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Riveted
Riveted
Riveted
Audiobook14 hours

Riveted

Written by Meljean Brook

Narrated by Alison Larkin

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland's inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island has become enshrouded in legend. But the truth behind the legends is mechanical, not magical-and the mystery of the island a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom.Five years ago, Annika unwittingly endangered that secret, but her sister Kalla took the blame and was exiled. Now Annika serves on an airship, searching for her sister and longing to return home. But that home is threatened when scientific expedition leader David Kentewess comes aboard, looking to expose Annika's secrets. Then disaster strikes, leaving David and Annika stranded on a glacier and pursued by a madman, with their very survival depending on keeping the heat rising between them-and generating lots of steam . . .
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 17, 2012
ISBN9781452679860
Riveted

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Reviews for Riveted

Rating: 3.838461595384615 out of 5 stars
4/5

130 ratings15 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    ron Sharks, Airships and scary trolls. I do love steampunk and the world is just so fascinating, things that could have happened (even if not likely ;). I did miss the zombies though, I never thought I would say that but they do give a nice chase.

    This book works fine on it's own, we do not see the previous characters around but if you want to know more about the Horde, the tower, zombies, then you really must start with book 1.

    Annika is a mysterious woman who does not talk about her past. She hails from Iceland, the land of trolls and witches...or what is really going on? Annika was hard to get to know, but that was the idea, as she kept her secrets close. We knew them, but she would not let anyone else know. So it was not easy at times to get to know her, and therefore like her.

    The hero, David is from the new world, and would by some not be called pretty exactly as he has legs of iron, fake eye and scars. But such a nice and sweet guy. Love him.

    There is adventure as bad things are coming. David are off to explore volcanoes, Annika has secrets to guard. Friendship is growing, passion is slowly emerging. And when it finally does come around, then it's hot and fast.

    Conclusion:
    I did feel a bit sad that there was no Mina or Rhys, but I can live with that. And I do hope that there will be more from this fascinating world.

    Cover:
    Love it! Though I'd want more color on her clothes as she loves and wears that.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Two and a half stars. The story itself was a little weird in terms of structure--the plot beats seemed off. But Annika and David are gentle, wonderful human beings and their relationship was refreshing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I ADORE this series. And I LOVED this one. The characters are awesome, I really, really enjoyed both Annika and David. I'm sad the book is over. Only one slight complaint: For the life of me, I don't understand why Kalla didn't kill Lorenzo a thousand times over. There had to have been opportunities before Olaf came along, and even so, she knew he was killing LOTS OF PEOPLE. There is just no justification for sitting by, to me. I ended up rather disliking her, actually, between this and her condescending attitude to Annika. And I have mixed feelings about her relationship with Paolo but I pretty much am not comfortable with it. So it was kind of disappointing to dislike Annika's sister, but interesting, too, to not have things be neat and tidy. - On a different note but also needing to be hidden by spoiler warnings; I completely loved the lesbian viking commune storyline! Oh my god, so good and unique and well-constructed and wonderful. Fascinating. (4.5 stars)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A secret island of women, one woman searching for her sister, and one man determined to fulfill his promise to his mother.Opening Sentence: “Before Annika had begun her journey, her mother assured her that the people in the New World weren’t all that different from the women in their village of Hannasvik.”The Review:Annika accidentally set a fire, and almost exposed her village to men. Her sister Kalla took the blame and left the village. Annika left later and has been searching for her sister for four years. David comes to her rescue while she is in a foreign port. When he asks her to dinner, she freaks out and refuses his offer not knowing at the time that he has booked passage on the Phateon too. David thinks she is a passenger too, he only learns later that she is crew member.He is trying to discover the secret of her origins, because her speech reminds him of his mother. She also wears runes similar to the ones his mother gave him when she was dying. She had asked David to bury them in the mountain by her village. But even in death she doesn’t reveal the secrets of her people. Annika is shocked to find out that David’s mother is related to her family. She promises to pass on the information, but only her sisters’ can reveal their secrets to him.So he promises to help her find Kalla, while waiting on a response from the mysterious women of Hannasvik. On the journey they are attacked by a submersible whale, and captured by the pirates. When taken to the camp of their leader, they find Kalla and a madman bent on discovering something.I did go and read the first two books before getting to this one. I have to say I really enjoyed The Iron Duke, but wasn’t as impressed with Heart of Steel, so I didn’t really know what to expect when starting this one. I really enjoyed this book, and other than the worldbuilding this is a series where you don’t necessarily have to read all the books. Normally steampunk just isn’t my thing, there are exceptions –this series being one of them. Annika was bold, fearless and a tad odd, everything I love in a female lead. Together Annika and David were scorching hot!I really love the alternative history, so it’s familiar but different. The steampunk is the mechanical ships, and nanobots (which is something new that I have seen with my limited exposure to steampunk). The mixtures of prejudices and freethinking really set the series apart. For instances, the way some think of the Horde and the nanobots, or even the way they view women who have relationships with women, but on the other hand the majority of the people seem to think it’s completely normal and nothing is wrong with that. If steampunk is your thing, I think you will love this series!Notable Scene:“She’d often fancied dangers that weren’t there and daydreamed when she have been wary.”“He’d almost given up hope of ever knowing his mother’s origins.”“I want to feel as if my guts are riveted together, to feel as if I would do anything just for a kiss, or a touch, or to see them.”“Lorenzo had woken the witch.”“And the rest of the world melted away.”FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Riveted. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Set in Brooks’ steampunk/biologically altered Europe universe. Woman trying to find her sister without revealing the secrets of her village encounters hot guy with a mechanical arm and eye who is accidentally threatening those secrets with his explorations of Greenland. They nonetheless fall in lust, then love, and join together in the last third of the book to fight off a mad scientist’s terrible schemes. (Actually the schemes of his even more terrible son, but that’s a side note that turns out to involve the sister, by SHEEREST COINCIDENCE.) In the last third it moved briskly enough to keep my attention, but I didn’t feel the core metaphor of the heroine who wants to feel “riveted” by the presence of her man before she gives her heart; that metaphor came up a lot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A man in search of his roots and a woman desperate to protect hers face an addled inventor, an amoral student of the human condition, vicious packs of wild dogs and impending volcanic eruption. Suspense, action, romance and adventure, all wrapped up and served in a tasty steampunk shell. Perhaps not Brook's best, but good fun nonetheless.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A good mix of romance, alternate history, and steampunk. Annika is an Engineer on an airship. David, who has a mechanical arm, legs, and eye, saves her while in port. Little does she know he will be on her ship on the way to Iceland. I really liked both characters and their chemistry was great. I enjoyed the alternate history developed for Iceland.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I can't even really surmise why I disliked this book so much, especially given that I liked the first two in the series. I enjoyed their steampunky action, feisty heroines and hint of sexy romance times. In contrast, riveted is a romance with a hint of sex and steampunky action and a virginal protagonist whom I wouldn't refer to as a heroine and who proclaims how weak and wimpy she is multiple times. Not for me, this one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love how diverse these books are. Though they're set in the same world, each offers different flavors, just like in real life.

    While I can't deny I love the men in Brooks' novels, I absolutely adore her heroines. Annika was no exception. She's strong and resilient, but has a soft core that makes her easy to relate to.

    I kind of just want to review the book like this:

    LOVE.

    does that work?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a really fun series that doesn't go to the dumb end of steampunk--you know, shit isn't made out of cogs or whatever for no reason and then over-described because the author wants to show you her adverb collection.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Full Review to be posted soon:

    Wonderful installment in the Iron Seas series. I adored the romance between Annika and David who really shone in this book. The pace is slightly slower than previous books, but it really focuses on the the romance which is a joy to witness as it develops. Both David and Annika are outsiders but instantly connect with each other and I loved how they slowly fall in love with other.

    I also loved how it explores another aspect of the world-building, which in this case is the icy landscape of Iceland and mechanical trolls and levianthanlike whales. I love how the themes of sexuality, race and disability is covered and how that affects the characters and the world-building. But this is definitely how you write Steampunk, because Meljean Brook injects so much depth and detail into her world that it feels so real and vibrant.

    Definitely one of the best books I read this year!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really waffled on how to rate this one. I loved the characters and the riveting (yes really) emotion of this book, but I didn't like the story as well as #2. So really...4.5 stars (though it won't let me actually pick that). It totally made me cry. In a good way.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I got an eGalley of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This is the third book in the Iron Seas series. The books in this series follow stories of different characters but are set in the same world. This was by far the best Iron Seas book yet. The plot was engrossing, the characters had wonderful chemistry, there is tons of action and adventure, and the creativity of the world is amazing.Annika was raised in a secret society of all women, when she accidentally exposed the tribe her sister took the blame and was banished. Annika has spent the last four years in the New World trying to find her sister; all that time she has been serving on the airship Phatéon. David is searching for secrets to his mother’s past and on his way to an expidition to study a volcanoe in Iceland; when he hears Annika’s accent he recognizes it as his mother’s accent as well. Now David wants to know Annika’s secrets. Of course when a madman sets the Phateon on a course of destruction David and Annika find themselves stranded and dependent on each other for survival.Everything about this story is perfectly balanced. There is a wonderfully creative and intricate world; if you have read other Iron Seas novels you know the world these stories are set in absolutely rocks. You have zombies, nanoagents, steampunk body parts, and the Horde; along with an intricate history of humanity’s fall and struggle to rise again. There is a very intriguing plot. You have Annika’s missing sister, a mysterious plot to use the volcanoes power for invention, and David’s search for his history as well as his scientific interest in volcanoes. It is a wonderful plot with many threads that come together to make a very engaging story. Then there are the characters. All of them are interesting even the side characters. Of course it is Annika and David that steal the show. Annika is somewhat naive because of her upbrings but very brave and determined to find her sister. The way she pilots the lumbering Trolls and comes up with solutions during airship battles is admirable. She constantly underestimates her own bravery. David is another awesome character. He is half machine and infected by nanoagents, he is used to being reviled and scorned for this. That gives him a great wounded male vibe. He respects Annika, is supportive, and is super smart and interesting because of his scientific research into volcanoes. Seriously you want to know more about David as soon as you meet him.Together these two are explosive. They complement each other well and there is not insta-love; it takes time for them to develop a loving a trusting relationship and it is super engaging and fun to watch it develop. The chemistry between them is awesome and the romantic scenes are incredibly steamy and emotional. So...uh..yeah there is a good dash of romance in this book, but it is surrounded by an incredibly well done story and the romance itself is one of the most well done romances I have ever read.There is also action galore and some spectacular battle scenes, I loved the balance of all of the different above elements. The story is incredibly well written and easy to read and increibly engaging...I could not put this book down.Overall I really, really loved this book. It was a perfect combination of action, a complex world, an intriguing plot, wonderful characters, a heartpounding romance, and excellent writing. The other book with a similar tone to it (that I have read earlier this year and like almost as much) was Firelight by Kristen Callihan. If you liked Firelight you will love this book. If you love steampunk and you don’t mind some romance in the story you will love this book as well. I highly recommend it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.allthingsuf.comI was both hopeful and trepidatious approaching RIVETED, the third book in the fantastic Iron Seas series. With an unknown hero and heroine, I was concerned that meeting these brand new characters would make or break my enjoyment of the book. Not only were Annika and David interesting and winning, I had forgotten that the Iron Seas series is more than the sum of its characters. The world itself is utterly captivating, and RIVETED delivers an interesting look outside the boundaries that prior books had explored, in the New World and trade routes of the Atlantic.The main characters, Annika and David, are more familiar with this conservative, nano-fearing New World than England’s post-Horde society, and it is that political climate that shapes Annika’s “big secret” and origins. RIVETED explores many social issues regarding homosexuality in a way that aligned with my own beliefs, but I would guess that anyone with a more traditional or conservative bent may start feeling defensive. Overall, however, Brook weaves this important issue into her story with a nuance and sensitivity that should be accessible (and educational) for all readers. Regardless of personal beliefs, I felt Brook humanized the social conflict, even to the point of keeping it separate from the main villain who is “defeated” in the traditional sense. The acceptance of gay couples in this book ends on a happy note, and it’s clear that prejudices against them are overcome through community socialization and acceptance, not overthrowing a single, “evil” opposition.Though the romance in RIVETED won’t unseat THE IRON DUKE as my favorite of the series, it has taken the second place crown away from HEART OF STEEL. Annika is winsome and refreshing, managing to be innocent but earthy, unspoiled without ever seeming stupid. As she always feels like an outsider, it was very believable to watch her unique and rare feeling of connection with David grow into a healthy sexual interest. And David is worth the curiosity; he is a gentle, damaged hero that soaks up Annika’s happiness and kindness like a sponge. David is the first augmented main character that hasn’t had the benefit of The Blacksmith’s mechanical flesh, and his perception of his prosthetics was one of the interesting parts of his character. Losing a limb is a traumatic event, and rather than waving a magic wand to make everything better, Brook explores David’s complicated feelings about loss and his current abilities. Annika and David both come to the relationship with little or no sexual experience, and the way they grow comfortable and confident with one another was both sweet and sexy.As a romance, RIVETED is refreshing and well written, touching on complicated themes with sensitivity and realism. As a steampunk world, this story is five stars across the board. I can’t get enough of exploring The Iron Seas, every glimpse of this alternate history leaves me fascinated and hungry for more.Sexual Content: Sex scenes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've never been bored with anything Brook writes. I find the worlds she create marvelous and wonderfully unexpected, both with this series and her Guardians series. They're complex, odd, sexy, and fun. Riveted is no different. Brook gives us an Icelandic setting with mechanical trolls, glaciers and volcanoes, a secret village of only women, and a bad guy with one loony plan. It's unique and different from the first two books in the series, but obviously from the same world. I'm not sure how Brook does that? As much as I love Brook's world building, it's the characters that keep me riveted (:D). We have Annika, who doesn't see herself as particularly brave, but left home and works on the airship, Phateon, as she searches for her sister. She meets David, a volcanist. David lost his legs, a hand, and one eye to an accident and has metal prosthetics in place. He's had to deal with prejudice and pity most of his life, but hasn't let that stop him from doing what he finds fascinating. David is also searching for something. A secret Annika holds so dear ends up being exactly what David is looking for. Of the three books so far in this series, Annika and David's relationship I found the sweetest. I really found their relationship darling. Annika has never had a relationship or anything sexual with a man before and David has only had a couple awful sexual experiences. I loved Annika's forwardness in their love scenes. She may be inexperienced, but she's not shy. And David finds someone who doesn't look at him with pity or disgust, but sees just how wonderful he is. The relationship was just beautifully done.This one has no zombies, but is just as fun as The Iron Duke and Heart of Steel. I promise.