Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I were a poet I'd write an Ode to this series. I love it. When I described the book to my sister she said "but you don't like period books". I told her that after I read the excellent convent of nuns series I was looking for something else in the same realm and I am not disappointed. Maid of Secrets is the story of 5 young ladies recruited to work for Elizabeth I to help protect her and let her know what is going on at Court. Boy, does she need it because there is more machinations happening in her Court. There are visitors from Scotland and Spain along with all the citizens coming to report problems with which they need help. Maid of Secrets focuses on the delegation from Spain visiting and is also Meg's story. Meg is the last to join the Maids and she comes from a life with an acting troupe where she primarily served as a pickpocket because women were still not allowed to act though she is an excellent actress. She has another gift that apparently her minders, Cecil and the head of security know about, though she hasn't shared it with anyone. It makes her more invaluable as a spy for the queen. I normally don't like series where each story is from a different character's point of view but I think I will really enjoy this one! I have already begun Maid of Deception and though Beatrice is my least favorite I think by the end of this book I am really going to like her. I can't wait for Jane's story.

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

Well, today marks the day we say goodbye to a great cast of characters. I have to admit I was hoping the series would continue with a different story arc outside of fighting the Reapers. It must be quite difficult to carry a story line for 6 books and keep the reader's interest. Jennifer Estep did a great job of that while we all waited with anticipation for the next book to see what happened next.

One of the best things about the Mythos Academy series was the growth of the characters as they tackled not only the fight against the Reapers of Chaos but also as they fought their own demons. In Killer Frost we learn so much more about Gwen Frost and we are introduced to new characters that I would not mind seeing in a novella or two in the future. But, one of the best things about this book is getting to see the culmination of Gwen and Logan's story and I was quite happy with it.

This story has the gang visiting another school that has students like those at the Mythos Academy with different strengths and skills and what is great is the development of Gwen's relationship with them. We also get to learn more about Gwen's family outside of what happened to her mom. This part of the book in my opinion is what makes the final book stand out and though there is a tough fight and everything might not have happened the way I would have liked Killer Frost has a great ending and all I could think when closing the book was, Satisfying!

Raphael by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read and re-read Raphael so many times I cannot count them. It is my favorite in the series because we are introduced to Cyn and Raphael. Then the new covers came out and they are lovely! I have to say in a world where vampire books abound and I have shied away from the sub-genre with the exception of a few series that I am dedicated to, the Vampires in America series is one of those series. One of those things I love about this series it is "old-school" vampires with very cool powers and very old-fashioned values that I didn't really realize I was missing until this series.

Raphael hires Cyn to investigate a problem he is having. Someone has kidnapped one of his vampires and he needs investigative help finding her. He doesn't need help getting the female back because, hey, he's Raphael, Vampire Lord and a series kick-butt character.

We are introduced to some great characters in this book, including Raphael's chief of security, Duncan who tends to have the most contact with Cyn. Things get harry and the kidnappers push back and Cyn and Raphael have to kick up their game if they are going to get the vampire back and take care of the kidnappers. This story has a big twist and I loved it and will re-read it again.

Some Like it Royal by Heather Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book as an eArc from Netgalley and I really enjoyed it. It was quirky and fun and drew the reader in from the start. It is always great to see a techie meet someone and have him get the girl. This story has a great set up where the techie, Daniel Voldakov, who is a self-made billionaire that needs a bit of help breaking into the market in the EU due to the proclivity of companies over there only selecting vendors where the owner/officers have pedigrees. You're a prince or related to one, sure we'll consider you as a vendor. Daniel comes up with an idea where he finds an unknown royal in the U.S. that is linked to the EU and has pedigree. Will marrying her help him break into the tech world in the EU? It looks that way. Of course, he can't even give a demo so they can see how great his product is so he has to take extreme measures. He sets up a meeting with Alyx Dagmar in the greatest way which I will not divulge because it is one of the best scenes in the book. He gets Alyx to agree to come aboard as an employee and explains what he is trying to do and if things go well maybe they may both get more out of it. I did have one thing I would like to know that the book does not address. Why was the maid so upset? I can guess but it would have been nice if the story told me just in case there was something else there. Either way, great story!

Innocent Blood by James Rollins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Action-packed, great read with a notes of Biblical history as the background. I received Innocent Blood as an e-Arc from Edelweiss. It is the second in a series about the Order of Sanguines and two outsiders that have been recruited to assist them in their search for a holy book. The group is in direct competition with a group called The Belial that has also been searching for the book but with the goal of causing a cataclysmic event. The trio from The Blood Gospel are brought back together to continue on the path that The Blood Gospel search has set them on. A reader can read this book and enjoy it without having read the first one, but, they will be missing a lot of the history of the events and the first book was quite exciting.

Innocent Blood starts off where The Blood Gospel leaves off with each member of the trio having stepped back into their own lives. Rhun, one of the Sanguinists, is in trouble and missing. Jordan, a member of the military recruited to help in the search, is burying the members of his team that were lost in The Blood Gospel and Erin, the final member of the trio (or is she?) is teaching at university. Events start to unfold that draw them back together and we learn more about Rhun's past and the history of the Sanguinists. We also learn more about how Rhun became a part of the Sanguinists and how the organization began.

There are some real surprises in this book! Though it was a bit long it is so full of suspense and action that it does not take long to move through the story. This series would really appeal to armchair travel readers as well as history buffs. It looks like there is at least one more in this series and I look forward to reading it!

Guest Post/Interview with Rachel of Dirt Diary by Anna Staniszewski

Anna: Hey, Rachel. Well, this is kind of weird. I’m not used to talking to you when other people are around. Mostly it’s just in my head.

Rachel: Um, yeah. Hi. Not to be totally rude or anything but I have some brownies in the oven, so can we speed this up?

Anna: Okay, let’s get right to the point. Your life is full of embarrassing moments. Can you share your worst ones with us?

Rachel: What? I’m not going to tell complete strangers about things like that!

Anna: Come on. I’m sure you have a good story about Steve Mueller. Ever since you’ve had a crush on him, you freeze up whenever he’s around.

Rachel: Oh my goldfish, who told you I have a crush on him? Well, it’s not true. He’s just…I mean, he’s gorgeous, but he doesn’t even know I exist.

Anna: That’s not entirely true. Didn’t he ask you to spy on his girlfriend?

Rachel: Will you stop telling everyone my secrets? Ugh, fine. Yes, he asked me to poke around Briana’s room while I’m there with my mom’s cleaning service. I know spying on someone sounds bad, but you don’t how horrible Briana is. She goes out of her way to make my life a living hell, so if she’s cheating on Steve then doesn’t he have a right to know?

Anna: Well...

Rachel: Holy fried bananas, are you defending Briana? You’re the one who created her. You know how evil she is.

Anna: Sorry, I guess it wasn’t fair to unleash a harpy like that on you, but spying on her is—

Rachel: I know it’s not the most moral thing, but you don’t know how desperate I am. If I find any secrets on Briana then Steve will pay me for them, and if I can save up enough money then I can pay back the cash I stole from my college fund before my mom finds out. Oh no! My mom isn’t going to read this, is she?

Anna: No, your secret is safe with us. So, is there any other dirt you want to share?

Rachel: No way! Besides, I think I smell my brownies burning. Can you do me a favor, though? In the next book, can you make my life a little less mortifying?

Anna: Sorry, kiddo. You’re stuck with me for two more embarrassment-filled books!

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series, published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. Look for the first book in Anna’s next tween series, The Dirt Diary, in January 2014, and visit her at www.annastan.com.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book! It had well-written characters and a great story. I am a sucker for secret agent books, and I really love ones that have a different spin on them. The Naturals was that kind of story. I received an early release e-Arc but was out of the country and had to catch up on a lot of work when I returned so I am just getting to the review. There are a lot of twists in this book and I like how they were done. Cassie is a teen that doesn't really seem to have a connection with her family though she has a family that loves her deeply. She has been on the FBI's radar for a special program and accepts the challenge to go and learn more about her gift and how to use it to help them track criminals. She meets some interesting teens that also have gifts and she is not the only one that has a troubled background and it all comes to the front when the story hits its stride. One thing I did like is that the story doesn't act as if the FBI would be willing to let teens work on cases involving murder but, teens being teens, and desperate people trying to get answers will do what they have to do. Great story and I look forward to how things go in the next installment.