The commander of the East Wind Dominion is a terrifying man. He leads an army of automatons. He can control lightning itself. And now, Rose Calder is his prisoner of war.
All Rose has ever known is fighting. When the invading forces of the East Wind Dominion robs away her friends, her family, and her home, she takes to the skies to battle for her freedom. For hope.
When the war comes to a … hope.
When the war comes to a sudden end at the hands of commander Viktor Lang, she is certain she is about to die. When he discovers her impossible secret, she becomes a mystery he is desperate to solve, and that may be worse.
The war may be over, but now she stands to lose much, much more.
more
OMG where do I start. What a unique, amazing world and the villain for a hero was just drool-worthy. And the sex when it happened SO worth the wait. Read it until the late hours of the morning. Can’t wait to get my hands on book 2.
This was so imaginative and unusual Rose is a fighter pilot for the rebel faction opposing the Dominion her base is currently the last stand.
When they are finally brought down by the East Wind Dominion signalling the end of the war and current hostilities Rose finds herself a prisoner of the cardinal himself.
So I really liked Victor a lot he was such a complex individual.
I greatly appreciate how this author always manages to create complex and imperfect characters and then somehow makes me fall head over heels in love with them.
Victor likes control in all his endeavours
Rose threatens that authority and her chaos unleashes in him a need to dominate her that is totally out of character for him.
His usual sombre inflexible outward persona is totally jeopardised when it comes to her.
Victor is rather eccentric a tad strange and a total individual and though he originally comes across as cold cruel and stern buried underneath this there runs a vein of kindness and passion just waiting to be unleashed and explored further.
He has such high ideals and holds himself to lofty standards.
Rose, I liked her ability to adapt to the situation and the fact that though she is led by her emotions she doesn’t let them consume her clouding her judgement.
She is logical and willing to listen keeping herself open to change.
She is also not too proud to admit when She’s wrong.
She was a curious mix of naivety and pragmatism, both a fighter and a peacekeeper.
She also has a very healthy sense of preservation that I admired.
I liked that they both had outward flaws Rose with her prosthetic arm and Victor with his scars limp and cane.
This was slow-burn expertly building the tension and when it finally erupted it was combustible.
Victor was an untapped powerhouse of surprises when he finally released the reins and just went with his instincts it was explosive and Rose finds herself craving his dominant and passionate attentions.
Which are a complete contrast to his usual calm and staid outward presence that he presents to the world at large.
This also has some fantastic side-characters loved Otto and adored Rose’s robot friend Bub he was a right bloody card.
There’s some hard choices and new alliances to be made as Rose has to decide what’s most important to her.
This really was a fabulous read and I’m so looking forward to reading Nero’s story next.
Liked this one a lot it was fabulous and very unusual.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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This book is downright electric.
Hot dieselpunk.
It’s got differently abled characters, socioeconomic discourse, explicit scenes, cooking, and big squish side characters that make me just so so happy.
fyi, not vanilla.
not sweet.
Steel Rose has a fascinating premise, a riveting plot and very engaging characters, which includes both the protagonists as well as the side characters. I found the female lead, in particular, extremely loveable and interesting. The development of the romance plot was very enjoyable with just the right amount of ‘will they or won’t they’ involved to keep me on my feet. I also found the subplot involving the differences in political ideologies between the female and male protagonists very interesting and something that is so rare for this genre. I have always understood love to be a political act and it is a running theme that further fuels the tension and the writer treats it substantially enough for it to be an important part of the story. This is furthered in the way the political subplot is resolved. Without giving away any spoilers, there is certain amount of gravity to the ending of Steel Rose that I do not generally expect to see in romances. And that made me love the book even more.
“Hope. What a funny concept. A torch in the darkness fighting off the cold until the dawn.”
Do not pass this series up
I first read an ARC copy – Then when it came out I read it via kindle unlimited and I then purchased the paperback
Kingsley first dazzled me with her dark fantasy series “The Masks of Under”. Then she did a complete 360 with the “Halfway Between” series – which leaned more towards suspense and the angelic vs. demonic.
And now she has completely blown me away with Steel Rose the first in “The Cardinal Winds” series.
There have only been a few authors that have had the ability to ,quite literally, drag me into their work
What do I mean?
Have you ever been so involved in a book that you forgot it was fiction?
Where you actually shrugged your shoulders in response to a scene or the character?
Or you lifted your eyebrows to question them “like really, you are going to go there?”
Or you laughed so hard that your family and/or friends began to consider you may need a new jacket?
This was one of those stories
I can’t pin point any exact moment or even why I felt so invested
I can tell you that this was an epic journey that left me emotionally depleted yet filled at the same time
“Show respect to those you defeat. In their descent, you have the power to choose whether it is an ally or an enemy who looks up at you.”
Rose is fighting for freedom – It is all she has ever known
Jamie is the leader of their rebel band – Rose’s side kick in a way
Viktor is fighting for … well you will have to decide that for yourself
Then there is Otto – Gotta love a man willing to go above and beyond
Bub bless your sweet little empty tin shell
Nero you naughty little devil
You may be a bit weary of the genre listing – clock work gears – history – war –
Not your thing
I get that
But this is so much more than that
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m scared, I’m confused and I’m in a free fall” – Rose
Go on, try something new – take that leap – you will never know until you do