Fields of Iron

Magnificent Devices #11

by Shelley Adina

“What do you propose, sir?”
He held her astonished gaze as he went down upon one knee.
“Why … I propose. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, so that I may accompany you to San Francisco de Asis and help you stop this war?”

Gloria Meriwether-Astor, determined to end the invasion her father and a power-hungry diplomat started, has found safety with the witches of the river canyons in the Wild West. But how can one young lady without so much as a hat to her name challenge a kingdom? Confronted with the solution—marriage—she has two choices: accept the help she needs, or return to Philadelphia alone and a failure.

So, in the company of riverboat captain Stan Fremont—the dashing rogue she must now call husband—she sets off for the capital to negotiate with the Viceroy. But with an entire country mobilizing between herself and her objective, the attempt could mean her life—and the life of the one person she is beginning to care for …

Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Historical

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2016

About the author

Shelley Adina is the author of 24 novels published by Harlequin, Warner, and Hachette, and a dozen more published by Moonshell Books, Inc., her own independent press. She writes steampunk and contemporary romance as Shelley Adina, and as Adina Senft, writes Amish women’s fiction. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty. She won RWA’s RITA Award® in 2005, and was a finalist in 2006. When she’s not writing, Shelley is usually quilting, sewing historical costumes, or hanging out in the garden with her flock of rescued chickens.

Reviews

[Empress Reece (Hooked on Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Gloria and Stan in this book!

[Simon Brading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moreish, but a little too predictable for my liking, although that doesn't stop it from being extremely enjoyable.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Can't wait for the next episode!!

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria’s plans to stop the Californias invading the Texican territories and likely massacring thousands of people – including several innocents in between the two territories, looks to have been scuppered when she narrowly avoided being kidnapped by the California’s ambassador

She can see only one way to stop the war – to appeal to the Viceroy himself. But to even get to the man involves crossing a territory where no woman travels alone – and with her speaking not a word of Spanish. It seems only a marriage of convenience will allow her to make her plea for peace.




I have to say yet again how much I love Gloria Merriwhether-Astor for being one of the most selfless, kind yet non-matyred characters. It has to be stressed that Gloria has no personal stake in the events of this book

Gloria is an extremely wealthy woman. She if the heir to a massive munitions manufactory which is making an absolute fortune selling arms for a brewing war. Gloria has everything to gain from this war going ahead and everything to lose by stopping that war

But she’s a deeply moral person and she absolutely refuses to accept this war going ahead. Considering her father directly responsible for this war and the upcoming massacre of a vast number of people including several innocent tribes – like the Brujas we saw last book and the Navapai who are caught in the middle. Gloria is not only determined to stop this war and cost herself a whole lot of money but she is willing to endure a lot of hardship to make this happen. She has been kidnapped, faced a lot of set packs and physical discomfort and, finally, in this book actually opts to marry a man she doesn’t love or even know very well because it’s the only way she can navigate the incredibly misogynist society of the Californios.

Gloria is a protagonist acting entirely from altruistic motives. And entirely against her own self-interest. And entirely to her own detriment. Yet she isn’t a protagonist who is being dragged into this by fat or destiny or special Chosen One status. Nor does she spend any real time bemoaning her fate or what is happening. She spends some time debating whether she really wants to take a certain step – but it’s only really about which step she takes, not about whether she should keep going forward. No matter how much she sacrifices, she is completely lacking in angst because these are actions she actively chooses; she’s not acting badly done to. She is an active participant here and the choices she makes are her own active decisions

Part of this may stem from her slightly shaky low self worth. Again this is interestingly well done – we have a lot of protagonists in the genre who will sit in a corner and dramatically declare how hideously ugly/awful/terrible they are. Gloria isn’t like that, she merely fails to acknowledge how extraordinary she is: partly because of her extremely terrible father but also because she has been surrounded by the awesome protagonists of this series which she persists in comparing herself too


Gloria is capable, driven, slightly self-depreciating, intelligent, determined, selfless and one of the most unabashedly moral characters in the series and a worthy inheritor of the protagonist status following in the footsteps of so many female characters

And it’s fitting that he is pretty much sole protagonist in this book. We have other important and clearly determined female characters with Alice making another appearance, as well as the interestingly separatist Brujas (who have also been developed to show a level of racial diversity even though none of them are especially major characters) as well as also showing some very shrewed and cunning Californio women. In particular I like one daughter of a high ranking noble who is brilliantly and ruthlessly ambitious and not shy about it. I like this because it has already been established that the Californio culture is extremely misogynist and women are sheltered at best and victimised at worst – yet we still see these women in this culture are capable of drive and determination which many books miss. While also showing treats that, when appearing in women, are nearly always evidence of evil or villainy: ambition and selfishness. I like that she is respected for these and not demonised especially since this book also has the shining pedestal that is Gloria the Selfless.

Another element I really appreciated is the man who has always mooned after Gloria, loves her dearly and makes many puppy-dog eyes and she… doesn’t love him. Nope, for once we have the desperate hero taking desperate measures to desperately win the affection of his Beloved and her being very clear that that’s nice and all but she doesn’t actually love him. Sorry, but no and nor is he entitled to her love because of the epic feats of epicness he has performed in her name. I like that a lot.

All of this happens alongside the interesting backdrop of the world building of this series that has developed these steampunk nations with their own culture and history and traditions and how much they differ from what we have already seen in the series

Read More

[Linniegayl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of my least favorites in the series, with only one more to go. I really miss Claire and the Mopsies, and wish Gloria had not been turned into the lead in this (and I guess) the next book. I will definitely listen to the next (listened to this in audio) just to finish the series off, but long for the earlier books.

[katherine wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

My most immediate question was answered almost right off. "Why is Gloria painted up like a Sugar Skull on the cover?"
Loved the whole book, and I am more than ready for the next one

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm finding that since this trilogy (within the Magnificent Devices series) is not about Claire or the Mopsies, I'm not enjoying it as much. I don't dislike them, I just don't feel as connected to Gloria as I was to Claire. These always end with a prologue of a letter written to someone else about an event that happened at the end of or just after the end of the book and I find I am slightly confused on this one.

As usual we are left on a cliff-hanger, to be picked up in the next book, but what the heck happened to Ian & Alice?! We left off with them with 3 chapters left and never went back, so I'm hoping the next book picks up with them right away.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

81%

I thought this adventure was a lot more fun than the last two, more descriptive, more challenging more struggle.

You some more love twists I think it's funny how she gets a marriage for us on her and then she's into it and then her past Beau comes back and it's like oh no, and now the Emperor of Spain wants to marry her and she's like oh no!

Obviously the book's plot was heavily laid in Romance but I thought it was a funny thing to take part of

[Jenny Clifford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the eleventh book in the series, and in this book Gloria manages to find herself a husband, and they travel toward Philadelphia to try and stop a war. The steampunk setting is very good, and the characters are well written and very realistic. I enjoyed this book and will continue the series.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in this series. So easy to get hooked and see more about Gloria and even Alice. Already started the next book in the series.

These books are clean and action-packed. I just enjoy the steampunk.

[Trent Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another marvelous page-turner from the pen of Shelley Adina.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a fan of such cliff hangers, so points off for that, but adventures, broken and growing attractions are all par for the course in this series. It really should be a Netflix TV programme.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The friends are now scattered. Gloria has managed to escape the train and now faces flash floods - but she is rescued by those whom she sought, Las Brujas - the witches - who are exactly the sorts of people Gloria believed then to be.
Gloria is determined to speak to the viceroy, but due to the medieval and feudal nature of society in the Californias and Spain, she must marry or she will be set upon and never make it to her destination. To her, it is a marriage of convenience - but is it to him?
Evan has figured out how to use the walking war machine, called El Gigante by the Californios, and follows the train, but when he catches up, Gloria has disappeared or died. He is tricked and ends up in a jail, forced with 3 other inmates to work on a dam...one that will deliberately flood out the "unGodly Las Brujas" and finish them and their "sorcery" for good. But the camp commandant is having troubling dreams and learns that Evan's field is that of dreams, and that he has a medical degree. Evan is called to see if he can interpret the dream, and succeeds. One day at work, he sees something that horrifies him - at least some of his friends are alive, but who, how many, and for how long? The 4 inmates plan their escape but the Commandant has told the viceroy about his dream interpreter, and soon, Evan and Joe, who can interpret for him, are whisked to meet the young Viceroy.
In the interim, their airship having drifted too close to the Californias, lumbering under mechanical beast cargo, Alice (now truly Lady Hollys) and Ian, along with their crew, are in need of help from Las Brujas. Initially held at gunpoint, the ladies in full death's head paint, Alice recognizes her mother's best friend, and they are welcomed. The foursome have already been to Resolution and have seen the deserted town, and a note from another to her son. telling him her heading once she leaves. The ladies have told them that Gloria is alive and well. The dam upon which Evan has had to work using a refitted El Gigante has become a critical issue for Las Brujas and company, one that will require some ingenuity to solve without detection. The method is being debated by the normal leader and Alice. We leave them discussing the finer points. And while they are on their way, Ella, Gloria's "attendant," discovers Joe and sends a sealed message via missions packet that will reach Joe's mother, and Joe's true identity will surprise Evan and Gloria (who have now met again) no end.
As for Gloria, once wanted by suitors only for the fortune to which she is heiress, thinking herself unlovable for herself, she now has a husband who is pursuing her - and whose identity she has now recalled - and 2 others, all of whom want her for her courage, intelligence, wit, morality, and kindness, and for whom money is not even a remote consideration. One of them has enough leverage to throw things badly out of kilter, though.
What will Joe discover about the Viceroy's dreams, and the "sleep tonic" he has asked the young man not to take - along with any other "tonics" being given him, for the Viceroy - who hasn't been sick in his life until he inherited the office - now appears, even to a non-medical eye, to be near death. Will the laboratory he requests be available for him to examine the "tonic," and what will Evan discover should he be permitted to analyze it?
We will have to wait for the last tale of Gloria's escapades for the answer.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fields of Iron begins rather slowly for one of the Magnificent Devices books, but this is mostly because all our characters ended up somewhat wrecked at the end of Fields of Air. Gloria was stranded with Las Brujas – the witches who inhabit the canyons of the Rio Sangre de Colorado de Christo – while Evan was a prisoner of war with the Californios.

Not to worry, however. The action picks back up quickly enough. Evan is forced to operate El Gigante – the mechanical behemoth he has managed to pilot all the way from Resolution - to build a dam on the river, working with one of his cellmates to run the mechanical monster. As he gets to know his other cellmates during their few off hours, he finds out that one of them is an unfortunate German or Dutchman who has suffered a major loss of memory, and the other is Barnaby Hayes, the man who kidnapped Gloria during their adventure in Venice. They begin to make plans to destroy the dam and escape. And to rescue Alice when they find that the Californios have shot down her airship on their border.

Meanwhile, Gloria, still wishing to stop the war, marries Las Brujas' friend, riverboat Captain Stan Fremont as the only way to respectable travel into the Californias, even though it is really Evan that she loves. They are able to meet with the Viceroy. And at the Rancho where they encounter him, they also find Evan and Joe, diverted from their escape and rescue plan to interpret the nightmares the Viceroy has been having. But the Viceroy himself manages to surprise them.

[Star Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gloria arc started strong for me but lost a little of its pizzazz in this novel. We've been through England, Prussia and Italy with Lady Claire and her gaggle of orphans. We've been to the Texican Territories and the Canadas with Alice and her Stalwart Lass. Now, we are exploring Colorado and the Californias with Gloria as she attempts to stop a war in a man's world.

It has been a worldwide adventure with these ladies of breeding and character, and I have loved every minute. Fields of Iron was one of the weaker novels, but the pages kept turning and important information was given. The end even included enough tidbits to have me anticipating eagerly Fields of Gold, even if it will be the last in the series.

This is an all-time favorite series of mine and not one part of the series has disappointed. Some are more strongly written than others, but not a single one will fail to entertain or keep you from binge-reading. That is a very rare thing to say indeed.

In the sentiment of Evan Douglas, this post was bittersweet. This is the eleventh book in the "Magnificent Devices" series, and the penultimate for the series. I will certainly be sad to see this series go.

[RB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Series

I have enjoyed every moment of this series. It is populated with strong women, and sprinkled with issue of social justice in this book in particular The good news is that their men don't have to be weak, in fact it takes the strongest kind of man to support and love a strong woman. And the other women in their lives don't have to be weak or lesser to be their friends and accomplices. Very fun to read I wish there were more than just the one remaining in this part of the series. I do hope there will be others.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I would like a story from Gloria's point of view, even though she is a friend to Claire and Alice now. She was a bit of a spoiled brat and I didn't see her in the same class as Claire. However she has grown after her adventures in the 9th installment. This story was a bit slow at first but it picked up speed and ended too soon. Sorry to see there will only be one more book in the series, have enjoyed it so much.
Tried the audio on this 2nd read, it was well done by Fiona Hardingham.

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously, seriously disappointing. A short, uneven and staccato novella sold as a book. It seems the author has no respect for her readers, just sees them as a way to make money. The content itself is so-so with multiple artificial tension points, deliberate unnnecessary plot twists and too many arbitrary changes of viewpoint. Oh, and nothing significant is ever resolved. I, for one, would appreciate a refund.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best yet! I have very much enjoyed every one of the books in the Magnificent Devices series, but this one stands out as brilliant. Gloria Meriwether-Astor is lost out West alone, without resources, still determined to stop the upcoming invasion. Are her friends alive or dead? How can she get to the Californias Viceroy to plead her case when a woman cannot travel alone? Come along on a dynamite adventure!

[Lori Alden Holuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was startled by how quickly I read this book - I was so into it that it simply flew by! I've read every book in this series right up to Fields of Iron, and am trying not to think about the series ending soon, as I love it so. Gloria Meriweither-Astor really comes into her own in this installment, and has, to my surprise, become my favorite character now. I'm eagerly awaiting the final book in this enthralling series.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in a terrific series.

A simply wonderful series. The over-arching narrative just gets better with each book. Instead of passive heroines waiting for Mr. Right, the protagonists are brave and independent, if somewhat lucky in love. They support each other with affection and compassion, and they commit to being forces for good in the world. Page-turning plots and plenty of excitement.

[Angel Ludwig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent but too short

Love her writing, world, characters, even her editors--which is a feat in and of itself--but the last series feels a bit like she hit her word goal and wrote a placeholder 'ending.' None of the books since the Xmas novella has a full story, just a segment of a single story arc. Otherwise, magnificent.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

More twists and turns

Gloria, Alice and Evan have been sperated and captured, shot or otherwise inconvenanced greatly. Gloria is determined to reach the Viceroy and make her case to prevent a war. Alice and Evan get separated and are trying to find each other and Gloria to help her make her case.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I'm shocked at the ending of this story.

No one seems safe, and hard choices will be required of all. Not sure if there is a happy ever after ending for anyone.

Gotta get the next book ASAP.

[Brooke796 ☼ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just what readers would expect from Adina by now. More fun steampunk.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this and am anxiously awaiting Fields of Gold.

[Kathleen Krywokulsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great steampunk adventure. A must read

[Katherine Garrood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures all round

Another one that doesn't end unfortunately, but a fun book following Gloria with witches and pirates, Evan in prison and Alice out of hospital.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, a series within itself.

[Alma · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I "read" the Audible edition.)