Review: And the adventure begins!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
*** ARC provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley ***(first posted on GR on 15-April-2014)The Kraken King Part II: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm (A Novel of the Iron Seas)consists of Chapters 4-8 of book #4 in the Iron Seas series (converted to @ 70 Kindle pgs). I enjoyed this installment even more, simply because the earlier chapters worked mainly as introduction and set-up. But with Part II, the adventure really begins as our pair sets off across the harsh Australian inlands to reach the smugglers' dens further south.Zenobia, hiding her hurt and even more protective of her true identity, is determined to resume travel to the Red City and thereby reunite her friend with her husband as quickly as possible. Ariq, disappointed by Zenobia's abrupt change and cool rebuff, focuses on finding clues to who or what is behind the repeated attacks by marauders before the Nipponese Empire is roused to action. Fortunately, their seemingly separate goals point in the same direction.Part II of THE KRAKEN KING continues to build the UST between Zenobia and Ariq via innuendos, teasing banter, and growing mutual admiration. (Oh yeah, verbal foreplay is seriously going on. *grins*) But Part II also serves to better connect the reader to other characters as well. More of the personal histories of Ariq and his brother, Taka, are revealed--and in turn, that of their mother who had been executed five years earlier for spying on the Nipponese. (Should be interesting to see how/if Ariq's parentage plays out at some point.) In addition, the glimpses here and there of Zenobia's married mercenary guards make them highly sympathetic and highlight Zenobia's secret longing for what they share.Another excellent mix of humour, action and romance by Meljean Brook and another solid recommend. This hit all of my good buttons and I gobbled it up so fast that I re-read it later that day.But dammit, the ending!! IDK whether to thank or shake my fists at the InterMix folks for unexpectedly including Part II in the ARC to Part I. I could've handled waiting after Part I but after the ending to Part II? No. So wrong.*sigh* Excuse me as I go off into a corner for a bout of self-castigation whilst figuring out if that's the Orloj on this cover. :/(FYI,The Kraken King Part III: The Kraken King and the Fox's Den (A Novel of the Iron Seas)is scheduled for release on April 29, 2014.)