (another victim of the same bizarre lab accident) from certain death, surviving the predations of airship pirates and revolutionaries and getting Octavia's corset undone.

For readers looking for a little something different, Steamed is a fun way to sample the flavors of steampunk without wading through the usual doom and gloom. No goggles required.

• Night Tides. Alex Prentiss. Bantam. 320 pages. $7.99 in paper.

The worlds of urban fantasy and paranormal romance are overpopulated with leather-clad, butt-kicking, stronger-than-stone (but with a sensitive side, naturally) heroines who also sport a dizzying array of pedigrees. There are werewolves and witches, sorceresses and succubi, vampires, dhamphirs, demi-gods and demi-fae. And more. A protagonist who is simply human is as refreshing as a skinny dip in a still, dark lake. In Night Tides, first-time novelist Prentiss pens a charming and engaging story that is equally part mystery, thriller and romance, with just such a character and a light touch of the supernatural reminiscent of Charles de Lint -- the father of urban myth -- in its subtlety and uniqueness.

Prentiss' unassuming heroine is Rachel Matre, a 30-something cafe owner/manager/waitress with an unconventional love life and a few interesting secrets. Secret No. 1: Despite her humble day job, by night Rachel fights crime and injustice in her native Madison, Wis. Her weapons of choice: a laptop and an anonymous blog. As the Lady of the Lake, Rachel posts information about misdeeds around her community, sometimes before even the police know about them.

Secret No. 2: Rachel gets her information from supernatural forces, specifically the nature spirits that inhabit the local lakes and have been Rachel's secret lovers for years, able to communicate with her only in the throes of passion.

Rachel has other secrets, too. Curiosity-driven fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance will enjoy sussing out the rest of Rachel's mysteries -- or at least the ones to be found in this book. More are almost guaranteed to follow.

John Williford is a writer in Miami.