Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I have fallen in love with a new series. This book was even better because I listened to the audiobook and Moira Quirk, the narrator, took this book to the next level for me. She was awesome! If I closed my eyes and let my imagination go it was like watching a movie. I could literally picture all of the characters. She was excellent with the different voices and I finished this book wanting to start it all over again.

Obviously, the narrator had to have good material to start with in order for this to be a great audiobook. I have to say that Gail Carriger has another winner on her hands. This was a great story. One of the best things about this Etiquette & Espionage was the characters. I loved Sophronia and Dimity, well, even Pillover, despite the fact he is study to be an evil genius. One of the most refreshing things was seeing old friend's from the Parasol Protectorate series. It was really cool seeing them as children. Actually, that was something else that made this a wonderful book, having this Steampunk era book told from the perspective of children and teens.

The mystery in the book was also interesting and it was exciting. Who knew a mystery could be so exciting without a nice, juicy murder? There was a great deal of action and it was also great to have one of my favorite settings, an academy school and this school really has a twist. I have to admit that Sophronia's family was also quite fun. One of the best things is that Gail Carriger's humor really came through in this series also. It really was much more funny than the Protectorate series and I thought it was quite hilarious, more so, on audiobook, as I read the books and listened to the audiobooks, which is a sure sign of a book being one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, now I must play the waiting game for the next book in the series. Boy, it would be nice if she published twice a year.

Review can also be seen at LadyTechie's Book Musings http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...

Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a fabulous ARC from Jennifer Estep with some really great bookmarks. The cover is great. I have to say that Jennifer Estep is very skilled at eliciting extreme emotions with both of her series. I had no expectations and pretty much went into this newest release with an open mind, despite the book blurb. This time out Gwen has to defend herself not only against reapers, but also against charges that she freed Loki intentionally. This means she also had to defend herself against the judgment of her classmates who had all lost someone to the reapers making it a very hard road ahead of her for her to travel, which is not unusual. That is one thing that Jennifer Estep does really well. She writes multi-dimensional characters that you identify with at the same time you wish you could slap them around a bit. You can't help but feel total disdain and disgust at the bad guys, some of which for all intents and purposes, are kids.

There are several new characters in this book. We meet more of the protectorate leaders and are introduced to more students. It was great to see more of Morgan because we see more of who she is outside of how she used to behave when she was the leader of the mean girls. I am one of those people that cannot stand that concept and hate when I see students behaving that way in real-life though I know it is human nature to want people to admire and love you. But, mean girls tend to go to the extreme with their tactics and treatment of others until they don't have their group to shield them. This is another example of how despite this being young adult urban fantasy Jennifer Estep makes you forget that the book is about mythology and she demonstrates that she really has insight into her characters and does great job of making us see and feel them.

The Chaos War is seriously heating up and it seems that these teens have some serious preparations to make because it looks like a lot of the reapers tend to be adults who have more experience and training than them. I love that they fight with ferocity and amazing courage, which was something that Gwen demonstrated a lot of in this book. She showed this vast amount of courage when there were times she was all alone against what seemed like everyone at times. There are so many things you can take from Crimson Frost, like perseverance in the face of what appears to be insurmountable obstacles, not just physical pain but terrible heartache from the losses these kids deal with on a daily basis. They let it drive them and most of them let it help build their character. One thing that seems interesting is that you cannot always tell which of the kids will be a reaper based upon how they behave. Just because someone is a mean girl doesn't mean she will end up being a reaper, but, then again...That is one of the beautiful things in this story, surprises. They keep you coming back for more and I know I'll be anxiously awaiting Midnight Frost!

A super special, two-for-one cover reveal…Cold Fury, by T.M. Goeglein, has a  redesigned cover, and today, the release of the cover of the second installment in the Cold Fury trilogy…Flicker & Burn!

Cold Fury in paperback will be released in June 2013…and Flicker & Burn comes roaring onto the scene in August 2013!

The thrill ride that began in Cold Fury kicks into high gear in Flicker & Burn, as the threats to Sara Jane Rispoli come at her from all directions. She continues the desperate search for her missing family, but this time she’s on the run from creepy beings with red, pulsing eyes and ghostly white skin chasing her through the streets of Chicago in black ice cream trucks – they can only be described as Ice Cream Creatures. They're skeletal and ferocious, hell-bent on catching or killing her, but also a weird link to her family, a clue to where they might be and who has them.

While Sara Jane battles these new pursuers, she learns painful lessons about the phenomenon that possesses her, cold fury. At the same time, she’s uncovering buried secrets about the misdeeds of her family – old murders and blood vendettas – that might be connected to the disappearance of her mom, dad, and brother. The mysteries, violence, and constant state of chasing or being chased could be the undoing of her relationship with handsome Max Kissberg. Despite the love growing between them, Sara Jane can’t tell him the truth about her life, and fears for his safety.

Not only do the Ice Cream Creatures display the grisly amputated finger of her mom to prove their viciousness, and not only does Lucky, the Outfit Boss of Bosses, whistle in Sara Jane for a sit-down with deadly consequences, but her gorgeous cousin, Heather Richards, enters the scene, as well. All that matters to Sara Jane is saving her family and keeping everyone she loves alive and safe. But the forces she encounters, both external and the ones crackling inside of her, fight her every step of the way. Don't forget to add Flicker & Burn on Goodreads to your reading list!

Contest:

Now’s your chance…win an ARC of Flicker & Burn as soon as it’s available! Sorry, the ARC will not be signed and the contest is only available in the U.S.

Alchemystic by Anton Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Truly amazing book! I received an early copy of the paperback edition for review from Literal Addiction. I am already a fan of gargoyles. I was a fan of the cartoon and love seeing pictures of them and especially love seen buildings that have gargoyles carved into the architecture. Alchemystic was a great adventure. I loved every page of it. It was the story of Alexandra Belarus who comes from a family with a deep architectural history in Manhattan. The Belarus clan also has a secret which they were not even aware, Alexander Belarus was gifted in magic that could control stone. He did leave them protection from something they are not even aware is a danger to them, something from his past. This protection comes in the form of Stanis, the coolest gargoyle ever!

This book has some wonderful character development. There were times that I wanted to kick Alexandra. She had her moments of being obviously entitled, bossing her friends around as if they were her sidekicks until she was faced with how treating them that way might affect her relationship with them. We watch her grow as a person and as she comes into her gifts. Alexandra's parents have secrets of their own as do most people. What happens when family secrets come to light? Some serious tension which pushes this book's characters stand out more. Alexandra's relationship with her brother is best depicted by the opening scene of the book. Words cannot express my opinion of Devon. He has to be experienced by each reader for themselves.

The action and magic in this book was truly great. The fight scenes were very well written and they did not all involve Stanis, though he was truly bada**. We learn a lot about his background and what his desires and goals are and how he is driven to complete those goals. No other words describe it and I love a well developed action sequence. This book had several exciting action scenes and architectural exploration hunting for hidden items needed to solve a mystery. I loved being introduced to Anton Stout's creatures in this book and his own spin on alchemy and gargoyles. I am totally enthralled by this story and I am really ready to know when book two comes out because it promises to be a serious knuckle biter!

Review can also be seen at Lady Techies Book Musings at http://LadytechiesBookMusings.Blogspo...

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a terrible vampire that only a select few even realize is still around and Captain Obvious, who is always up for starting something. There were several surprises in this book. One great thing was that I attended an online book chat on Literal Addiction with Rachel Caine and we were able to submit questions ahead of time for the interview with Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael. One of my questions was have they ever seen werewolves or elves in Morganville and the cast of characters replied with sort of a blank stare like what are those, which I found hilarious. Last Breath had the druag so I thought it was worth a shot to see what else might be there. At the beginning of the series I originally thought that Shane might be a werewolf because he was so secretive and seemed extraordinarily strong. Turns out, no.
In this book we don’t necessarily learn more about the characters as much as they seem to be learning about themselves. Some really shocking things happen in the book (you have to read it for yourselves to find out what) so we get to see some really vulnerable sides to our cast as well as several others in the book. Myrvin was great as usual. We did learn more about his past in this book actually so that was a great addition to this story.
Bitter Blood was a great addition to the Morganville Vampire series, which I really love. As usual we had some closure but also I was left several questions one of which is what the heck did Myrvin say to Shane? Do we find out in the next book? Does it matter? The dreaded reality show craze did show its face in this book and brought us some new characters. I wonder what happened to Tyler. We saw more of Jenna so we know where she is at the end of the story. Finally, what did Claire mean with her last thought at the end of the book? I love that we always get some form of closure with this series with every book, but, I hate having to wait another year to have answers to these questions. Oh, I’ll wait. I may grumble about it, grit my teeth and shake my fist at the world crying about the injustice of it all, but, I’ll be right there on release day next time getting the answers to my questions, hopefully. Please Rachel Caine!

Review can also be seen at LadyTechie’s Book Musings at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...

The Janus Affair by Philippa Ballantine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to The Janus Affair, Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences on audio book. The moderator, James Langton, did a wonderful job. I loved it! This go-round Wellington and Eliza are pulled into investigating the disappearances of prominent members of the suffragette movement. In this book Eliza’s past from Australia is told more in depth, though we don’t get the full story yet of what happened with her friend Kate, we know a lot more details about why Eliza is now living in London. We also get to see more about her friendships outside of work and get more insight into the softer side of Eliza Braun.
We also get more of Wellington Books’ background and his relationship with his father. We also learn more about why he insists on staying out of trouble, well until Eliza drags him into it. That was one of the great things about The Janus Affair. We get to see Wellington let his hair down some and there are a lot of surprises when he does show more of himself.
The book introduces some new characters, some of which seem like they will be seen regularly and others for this story only. There was a ton of adventure, excellent fight scenes and a lot of action. I also loved the inventions and technology that were described, like the precursor to what might be motorcycles. It is interesting to have described the responses to the suffragette movement and I wonder if what was described as Queen Victoria’s response was very close to home, especially given the era. This was a great installment in the series and I look forward to the next book or most likely audio book.

Review can also be seen at LadyTechie’s Book Musings at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time travel in Italy, who could not want to experience that. Well, that depends upon the time where you travel. I'm not sure I would want to travel anywhere that I had to use chamber pots or holes in a seat that did not carry the waste somewhere other than where I was living. The thought of knowing what technology and time has afforded us and not being able to access it is overwhelming, especially when you think about the fact that there are people in this society who have that very experience because of it not being available to them.

I have to say I was surprised. This book was exactly what I thought it would be, but, more. I was hoping to read about glamorous balls and beautiful clothes. There was some of that but, more. This book put me in the middle of one topic I really dislike to read, what felt like a love triangle. The timing was different, which made this story a bit different. It was medieval times, a time of arranged marriages and when families were so close that sometimes children were promised to each other for a myriad of reasons. That changes the story some for me and makes the story more than a love triangle.


This story also really showed us about love and families, especially where close siblings are involved. It would be very interesting to see how things that Gabi did to help Fortino affected the future. Will they see differences in that part of Italy when Gabi and Lina are in their own time. Can just having a conversation with one person change the course of history? It definitely has to change how Gabi and Lina see things from now on as they have experienced medicine, food, beds, clothing, hairstyles and even differences in the Italian language. I have to say it is interesting that women being catty doesn't change regardless to the century, though I hope there are fewer willing to send another woman into a danger zone to keep what she wants. Ah, what am I saying? The news is full of people doing ridiculous things for ridiculous reasons every day. I'm glad the series is already fully written so I don't have to wait to see how this turns out, well only as long as it takes me to read the next 2 books, though I'm thinking of trying the audiobooks for Cascade and Torrent. I hope the narrator is great!

Review can also be seen at Lady Techie's Book Musings, http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...