Book Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (October 5, 2010)

Amazon Description:

First in an all-new series where seductive danger and steampunk adventure abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas.

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.
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On the cover of this book there is a quote:

"Meljean is now officially one of my favorite authors"
-Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author

All I can say is that is exactly how I feel about Meljean Brook as well. There is a prequel to The Iron Duke in the anthology Burning Up which is called Here There be Monsters (my review is HERE). It was the first thing I have read by this author and from that story I knew that this series was going to be amazing. The Iron Duke was beyond awesome. It is a steampunk adventure with romance and a ton of action. The Duke is fierce and protects what is his...including Mina, a detective inspector he met while she was investigating a murder on his property. He wants her in his bed and he will do whatever it takes to get her there. The Duke is definitely a swoon-worthy character that made me melt into a puddle. Mina is a strong woman who has had to deal with being assaulted and put down by people because of what she looks like. Because of that she has built of a wall around her to protect herself. With the duke in her life that wall slowly crumbled down. The attraction between the two was almost immediate, but their relationship was built slowly as they came to trust each other. It was captivating to watch it unfold. As for all the action, there were zombies, firebombings, secret weapons, murders, airships, kraken, sharks, and some pretty hot sex. I couldn't put the book down. I am anxious to read the next in the series because I want to read more about this fascinating world.

5/5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. Any opinions expressed are my own.