The Iron Duke

By: Meljean Brook

Narrated by: Faye Adele

Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2010 Meljean Brook (P)2011 Penguin

Great story

Love the characters and the story. The characters are so well drawn, I feel like I know them. Meljean at her best.

An incredibly well written story

Would you consider the audio edition of The Iron Duke to be better than the print version?

I did not read the book.

What other book might you compare The Iron Duke to and why?

There is really no comparison. The world building is incredible. The alternative history story line is so detailed and convincing. I was originally dismayed at the "romance" category. I like romance and lots of steam but usually it involves a naive girl who wants to be saved. There was plenty are grit and fight in the heroine and I loved it.

Great story, imaginative

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Heroine, def kick butt.

Have you listened to any of Faye Adele’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First Adele's book

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The storyline took me by surprise.

Any additional comments?

Good book, stick with it till the end.

a fascinating and dangerous world

I really enjoy the world that Brook sensei built. The characters of this book live in a fascinating and dangerous world. I mean there are nano bugs, zombies, air ships, lord and ladies, king, pirates and balls! What is NOT to like.

I also loved Mina, the tortured but strong and stubborn heroine. If I am not mistaken, she has Asian blood and thus ostracized by society. Heroine with Asian blood in that period is rare and I liked that. Rhys is also a memorable character but I was sort of put off by his serious lack of social understanding. From his past I can understand the reason why, but for a smart character I thought he had a real blind spot. My favorite character of all is the always drunk Scarsedale! He was a wonderful addition as well as members of the police, Yasmeen and Mina's wonderful family. The story itself revolving around the murder and mystery and eventually the conspiracy was also great.

Only complaint I have is that for me there were a bit too much sex scene with TMI. I admit they were hot and steamy but not for reading(listening) on the train... LOL

Good not great

Any additional comments?

A lot of detail and characters in this fictional England made it difficult to follow. The main characters are done well, their story is compelling but gets bogged down in describing detail. It is difficult to distinguish when characters are thinking or talking,the narrators voices are simular. Good story in the end, but not great.

Original Idea

If you could sum up The Iron Duke in three words, what would they be?

The plot was interesting. Easy to get into. I rated this 4 stars because the sex scenes derailed the story. Also, the Iron Duke was a jerk so his "you're in my bed whether you like it or not" didn't go well with me. I loved Mina. She was so cool...her heroism was just all in a day's work. I think the Kindle follow-on should have been part of the main story. I would have rated it higher.

What did you like best about this story?

The whole Steampunk world was very original. I liked the plot (s).

What about Faye Adele’s performance did you like?

I thought she was great and made the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. I wanted to fast forward through the sex scenes because it took away from the story progression. One minute you have exciting action, the next you come to a screeching halt for the sex. I don't have a problem with sex scenes but they were overly wrought and significantly slowed the pace of the story.

Pretty good

I don’t usually get engrossed with most authors’ world-building. Not a lot can do a good job. This one is good. Romance is not bad either. Narrator does a decent job but it’s hard to track which character she’s doing. I had to keep replaying to go through some of the conversations. I should have bought the book so could follow along. Some of the scenes don’t have good transitions so I’m wondering if it’s the audio book or if it’s just written that way.

Great Book, And a Gem of the Genre

I loved listening to this book. I love the narration, as it seemed to be effortlessly read with attention paid to all the correct accents, easily identifiable voice details, as well as excellent attention to the diction and speaking styles of each different character. The author and narrator were certainly at the top of their game for this one. If all steam punk was this well written and read, I could become a devoted fan of the genre.

Oh My.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend it, but would be very careful to read my friend's taste first. You would be better referring to your friend the is really into romance and supernatural plots.

What other book might you compare The Iron Duke to and why?

It's similar to Gail Carriger's Heartless in that there is steampunk, adventure, romance, and a general fight to overcome expectations as a female detective in the England of 100 years ago. Heartless, though, is a better read, I think.

Have you listened to any of Faye Adele’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to her before.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed, blushed, and made weird faces. It was a ton of fun to read.

Any additional comments?

I only recently started getting into romance novels, and this book throws you into the deep end pretty quickly. It plays off a lot of the tropes you see in supernatural-romances, but doesn't overplay them. The world building and history feel really unique and adds depth to the characters and plot overall. It was a great read!

love!

I own and love this book already, read it annually at least. Wanted to try the audio version and also loved it in this new format! Imaginary accents are hard, that's the only reason the performance lost a star.