Cover Comparison: The Iron Duke & Heart of Steel - Meljean Brook

Today is the UK release date for Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke so to celebrate I thought I'd compare the UK and US covers for the first two books in the series. I was lucky enough to meet Meljean at Authors After Dark last year (read all about it here) and I'd heard so many good things about The Iron Duke that I bought a US copy and was able to get it signed. It ended up being one of my favourite reads of 2011 so I'm really excited that it is now being published in the UK under Penguin's Berkley UK imprint. You can read my review of The Iron Duke here and this is definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone who loves romance - even if you're new to the steampunk genre.

Me with Meljean Brook at the Steampunk Ball at AADPhilly

Anyway, before I share the covers I thought I should include the UK blurb for those of you who haven't read the book yet:

Steampunk adventure and seductive danger abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas.

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaern has built a merchant empire on the power - and fear - of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship on to his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

Mina can't afford his interest, however, Horde blood runs through her veins, and becoming Rhys's lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him . . .

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and perilous oceans - and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

What do you think? Sounds great doesn't it and trust me it's even better than you think it will be!

So let's have a look at the covers

The UK Cover:

The US Cover:

So which cover do you like best? I have to admit the half naked man on the US cover was part of the reason I wanted to read the book in the first place but I think I actually prefer the UK cover. I like the fact that it has both Mina and Rhys on it and I love their steampunk outfits!

The second book in the series is called Heart of Steel and has been at the top of my wish list for a while now. The only reason I haven't already read it is that I didn't want to order the US version after I'd discovered it was being published in the UK. Thankfully I don't have too much longer to wait now as Berkley UK will publish Heart of Steel on the 7th of June.

The Heart of Steel blurb:
In the sequel to The Iron Duke in the Iron Seas steampunk romance series by Meljean Brook, Heart of Steel sees the exotic and dangerous captain Yasmeen on an action packed treasure hunt across Morocco.

As the mercenary captain of Lady Corsair, Yasmeen has learned to keep her heart as cold as steel, her only loyalty bound to her ship and her crew. So when a man who once tried to seize her airship returns from the dead, Yasmeen will be damned if she gives him another opportunity to take control.

Treasure-hunter Archimedes Fox isn't interested in Lady Corsair - he wants her cold-hearted captain and the valuable da Vinci sketch she stole from him. To reclaim it, Archimedes is determined to seduce the stubborn woman who once tossed him to a ravenous pack of zombies, but she's no easy conquest.

When da Vinci's sketch attracts a dangerous amount of attention, Yasmeen and Archimedes journey to Horde-occupied Morocco - and straight into their enemy's hands. But as they fight to save themselves and a city on the brink of rebellion, the greatest peril Yasmeen faces is from the man who seeks to melt her icy heart . . .

The UK Cover:

The US Cover:

I'm finding it much harder to choose between the UK & US covers for Heart of Steel, I guess it depends on whether you prefer to have the hero or the heroine on the covers. I really liked airship captain Yasmeen when we met her in The Iron Duke so I like the fact that she features on the UK cover along with her ship, I think I'd have preferred to see Archimedes on the cover too though. Of course on the US cover we have the complete opposite and yes Archimedes looks hot but we're missing Yasmeen. It's a close one but I think I'd probably say the UK cover is my favourite.

So which of these covers do you like best? Have you read either / both of these books? If so I'd love to know what you thought of them.

Event Report - Author's After Dark 2011 - #AADPhilly

I just realised that we're about to reach the end of 2011 and I still haven't shared any of my American adventures from the summer.  I had a whole series of posts planned but with everything that has been going on with the house (in case you missed the updates I've been in temporary housing since a couple of weeks after we got home, first in a B&B and now in a flat with no internet access!) I haven't had the time to write them.  My Dad, brother and I had an amazing time in Washington, New York and Niagara Falls but I'll tell you more about that some other time.  For today I want to share with you one of my bookish highlights of the whole year - the Authors After Dark Con in Philadelphia.  Really this was the most amazing experience and although there were a few problems with the hotel I loved every minute of the weekend.

Day 1 - 11th August

Thanks to a mix up over train times I ended up getting to Philadelphia later than planned so I'd missed the convention opening and quite a few panels but luckily I managed to find my roomies quickly so we could get checked in & offload our bags.  I can't tell you how excited I was to finally meet Larissa (from Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life) her blog is one of the first ones I discovered when I started blogging and she is just as lovely in person as she is online.  I was also really looking forward to meeting Jaime (author JA Saare who also writes as Aline Hunter) who I have been chatting to on twitter forever and I love her!  She has the most adorable southern accent & we were the terrible red-headed twosome for the weekend :o)

Roomies! Jaime, me & Larissa

I can't believe I had to go all the way to America to meet one of my favourite UK bloggers and twitter friend Jules (Minxy) from Loose Knickers and Window Lickers (isn't that just one of the coolest blog names!).  Jules and I had a blast and we're already plotting ways to try and do the whole Brit Chick on tour thing again & get back to AAD another year.  If only flights weren't so damn expensive!  Someone else I'd really been looking forward to meeting was Jen from That's What I'm Talking About.  I've been chatting to Jen for so long now and it was awesome to finally see her in person.

The first event we all went to was the Blogger ARC party where we got to meet some amazing authors, were given a stack of fabulous books and I got to chat with some other fab bloggers.  I know I'm going to have missed some off this list (probably some that I spent lots of time chatting to over the weekend knowing my memory!) so I'll apologise in advance for that but a big shout out to Bells (Hanging With Bells), Joy (Joyfully Reviewed), Grace (Livre D'Armour), Robin (Intense Whisper), Pam (Wicked Lil Pixie), Marq (Love to Read for Fun), Felicia (Geeky Blogger) & Mandi (Smexy Books) and everyone else I spoke to (please let me know if I missed you!).

Lara Adrian & me

Then there was my highlight of the entire year, you know that moment where you meet your favourite author ever, the one you love so much that your first ever tattoo was a symbol from her series?  Well, perhaps not everyone knows that exact moment but you get the idea lol.  Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series was the first adult paranormal romance series I ever read and it hooked me in from the minute I picked up Kiss of Midnight.  I have spoken to Lara on twitter and via email pretty much since I started blogging but I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to finally meet her - it was the whole reason I wanted to go to AAD in the first place (although finding out that Larissa Ione was going to be there too was just the icing on the cake!).  The fact that Lara spotted me from across the room, knew who I was (OMFG SHE KNEW WHO I WAS!!) and came over to give me a hug made my day!  Not only that but I got to go for dinner with Lara and some of the others which was fantastic.  Lara is so lovely and I'm so pleased I got to spend time chatting with her!

Larissa Ione & me

After dinner we went to an event hosted by Lara Adrian & Larissa Ione where we had lots of giggles and begged for spoilers (not that I could possibly tell you if we got any or not!) and posed for pictures.  So less than 1 full day at the con & I'd already met my two favourite authors!  Yup, it was a good day :o)  Larissa is just as lovely as I knew she would be and meeting her was awesome!  Lara & Larissa are both the friendliest and coolest people and I may possibly have worried them a little by stalking them bumping into them all weekend.

Day 2 - 12th August

I have to admit the second day passed in a bit of a blur, I'd only had about 3 hours sleep since Jaime, Larissa and I were a bit hyper and over excited the night before.  It was like being a teen again at a girly sleepover where you spend all night whispering in bed, I think we finally turned the lights off at about 4am but since Larissa forgot to turn off her alarm we were up again by 7am!  I know we went to several panels but I forget which ones & you're probably not going to believe this but I was incredibly lax about taking pictures.  I think I was so overwhelmed by the whole experience that I just completely forgot I was walking around with a camera in my hand.  I met so many fabulous authors and hardly took pictures of any of them, not at all like me I know and I was really annoyed with myself afterwards.

I spent quite a bit of time on the 5th floor balcony which was where most of the smokers gathered and there was always someone to talk to.  It was there that I got talking to Dakota Cassidy who is without a doubt one of the funniest people I've ever met.  Seriously, if you ever get a chance to meet her do it but expect to laugh until your sides hurt!  I hadn't read any of her books before but I bought several at the AAD signing and if they're half as funny as she is in person then I know I'll love them. 

Stella Price & me

Jules and I also managed to spend a few minutes with the lovely Stella Price who works so hard to organise AAD every year.  I know there were a lot of complaints about some things that happened at AADPhilly but that was mostly down to the seriously bad customer services of the hotel, I can guarantee I'd never go back to that hotel again!  It was irritating that events switched rooms at the last minute and you couldn't always find what you were looking for but that didn't stop me from having the most amazing time at the con so I'm not going to say anymore about it.  Other things that people have complained about didn't effect me personally so I'm going to stay away from the drama there, yes I'm sad that some people were disappointed but I'm not going to let that colour my experiences.  I thought AAD was fantastic and I would love to go again every year, the only thing stopping me is the flight costs but trust me as soon as I've saved up enough I'll be going again!

Jules & me

Jules and I might have sneaked into the hotel bar for cocktails before we went to get changed for the Masquerade dinner & ball.  The evening was great fun and there were some fabulous costumes, everything from Greek goddesses to Medusa, geisha girls to faeries.  Leanna Renee Hieber & her partner Marcus looked absolutely amazing dressed as the Goddess and Alexi from her book The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess and I also loved Stephanie Burke's geisha outfit (you can see pics in the slide show below).  We got to sit with Larissa Ione for the dinner which was fantastic as it was also her birthday so we got to help her celebrate.  After the dinner there was dancing but I have to admit I spent most of the evening sitting outside chatting so I missed most of that. 

Day 3 - 13th August

This was the busiest day of the con and I'm still not quite sure how I survived it considering Jamie, Larissa and I had spent another night gossiping and giggling rather than sleeping!  Jules and I hit a couple of panels in the morning including the "It's All About the Fangs, Baby" panel with Larissa Ione, Lara Adrian, Jess Haines, Jennifer Armintrout, Alexandra Ivy and Samantha Sommersby which was great fun and added quite a few books to my wish list!

Jess Haines, Lara Adrian, Larissa Ione, Samantha Sommersby, Jennifer Armintrout & Alexandra Ivy

After the panel we had about 2 hours to spare before the big book signing in the afternoon.  Jules and I were both leaving Philadelphia as soon as the convention finished so we decided it would be nice to spend a little bit of time exploring.  Admittedly we didn't have time to see everything but at least we can say we ventured out of the hotel now!  We were able to go on a tour of Independence Hall which is where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were discussed and then signed.  We also got to go and see Liberty Bell, there was quite a long queue but luckily it was fairly fast moving and we managed to get back to the hotel just in time.  Here are a few pics I took as we were walking around Philadelphia, I'd love to go back and explore properly one day:

Then it was time for the signing, we had been given quite a few books by authors who were at AAD but there was also a book seller outside the signing room where we could buy more.  I have to confess that I got a bit carried away at that book stall & I spent nearly $200 buying books (well when am I going to get the chance to get books signed by all these American authors again?).  I'd heard so many good things about Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke (which I have since read & reviewed here - it was AMAZING!), I loved the first book in Nicole Peeler's Jane True series (Tempest Rising reviewed here) so had to pick up the next couple of books and I've wanted to read Leanna Renee Hieber's Strangely Beautiful series for ages so I couldn't resist them either.  I also bought books by Jess Haines, Carolyn Crane and Dakota Cassidy who had all been on my wish list and I'm sure some more that I've forgotten about.  Of course I'd bought full sets of Lara Adrian and Larissa Ione's books with me to get signed too :o)

I had so many books to get signed that I had to carry them in 3 batches (by the time I'd packed a box to ship home I could barely pick it up!).  Along with the authors mentioned above I got to meet and get books signed by Lia Habel, Kristen Painter, Anton Strout, Lydia Dare, Karin Harlow, Sidney Ayers, Erin Kellison, Theresa Meyers, Nancy Holzner, Monica Burns, Judi Fennell, Jessa Slade, Bianca D'Arc, Sylvia Day, Jennifer Estep, Bronwyn Green, Mia Watts, Brynn Paulin, Samantha Kane and Stephanie Julian.  Stupidly even though I had my camera with me I only remembered to take one picture with Leanna Renee Hieber.  If I ever make it to AAD again I WILL be more organised with my camera!

I did remember to take lots of pictures at the steampunk ball though!  I'd been looking forward to seeing everyone's steampunk costumes for months, it had taken me forever to decide on my own costume too but I had some help on that one.  I have to say there were some absolutely fantastic outfits and people had come up with so many different ideas.  One of my favourites was Lia Habel who looked like a princess in her pretty pink dress (you can see some action shots of her dancing in the slide show below), Leanna Renee Hieber and her partner Marcus both looked fab and I loved Meljean Brook's wonder woman tshirt and corset combo.

I wasn't too sure what to make of the carnival side show, I'm a bit squeamish so someone hanging weights off of hooks that have been poked through their eye lids is enough to send me running from the room!  I think it was a fun idea if you have a stronger stomach than I do but I stayed outside until it was over and then came back in for the dancing.  It was a great evening though and one that involved a bit too much drinking and yet another late night.

Day 4 - 14th August

Jules, Jen & me

It was so sad to reach the last day of AAD, we'd had such a fantastic time that I didn't want it to end!  Unfortunately the closing ceremony had been cancelled so there were no organised events on the last day but I did get to go for breakfast with Larissa, Jules, Jen and some of the other bloggers before it was time to check out of the hotel.  I have to say by the time my Dad and brother collected me to head for the train station for our trip to New York I was ready to sleep for a week.  I had less than 10 hours sleep in 3 nights and was completely running on empty but it was worth every minute. 

AAD was such a fantastic experience, I met some amazing people - some who were already friends and some who are now, I have some wonderful memories and some fab books that I really need to make time to read.  Thanks to everyone who I spent time with for helping make it so special and I hope I'll get to see you all again another year!

Review: The Iron Duke - Meljean Brook

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero.  Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power - and fear - of his name.  And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Dectective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

Mina can't afford his interest, however, Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society.  Becoming Rhys's lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him... and the Iron Duke's ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England.  To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans - and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

Iron Seas Series:
The Blushing Bounder (Novella found in the Wild & Steamy anthology)
Here There Be Monsters (Novella found in the Burning Up anthology)
The Iron Duke
Heart of Steel

Visit Meljean Brook's website for more information

Review:
200 years ago the majority of England was infected with nanoagents by the Horde.  Only the wealthy aristocracy were able to escape infection by leaving the country and moving to the New World.  After the population was contaminated the Horde activated the nanoagents and were able to take full control of every person.  For 200 years the population lived in fear and poverty, stripped of their emotions and forced into having mechanical upgrades by the Horde.  Everything changed when The Iron Duke destroyed the control towers, the Horde was overrun and driven out of England.  Now the aristocracy (known as Bounders) have returned to claim the land they believe is rightfully theirs, those who remained behind and were infected (known as Buggers) are resentful of their return and struggling to deal with the return of their emotions.  Mina is a Detective Inspector but because of the circumstances of her birth and the fact she is obviously of Horde heritage she doesn't receive the respect she deserves.  She crosses paths with Rhys (The Iron Duke) when a body is thrown out of an airship onto his property and she is sent to investigate.  But whose body have they found and why was it delivered to Rhys?  Is it part of a conspiracy against the whole of England and will Mina be able to stop it in time?

I've had The Iron Duke on my wish list for quite some time now, I've heard nothing but good things about this book and the author so was really looking forward to reading it.  I have to admit I'm still fairly new to steampunk but it's a genre I've really enjoyed discovering.  Meljean Brook has done some amazing world building and I can't wait to continue reading the series.  Things can be a little confusing in the first few chapters as you try to get to grips with the setting and the history of the Horde but I was completely hooked from the moment Rhys stepped onto the page.

Mina is intelligent and works hard at her job as a Detective.  She constantly has to fight prejudice, not just from being a female in a job that is traditionally viewed as a man's work by her peers but also because of her Horde background.  She faces insults and threats on a daily basis but she is brave enough to keep going and she just wants to do her job to the best of her ability.  She is also fiercely loyal to those that she loves and will do whatever it takes to protect them.  She is immediately attracted to Rhys but she is worried about what would happen to her family if it is publicly known that she is dating England's hero.

Rhys was a pirate before he destroyed the tower and is now one of the most well known faces in the country.  His sins have been forgiven in the face of his help destroying the Horde tower and he has even been given the title of Duke of Anglesey as a reward.  At heart Rhys is still a pirate though, he is arrogant and expects to be obeyed.  If there is something he wants he goes for it and isn't willing to take no for an answer and what he wants more than anything is Mina, no doubt about it he plans to make her his.  Although he could come across as overbearing (especially at first) there is something sweet and deliciously sexy about him - who doesn't find a ruffian pirate at least a little hard to resist? - and the more you get to know about his back story the harder you will fall for him.  I loved the way he changed as he gets to know Mina and sees how fearful she is of someone having power over her, she was controlled by the Horde and refuses to let anyone have that kind of hold over her again.  As Rhys learns more about her past his attitude towards her changes and this is where the relationship really started to take off for me.

Along with the main characters we have some great side characters, I particularly loved Scarsdale who was always able to put Rhys in his place and provided a lot of light relief throughout the story.  I really hope we get to see his story in a future book.  I was excited to discover that Yasmeen will be the heroine of the next book, she is an airship captain and quite a tough cookie and I'm really curious to find out what her secret is.  At the moment I'm not too sure about the hero of the next book though, I'm not his biggest fan going on what we've seen of him so far but it'll be interesting to see if Meljean Brook can change my mind.  The plot is strong and fast paced, full of conspiracies, intrigue, prejudice and discrimination it is a real page turner that you won't want to put down.  If you love a story with a strong romance, likable characters and interesting world building then The Iron Duke is one I would highly recommend.  Even if you're new to the steampunk genre I think this would be a great place to start.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.