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amartz's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the worldbuilding, but was less interested in the romance aspects
backsong's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
This book took me a long time to get through, at least longer than it normally would because it's not particularly long. I loved the story building, it was really unique. I just had a hard time with it at some points. There was a good amount of action and adventure, it's a great steampunk book. I just felt like it was sort of missing something. And I think now in retrospect I realize that it was explanations. There were so many complex things going on, I had a hard time trying to make sense of it. And I still don't understand a lot of the backstory, but I think that's partly my fault for starting to lose interest in the last hour or so of the book.
Whatever, I think this book too itself too seriously sometimes. I might read the next one, we shall see.
Whatever, I think this book too itself too seriously sometimes. I might read the next one, we shall see.
beckels9's review against another edition
4.0
Sex scenes were hot, but alpha Rhys wasn't. I mean to quote Yasmeen "Why do they have to control everything, why can't they just let us be?" Good book but sometimes I just wanted to yell at Rhys to calm down and stop being a dick.
tuttidolci's review against another edition
4.0
I must admit that my interest in this story wavered for at least the first half of the book. And while I do appreciate the vivid imagery and world-building that Meljean Brook created in this book, it felt as if getting to the romance part of the story took forever. The fact that it is essentially a Romance novel (albeit a Steampunk Romance, if there is such a category) wasn't apparent at first read. In fact, it often had me scratching my head, wondering if maybe Meljean had jumped ship and decided to write Adventure and not Romance - something I don't mind reading, but not when I'm deliberately expecting/wanting a Romance. So, for a while, it felt as if I was reading A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen mixed with Indiana Jones and then a little of Meljean Brook thrown in for good measure. HOWEVER, in hindsight, I realize that this was my first Steampunk read and while I was so busy trying to enjoy the romance aspect of it, I was pretty much dismissing the rest of it.
So...last night, I had the whole night to myself (no hubby, no kids) and decided to give this story a go in earnest. I decided to start again from the beginning and read with an open mind and no distractions. And whaddaya know...I was so involved in the story this time that I kept reading, non-stop, until 6 am.
So, to make a long story short...I laughed, I cried, I cheered, and fell in love. :D
Truth be told, I don't quite think that I'm a Steampunk convert, but I do love Meljean's story telling and this one is no different. In fact, I'd love to know more about Rhys and Mina and Tinker Annie (and heck, even Scarsdale and Yasmeen for that matter), so I'll definitely be looking forward to the next installment in this series - Steampunk or not.
So...last night, I had the whole night to myself (no hubby, no kids) and decided to give this story a go in earnest. I decided to start again from the beginning and read with an open mind and no distractions. And whaddaya know...I was so involved in the story this time that I kept reading, non-stop, until 6 am.
So, to make a long story short...I laughed, I cried, I cheered, and fell in love. :D
Truth be told, I don't quite think that I'm a Steampunk convert, but I do love Meljean's story telling and this one is no different. In fact, I'd love to know more about Rhys and Mina and Tinker Annie (and heck, even Scarsdale and Yasmeen for that matter), so I'll definitely be looking forward to the next installment in this series - Steampunk or not.
halynah's review against another edition
5.0
Original, exciting and offbeat steampunk novel. Highly recommended!
bonreads40's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I just finished reading this book about 2 minutes ago. It was my first expeirence with the Steampunk wave and I loved it. The world building was rich and varied. The characters were well fleshed out and realistic. The mingling of technology and history was facinating. The romance was very hot :) I highly recommend this book, it was very, very good!
**Note, I won the ARC from the author. Book is out in October**
**Note, I won the ARC from the author. Book is out in October**
katyanaish's review against another edition
5.0
Wow wow wow! I reallllllllly loved this book.
Mina was amazing. Strong, brave, loyal, and amazingly good-spirited, given everything she had to deal with. And Rhys... I really loved him. It is hard to find the words. A reluctant hero, a guy who pulled himself up out of the horrible life he had as a child, but yet still managed to be a good man.
Both of these characters are people who don't handle emotions well. I don't want to get into the reasons why (except to assure you all that it is well done and believable), because the way the author feeds the reveals and the backstories is just too artfully done; I refuse to spoil anything. But watching these two discover this tremendous affection for each other is honestly beautiful. At times it is heartbreaking.
And the plot itself is well constructed. The world is a wonderful one to romp in, and the Black Guard arc is fabulous.
Let's talk for a moment about steampunk.
I love the gadgetry of it. I love the look of it. But in books, though I enjoy the hell out of it, I generally find it to be pretty clunky. Don't get me wrong, I have read some fabulous steampunk books. But personally, I have a very visual imagination. So when I am reading steampunk books, the reading itself is very stop/start - I am always pausing to puzzle out how something would look, or work, or sound. All the description the author puts in, with these amazingly cool gadgets, generally has to coalesce in my head and form a picture.
I can't tell you why this wasn't the case for this book, but it wasn't. For whatever reason, the images "on screen" in my head just flowed like water. It wasn't stop/start at all. The author really did a tremendous job with it in this book. All the fun of steampunk, without the clunky bits on the page.
If I were to offer ANY criticism at all, I would just briefly whine that we didn't get another chapter or so at the end of the book. The resolution between Mina and Rhys happened LITERALLY in the last 3 pages, and there was just not enough time (for me) to revel in the joy as they finally understood each other. But did that diminish my enjoyment of the book? Not at all.
This book was really fantastic, and overall I am just terribly excited for this entire series. I can't wait to see where it goes next!
Mina was amazing. Strong, brave, loyal, and amazingly good-spirited, given everything she had to deal with. And Rhys... I really loved him. It is hard to find the words. A reluctant hero, a guy who pulled himself up out of the horrible life he had as a child, but yet still managed to be a good man.
Both of these characters are people who don't handle emotions well. I don't want to get into the reasons why (except to assure you all that it is well done and believable), because the way the author feeds the reveals and the backstories is just too artfully done; I refuse to spoil anything. But watching these two discover this tremendous affection for each other is honestly beautiful. At times it is heartbreaking.
And the plot itself is well constructed. The world is a wonderful one to romp in, and the Black Guard arc is fabulous.
Let's talk for a moment about steampunk.
I love the gadgetry of it. I love the look of it. But in books, though I enjoy the hell out of it, I generally find it to be pretty clunky. Don't get me wrong, I have read some fabulous steampunk books. But personally, I have a very visual imagination. So when I am reading steampunk books, the reading itself is very stop/start - I am always pausing to puzzle out how something would look, or work, or sound. All the description the author puts in, with these amazingly cool gadgets, generally has to coalesce in my head and form a picture.
I can't tell you why this wasn't the case for this book, but it wasn't. For whatever reason, the images "on screen" in my head just flowed like water. It wasn't stop/start at all. The author really did a tremendous job with it in this book. All the fun of steampunk, without the clunky bits on the page.
If I were to offer ANY criticism at all, I would just briefly whine that we didn't get another chapter or so at the end of the book. The resolution between Mina and Rhys happened LITERALLY in the last 3 pages, and there was just not enough time (for me) to revel in the joy as they finally understood each other. But did that diminish my enjoyment of the book? Not at all.
This book was really fantastic, and overall I am just terribly excited for this entire series. I can't wait to see where it goes next!
stephxsu's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gosh. I am head over heels for this book. Besides for being a hot and lingering read, THE IRON DUKE is also a stellar example of steampunk worldbuilding, and is a book that I know I will be returning to for years to come.
THE IRON DUKE is without a doubt the most well written steampunk novel that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This is steampunk at its finest: an alternate-history England where man and machine cannot live without the other, where Meljean Brook unfolds scene after scene, detail after detail so elegantly one begins to wonder how this world could NOT exist.
Rhys and Mina are a pretty standard romance coupling, particularly Rhys as the dark, damaged, and very male love interest, but it is Mina who steals the show. Mina’s physical differences from most other Londoners ensured that she grew up quickly and does not easily trust people. Her outsider status, even among the people she’s lived with her whole life, captured my sympathies, and I was rooting hard for her the entire time to finally find acceptance and happiness.
THE IRON DUKE does not belong in the genre of books that I usually review, and as a result it’s hard for me to talk about why it’s so good. But mark my very inadequate words: if you like romance, and if you like steampunk, then you can’t get much better than this first book in Meljean Brook’s fascinating new series. I am so buying the next book as soon as it comes out.
THE IRON DUKE is without a doubt the most well written steampunk novel that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This is steampunk at its finest: an alternate-history England where man and machine cannot live without the other, where Meljean Brook unfolds scene after scene, detail after detail so elegantly one begins to wonder how this world could NOT exist.
Rhys and Mina are a pretty standard romance coupling, particularly Rhys as the dark, damaged, and very male love interest, but it is Mina who steals the show. Mina’s physical differences from most other Londoners ensured that she grew up quickly and does not easily trust people. Her outsider status, even among the people she’s lived with her whole life, captured my sympathies, and I was rooting hard for her the entire time to finally find acceptance and happiness.
THE IRON DUKE does not belong in the genre of books that I usually review, and as a result it’s hard for me to talk about why it’s so good. But mark my very inadequate words: if you like romance, and if you like steampunk, then you can’t get much better than this first book in Meljean Brook’s fascinating new series. I am so buying the next book as soon as it comes out.
heylook's review against another edition
1.0
Particularly rapey, even for one of these crossover genre romances