The Iron Duke

Starred review from October 18, 2010
In this engrossing steampunk adventure, paranormal romance author Brook (Demon Blood) uses detailed descriptions and an impressive imagination to create a world where people can be part machine but all heart. It's been nine years since the Horde, an oppressive empire from Asia, were run out of England. However, detective inspector Lady Wilhelmina Wentworth will never be able to escape their cruelty: her mother was raped during the invasion, and Mina is half Horde. Mina crosses paths with the revered Iron Duke Rhys Trahaearn, a former pirate captain who was instrumental in fighting the Horde, when a dead body is tossed on his estate. What begins as lust sparks into full-blown romance as the two learn more about the nefarious Black Guard and catch a murderous madman. Airships, zombies, nanotechnology, outlandish secondary characters, and a complicated heroine—who goes from believing "Dead people of all sorts were more tolerable than most of those living" to being willing to love—make for a complex, gripping read.

October 1, 2010
Brook jumps ship from her Guardians urban fantasy novels (Demon Blood, 2010) to a steampunk series mixing the British Regency period with the Industrial Revolution gone mad. During the celebration of the Iron Dukes defeat of the Horde in England, a body is dropped from an airship onto his London doorstep. Detective Inspector Lady Mina Wentworth is assigned the case to find out who the dead man was and who killed him. Intrigued upon meeting her, Rhys Trahaearn, now Duke of Anglesey known as the Iron Duke, invites himself along on her investigation. So begins an adventure reminiscent of an action-packed video game complete with mechanical oddities, from metal eyes and human limbs to a killer kraken plaguing the seas. Dirigibles, blacksmith shops, contraband bazaars, and clipper ships become the backgrounds for Rhys and Minas blossoming love affair. With adept writing and a flair for creating believable worlds, Brooks first in the Iron Seas series showcases her masterful storytelling.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)