Heart of Steel

De: Elizabeth Einspanier

Narrado por: Peter Reynolds

When Alistair Mechanus first sees his captive, ER doctor Julia Parker, it is love at first sight - for him. Although he eagerly sets aside his plans for world domination to woo her, 10 years of solitude on Shark Reef Isle have left his social skills badly rusted. When his misguided act of kindness goes out of control, however, Julia must overcome her fear and place her trust in the mad genius.

She has the skills to unlock his forgotten past - but discovering who he used to be might come at the cost of his remaining sanity.

©2015 Elizabeth M. Einspanier (P)2015 Elizabeth Einspanier

Cliche, but fun.

Heart of Steel is a fun little romance novel, nothing to new or different really. Girl has guy she doesn't really like, meets new guy, drama ensues. Except the new guy is a mad scientist.

Don't expect the science or the geeky techy stuff to be all that accurate, the explanations for why and how are only enough to suspend your disbelief for the real meat of the story: the romance.

The epilogue doesn't satisfy too much, as the last few lines make the book feel like it was the entrance for a much larger story, maybe it is, but as far as I know this is a one-shot. One wonders what happens in the future and no answers are provided. Which is the entire point of an epilogue in my opinion.

It's the narrator that truly shines in this audiobook. The voices are all differentiated from the others, and the robots are all modulated, making them sound like machines. For the rest of the narration, the narrator's baritone voice is soothing and pleasant to listen to.

All in all, a decent book, one to add to the reading list, but not jostle any other books out of their position for.

River of fun

Would you listen to Heart of Steel again? Why?

Yes, even though the book is filled with a lot of cliches and references, it has a good passing to it. The narrator dose very well at making the characters stand out and gets into character well.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart of Steel?

The cyborg sharks that walk around the island.

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

He has improved quite well takes his time much more this time.

A fantastic blend of Sci-fi and Romance

Where does Heart of Steel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's narrated by one of my favorite readers, and Peter Reynolds knocks it out of the park once again. He can really give authenticity to dialogue, rather than sound like he's just reading it from a textbook like many readers do. It's because of him I decided to give this book a read, and I was not disappointed.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart of Steel?

The flashbacks and other moments of revelation as the mad scientist struggles to regain his past and humanity were really powerful.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say what happened, but there was some intense fighting near the end of the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I did. The author kept a good pacing through the entire story, and the narrator's performance really brought it together.

Any additional comments?

I'm not a romance novel person, so me saying this book impressed me is really saying a lot.

Robowolves, Cybernetic Limbs, Science-Folly Fun

Would you listen to Heart of Steel again? Why?

Certainly. In particular, the chapters that have more interaction with Mechanus's 'family' are my favorites. All of them are a little quirky and flawed in endearing, somewhat cute ways.

And the parts where Mechanus comes off as a creepy stalker are amusing too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mechanus easily steals the spotlight from every other character in the story. The other characters make a fine catalyst to explore his goals, memories, and abilities, and that's where the tech-y science-y fun flows from.

What does Peter Reynolds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The characters all come a bit more to life with their individual styles. The sound effects on the robotic characters makes it easy to remember which characters are and aren't human, even though I have a poor time remembering anyone's names.

Any additional comments?

The sciency bits are on the soft side of the spectrum, and are more on the whimsicle, implicative side than speculative side.You won't find any details as to which motors and which sensors and what software make characters work, and some of the details when it comes to computer and network use is dubious, but it's fun anyway.

A heart of steel and a soul of gold

What did you like best about this story?

Hung up on the shelf of romance and sci-fi literature is a book that strangely met the 80s movies’ rhetoric and kitsch. The love triangle narrated by Ms. Einspanier is an enjoyable read bound by the rules of the aforementioned genres. It is a light-hearted, though with its relatively grim moments, fiction that offers an enjoyable fill-up for a week-end in peace in your house.

And if you don’t enjoy the free-time necessary to read through this novel but still shows interest into it, I can only recommend this audiobook.

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

This read is simply magnified by Peter Reynolds’s voice whose acting of the story’s main characters –especially Dr. Alistair Mechanus when his heart of steel slowly strips itself of its lead lid– are praiseworthy beyond measures for a first production on Audible.com.

Any additional comments?

Heart of Steel is a good audiobook to listen to while you attend to other tasks. It indeed doesn’t require a deep listening to be enjoyed and Peter Reynolds’s vivid voice acting will keep you awake throughout.