THE IRON DUKE

Author: Meljean Brook ISBN: 9780425236673 10/2010 PARANORMAL/HISTORICAL/STEAMPUNK Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION

Seductive danger and steampunk adventure abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas, where nanotech is fused with Victorian sensibilities—and steam. 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. Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him...and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist. 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.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The steampunk genre, whether it's for romance or not, has a lot of potential to get cheesy real quick—something I think that Brook pokes fun at throughout the novel.  THE IRON DUKE, for all the fact Berkley labels it under 'Paranormal Romance', is an engrossing read that places the romance secondary for much of the story.

Brook already gave us a taste of the Iron Seas in the anthology BURNING UP with the tale of one of Rhys' associates (Mad Machen) meeting his match in a fiery, young mechanic.  The sampling of the world in that story had me eager for more; I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book, honestly. 

There's crossover appeal for this novel as well.  Though Rhys and Mina have a serious attraction, which Rhys would love nothing more than to act on, the first two thirds of the novel focuses more on the world's politics and set-up than on their romance.  We learn a lot about Mina's forensic skills, what the Horde did when they had control of England, the lasting effects of their tyranny, and the difference between a 'bounder' and 'bugger'.

Fascinated doesn't begin to cover my delight.  Mina walks a fine line, not just as a woman (though that is not the distinguish-er it normally is), but also as being very obviously a half-breed.  Born after one of the 'Frenzies' (the Horde would ratchet up the need for sex whenever they pleased), Mina visibly bares the toll the Horde extracted from England as a whole.  But instead of sympathy or understanding, Mina is subjected to racist slurs and allegations, to beatings and attempts at far worse.  People look at her and see only 'Horde', but she is a determined, stubborn, and a hard-working woman.  Her friends and family are loyal (unto death) to her.

Rhys, in comparison, is considered the venerable hero of England.  Even before he blew up the Horde's Control Tower nine years ago, he had spent most of his life making their lives miserable.  He can literally do no wrong in the eyes of 80.

They're like a comedy duo—he just wants to be ignored for the most part, and she just wants to be accepted for who she is. 

Objectively speaking, when Brook began to focus more on the romance and less on the world, I began to feel restless.  Don't get me wrong. The two of them together make a great team, and Brook knows how to write a sensuous feast for the eyes; but I wanted to know more about the mechanics of the world.  How prosthetics, like Mina's mother's eyes, worked; or what the heck was up with Rhys himself.  He was a different kind of 'bugger' (the term for those who are infected by the dormant nanites), and we got frustratingly little information on him. 

The return of Lady Corsair was a welcome delight—I enjoyed her in the short story and had hoped to see more of her.  We learn more about her this time around, and I sincerely hope that the next book is more about her.  A little nugget of fascinating detail was revealed—here's hoping there's more Lady Corsair backstory soon.

This was, without a doubt, an engrossing, fascinating, wonderful novel.  Brook has created a world unlike any other, even other steampunk worlds.  By the time the next book comes out, I sincerely hope everyone has loved this book as much as I have!

Alexandra Cenni