Sekret by Lindsay Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an early release eArc of Sekret by Lindsay Smith through Netgalley.com. I made an update post when I was about 1/3 of the way through Sekret because I was really struck by how trapped these kids were and all I could think is this could really have happened. I remember reading a lot about the Cold War because I was always fascinated by covert operations and espionage books and movies even as a kid and a lot of the things I read always gave me the impression that there were a lot of people standing in line for rations of food and though they were being provided for by the government they were still starving. People were jailed for just disagreeing with the government which was against the law there. I read that different governments invested in supernatural studies to try to get an advantage over other governments. This book strikes me as delving into those rumors and giving the reader a good story about how this could have happened. She also goes one step further to show how genetic studies could have been exploited and played a part in the use of psychics and other supernaturals.

The one thing that prevented me from giving this book 5 stars is that I was sometimes confused by how some of the supernatural gifts worked for a couple of the students. I also was a little confused by how things went with her family because the story was told in a bit of a disjointed manner. Despite that I was really invested in Sekret and read for hours so that I could see how things would end. There were some great displays of the use of the gifts during training and live exercises. It was sort of bittersweet especially when it was hard to determine who could be trusted. As some of them developed other skills we saw more, but I wish there was more information about how things worked. Like if someone was scrubbed was that back to tabula rasa? There were some great surprises in this book also and I am glad to see there is a sequel and look forward to reading it.

Stonecast by Anton Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh Stanis, how do I love thee? Stonecast is the second installment in the Anton Strout very cool series about a Spellmason and the grotesque or as we call them gargoyle that has watched over the Belarus family since her great-great grandfather. Although you might enjoy Stonecast by reading it alone you would miss out on a lot of history that was given in the first book, Alchemystic. I really was looking forward to this follow-up and it did not disappoint. We begin the story where things left off in the first book where Alexandra is still under threat from Stanis' father who wants materials that Alexandra's great-great grandfather, Alexander Belarus hid very well. But, now she is under threat from another front in this book, someone that has been highly trusted by her father, who unfortunately plays quite a small role in this book. Stonecast focuses mostly on Alexandra and her friends, Marshall and Rory with an addition, someone she meets that might just be able to help her learn more of her craft.

We get to see the story told in alternating points of view between Alexandra and Stanis. Sometimes I forgot he was telling the story in his chapters and I was a bit confused. Other than that I loved seeing things from his eyes and also when there was a cross-over in the telling of a scene from both Alexandra's and Stanis' point of view. It was quite interesting to see how oblivious she was to some things but, hey, he's a big stone guy, so it is quite understandable. The thing is that every once in a while his humanity still shines through in his thoughts and feelings. It was great seeing how he felt about some things and how he wanted to respond versus how he did respond.

We are treated to some great scenes with Marshall and Rory being their hilarious selves. I have to say that it was a bit disconcerting that Lexi placed so much trust and faith in someone she did not know and over the objections of the people and grotesques closest to her, especially someone who had been her friend since childhood and the grotesque that had watched over her family for centuries. She kept justifying it in her head but asking them to risk their lives based upon the word of someone they did not know or have any of the same interactions with that she did. If it had been just money or something not so important it would not have stood out as much to me. But, she risked their lives by doing it and it just did not sit well with me. She tried protecting them but she knew she needed them but instead of protecting them when she needed them she exposed them and I have to say it was different then giving them the choice so we hit upon something that made me not be on her side as much as I had been in the first book. Well, she's a bit arrogant there as well but she didn't seem to grow much from that. She approaches this new friendship more like a teenager than an adult. That was my one problem with how things went though it is not a flaw in the book moreso just something I do not like about Alexandra now that I recall she had the same issues in Alchemystic. There were some good stone man on grotesque battles and some great scenes with Lexi and her friends as they used their own skills to battle. I'm ready for book 3!

Review can also be seen at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...

Murder In Thrall by Anne Cleeland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an early eArc from Netgalley. I love British mysteries. I have to admit that I have not been reading straight mysteries for a while. But, this mystery does have a twist in it and it makes it more interesting. Murder in Thrall is the story about a DC, Kathleen Doyle, from Dublin who moves to London to work for the police and is given a chance to work with one of the most famous investigators on the force who also happens to be an aristocrat, Lord Acton. Part of what is interesting about this story is its layout, the order in which the story is told. We join the story with the duo already mid-investigation of a murder. One of the things that I did not like about Murder in Thrall is that though I liked the attempt at how the story was arranged it did at times confuse me. Some of the Irish slang also was a bit baffling to me at times. I am having trouble determining the definition of a section seven. It appears to have several different meanings. I will go with stalker laws. We get a better feel for this as the story moves along. There are some great red herrings in this story and as Doyle moves along throughout her day her talent for interrogation and reading people tells a lot of the story.

One of the great things about Murder in Thrall is the cast of characters. I did miss having a better sense of place. I love London and the story just does not give a good feel for where the story happens. There are some pretty diverse people in this police department. They are flawed and quite interesting. They make the story stand out more. Everyone has these quirks in their personalities that make it plausible for them to be the killer. The first two murders just do not seem to have any rhyme or reason that make sense so finding out who the killer is and why really makes you sit back and think "I just could not have seen that". I had the feeling that this is the first of a series and I have to admit that I liked the Epilogue and the information that it gave. It was an interesting way of giving something good about Acton and Doyle and makes me look forward to seeing more of their story.

On Midnight Wings by Adrian Phoenix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an eArc from Edelweiss. It seems like we waited years for this follow-up and though I loved it, something felt like it was missing. The time between Etched in Bone and On Midnight Wings was a bit long so I had to stop every now and then and remind myself about parts of the story. The story starts where Etched in Bone leaves off and Heather and Dante are both in their own situations where they are in danger. The others are trying to determine what happened to them and deal with the losses they have had over the last couple of books. Von is amazing but he has his own situation apart from trying to find Heather and Dante.

On Midnight Wings still has several arcs going on, Lucien playing politics with the angels, the fallout from the mini-war Dante is fighting with the other vampires in New Orleans, Heather's father trying to control his daughters, the FBI trying to control Dante and Heather, the vampires coming up to speed on Dante and wanting to control him, the organization Von works for wanted their stake claimed and the rogue group that experimented on Dante. Of course there are a few little splinter arcs going on but, I'm not sure how Adrian Phoenix keeps it all straight. There has to be some sort of storyboard going on because she never misses touching on any of them.

I have to admit I am not a huge fan of the way each book ends, with ginourmous cliff hangers right in the middle of something exploding. Though I loved the book I was left wanting, wanting some sort of resolution of something. This book in particular is harder to review because to explain why I was left wanting means spilling the beans on some things and I prefer to not give spoilers. Suffice it to say that there was Heather trying to get to Dante and the rest trying to get to Heather and Dante and I wanted to see more forward momentum. But, for Dante he had some other things he was trying to resolve. It was full of action and you still love the gang you just wish some things had happened more quickly or differently. I'll still be looking forward the next book and how all these things turn out because it is a great series with some great characters, flaws and all.

Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never think I should write huge reviews of J. D. Robb's books because she has so many readers that the word is already. I will post my blurb from the other day:

"I have always disliked the villains throughout this entire series, but, there is something about this guy, this ugggg, I want to kick the crap out of him. J. D. Robb has outdone herself with giving us this huge glimpse into the bad guy and I think that is the difference. This is the largest glimpse into the bad guy's thoughts, processes and crimes that we have ever had making it seem like he is the worst one."

I can say the ending was fulfilling. The story was exciting and we got to visit with some old friends and I always love when Roark's family comes from Ireland. They are hilarious and I wish we could see more of them. This book almost felt like it was a turning point in the series. I have no idea to what but we do see that Eve has grown so much and we see a lot of that in Thankless in Death. Oddly enough I'm always reminded that if she hadn't found Roark I would have loved to see her with Morris. They have a connection and it isn't just their jobs. Most of the time I don't think Eve recognizes when she has a connection with someone until she is forced to see it.

I am excited to see where the series goes next!

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know I do not have to tell anyone that has already read Magic Rises that this book is great. I am the first to admit that I was apprehensive about reading it because I have been so invested in this story. I own each release in both ebook and audiobook and the earlier releases I had the paperbacks to go with my audiobooks. With the audiobooks I like to go through the series at least once a year. I started out listening to the book on my long commute to and from my office. I finished one book yesterday and decided to read it on my Kindle and ended up spending most of the afternoon into the night finishing it. I couldn't walk away. I had to know how the story finished. One of the things that kept going through my mind as the story was winding down was how Ilona Andrews has always been able to tap into my emotions with this series. Anyone in my family and close friends can tell you I avoid books and movies that make me cry or make me sad. But, this series is one where, from Kate's loss in the very first book when we first meet her, to the action and emotion-packed events in Magic Rises, I just couldn't walk away.

Magic Rises is the continuation of the Kate Daniels series but it is so much more. It is a story that becomes the story of all the people she interacts with whether friend or enemy. She develops relationships and feelings that are totally against how she was raised. As Hugh told her "we were raised to be serial killers". That is an extremely profound statement. The fact that they both had the same background but evolved into such different people speaks volumes. Based upon how the series has gone so far I think that despite Kate's bloodline I do not think that blood will always out, as they say. Kate has forged her own path and I believe when everything comes to a head she will continue to do that.

There is still the great displays of humor and I found myself thinking that possibly one of the reasons this series works the way that it does is because of the good give-and-take of the authors. I attended a great online chat and it was fun and interesting to watch them interact with each other. I had this chain of thought, right there is the heart of Curran and Kate. They leap off the page when we read their story because a lot of what is put into them comes from not only the imagination of Ilona Andrews but also from the heart of the authors. If you spend any time with Magic Rises you will see that it fully deserves its well-earned spot on the NYT Bestseller list.

Stick and Move - Guest Blog Post by Ted Goeglein author of Flicker & Burn - A Cold Fury Novel

It’s an old boxing term – jab your opponent (stick) and get away (move) before she can do it back. It’s also a good description of how my protagonist, Sara Jane Rispoli, fights her way through the COLD FURY trilogy. In FLICKER & BURN, she comes out swinging again, this time even harder.

I boxed at a place in Chicago, Windy City Gym, which had been around since the early 1920’s and looked it, with warped floorboards, sweat- and bloodstained rings, and slowly twirling heavy bags. Real fighters trained there, people who wanted to be pros, including one of the toughest young women I’ve ever known.

She gave me the idea for Sara Jane to be a boxer.

It’s a sport that requires strength, but even more, dexterity and smarts. The young woman – I’ll call her Rosa – had all of that in abundance. She was one part gladiator, one part ballerina, and a hundred percent Einstein. If she got hit, Rosa learned from it on her feet, reacting in a way that made sure she didn’t get hit twice. And she employed the wisest move in boxing – if she was getting hurt, she ran. Not out of the ring, of course, but in a way that made an opponent chase her.

And then she’d stop abruptly, feet planted, body squared, and throw a left hook.

I learned a lot by watching Rosa and put almost all of it into Sara Jane. Throughout the trilogy, my heroine knows when to stick, when to move, and above all, she never stops fighting.