Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster
Heart of Iron explores the fledgling attraction between Lena, a young socialite and Will, a Verwulfen living in the shadows.
This book felt like a filler story.
Lena is a bright young debutante secretly working for the revolutionaries who want to overthrow the Vampire elite. Lena’s situation gets complicated when she learns she must guide Will through high society as he helps the vampires gain new allies.
This book was just okay. It starts off as a reverse “My Fair Lady” situation but that fades into the background as we are introduced to the revolutionaries and learn more about the lore of McMaster’s world. It’s a great book for world-building, but the romance didn’t capture me. This book does feature a virgin hero so there is another one for the list.
The audiobooks for this series just don’t do it for me. Ali Larkin doesn’t quite capture the rough-and-tumble accents of the male characters. She would sometimes portray Will’s Highland accent but it was inconsistent.
My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster
Sir Jasper Lynch is a renowned vampire detective but he somehow doesn’t realize the sultry female revolutionary he’s been chasing for months is also his new secretary. Even though they are the only two women he’s ever been insanely attracted to. Like…. Sir?
Plot hole aside, this is the ultimate cat-and-mouse tale with top-tier banter. McMaster excels at writing action and devising creative set pieces to test her characters’ emotional and physical limits. Probably my second favorite of the series so far. As I continue this series I do find myself getting a little annoyed at the way McMaster writes endings. The characters seem to have this life-changing epiphany in the last three chapters that immediately leads to a HEA.
Not sure why this book is called My Lady Quicksilver. The word “Quicksilver” is never used in the text. Jasper is described as having an ‘iron heart,’ so… maybe that should have been the title of this book.
Also, this book features a 30-year-old FMC. Such a rare in historical romance.
Side note
They need to take these bland male models off the covers. They aren’t giving the way the female ones are. The women look campy, lively, and expressive. The men are just…there.
