ARC Review: The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3) by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles #3) by Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Publication date: May 28th, 2013
Number of pages: 384
Format: E-Galley via Netgalley
Preorder: Amazon | The Book Depository

In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has....

And we are back into the fascinating mysteries of Finley Jayne and her friends.

The Girl with the Iron Touch is a thrilling, fascinating and addicting read. The story Kady Cross has created has enticed me from the very beginning. The beautiful world-building, historical setting and perfectly-matched characters only just adds to this historical steampunk series that will draw a single reader based on that fact alone.

In the third book in the gorgeous crafted world, we find our characters as they deal with individual issues and situations.
Finley has her hands full with her feelings for Griffin and for them to finally understand what is it between them. We also have the return of Jack Dandy, who comes and makes a difficult situation more complicated, but Finley will soon enough discover she had made her decision long ago but never realized it until now.
The sort of- triangle comes to a close as Finley does choose between the two men in her life.
There was so much progress for these two in this book. The moment they met in Book 1, I knew they were my OTP -- only they had to realize it.  During the course of this book, both Griffin and Finley finally come to that place where they are ready to be able to accept their feelings for one another, and I say that it's about time. 

This novel also deals with the relationship between Sam and Emily. These two have always felt something so strong for one another, but good luck in trying to get them to admit that.  But when Emily suddenly goes missing --- this may be the thing that will have Sam fight for her once and for all, once he rescues her, that is.

Kady Cross has written yet another beautiful addition to this series, and while all of our beloved characters seem to have found their HEA, I did hear a whisper that we might have one more book left to tell.. in the form of Jack Dandy. Now, I am sure just about everyone would look forward to hearing his story and maybe, a happy ending?

Rating:  4.5 /5