Review: Ruled by Steel

Ruled by Steel by S.M. Reine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sigh. James and Elise. I love these characters to death. This book was such a good read and I’m desperate for more. There was a healthy dose of action, mystery, and a smidge of hope (enough to keep me in my blissfully romantic world where Elise and James finally find common ground again).

This story followed mostly Elise, Nash, and a little bit of James. Sigh – I love James. Elise is trying to fix the horrible state that things were left at the end of the last book. While certainly not a straightforward hero, Elise is always taking on seemingly impossible tasks that no one else can handle. She is the ultimate in tough chick heroines and just keeps getting more powerful as the series moves along. James, on the other hand, straddles the line between hero and villain. Yes, he has done and will probably continue to do some truly horrible things, but he usually does them for some truly amazing reasons. His magic ties him to Elise and because of that, all of her heroic deeds need him. Watching him come to the aid of the anti-damsel in distress just makes my heart go all aflutter. I’ll be rooting for them until they are both dead (for real).

We also saw a lot of backstory for some other characters in this book. I was glad to see where some of my favorites ended up. I still hate Anthony. Everything he does makes me hate him more. I am growing more fond of Elise’s “crew” with each passing book. Nash was an interesting character to follow around for a bit, and was a nice breath of fresh air compared to the turmoil and general unhappiness of all the other characters at the sanctuary. I am also happy that we touched base again about why James is doing his crazy deeds. Have I mentioned how much I love James?

These books are so well written and highly addictive that I don’t know how I could have survived without them. Starting these books is like putting on your favorite PJs (even if they are a little scratchy from time to time). The characters are so well developed and interesting that I hope these series and spinoffs never end.




View all my reviews