
Hotness Level: Ember
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Steampunk, Serial
Series: Iron Seas #4.2 (Part 2 of 8 parts for this story)
Zenobia Fox, author of the tales of Archimedes Fox and Lady Lynx has always lived in the adventures she writes. Besides a couple kidnappings, she hasn’t traveled much. But she’s off to see the world now. She’s smart about it, though, as she’s travelling under an assumed name and taking her trusted body guards with her.
Not long into her journey, the airship she’s on is attacked and blown up. She’s rescued by her bodyguards, her own coolheadedness, AND by the Kraken King. Ariq, the Kraken King, goes by many names. He’s mayor of his isolated town and has been fighting off and investigating the group that took down Zenobia’s ship. Zenobia and her friends take shelter in his town as they wait for another ship to take them on to their destination.
I don’t think there’s anything mind shattering about the plot as it seems to be standard adventure fare, but the book really shines in the relationship between Ariq and Zenobia. They’ve got a lot of sexual tension and they don’t deny it! Acknowledging it doesn’t mean acting on it, necessarily. They’re both smart, and they’re not going to make stupid decisions. There is no TSTL in this story! Zenobia not only depends on her bodyguards, but she listens to them!
I’m primarily a romance reader, so I appreciate the development of Zenobia and Ariq’s relationship, but the action sequences really rock, too! The escape from the airship was a scene I could picture in a blockbuster summer movie! Well written and exciting! And I really want to see the dead Kraken on the beach!
My only complaint (besides the fact that it’s a serial, and that’s my own fault for being weak and not waiting it out…) was the misunderstanding set up in this installment. I hope that’s cleared up soon.
I think this one would stand alone if you hadn’t read the rest of the series. The characters are all new – Zenobia has been mentioned in other books, but not featured. The world building is easy to catch on to. So, go forth and enjoy! Join me in the agony of waiting for the next installment!
Conjuring Max by Carolyn Crane – The witches of the world ridiculed and rejected nerdy Veronica for trying to use newfangled computers to enhance old world spellcasting. Well, it’s 1984 now, and she’s perfected her spellcasting computer program. Hey, who needs friends when you can conjure virtually anything…or anybody? So when Veronica makes powerful new enemies, she conjures Max, a pitbull of a cop, to deal with the pesky hitmen who keep coming around. Maybe Veronica can finally get some peace and quiet so she can work on her computer. But tough-guy Max is in no mood to play lapdog to a gorgeous witch.
Wrecked by Meljean Brook – Elizabeth has spent the past five years running from her father; her father’s huntsman, Caius, has spent the past five years pursuing her. But when he finally catches up to her on an airship flying above Europe’s zombie-infested cities, Elizabeth discovers that Caius isn’t the only danger she has to fear—and now that he’s found her, Caius doesn’t intend to let her go.