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A review by snarkymotherreader
Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook
4.0
The last we saw of hero, Archimedes, he was being forcibly placed into zombie-infested territory by the lovely captain on the Lady Corsair, Yasmine. He had dared to challenge her authority, so what better way to punish him than feed him to the wolves – er, undead flocks of flesh-munching humans?
Fast-forward to the fate of captain, my captain. It seems karma wasn’t very happy with Yasmine’s behavior regarding Archimedes, so to even the karmic playing field, unknown invader(s) board Yasmine’s ship in search of a sketch – a sketch she stole from Archimedes – and destroy the ship during their exit.
Yasmine and Archimedes could not have been more different than the protagonists from The Iron Duke, Rhys and Mina. Where Mina had accepted that people would view her differently due to her heritage, Yasmine flaunted her differences. Mina was unsure of herself and her sexuality around Rhys; Yasmine took sex when she wanted it and how she wanted it. Both couples are complex and vexing, one of the reasons I love this series so much.
Heart of Steel caught me in its grasp quicker than did The Iron Duke. The romance was tougher to develop, and the absolute control Archimedes contained when confronted with a fiery vixen bound and determined to get in his pants was both adorable and awe-inspiring. My favorite aspect of the book, though, wasn’t the romance – it was the bits and pieces we were fed about Yasmine’s life prior to becoming a captain. It was intense and emotional and shed a whole-new light on the tough-as-nails pirate. I give Heart of Steel 4 1/2 tombstones for resurrected heroes, lusty pirates, and the voyage to find true love.
Fast-forward to the fate of captain, my captain. It seems karma wasn’t very happy with Yasmine’s behavior regarding Archimedes, so to even the karmic playing field, unknown invader(s) board Yasmine’s ship in search of a sketch – a sketch she stole from Archimedes – and destroy the ship during their exit.
Yasmine and Archimedes could not have been more different than the protagonists from The Iron Duke, Rhys and Mina. Where Mina had accepted that people would view her differently due to her heritage, Yasmine flaunted her differences. Mina was unsure of herself and her sexuality around Rhys; Yasmine took sex when she wanted it and how she wanted it. Both couples are complex and vexing, one of the reasons I love this series so much.
Heart of Steel caught me in its grasp quicker than did The Iron Duke. The romance was tougher to develop, and the absolute control Archimedes contained when confronted with a fiery vixen bound and determined to get in his pants was both adorable and awe-inspiring. My favorite aspect of the book, though, wasn’t the romance – it was the bits and pieces we were fed about Yasmine’s life prior to becoming a captain. It was intense and emotional and shed a whole-new light on the tough-as-nails pirate. I give Heart of Steel 4 1/2 tombstones for resurrected heroes, lusty pirates, and the voyage to find true love.