Deadly Sting by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an e-Arc of Deadly Sting and loved every moment of it. I took some time reading Widow's Web because I caught a hint of part of the story arc. Once I made it through, and still loved it I did not hesitate to jump right into this one. I mentioned in my review of Widows's Web that part of the overall theme of the series is that Gin doesn't just help the people she jumps in to defend. She also seems to in some way end up needing them to step up and help themselves. This one was a bit different from that. We always get to see more into how Gin is growing and changing and how her past plays a part in this change.

Deadly Sting does one thing that I really enjoyed, spend more time with Fletcher Lane. I have always been bummed that we don't get to know him better when he was such a big influence in her life. We pretty much see Gin as she is as an adult and though we get flashes of Fletcher in the books we never get to know who he is and how he got to be that way. Maybe one day Jennifer Estep will write a novella based upon Fletcher Lane or even a full novel that would backtrack when Mab is in her heyday and Fletcher is Gin's handler and who her love interest was at the time, etc. That would be great. Another thing I would love to see is something about Gin's father. We know absolutely nothing about him other than Mab's interest in him.

Deadly Sting was more of an action packed ride where there were 2 mysteries, one was more a mystery for Gin's friends and the other involves who set up the events in the museum. Getting to the answers of who is responsible for everything is more than just seeing who the players are during the robbery and it adds to the tension and gives the reader something to look forward to in future books. I have to admit that I am more a fan of stories that do not drag on one villain for too long, in books and in television shows. Catch Red John for crying out loud! I am invested in this series and it is one of few that I am still following because the characters have not driven me away, even Owen.

Review can also be seen at Lady Techies Book Musings http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...

Widow’s Web by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an e-Arc of Widow's Web before it was released. But, I made the mistake of catching a whiff of something that made me a bit wary to jump right into the story. Then the audiobook was released and I bought that on the day of the release because I love Lauren Fortgang's narration of the series. Finally, I decided to take the leap because I wanted to honor my promise to review the book and now Deadly Sting is being released on March 26, 2013. Time to suck it up and catch up.

I have to admit that I love this series. I am always looking for great, woman assassin books, and Gin Blanco is that and more. She has the kick-butt elemental powers as well as some great fighting skills. I have to admit that there was one pet peeve for this book. The use of the word "lover" drove me nuts. I guess I'm not overly fond of it anyway so there was a bias to start. For me, there was this love of Owen who was a bit of a disappointment in this book. Even Eva was disappointed and she is his sister. But, I have to admit that Gin has had so much loss and pain in her life I was kind of hoping that her personal life could be one area that she could have a break while she helps right wrongs or protect the innocent. But, I did have a bit of an epiphany or maybe I noticed this in previous books but put words to the thoughts this time. Gin starts out fighting the battles of others then for the most part the victim has to step in and help protect her and themselves before the problem is fixed. Maybe there is a lesson that was always there but I missed it because I was always so engrossed in the fight sequences and cool powers to see it before now. Maybe I saw it when Gin fought the vampire and tried to help his wife. That one was really more evident though I didn't take note.

This story was about how the past comes back to haunt you. For Owen he learned that a prolific set of circumstances that shaped a large portion of his life were misinterpreted. But, he still allowed that mistake to shape a lot of his decisions in Widow's Web. It was the one time I wanted to slap him and yell wake up, even after he woke up, he seemed to act weak. It was a disappointment because I really loved him as a love interest for Gin. But, I'm not quite sure he deserves her. I don't think that Gin's run-in with Donovan in the last book was anywhere near the same annoying circumstances as what happened with Owen and his former fiancée. She did not show any weakness for him and even took a stand to protect the feelings of Donovan's fiancée.

There were some decent fight scenes though not quite to level of previous books. I hope Deadly Sting steps them up again. Widow's Web read more like it was about personal issues than fighting the bad guy, though the bad guy existed. I'm ready for Deadly Sting and cannot wait for the audiobook to be released!

Review can also be seen on LadyTechie's Book Musing http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo...

Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Angelopolis
By Danielle Trussoni
I received an e-Arc of Angelopolis through Edelweiss. I have to admit that I was watching closely for this release because I loved Angelology. I was excited to have a chance to review this book a bit before its release. I did not love it as much as I did Angelology though I have a strong like for it. I think the biggest thing that struck me is that there were 3 points-of-view from which Angelopolis was told. One was Evangeline's, the other was Verlaine and Bruno, and the other began later in the story when one of the other angelologists, Vera, went a different direction. I think the one thing missing for me was spending more time with Evangeline. Her part of the story was not as big as I would have liked, especially since so much of the story was about her and her family and given the suspenseful ending of Angelology. Another thing that I’m mulling over is the “Angelopolis”. There was something odd with the prison nomenclature in Siberia and I was not sure if it was meant to be two different terms for two different concepts or if there was a change in terms. Possibly the angels called it one thing and those that new what the place eventually turned into called it something else, Panopticon. Are these the same place or have we not seen Angelopolis yet?

There were some great scenes with some of the more prominent angels and I loved learning more about the different types and hierarchies of angels. We find out more about the relationship between the angelologists, the Nephilim in particular. There is a great depiction about the history of not only the angels, but also of some of the angelologists, particularly Angela Valko and her father, Raphael Valko. Part of what was hard for me to follow is the gap in time and possibly I should have re-read Angelology before embarking on this experience and I can describe it as just that, an experience. I think I understand why there was a gap in the time between the two stories and if it is designed for the reason I believe then it works well and would have been even better if Evangeline was in the story more. We only get to see her changes and growth a small amount and maybe that will be developed more in the next book. But, it would have been great to experience more of her changes in this book.

There are some surprises in this book and some real displays of power by the angels, though I am wondering more about one of the new characters, Yana. I get the feeling like she has some gift that we are not privy to yet. Eno has one of the largest roles in the book. We don't know much about her other than the accountings of various run-ins told by Bruno and what was reported in other angelologists' reports. She appears to be ruthless and very violent and epitomizes the reason the angelologists exist in the first place. There are more angels that we see developed in this story specifically who will likely have bigger roles in the next book, like the Grigori twins. We also get to learn more about Russian history and some Biblical references with a nice tie-in to Faberge who still has a presence in the European and U.K. shopping districts. The ending was quite exciting and it did give a big buildup to the next book which I hope comes without another 2 year wait. I did stop to check Danielle Trussoni's website to see if this is a series or trilogy but did not find any information that gave me a clue. I can say that fans of Angelology will likely enjoy Angelopolis as much as I did.

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

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was absolutely good. I listened to the audiobook and it just added to my enjoyment of the story. The narrator, Lorelei King, does a great job with voices and emotional inflection. There was a great mystery and wonderful fight scenes. You cannot help but have your emotions tied up into the story. It makes you want to start the entire series over from the beginning and experience them all over again.

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.