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The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1)

Meljean Brook

Start date: August 1, 2011

Finish date: August 31, 2011

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Steampunk voted BOM
Discussion Begins 1 August
[close] Steampunk voted BOM
Discussion Begins 1 August

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Book of the Month

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* BOM: Group Read History [2025]
By Steph , Serious series addict · 10 posts · 22 views

last updated Sep 27, 2025 10:28PM

* BOM: Comments & Suggestions
By Steph , Serious series addict · 38 posts · 229 views

last updated Mar 15, 2012 06:15PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 18, 2010 Katyana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, romance, steampunktastic, historical, ass-kicking-women, redeemed-criminals, favorites, zombies

Wow wow wow! I reallllllllly loved this book.

Mina was amazing. Strong, brave, loyal, and amazingly good-spirited, given everything she had to deal with. And Rhys... I really loved him. It is hard to find the words. A reluctant hero, a guy who pulled himself up out of the horrible life he had as a child, but yet still managed to be a good man.

Both of these characters are people who don't handle emotions well. I don't want to get into the reasons why (except to assure you all that it is well done Wow wow wow! I reallllllllly loved this book.

Mina was amazing. Strong, brave, loyal, and amazingly good-spirited, given everything she had to deal with. And Rhys... I really loved him. It is hard to find the words. A reluctant hero, a guy who pulled himself up out of the horrible life he had as a child, but yet still managed to be a good man.

Both of these characters are people who don't handle emotions well. I don't want to get into the reasons why (except to assure you all that it is well done and believable), because the way the author feeds the reveals and the backstories is just too artfully done; I refuse to spoil anything. But watching these two discover this tremendous affection for each other is honestly beautiful. At times it is heartbreaking.

And the plot itself is well constructed. The world is a wonderful one to romp in, and the Black Guard arc is fabulous.

Let's talk for a moment about steampunk.

I love the gadgetry of it. I love the look of it. But in books, though I enjoy the hell out of it, I generally find it to be pretty clunky. Don't get me wrong, I have read some fabulous steampunk books. But personally, I have a very visual imagination. So when I am reading steampunk books, the reading itself is very stop/start - I am always pausing to puzzle out how something would look, or work, or sound. All the description the author puts in, with these amazingly cool gadgets, generally has to coalesce in my head and form a picture.

I can't tell you why this wasn't the case for this book, but it wasn't. For whatever reason, the images "on screen" in my head just flowed like water. It wasn't stop/start at all. The author really did a tremendous job with it in this book. All the fun of steampunk, without the clunky bits on the page.

If I were to offer ANY criticism at all, I would just briefly whine that we didn't get another chapter or so at the end of the book. The resolution between Mina and Rhys happened LITERALLY in the last 3 pages, and there was just not enough time (for me) to revel in the joy as they finally understood each other. But did that diminish my enjoyment of the book? Not at all.

This book was really fantastic, and overall I am just terribly excited for this entire series. I can't wait to see where it goes next! ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Lily rated it it was ok

Shelves: paranormal-romance, steam-or-cyber-punk, zombie

I found the romance boring but the sexual tension was pretty good. The alternate world building was ok, but just never really got swept up. I really struggled to get through it and was so relieved when done.

Not my cuppa.

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2011 Lisarenee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: steampunk

I am starting to get addicted to these steampunk paranormal books.

Looking for a fast paced, fun, and slightly naughty read? Well this might just hit the spot.

Set in England in the 1800s in an alternate world that reminds me a little of something that would happen on an episode of the Sci-Fi TV series Sliders (not that this is like one, but would have fit into the series nicely). Mina is the inspector and is looking into the murder of an unknown individual found on the Iron Duke's property. The I ...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Carlyn rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book! This was my first steam punk novel and I wasn't sure what to make of it when I read the description, but I loved it. The characters were fantastic and I quickly fell in love with the duke. Mina is the heroine and the discrimination against her is shocking but you can see how much she loves her family and friends and her feelings toward the duke are heavily influenced by the discrimination against her.
The action in the book is great and easy to read and I am looking fo ...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Lara rated it really liked it

Grrrrr........needed a little change and this was definitely a good one!! Too good, now I don't know what I feel like picking up next. I think the only time I exited out of my kindle app while reading this story was when I was driving - lol, definitely a page turner and I was through it before I even knew it! ...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Midu Hadi rated it it was ok

Shelves: alternate-history, doctors-healers, reviewed, fantasy, first-in-the-series, humor, read-in-2013, 313, serial-killers-and-other-murderers, src-read

Quick-look at the Book
An inspector solving a crime and a pirate king cross paths and fall for each other. Will they get a HEA?

Sadly, I don't remember the specifics--it has been a while. But at least, you get to enjoy my:

Thoughts on the Series

This series is a shining example of the UF-era from back in 2012, etc. While it differentiates itself from many other series with elements of steampunk and alternate history, it sticks to the main tenets of UF that I'll always love: a male love interest who ...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Purple rated it liked it

Shelves: girlpower, badass-boys, romance, steampunk, series, couples

A lot of first for me upon reading this book. Truly the first 50 pages are confusing as many have reviewed. But since I'm a romance reader I focused on that and along the way I understood a lot about steampunk, the hordes, etc... The romance was all about bedding the woman and how the Duke came to be. It was a long story but not painful to read cause there are bountiful of adventure.

I'm looking forward to book two. :) ...more

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May 29, 2012 Jamie ~ Bad Boy Inspector rated it it was amazing

Shelves: subject-pn-zombies, read-2012, genre-steampunk

4.75/5 My first venture into steampunk and I loved it!!! Thanks so much Michelle for recommending it in your Zombie post!!

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Oct 13, 2010 Crissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011, favorites

4.5 Stars! The only reason this book isn't getting 5 stars from me is because this is my first steam punk book and I literally spent the first half of it feeling stupid. I had several WTF moments. Then I started to get the terminology down and from there on it was Awesome!! I am excited for the next one and I'm thinking I like steam punk books...off to find more! ...more

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