I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH! This was amazing, and I am glad I waited for the collection, because as a serial, the cliffhangers would have driven me mad. Zenobia and Ariq's relationship development had some similarities to my previous favorite couple, Mina and the Iron Duke's but they teased out so much more lovely angst. I can't wait for the next book! I want Taka's story!!! ( )

I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH! This was amazing, and I am glad I waited for the collection, because as a serial, the cliffhangers would have driven me mad. Zenobia and Ariq's relationship development had some similarities to my previous favorite couple, Mina and the Iron Duke's but they teased out so much more lovely angst. I can't wait for the next book! I want Taka's story!!! ( )

This was a great addition to Brook's steampunk series that is set in a zombie infested world. Lots of action and adventure and of course romance. Her titles feature diverse characters. ( )

In [b:The Kraken King|15788727|The Kraken King (Iron Seas, #4)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386056737s/15788727.jpg|21509319] (book 4 in the Iron Seas series) pulp adventure writer, Zenobia Fox, has had a target on her back ever since her brother acquired a fortune on one of his treasure hunts. Now anyone looking to make a quick buck knows that kidnapping her will easily get the ransom from her brother. Tired of living in fear and closeting herself away, Zenobia takes the chance to sail with her friend to Australia. But misfortune loves Zenobia as she quickly finds herself caught in the midst of a brewing conflict over a war machine and suspected of being a spy.

I’ll admit that I haven’t been following Meljean Brook’s “Iron Seas” series all that close. I read the first novel, [b:The Iron Duke|7864587|The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409873492s/7864587.jpg|11022865], but didn’t have the urge to jump into the rest of the series. Now, however, I definitely want to go back and read the other books because The Kraken King was fantastic. It feels like Brook has a much better grasp on the world and where she wants to go with it than she did in The Iron Duke.

The Kraken King offers a new look at Brook’s “Iron Seas” world as we’re taken for a romp in a new setting. I was pretty impressed with all the different politics that Brook incorporated as Zenobia and crew traipse across the continent. It gave the impression that this is a country that is divided and barely hanging onto peace time. Adding to this was the turmoil of the war machine and how the burden of it has fallen onto just a handful of average people.

One thing that Brook continues to do right is that she doesn’t include past main characters from the series unless they serve a function to the plot. This is one area that a lot of long running romance series fail in. Often characters will be inserted into the story to show just how bright and shiny their lives are now, which drags the plot down. So, instead of dreading seeing past characters appear in Brook’s novels, I’m excited because I know they’re appearing for a reason. This was the case here as we got an appearance from Archimedes and Yasmeen ([b:Heart of Steel|10558533|Heart of Steel (Iron Seas, #2)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307582794s/10558533.jpg|14654952]).

All in all, The Kraken King was a lot of fun. Also, I don’t feel like I missed anything by skipping Heart of Steel and [b:Riveted|13409405|Riveted (Iron Seas, #3)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331346129s/13409405.jpg|18643874] to get to this one. Can’t wait to see what Brook will come out with next. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A woman craving adventure finds herself getting almost more than she can handle when she’s rescued by a man who quickly becomes fascinated by her.

Opening Sentence: If this letter is in your hands instead of on my desk where I left it, you must have flown to Fladstrand without first collecting your correspondence in Port Fallow–where the note I sent to you would have saved you a trip.

The Review:

I’m a huge fan of Meljean Brook, especially of her Guardians series. So I was very excited to read and review The Kraken King, even though I haven’t yet read book 3 in the Iron Seas series. Thankfully, reading book 3 was not necessary, and I was able to thoroughly enjoy the segments that make up this serial book.

Zenobia Fox loves writing her adventure stories, but something’s missing. She wants to experience an adventure of her own, not live vicariously through the tales of her brother and his wife. In hopes of finding adventure, Zenobia agrees to accompany a friend on a journey. Little does Zenobia know just how much adventure she will find on this trip. Their airship is attacked, and they are forced to jump overboard. Happily, they are rescued by a mysterious stranger and his companions. Upon reaching the shore, Zenobia is shocked to discover their rescuer is none other than the infamous Kraken King, a man who has a reputation for not letting go of something (or someone) if it’s caught his interest, and as luck would have it, he has set his sights on Zenobia…

Meljean Brook always creates wonderful characters, and the characters here are no exception. Ariq is an alpha male in the very best way: completely in charge but without a cocky attitude to ruin everything. He often mentions having an iron will, and he uses that in his dealings with Zenobia. It makes him remarkably attractive. He may have officially made my book boyfriends list!

I love that Zenobia doesn’t let herself become super flustered by Ariq’s attention. Unlike a lot of virgins in romance novels, she accepts the attention/attraction and looks at it as a different kind of adventure. She’s definitely not your average heroine!

This story was originally published in serial form, and I only currently have access to parts one through six. These six parts are wonderfully well done, full of action and pulse pounding romance. I have no doubt that parts seven and eight are equally well done, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them!

Notable Scene:

“What sort of bow?”

Turning the book around, Helene tapped her finger alongside a drawing of a man bending over at the waist so far that his forehead was almost level with his feet.

She was supposed to fold herself in half? “That’s not physically possible.”

“It’s important,” Helene stressed, though when she glanced down at the figure, a little crease formed between her brows, as if she were also wondering how to attain the position without toppling over. “Failing to bow is a slap against his honor–and a man who is dishonored will kill himself.”

“If someone doesn’t bow?” At Helene’s solemn nod, Zenobia stared at her in disbelief. This had to be utter nonsense. “Will he do it at that very moment?”

“Yes.” Helene pinched the first fifty or sixty pages of the book between her fingers. “All of this explains how critical it is not to insult a man’s honor.”

How unfortunate for any men who crossed paths with Zenobia, then. She sometimes gave offense when she didn’t mean to–though when she did give offense, she usually meant to. Upon reaching the Red City, however, she might inadvertently leave a trail of corpses in her wake.

“That custom favors women, I think,” Zenobia said. “If a husband strays or if he proves a disappointment, the wife only has to refrain from bowing and she is quickly free of him.”

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Kraken King. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )