Three years ago Evelyn Stone left her love in perhaps his darkest hour, telling herself she could no longer live with the risks he took with his life.

Captain Gavin 'Mac' MacRae vowed never again to make himself vulnerable to the woman he cannot forget, but when a greater duty calls, he ruthlessly kidnaps her so her medical skills can save a mission.

My summary above does little to illuminate the true joy of this book. Evelyn is one of the most intriguing characters in the two previous books in the series; Touch of Steel and Heart of Brass. Mac is briefly introduced in the latter part of Heart of Brass, but it is a vivid portrait nonetheless. This third in the Clockwork Agents series might just be the best so far. Evelyn's growth as a character is especially fascinating, and Mac's mixture of hot bod and delicious humor was extremely appealing. When I discovered BREATH OF IRON was Evelyn's story, I was thrilled to be tapped to review it. I was half-fearful my expectations would be too high, too demanding but the book fulfilled my hopes and more. Although it is of course possible to read BREATH OF IRON on it's own the experience is richer and more enjoyable if you give yourself the treat of the first two books, fine stories in their own right.

It is really no wonder I enjoyed Kate Cross' Clockwork Agents series. I have enjoyed her writing under her other pen names, Kady Cross (YA Steampunk), Kathryne Smith (paranormal and historical romance) and especially Kate Locke (Steampunk Fantasy with a harder edge than the Clockwork Agents series ). I know Kate Cross is a very busy author, but I really hope there will be further Clockwork Agents books, or perhaps a spinoff series. I would hate to leave this world behind.