HEART OF IRON takes place 3 years after the events of Kiss of Steel. Honoria and Blade are an old married couple; and Rip and Esme are also married and settled down. After being pardoned by the Queen, there is relative peace between Blade and the high-level Blue Bloods of the Echelon. Lena has gone to live with her half-brother Leo to rejoin Society, where she is being presented as a debutant. In this world, instead of looking to land a husband, young women look to gain a contract as an aristocratic Blue Blood's 'thrall', or primary blood source. Lena has had offers but cannot bring herself to enter into a contract. Lena is being actively sought out by Colchester, a very powerful and highly placed Blue Blood nobleman. When Lena continues to rebuff his attentions, he is enraged, and makes plans to take her by force. One of the many reasons Lena has not accepted a contract is that she is working with the Humanists, a group seeking to brings humans back to equality with the vampiric Blue Bloods.

Will gets called before the Blue Blood council. H has been promised by the Prince-consort freedom for all the verwulfen in Britain if he (and Blade) aid him in acquiring a much-needed peace treaty with the Norwegian were clans. Will and Blade decide to have Lena spend time with Will, to prepare him for Court and the Society balls he will attend when the Norwegian clans arrive. They also need to help protect Lena against Colchester's unwanted attentions, which are becoming more blatant and coercive. Spending so much time alone with Will, however, brings to the surface the long simmering attraction between Will and Lena. Will has long fought against becoming close to Lena; fearing that he will infect her with the Loupe virus.

There was a lot of time spent on the set-up of the plot in the story, making it just a little slow reading in the beginning. When all the pieces of HEART OF IRON are set into place, however, the story takes off and never looks back; becoming a fascinating and incredible read. The added touch of the creepy 'Mechs' and their inventive world help to move this really fun SteamPunk story into a top-notch read. There is so much going on in this colorful world that the reader is continually entertained. Add that to the charming love story between Will and Lena, and this is a recommended read in a highly recommended PNR/SteamPunk series.

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