Historical Fiction is a genre I don’t read much of, but when I do, I find I really enjoy them.
I’m going to find it hard to review this book as I don’t want to give any spoilers so apologies if I sound vague in certain parts.
This book started really well for me and I found that I couldn’t put it down and was really interested in how the story was developing and where it was going.
For some reason, at around 35%, I just totally lost my focus on it and felt the pace of it really slowed. I’m not sure why, whether it was where the story was going, or whether it was ”just me”, but I felt I had to really refocus to get back into it. I obviously did keep going with it and got back into it and started to enjoy it again.
There is a part roughly around 70% that made me feel the ending was very predictable due to what was upcoming in the story, which again made me have to really focus to keep going (this is only because in my mind, it appeared obvious what would happen). Thankfully I was wrong! And I have to say, the last 20% of the book kept me completely engrossed on how this would end. It was also at this point that one of the characters completely took me by surprise which I loved!
Overall, even though I had a few little niggles throughout the book, I am giving this book 4 stars as I really enjoyed how this book was all tied up at the end with the main characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so well-written. I loved reading about this time period because I feel like it is rarely written about. I loved the authors descriptions and dialogue!

This is such a good book, I really enjoy Historical Fiction and this is based around two huge parts of history which are brilliantly detailed.

The storyline is so good, I love Emma and actually I love Alice too despite their situations, they are both likeable characters in their own way and I loved getting to know them. Emma and Alice are forces to be reckoned with.

I feel for Thomas as he doesn't know if his wife has survived, he is completely in the dark.

I enjoyed the drama and anticipation of the story and the details of tragic historical events was both brilliant and emotionally charged.

We meet Emma Quinn and her friend Martina who are both supporters of the American Women’s Suffrage Association. They work at the Joseph Cobb factory, making clothes. Joseph Cobb is an unpleasant man and Emma hates her job. But then there’s a tragedy which changes things forever.

In another story, in Southern Ireland Alice Murphy is an actress, married to Thomas who runs a hotel on the coast. The marriage was arranged by her father ten years ago and isn’t a very happy one, so she has found lovers over the years and her life is full of secrets. Emma leaves America and travels to Queenstown in Ireland, where her grandparents were from. She has booked The Admiral hotel, which is run by Thomas.
Emma has faced a lot of really hard times and you hope she gets the happy ending she deserves. But Alice treats everyone badly, unless she’s trying to win an acting part she wants and then she is incredibly selfish, ruthless and rude. She treats Thomas very badly. Thomas however is a really sweet and kind man who deserves a much better life than being with Alice.

The book starts in a very exciting way, drawing the readers into the story immediately. we also meet other people in Queenstown and there are many interesting ones here. I really enjoyed the historical setting and The theme of women’s suffrage is also interesting to me.The combination of history and romance is beautifully done, everything felt very authentic and the characters are just wonderful.

Maid of Steel is by a new-to-me author, Kate Baker, and I was very surprised to learn that this is her debut novel. The story drew me in right away with its many likeable characters and much of the story line taking place in Ireland. Emma, a young American who is injured in a factory fire where she works, is sent to by her parents to spend some time in recuperating in Ireland. While in Ireland, Emma works on not only healing herself but also on being useful by volunteering at the local Soldier's Home and starting a local chapter for women's suffrage, growing as a woman. My only complaint is that it felt like the very end, the last chapter or two, were rushed and the various story lines ended just a little too neatly. Other than that, a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book so very much!
I loved the events that took place in this story except for one scene that made me very sad.
Tragedy is such a hard thing. I held my breath through the whole entire scene
So sad.
I read this novel through the entire evening and lost some sleep but it was oh so worth it!
To be honest, this beautiful cover is what made me want to read it. I wasn't disappointed at all!
I couldn't put the book down because I was having an awesome adventure!
Emma is the coolest character of all! She proved time and again that she is strong and has gumption to get through anything that is thrown her way. I love her spirit and determination to work for what she wants too.
The cover is beautiful and honestly that is why I chose to read and I'm glad I did!
5 stars for an amazing read! I highly recommend!
My thanks to for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

1911 for a working girl was tough. For girls wanting something more than the drudgery
and back breaking work in the factories was even harder. Women were old before their
time, broken by the relentless hours working. When a factory fire destroyed many women's
lives and the life of Martina, Emma's best friend, Emma knew tge time had come to make
a change.

Arriving in New York for abrecuperative spell, Emma sets about settling in and sees tgat the suffragette movement needs support. This forms the next part of Emma's story. The movement
was gathering momentum, despite opposition but needed organisatiin and support whichEmma was eager to contribute to. The other part was the attraction that was building between Emma
and Thomas the manager of the hotel where Emma stayed and Alice his wife who wanted to
control Thomas though she had no interest in him.

Swinging between the events of 1911 and 1912 both personal to the characters as well as
those that actually occurred like the suffragette movement getting momentum, as well as
the disaster of the Titanic the book was a good read on history at the time.

A book that could be described as Womens Fiction with a good bit of history in the setting.

I fell in love with the cover and loved the well plotted story. The characters are fleshed out and the historical background is vivid and well researched.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The beautiful cover drew me instantly to this book, and I wasn't disappointed. Emma is a New Yorker, desperate for women to have equality with the vote. When circumstances leave her needing recuperation, her parents send her to Queenstown in Ireland - they hope she will forget her dreams of suffrage and discover more about her Irish grandmother. Here Emma meets hotelier Thomas and his wife Alice, and their lives become entwined. Can all three have the happy ending they desire?

A truly lovely book, fabulously researched with a lot of detail. I felt the last section was a bit rushed, hence my 4 star review, but I really enjoyed the read.

Maid of Steel, by Kate Baker is a phenomenal historical fiction that genuinely reflects the life of a young woman in the early 1900’s. Starting with the battle for women’s rights, finding true love and monumental historical events, all details were on point. This book was kept me wanting more. Kate delivered a heart warming story. It was the perfect amount of tragedy and love, all in one.

wow! this is a real page turner from the get go. I loved the historical facts woven throughout the story. Obviously really well researched but also well written. Sometimes with multiple characters you enjoy one story more than the other, but not in this book. Enjoyed it enormously.

This book draws together a number of fascinating events on both sides of the Atlantic. Well researched with an engaging plot

this was a beautifully done historical romance, I enjoyed the concept from the description and it was what I was looking for in this type of book. The characters felt like they belonged in the time-period and thought they worked well in the story. I enjoyed how good the concept was and it worked well overall. It was a joy to read and I enjoyed the way Kate Baker wrote this.

"A shriek came from somewhere in the building, dragging Emma’s thoughts back inside. The sound of raised voices was unmistakable: those of an hysterical woman and the deeper hum of a man’s reply. Emma reached for a newspaper from the next table and decided it was what she and Martina would have assumed was an argument. Flicking through the pages, she spotted a headline and a name she recognised. Emmeline Pankhurst has hit back at Census Officials."