Review - Iron Duke

Title: Iron Duke
Author: Meljean Brook
Publishing Date: 2010
Genre: Steampunk
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I received a used copy from paperbackswap.com

Mina Wentworth is a detective in London, England. She is investigating the death of a man found on the property of the Iron Duke, Rhys Trahaearn. The Iron Duke is England’s savior when he managed to defeat the Horde by blowing up the tower. The political ramifications for the body being found on the Duke’s property will be treacherous for Mina to wade through. The investigation becomes even more complicated when the Duke decides he wants Mina in his life and in his bed.

Iron Duke is a very unique book and I can’t say I have ever read anything quite like it in the romance genre before. Of course, this is my first experience with the subgenre, “steampunk”. I am not quite certain what time period the book is set. The book still had the feel of a regency romance with the same feeling of the ton, but there were strange inventions that felt more futuristic. Take the fact that there are metal sharks swimming in the ocean, air travel and mechanical bugs that can heal a person. Yet Mina’s mother was trying to protest for women’s rights. So it is a combination of old fashioned and futuristic.

I really enjoyed the sexual tension between Mina and the Duke. I always love a hero who knows what he wants and goes after it with steely determination. Mina has valid reasons for resisting the Duke’s overtures. She is constantly harassed because she has Horde blood in her. There are themes of racism in the book which complicate Rhys and Mina’s relationship. I do wish that the author would have touched a little more on why Mina’s appearance so distinctly gave away her Horde heritage. Also, I found all the politics confusing. But I always do. I liked the book and I am excited to see what Meljean Brook does with this interesting genre.

Review - Demon Blood

Title: Demon Blood
Author: Meljean Brook
Publishing Date: 2010
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: B
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I purchased this book new.

Demon Blood is the 6th book in Meljean Brook's Guardian Series. Deacon is a vampire out for revenge after having lost his people and was cruelly tortured by Demons. Rosalia sees an opportunity to help Deacon with his revenge that will also benefit the guardians as well. Laying out a complicated plan, with Deacon the key player, Rosalia hopes to tip the tables between the battle of good and evil.

I am probably simplifying the plot with the above summary. If any readers have read Meljean Brooks before they are aware of the complexity of her plots and Demon Blood is no exception. Rosalia concocts a crazy hare-brained scheme to wipe out most of the Demons in existence. To make the plan work she must convince Deacon to help her. She has long loved Deacon from afar for many centuries and has been afraid to reveal her feelings for him. Deacon is a shell of who he once was and feels unworthy of life let alone someone's love and devotion. The fact that in Deacon's eyes Rosalia is beautiful inside and out he can't possibly fathom why she would want to be with him.

For the most part I really liked Deacon and Rosalia. Rosalia comes across as very motherly. It was interesting to see her show a fierce protector side and yet a vulnerable and caring side too. It did bother me that she held back so much of feelings from Deacon for such a long time. It felt cowardly at times and her character seemed much braver than that. Deacon was very broken at the beginning of the story and he needed to forgive himself and allow him to heal. Much of the book is about him doing just that. Although, I did feel that the ending which resolved the issue between him and Rosalia was too abrupt for my taste. It felt a little rushed. All in all, this was a fine addition to this wonderful series.

Review - Demon Forged

Title: Demon Forged
Author: Meljean Brook
Publication Date: September 2009
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I won this in a contest hosted by Tracy of Tracy's Place (Thanks Tracy!).

Demon Forged is the fifth book in Meljean Brook's Guardian Series (that's if you don't count the anthologies). Irena and Alejandro are Guardians who have been protecting mankind from Demons. They have a past history together and can't seem to make their friendship/relationship work. Many centuries have passed and they still harbor feelings for one another but neither Irena nor Alejandro can seem to get past their pride to make things work. Now, Irena and Alejandro are being forced to work together to stop a deadly prophecy from becoming true.

I think that so far Demon Forged is the most well written book of this series. However, it was not my favorite and I'll tell you why. But, first let's talk about what I really enjoyed. First of all, the world building is just phenomenal. Brooks really blows me away with her attention to detail and the well planned out plotting. Where she is going with this series? That I am not sure, but it's perfectly clear that she knows and that is what's important. Things are really starting to heat up between the Guardians and the Demons. Both sides are taking hits and things are super tense. At certain moments, I found myself on the edge of my seat.

Also, I was very intrigued by some of the secondary plots. I was especially enamored with the goings on between Michael and Taylor. I can't wait to see where that ends up! This brings me to the main romance between Irena and Alejandro, I wasn't super crazy about these two. I hate that they went some 500 years, unable to work through their problems because of pride. It just makes me question why it took them so long to let go of their issues and actually try to work things out. I will say 500 years of sexual tension sure does lead to some pretty steamy make-up sex. It was also obvious to me that these two were meant to be together. I just wanted to be like, "Get over it already!" But actually, this was pretty minor offence even though it doesn't sound like it. I did really enjoy reading this book and I can't wait to read more of this series.

Here is what others had to say:

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This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon.

Review - Demon Bound

Title: Demon Bound
Author: Meljean Brook
Publishing Date: November 2008
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot

Demon Bound is the fourth full length book in Meljean Brook’s Guardian series. Alice Grey has been a Guardian for over a century. When she was a human, she made a bargain with the demon Teqon. She agreed that she would give him the heart of the lead Guardian Michael. This bargain has been haunting her all this time and now Teqon is asking that she fulfill her debt. Jake Hawkins, a novice Guardian has trouble controlling his gift of teleportation. He teams up with Alice to help her find a loop-hole in her bargain with Teqon.

The summary above is an overly simplified version of the plot of Demon Bound. Anyone who has read Meljean Brook knows that her series is anything but simple. The world she has created is very complicated with lots of history and mythology. Many times while reading this book I had to go back and reread passages and try to make sense of what I was being told. I am beginning now to understand Ms. Brook’s writing. It seems she purposely leaves holes in her passages only to fill them in a few pages later. Once I accepted that style of writing I was able to enjoy the book a lot more.

The strength of Ms. Brooks writing lies in the development of her characters. Alice and Jake are so completely fleshed out. Not only are they very complex. They change and evolve as the events in the book impact them. At first Jake and Alice are at complete odds and I wonder how on earth are these two supposed to fall in love. Over the course of the story the reader slowly gets to see them come together and make each other want to be a better person for the other. Oh, I just loved it. What makes it even better is at first, I didn’t really even like Alice or see her appeal. But just as Jake has the same reaction and slowly he comes to love her, so does the reader.

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Series Sunday - Guardians, Meljean Brook

The Guardian Series by Meljean Brook is an awesome addition to paranormal romance. Ms. Brook has built a fantastic alternate reality incorporating religious nuances into her mythology. It's fresh and new and very well written. According to her website, you do not have to read the books in order and each book stands on its own, with a self contained plot. Characters do frequently reappear in all books and there are overlaying events between books. She has a Guardian Primer that answers series questions. For those readers who would like to jump into the series with the new release Demon Bound due out November 4th, this Primer is your ticket to staying current with the series.


1. Falling for Anthony (Story in "Hot Spell", Anthony Ramsdell & Emily Ames-Beaumont)
2. Demon Angel (Hugh Castleford & Lilith)
3. Paradise (Story in "Wild Thing", Lucas Marsden & Selah)
4. Demon Moon (Colin Ames-Beaumont & Savitri Murray)
5. Demon Night (Ethan "Drifter" McCabe & Charlie Newcomb)
6. Thicker Than Blood (Story in "First Blood", Jack Harrington & Annie Gallagher)
7. Demon Bound (Jake Hawkins & Alice Grey)
8. Demon Forged (Alejandro and Irena)

Review - Demon Night

Title: Demon Night
Author: Meljean Brook
Publishing Date: February 2008
Genre: Paranormal
Sensuality: Hot
Rating: A-

Ethan McCabe, nicknamed Drifter, has been ordered to watch over Charlie Newcomb. Ethan has been a guardian for the last 120 years. Recently, demons and vampires have teamed up in an attempt to discover a blood substitute so that vampires will not have to rely on feeding directly from another being. Famous scientists and their families have been targeted and their lives are in danger. Among these are Jane and her sister, Charlie Newcomb.

Wow! Demon Night gripped me from the first page and didn’t let go until the end. There are so many wonderful aspects of this book. First, both Charlie and Ethan are completely and fully developed. We know about their backgrounds all the way to their childhood. We learn what makes them happy. We learn what makes them sad. Meljean shows us little nuances that make them who they are and nothing is left out. For example, Ethan has a bit of a western drawl to his speech. Meljean even takes the time to explain the reason for it. It’s the attention to detail of that magnitude, which make this an incredible story.

I really enjoyed Ethan as the hero. He has a forceful, commanding presence but he never was forceful to Charlie. He always made sure that she had control over the final choice. This was a great pairing of people, because Charlie is the type of person who would let someone else make decisions for her. Ethan forces Charlie to think for herself and she becomes stronger for it. It was difficult at times to watch them struggle through their relationship and yet rewarding at the same time.

The plot of this book is just as intricate as the characters and I am sure I would shoot myself in the foot if I even tried to begin to explain it. Suffice it to say, more of this world is revealed in a very satisfying way. Twists and turns abound throughout this story. I cannot wait to see what the author will conjure up next. It’s sure to be heart-pounding entertainment.

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Review - Demon Moon

Title: Demon Moon
Author: Meljean Brook
Publication Date: June 2007
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot

Demon Moon is the fourth book in Meljean Brook’s “Guardian Series.” This is Colin Ames-Beaumont and Savitri Murray’s story. Both were in the previous book, Demon Angel, and their story begins about seven months after that. Colin is a vampire who was turned over two centuries ago by nosferatu blood. He is unlike other vampires because his blood is tainted. He is also cursed by seeing Chaos in mirrors. A younger son of an Earl, he relied on his charm and good looks to be received in society and maintain his extravagant lifestyle. Savi is a human and Hugh’s “adopted” sister. She is extremely intelligent and is a genius with electronics. She created the video game “DemonSlayer” and is financially set for life. Something happened between her in Colin while they were in Caelum and since then, neither she nor Colin has been the same.

The best thing about this book was Colin and Savi and their love for each other. I just loved everything about Savi; her everlasting curiosity, her ability to forgive easily, her extreme intelligence and her loyalty towards others. Colin just absolutely worships the ground Savi walks on. He realizes how wonderful she is and it’s great to see him express to her how much he loves her. I loved his protectiveness towards her and the lengths he was willing to sacrifice to make her happy. They have a long, difficult journey to reach their “Happily Ever After” and it seems as if the odds are insurmountable, but they do make it.

Demon Moon’s story was less confusing than Demon Angel, but I still had an issue with it. I noticed that Brook’s writing starts out a bit cryptic and you feel as if you have the information, but you are missing a few key details. This leads to uncertainty of your reading comprehension and more questions. Then, as you continue reading, you realize your questions get answered. It’s sort of like starting out with the puzzle finished except with a few of the pieces missing. Then, as you continue reading, the gaps are filled in. Once I noticed this, I found myself rereading less frequently.

I really did enjoy this story and I look forward to reading Demon Night, the next book in the series.

Review - Demon Angel

Title: Demon Angel
Author: Meljean Brook
Publishing Date: January 2007
Genre: Paranormal
Grade: C
Sensuality: Hot

There was a lot of buzz in blogland over Meljean Brook’s book Demon Moon. But before I could get to Demon Moon, I needed to read Demon Angel first. Lilith is a Demon and, yes, she is straight from Hell. Her job is to tempt humans into committing suicide, so Lucifer can have their souls. Hugh is a Guardian and, yes, he is straight from Heaven, (or in this book Caelum). His job is to protect people from losing their souls to Lucifer. This gives new meaning to the phrase “opposites attract”.

It is really difficult for me to give this book a grade. There were things that I really loved about this book, and then there were things that really bothered me. On one hand, I really liked the originality of the plot. I have to say, I have never read a romance novel where the heroine actually spends time in Hell and has a relationship with the Devil. Brooks has created a whole different Biblical history and its kind of fun to see the Devil portrayed as a “friendly, unassuming, middle-class retiree” complete with a blue cardigan and grey slacks.

On the other hand, I found this book at times completely confusing. I felt like I had the reading comprehension skills of a second grader. Many times, I found myself re-reading passages to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. There were a wide variety of characters and I found myself getting them mixed up. Another thing is that as the story developed, I found myself not understanding what had just happened. As a matter of fact, if you asked me to explain the book to you, I am not certain I would get it right. Nope, I definitely wouldn’t; it’s just way too complicated. I am still not certain how Hugh and Lilith triumphed in the end.

I will say that Lilith is a really fun character. She is mischievous, deceitful and just plain ornery at times. I loved it. It seems like it would be a lot of fun to be Lilith (except for being tortured in Hell). Hugh on the other hand, was a bit of a stick in the mud. I don’t know about you, but I like my hero’s to have a little of the “Bad Boy” in them. Hugh was a little to goody-goody for my taste, but for Lilith though, he was perfect. I think I will have to give this one a C; right smack dab in the middle.

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