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emily_katelyn's review
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
chocolatechump's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
v_hankins's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
farmfreshlisa's review
4.0
Finally! I've been waiting since book #1 in this series for Liam's story! This diamond in the rough who gets thrust into the Gilded Age and handed an inheritance he's uncertain about--he just wants to help his fellow steel workers! Throughout the series we've seen Liam's story play out. Book 1 he's discovered and it gets confirmed that he indeed is the long-lost son of Theodore Blackstone and Gwen's sister. Thus his inheritance is given to him and he's pushed into the world of luxury--when he's more comfortable settling matters with fists at a bar. Book #2 we saw him helped by his cousin Natalia to be able to take a seat on the Blackstone steel board to represent the steel workers he cares so much about. Willing to put aside all his annoyances if it means bettering their life. Then we FINALLY get his FULL story in Book #3. Now several years since officially becoming a Blackstone and a little while since being placed on the board of the steel factories, he's still struggling to prove his worth to be called Theodore Blackstone's son. Now his character and role on the Board is called into question by the slimey Morse who wants nothing more than for Blackstone to go back to the docks he came from. Along the way of the battle to keep his board seat, Liam runs into Maggie--owner of a large Ice Cream factory and someone who also personally dislikes Morse but for other reasons.
Maggie has worked tooth and toenail to create the ice cream factory determined to never be poor again. Riches will solve all her family's problems and she's well on her way to greatness with their fabulous ice cream. But then she goes head to head with Morse and all the trouble begins.
Through this book you experience what it was like for small business owners dealing with corruption and greed of the early 1900s. Fighting Robber Barons and grafting. Tannery Row comes calling with threats of violence if Maggie's commercial street doesn't accept the terms of the newly formed American Ice Company. And she can't stand it. So she does just that. Takes a stand. And almost loses everything she holds dear.
Maggie and Liam are two peas in a pod. But so different. Liam came from poverty, but the desire for wealth doesn't consume him because he knows there are more imporant things than wealth. Maggie's desire and quest for wealth almost consumes her until she finally learns that wealth doesn't solve all your problems. They come together to battle their mutual enemy Morse and the story goes up and down as you see what they deal with.
It's hard to believe that the issues of what they went through exist, but all you have to do is read about Tannery Row--or watch The Gangs of New York to know it was absolutely true and part of the reason so many lost their livlihoods trying to battle it. The government corruption was crazy!
Compared to the other two books? I don't know if I liked this one more. I liked them all!
A solid 4-star series!
Maggie has worked tooth and toenail to create the ice cream factory determined to never be poor again. Riches will solve all her family's problems and she's well on her way to greatness with their fabulous ice cream. But then she goes head to head with Morse and all the trouble begins.
Through this book you experience what it was like for small business owners dealing with corruption and greed of the early 1900s. Fighting Robber Barons and grafting. Tannery Row comes calling with threats of violence if Maggie's commercial street doesn't accept the terms of the newly formed American Ice Company. And she can't stand it. So she does just that. Takes a stand. And almost loses everything she holds dear.
Maggie and Liam are two peas in a pod. But so different. Liam came from poverty, but the desire for wealth doesn't consume him because he knows there are more imporant things than wealth. Maggie's desire and quest for wealth almost consumes her until she finally learns that wealth doesn't solve all your problems. They come together to battle their mutual enemy Morse and the story goes up and down as you see what they deal with.
It's hard to believe that the issues of what they went through exist, but all you have to do is read about Tannery Row--or watch The Gangs of New York to know it was absolutely true and part of the reason so many lost their livlihoods trying to battle it. The government corruption was crazy!
Compared to the other two books? I don't know if I liked this one more. I liked them all!
A solid 4-star series!
thestagedstory's review
4.0
I loved finally getting a Liam’s story. While the third book in the series it could be read alone. I loved the storyline and the idea of everyday people fighting for change. I was really into the story the first little bit of the book but the rest wasn’t able to hold my attention.
I did feel that the character growth was a little lacking. Everything Liam did was to fight Morse instead of helping others, which didn’t feel in line with his character from the earlier books.
I felt things between Maggie and Liam when they got back together just happened; there was no real development.
Overall I enjoyed the book.
I did feel that the character growth was a little lacking. Everything Liam did was to fight Morse instead of helping others, which didn’t feel in line with his character from the earlier books.
I felt things between Maggie and Liam when they got back together just happened; there was no real development.
Overall I enjoyed the book.
rusticreadingal's review
5.0
This was so good! I've been looking forward to Liam's story for a while now, and it did not disappoint.
Liam was such an admirable guy. He might not have thought he was, but he's one of the best. So dedicated, strong-willed, and fiercely passionate about righting injustices. Yes, he had a temper, but he was constantly working on being a better man, and I loved that about him. Maggie was determined, frugal, business-minded, and brave. I loved that she never backed down and held firm in her resolve despite daunting odds. I also loved that she owned an ice cream factory. That was so cool!
I always say this after I read an Elizabeth Camden book, but I love learning about the lesser-known facts of history she includes. This story featured the corruptness of the American Ice Trust and Charles Morse. I knew nothing about this beforehand and found it so fascinating. So infuriating, too. I was outraged by the corrupt and heartless things that took place.
While this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance.
I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.
Liam was such an admirable guy. He might not have thought he was, but he's one of the best. So dedicated, strong-willed, and fiercely passionate about righting injustices. Yes, he had a temper, but he was constantly working on being a better man, and I loved that about him. Maggie was determined, frugal, business-minded, and brave. I loved that she never backed down and held firm in her resolve despite daunting odds. I also loved that she owned an ice cream factory. That was so cool!
I always say this after I read an Elizabeth Camden book, but I love learning about the lesser-known facts of history she includes. This story featured the corruptness of the American Ice Trust and Charles Morse. I knew nothing about this beforehand and found it so fascinating. So infuriating, too. I was outraged by the corrupt and heartless things that took place.
While this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance.
I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.
meezcarrie's review
5.0
I loved Carved in Stone. And Written on the Wind is my new fave Elizabeth Camden novel. But it’s Hearts of Steel that I’ve been waiting on: Liam’s story. We find out why he is so important in the series arc in book 1, and we get to know his personality a little bit more in book 2. Still, I had no idea where the author was ultimately going to take his character, and I was excited to find out!
Liam is a classic test study of nature vs. nurture, his personality a complex mixture of his rough-and-tumble upbringing and his aristocratic birth. The thing I have loved most about Liam thus far is his genuine quest to use his newfound power for the good of society, particularly to improve the working conditions of those who proudly spend their blood, sweat & tears just to put food on their own tables. In Hearts of Steel, we see this passion of his come full circle – and hang in the balance. He has tried so hard from the beginning to overcome his weaknesses when it comes to interpreting stuffy legal documents or understanding the math behind the policies, all to prove his worth in his own mind and in the sight of the other U.S. Steel board members and his Blackstone family. This existential struggle that’s been brewing inside him since Carved in Stone boils over in this third book and takes readers through a range of emotions right alongside Liam. I thought the author painted these layers with great talent, fleshing out Liam’s heart and his history with a skilled hand and a thread of grace.
No less emotional, however, is Maggie’s story in Hearts of Steel. Her quest for justice puts her in the crosshairs of a powerful enemy – a true villain who also has his eyes set on Liam’s destruction – and suddenly everything she has worked so hard to build is on the brink of collapse. She’s not one to back down from a fight, though, and she definitely has a tough one ahead. My heart went out to her throughout this book, and I just wanted to reach into the pages and make it all better for her. That’s not how great fiction works, though, is it? And it’s not how God works in the lives of those who follow Him. Adversity, not comfort, makes us stronger, and while one day God WILL make all the sad things & all the struggles & all the loss untrue, for now the fact of it is that we will have hardships in this broken world. This proves to be true in Maggie & Liam’s story as well. The adversity they endure on these pages makes them each more deeply layered, stronger characters whose stories are all the richer and more dimensional. The kind of characters that live on in your heart long after you’ve turned the last page.
Bottom Line: Hearts of Steel by Elizabeth Camden brings Liam Blackstone’s story full circle and introduces readers to a plucky heroine in Maggie Molinaro. She & Liam each have scars that motivate their decisions – hers with practicality and Liam’s with passion. This unlikely pair got deep into my heart, and I ached with them as things continued to go from bad to worse to even worse still. Yet even amid the brewing battle against a truly onerous man (who I was dismayed to find out was an actual historical figure with long-lasting repercussions for American history), Camden weaves connecting threads of hope that culminate in a happily-ever-after born not from fairy tales but from the lessons only learned in adversity. Liam’s story is well worth the wait from book 1 to book 3, and the addition of Maggie makes it all the sweeter – in more ways than one!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
Liam is a classic test study of nature vs. nurture, his personality a complex mixture of his rough-and-tumble upbringing and his aristocratic birth. The thing I have loved most about Liam thus far is his genuine quest to use his newfound power for the good of society, particularly to improve the working conditions of those who proudly spend their blood, sweat & tears just to put food on their own tables. In Hearts of Steel, we see this passion of his come full circle – and hang in the balance. He has tried so hard from the beginning to overcome his weaknesses when it comes to interpreting stuffy legal documents or understanding the math behind the policies, all to prove his worth in his own mind and in the sight of the other U.S. Steel board members and his Blackstone family. This existential struggle that’s been brewing inside him since Carved in Stone boils over in this third book and takes readers through a range of emotions right alongside Liam. I thought the author painted these layers with great talent, fleshing out Liam’s heart and his history with a skilled hand and a thread of grace.
No less emotional, however, is Maggie’s story in Hearts of Steel. Her quest for justice puts her in the crosshairs of a powerful enemy – a true villain who also has his eyes set on Liam’s destruction – and suddenly everything she has worked so hard to build is on the brink of collapse. She’s not one to back down from a fight, though, and she definitely has a tough one ahead. My heart went out to her throughout this book, and I just wanted to reach into the pages and make it all better for her. That’s not how great fiction works, though, is it? And it’s not how God works in the lives of those who follow Him. Adversity, not comfort, makes us stronger, and while one day God WILL make all the sad things & all the struggles & all the loss untrue, for now the fact of it is that we will have hardships in this broken world. This proves to be true in Maggie & Liam’s story as well. The adversity they endure on these pages makes them each more deeply layered, stronger characters whose stories are all the richer and more dimensional. The kind of characters that live on in your heart long after you’ve turned the last page.
Bottom Line: Hearts of Steel by Elizabeth Camden brings Liam Blackstone’s story full circle and introduces readers to a plucky heroine in Maggie Molinaro. She & Liam each have scars that motivate their decisions – hers with practicality and Liam’s with passion. This unlikely pair got deep into my heart, and I ached with them as things continued to go from bad to worse to even worse still. Yet even amid the brewing battle against a truly onerous man (who I was dismayed to find out was an actual historical figure with long-lasting repercussions for American history), Camden weaves connecting threads of hope that culminate in a happily-ever-after born not from fairy tales but from the lessons only learned in adversity. Liam’s story is well worth the wait from book 1 to book 3, and the addition of Maggie makes it all the sweeter – in more ways than one!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
hungrybookworm_'s review
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25