My thoughts...

I love the Iron Seas books and am absolutely thrilled when one is released. I read this book as a serial. At the time, about half of the serial had been released. I gobbled up as much as I could and impatiently waited for the next parts. The experience taught me that I do not like serials. If another of my favorite authors releases one, I hope I have the patience to wait until all the parts are released before I start reading it.

This book is full of adventure and romance. The romantic tension between writer Zenobia Fox and former rebel leader Ariq is absolutely fabulous and kept me reading. Some of Ariq's lines swept my heart away.

"You are my queen," he told her. […] "I am your sword and your shield. I am your wolf and your steed. Mountains will tremble at my approach for they know I will tear them apart if ever they stand between us."

Gosh, what a guy!

Many different political plots thread through the story. If you haven't read the other Iron Seas books, this probably isn't the one to start with. Read The Iron Duke first. (One of my ALL TIME FAVORITES.) As for this book, it's on my keeper shelf and I know I will re-read it again and again.

Back Cover Blurb:

A former smuggler and thief, Ariq—better known as the Kraken King—doesn’t know what to make of the clever, mysterious woman he rescues from an airship besieged by marauders. Unsure if she’s a spy or a pawn in someone else’s game, Ariq isn’t about to let her out of his sight until he finds out…

After escaping her fourth kidnapping attempt in a year, Zenobia Fox has learned to vigilantly guard her identity. While her brother Archimedes is notorious for his exploits, Zenobia has had no adventures to call her own—besides the stories she writes.

But when she jumps at the chance to escape to the wilds of Australia and acquire research for her next story, Zenobia quickly discovers that the voyage will be far more adventurous than any fiction she could put to paper…

ANISE RAE