Heart of Iron

London Steampunk, Book 2

By: Bec McMaster

Narrated by: Alison Larkin

Lena Todd is the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a rebel against London's vicious elite - not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can't twist around her little finger.

Will Carver is more than man, he's a verwolfen and he wants nothing to do with the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds Lena in possession of a coded letter, he realizes she's in a world of trouble. To protect her, he'll have to seduce the truth from her before it's too late.

©2013 Beth McMaster (P)2013 Tantor

Liked better than first one

I like the 2nd installment of this series better than the first one. The narrator was fine - although sometimes male voices sound a little "old manish" but thats ok. if you read the first one and liked it you will like this one too.

The Beast captured my heart.

This is still a good series, I like the world building and I will be trying the next book in the series. I'm interested to know what will happen next. I'm also interested to have more on the Norse Verwulfen and the Nighthawk Guard. The only down fall was Lena, she was a bit on the immature side, just short of being too stupid to live. She does get a bit better towards the end of the story, I kept going because I liked Will and the first book was good. Like in the first book there isn't a lot of sex but what there is sexy and I enjoyed the romance of it all. Sometimes at the beginning I had a hard time deciphering who was talking maybe it is possible this is a narration problem. The narrator is the same as the last book and overall she does a good job, but I didn't like her voice for Will.

BLOOD LUST & ARISTOCRACY

How attainable is securing your lifestyle when the odds are supernatural versus humanism? Finding the right Soulmate or Mentor could help clear the path.

Disappointing addition to the London Steampunk series

I enjoyed the first book in the series, KISS of Steel and I thought the narrator did a good job but with this book, the narration was grating and the voice used for the character of Will was painful to listen to. The Scottish accent , the attempt at a low growl, and especially the way he said the heroine’s name “Lena” eventually made me crazy enough to increase the speed so I could get through the story faster. The plot was weak enough and the narration annoying enough as to make me stop the series with book. However, on the plus side, it could be a good drinking game. Each time Will rasps “Lena”, take a shot. Each time he says “Lena” passionately, angrily, playfully, exasperatedly, and you take a shot, I guarantee you’ll be under the table by chapter 7.

Loved the story, but not the narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Listening to this book was time well spent. While I was not thrilled about the narration, I love the story, and the audio book allowed me to "read" when I might otherwise not have been able (while driving).

What other book might you compare Heart of Iron to and why?

Heart of Iron has the same feel as the first book in the series Kiss of Steel.

Would you be willing to try another one of Alison Larkin’s performances?

Probably, but not for this same series. I think she'd be better suited for a first person performance.

Do you think Heart of Iron needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Definitely! But, I say this knowing that the third book in the series comes out this fall, and I am looking forward to it.

Any additional comments?

Regarding the narration - the narrator did capture the prissy tone of the female lead very well. However, she did not do as well with the male characters and their accents. They all came off sounding like grumpy old men. This was disappointing, but not awful.

There's so much going on.

Like the first book in this series, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to keep up. I think it was probably even worse listening instead of reading. Saying that, I really like the fast paced, heart pounding and exciting storyline. The characters are interesting, the world building riveting and the connection between all the characters is easy to "see".

It's a bit paranormal, a bit historical and a bit fantastical. All of these together make it a storyline that is captivating.

The narrator does a great job and I had no problems recognising a change in character or a male or female voice.

Another fantastic use of the Romance Package and another crossed off my Want To Read list.

Great book!

What made the experience of listening to Heart of Iron the most enjoyable?

Love the creativity of the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Will, I like he is wolf but looks human

Which scene was your favorite?

The ballroom.

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

Laughed at wills etiquette lessons

Silly girl playing spy

The second half was much better than the first, which was a slow morass of political intrigue featuring young debutante Lena, who delivers messages without a clue as to their contents, or even knowing who she’s working for. Lena is also smitten with verwulfen Wil, but engages is passive aggressive flirting befitting a teenage nitwit. I liked Wil better, and enjoyed the tweaks to werewolf lore in this romance with steampunk accoutrements. This book added more details on things like the Nighthawks and machine horses, but still treated steampunk like an afterthought unless it was directly needed for the plot.

It’s over halfway through before the naughty bits start, and considering Lena is a flighty innocent, it felt a little too teenage cringe at times. If dark, dangerous supernaturals are going to rip bodices, pin arms, and growl “mine” I want it to be with ladies who are smart and fierce… and Lena was more sweet and frisky.

It’s also eight hours in before the various sides in the intrigue are somewhat revealed and explained.
And, it’s here that the groundwork is laid for the next book’s MCs, who are both formidable and gave much better danger flirting and delicious growly bedplay.

Unfortunately, the narrator’s male voices have no sex appeal. Moreover, she really only has one male voice for the MC in each book, and resorts to changing the voicing for book 1’s MC in this book in order to give Wil her “MC voice,” thus Wil now sounds like book 1’s Blade, and Blade’s voice in this book is now mobster-geezer cringe. If a male narrator was brought in, even if just to perform duet for the male MCs,
it would elevate the overall story and I’d bump each rating up a star. As it was, I still rated the story three star “pretty good” and it bridged books 1 and 3, both of which I better enjoyed.

A Steamy Steampunk

An action packed delight! Love the narration- the story and the narration is the perfect fit. The romance builds- as the storyline unfolds-such a great tease- so glad it’s a series.

Eh…mediocre

I absolutely LOVE this book. It’s one of my favorites. But I didn’t like the portrayal of the characters by the narrator. I was let down by her storytelling. 🤷🏽‍♀️ maybe next time.