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hcparker's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Overall good story, fun characters—just not really into the whole steam-punk thing.
ingypingy2000's review against another edition
3.0
This was an adorably cute story and I loved the creativity of it, but I'll admit that up until almost the halfway mark, I kept debating whether to stop reading it because of all the, what I considered, abuse. All the drugging, the forced interactions. I really had an issue with it. Once I continued on and they decided to work together it mellowed out and became the story I was hoping for. So, cute and fun steampunk story, but... a bit too much abuse in the beginning for my tastes.
stillmeenu's review against another edition
Oh man, cant wait for this book and i dearly hope old Scarsdale gets a steamy MM book of his own
ikepauh's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I dare say, Heart of Steel was just as engrossing as The Iron Duke, especially after an extremely slow start.
The start slowly had me feeling disinterested, that is until the point where Captain Corsair and Mr.Fox decide to team up to hunt down whoever killed off the lady's crew. Which had us going on a search for treasure turned mutiny/poison sort of situation. Great stuff. On to the next one!
Fox is after my own heart with all his romanticisms, his yearning for love, for her and Corsair's character, her strength, her belief in herself has left me extremely satisfied. Oh, and the times they work together! Talk about emphasizing their partnership to show how they'd make sense as a couple and not just, two people in lust over each other.
So many zombies
The start slowly had me feeling disinterested, that is until the point where Captain Corsair and Mr.Fox decide to team up to hunt down whoever killed off the lady's crew. Which had us going on a search for treasure turned mutiny/poison sort of situation. Great stuff. On to the next one!
Fox is after my own heart with all his romanticisms, his yearning for love, for her and Corsair's character, her strength, her belief in herself has left me extremely satisfied. Oh, and the times they work together! Talk about emphasizing their partnership to show how they'd make sense as a couple and not just, two people in lust over each other.
So many zombies
rclz's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it but I'm not as enamored with the characters in this one as I was the first but it is a great plot and the characters were lively and interesting. I guess I liked the characters just not the romance as much. Still good.
squishies's review against another edition
4.0
I love the way Archimedes courted Yasmeen - it was so sweet and endearing. It definitely made their relationship more believable than the Iron Duke's and what's her face in the first book.
Also loved the story line with its cracking pace; Brook melds steam punk and zombies so well!
Also loved the story line with its cracking pace; Brook melds steam punk and zombies so well!
nipomuki's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the romance much more than in the first book of the series. On the other hand I liked the adventure slightly less. I am captivated by the world and want to read (listen) on.
ccgwalt's review against another edition
4.0
TBR Challenge 2012: Personal Category- books added to the TBR list before 2011. Heart of Steel was added on Dec 23, 2011.
SFR Reading Challenge 2012: Book 1 of 15.
Heart of Steel took a a few pages to grab me, and it never quite grabbed me to the extent that [b:The Iron Duke|7864587|The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1)|Meljean Brook|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312522759s/7864587.jpg|11022865] did. In The Iron Duke the world was grittier and more detailed, and the characters were a huge presence. While the story in Heart of Steel can't be called light, it has a lighter feel. Part of that can be attributed to the the fact that so much of the action takes place in relatively civilized towns or on board an airship, but the biggest reason is most likely the character of Archimedes Fox. Fox is, at least on the surface, a dashing, open, and entertaining man. His personality lightens the tone of the story. Yasmeen, in her own way, is also a more open character than the often grim, determined Mina from The Iron Duke.
Yasmeen wasn't my favorite character from the previous book. Having a flippant, almost careless attitude at times, she came across as shallow. That impression continued for a while in this book, but slowly changed. The author does an excellent job of revealing Yasmeen's heart. By the last third of the book, I'd come to admire her strength and integrity.
Fox is always a likeable character, and Brooks succeeds in giving him heart and depth as well. At first I didn't understand the attraction to Yasmeen, but the motives are slowly made clear and both characters gain a lot of emotional depth.
More problematic for me was the politics and history. Keeping all the factions straight, and trying to tweeze out the often complicated political reasoning was a challenge. Someone with a better working memory wouldn't have this issue, but remembering details is a weakness for me. At the end of the book I wasn't quite satisfied that I understood everything that happened and why. It's a plus that Brook treats her readers as adults, and doesn't spoon feed them with info-dumps and idiotic dialogs so she can reveal all her thinking. On the other hand, a few of us might need some of that spoon feeding at times! I'll need a second reading of this book before [b:Riveted|13409405|Riveted|Meljean Brook|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|18643874] is released next fall.
The writing was as excellent as before. Brooks has exceptional timing, a knack for dialog, and knows how to keep her characters in character.
SFR Reading Challenge 2012: Book 1 of 15.
Heart of Steel took a a few pages to grab me, and it never quite grabbed me to the extent that [b:The Iron Duke|7864587|The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1)|Meljean Brook|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312522759s/7864587.jpg|11022865] did. In The Iron Duke the world was grittier and more detailed, and the characters were a huge presence. While the story in Heart of Steel can't be called light, it has a lighter feel. Part of that can be attributed to the the fact that so much of the action takes place in relatively civilized towns or on board an airship, but the biggest reason is most likely the character of Archimedes Fox. Fox is, at least on the surface, a dashing, open, and entertaining man. His personality lightens the tone of the story. Yasmeen, in her own way, is also a more open character than the often grim, determined Mina from The Iron Duke.
Yasmeen wasn't my favorite character from the previous book. Having a flippant, almost careless attitude at times, she came across as shallow. That impression continued for a while in this book, but slowly changed. The author does an excellent job of revealing Yasmeen's heart. By the last third of the book, I'd come to admire her strength and integrity.
Fox is always a likeable character, and Brooks succeeds in giving him heart and depth as well. At first I didn't understand the attraction to Yasmeen, but the motives are slowly made clear and both characters gain a lot of emotional depth.
More problematic for me was the politics and history. Keeping all the factions straight, and trying to tweeze out the often complicated political reasoning was a challenge. Someone with a better working memory wouldn't have this issue, but remembering details is a weakness for me. At the end of the book I wasn't quite satisfied that I understood everything that happened and why. It's a plus that Brook treats her readers as adults, and doesn't spoon feed them with info-dumps and idiotic dialogs so she can reveal all her thinking. On the other hand, a few of us might need some of that spoon feeding at times! I'll need a second reading of this book before [b:Riveted|13409405|Riveted|Meljean Brook|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|18643874] is released next fall.
The writing was as excellent as before. Brooks has exceptional timing, a knack for dialog, and knows how to keep her characters in character.