The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Aug 19, 2012 PepperP0t rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, adventure, adult, series, mystery, steampunk

The Iron Duke, Rhys Traehearn is the toast and hero of the continent since he saved the masses from continued subjugation by The Horde. Inspector Detective Lady Mina Wentworth jokingly makes a crack about having to arrest the handsome hero of London and finds herself in that very situation.

A body is dropped from a great height on the duke's estate and Mina is called to investigate. While taken with the duke's striking good looks, Mina is all business and uses all her resources to find out who t The Iron Duke, Rhys Traehearn is the toast and hero of the continent since he saved the masses from continued subjugation by The Horde. Inspector Detective Lady Mina Wentworth jokingly makes a crack about having to arrest the handsome hero of London and finds herself in that very situation.

A body is dropped from a great height on the duke's estate and Mina is called to investigate. While taken with the duke's striking good looks, Mina is all business and uses all her resources to find out who the victim is and what led to his death. Uncertain if the body was a gauntlet thrown in his direction, Traehearn also calls on his resources to uncover those same particulars.

The investigation was intriguing from the outset and perfectly timed to allow a new reader into the series. The conspiracy and mystery pieces were done very well for my taste (view spoiler). The atmosphere of nanotechnology against general Victorian era general knowledge was excellently presented.

The romance seemed to be the quickest moving piece of the read. Mina was more fully drawn than Traehearn, who came off as cardboard with demands and an interesting quirk or two but they didn't have enough chemistry with each other for my taste. Eventually Rhys was fleshed but it was late in the read. I had difficulty investing in them as a couple and didn't believe their romance for the most part because of it.

Several vividly drawn secondary characters made quite the impression and the mystery at the heart of the story spun several interesting times into a great conspiracy with several viable villains. This reader was quite frustrated by the pacing, the amount and length of confusion and an unclear description of Mina. Also details of the ending seemed telegraphed quite early (but I'm a cynic and usually a good guesser).

Throughout several chapters, it felt as if I began reading in the middle of the book and missed important crossroads, decisions and actions. The many early references to the revolution, and the familiarity afforded Traehearn made this reader wonder if the short prequels were required reading for comprehension.

Either way I was left not exactly confused but definitely something enough to consider DNF'ing the read and at the same time hoping for clarity on the story or adjustment to the writing style or maybe both. Thankfully, there were enough answers and closure, yet enough loose ends to carry you into the next installment. Or not. While not a favorite, it's easy enough to accept the read as an origin story of a series yet to mature. ...more

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