The Iron Duke
Meljean Brook
Release: October 5, 2010
Purchase Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Nook Version | Kindle Version
Rating: 4.5 Stars

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

I’ve been a bit ….erm… distracted…. when it comes to reading blocks of texts lately, much less writing them. Because of that I want to play around with my review formats and see if I can find something different but still useful. Anyway, incarnation #1.

Who are these people?

Mina, your heroine, is a pleasant surprise. Being a dectective inspector who has had to fight for respect every step of the way because of her heritage and her gender has made her wary and cautious, but also dedicated. She is intelligent, fearless, and loyal to her position and her family. She was also a breath of fresh air in the world of romance, but more details on that later.

Rhys, your hero, the Iron Duke, makes me want to hit him over the head with a cast iron pan. I am not a violent person (mostly, heh) but I could be convinced to make an exception for him. He is stubborn, dominating, and completely full of himself, or at least he comes across that way for much of the beginning. He has his redeeming qualities (loyalty, persistance, strength, bravery, and a seemingly talented tongue), but for the most part I did not want to like him and only did so at the end with a frown on my face. However, his jackassery was the perfect compliment and platform for Mina’s character.

What is this book even about?

Mina, our courageous inspector, is brought together with the Iron Duke when a dead body is dropped onto his steps from above. Her investigation leads us deeper into an interesting world of airships, steam powered inventions (vibrators even!), zombies, and nanotech enhanced human beings. As they race across the sky in pursuit of of a the man behind a dangerous conspiracy, Rhys takes on the challenge of making Mina his.

What did I like love about this story?

I was absolutely captivated by the world Meljean Brook was able to craft, it was unique and detailed without being so heavy as to distract from the story. I couldn’t help but pause on occasion to picture the steampunk elements in my head and commented more than once that I would have loved to see a visual representation of some of her creations. This book was not simply steam punk it its goggles and airships, but was rich with creative inventions from weaponry and armor to delicately designed vibrators.

Also. Mina. Just full stop, I adored her. She is a woman who gives everything to her job and her family. She thinks everything through, taking nothing lightly, and sticks to her decisions with admirable determination. She isn’t willing to be set aside in a safety bubble as men risk their lives around her, instead keeping hold of her independence with both hands and fighting in her own way. Further, when she says no, she means no. I snorted particularly loud when she knocks Rhys out cold after he ignores her pleas for him to stop. Which brings me to….

What gave me pause….?

Well besides Rhys, that is. Actually it isn’t so much Rhys but the attitude he carried. “She will be mine, even tho she protests. Once she is in my bed she will change her mind.”

Meh.

I get that women, myself included, have fantasies of men strong enough to take us and whisk off our feet. We want men to take control and to trust that they will bring us pleasure, that they know better than we what we want. Or not that they know better, but instead that they can anticipate it before we have to say it. Maybe it is some deep seeded, albeit primitive, need that ensures us our men are “man enough” to protect us? Goodness knows a good hard kiss and a whispered ‘mine’ has my heart racing just in theory, never mind in practice. I might explode.

The male race would surely be better off if in the next evolution they could develop some sort of mind reading ability. And teleportation! But that is another problem entirely. Anyway, I am really tired of the overly cocky alpha male who forces a kiss on his heroine, only to have all of her doubts drift away because it “just feels so good.” Talk about sending men mixed signals! We want you to kiss us when we say no! Except when we really mean no, then we are going to say you took advantage! What do you mean you can’t tell the difference?

I was really afraid that I would hate this book because of that. Rhys first looks at Mina as something to posses, something unique that he wanted and would have because he always gets what he wants. I am happy to say that this book did NOT go down that path, instead Mina stood her ground and was not swayed with a simple kiss or a sexy glance. She certainly struggled with her desire versus her responsibilities and the dangers of giving in, but it was approached through thoughtful reasoning and careful actions that were entirely true to her character. Much credit to Meljean Brook for using a character trait I would have seen as a negative to highlight another character and make her stronger.

Favorite Quote

So he’d been watching her watch Scarsdale and Yasmeen. And now she looked at them again, because she didn’t want him to read the answer in her eyes. Did she want someone to touch her, not just to arouse but to soothe? Because he cared and wanted to please her? Not just a lover. A friend. Someone who needed her for the same reasons she needed him. The type of man she would marry, if given half a chance.

She’d accepted long ago that chance wouldn’t be coming for her. But did she want it?

“No,” she lied, and finally found the will to go.

Anything I would change?

Honestly, I would have loved to know more about Mina and her Horde blood. I understood why it was a negative thing for her and her family, but I didn’t catch what it was about her appearance that made her Horde blood so obvious. I assume there are facial features that are unique to the Horde and it would have been nice to know them, but it wasn’t vital to the story, just my own curiosity.

Should you read this book?

Do you like kick ass chicks? Do you like breathtakingly hot “non sex” scenes? Do you like a your romances thoughtfully blended with danger, adventure, and a healthy side of humor? Yes. Yes, and Yes. You should absolutely read this book. This was my first MelJean Brook novel and will not be my last. The pacing was a bit slow at the start but settled perfectly as the story stretched out and settled around the characters. The Iron Duke is a smartly written tale of boy meets girl, boy kisses girl, boy gives girl orgasm, girl shoots him in the neck. And he deserved it.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me