Agent 21 by Chris Ryan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was a good read. I found it by searching for other books like the Alex Rider series. A search on UK book seller sites led me to Agent 21. It was not an easy book to find here in the U.S. so I had to order it through a bookseller that sold in both the U.S. and the U.K. online. Zak's story is similar to other young adult secret agents' stories in that he has a huge loss and is noticed by a covert government agency that see something in him and offers him a chance to train to work for them.

Zak trains for many months and is sent on his first case which is by all accounts extremely dangerous. Not only is the man he is investigating ruthless and dangerous, but, he employs a man that leaves bodies with every step he takes. Zak's first case out of the gate puts him not only in touch with his past, but also on a collision course with both of these terrible men.

The people that are fast becoming very close to Zak, especially Raf and Gabby are working to gain his trust and the jury is still out on Michael, his new boss. This is already shaping up to be a very interesting, action-filled series. I look forward to hearing more about Zak and his new colleagues. I hope it continues to be original, fun, and look forward to seeing some interesting investigations.



Review can also be seen at: http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com/

Made to Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was a great edition to Kelley Armstrong's Nadia Stafford series. In this installment one of her employees, a teenage mother. The very bad part is that the baby is also missing. Despite how hard the employee's life has been she has studied and done everything within her power to be a good mother and ensure she does not end up on government assistance. Unfortunately, everyone in town expects nothing less of Sammi given her and her mother's background. Nadia is suspicious. Jack, Quinn and Evelyn all become involved in the search for baby and mother which turns out to be something well outside the realm of small town Canada problems.

I love both Jack and Quinn. I even love Nadia. The jury is out on Evelyn. How can someone love assassins? Well, look beyond what they do for a living maybe! The investigation was quite interesting and the scenarios in which Nadia and Jack run into the bad guys turn out to be great action. Of course I wanted to now if the next one was already out since I read this so long after it was released. I checked on the author's website and as of 2010 she had begun writing the third book but so far had not posted any plans for it being published. This book left things unsettled in several places. I'm hoping the publisher is interested because I know that I want the next book.


Review can also be seen at: http://LadyTechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...

Sleeper Agenda by Thomas E. Sniegoski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What an awesome kick butt ending to this 2 part story. I wish there were more coming. I think there is room for more espionage, especially with that ending. It was full of loss, sadness, love, friendship, and growth. It also showed how you can find family in the strangest places.

Tom's story in part 2 is full of the agony of getting to know himself in the most extreme way. He also had to come to terms with what his family really had been. Sometimes when you only have part of a story you do not see the truth of things. This was true for both Tom and Madison. They were surrounded by adults that kept secrets, sometimes deadly secrets. Part of the difficulty of being a child or teenager is when you are too powerless or young to take control of your own life even when you have all the facts. Sometimes, if all goes well, there is someone out there that can and will help you move forward. Another great thing Sleeper Agenda shows is how great it is when someone labels you as something negative and you get the chance to prove them wrong and sometimes rub it in a bit.

I sure hope this is not the end!

Review can also be seen at: http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...



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Sleeper Code by Thomas E. Sniegoski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a sensational book! It embodies all that is great in an action book. Tom has a huge secret, one that even he is not aware of for many, many years. The people in his life are not who he thinks they are and his illness, a severe form of narcolepsy, is a bigger problem than he ever dreamed. Tom's narcolepsy has been exploited by some really bad people who are supposed to be the good guys. Just when he finds out the truth the lid is blown off the secret in so many ways.

Madison is the girl next door, literally. She is staying with her aunt and uncle because of some issues with her parents back in Chicago. She reaches out to him when he most needs it and has not had any friends his age in over 3 years. Tom and Madison are great young adults who have found each other right when they both needed a friend. Both of these characters are being bombarded with really adult issues and finding the people they have come to rely on are not quite stepping up to the plate.

My favorite part of this book, the fights scenes. The fight scenes explode off the page and yes, as a Jason Bourne fan, I was picturing just that level of action. The author did not disappoint. I have the first book in the other Sniegoski series but have been on a teenage secret agent kick for a few weeks and this one just adds to my love of this niche in the YA world. I have already bought Sleeper Agenda and will be tearing into it quickly.


Review can also be read at: http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...



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Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid Jennifer Estep fan. I am not familiar with her first series. But, I am totally enamored of the Elemental Assassin series. When she first announced in her newsletter that she sold a YA series and gave some hints on what it would be about I was extremely excited to get my hands on the first book, Touch of Frost. Every since I was a teenager I have been very interested in mythology, especially Greek and Chinese mythology. I tried reading a mythology book that strictly talked about the different gods and goddesses, but, it was a bit boring for a younger teenager. I have been tearing through the Internet, Amazon, BN and Goodreads looking for Urban Fantasy and YA Urban Fantasy that covered Greek mythology. It was like a coup to have one of the most talented authors around write a series that covered this topic. I received an ARC of Touch of Frost, read it immediately, and loved it! I just re-read it so that I could post a review close to the release date. I plan to purchase it to keep it in my library so I can read it again just before the release of Kiss of Frost.

I finished the 2nd reading of Touch of Frost last night which only confirmed how much I love this new series. Gwen Frost is this quirky teenager who has a gift of receiving images about the history of an item or a person if she has contact with the either on her bare skin. This works in her favor sometimes and when she least expects it the gift turns her world upside down. Gwen finds herself in an academy styled school to learn how to control her gift. This school is full of students that have their own special gifts and histories. One of the great things is that in the first book we get a great glimpse into the Greek mythology world and how this school is related.

Gwen becomes embroiled in a huge mystery that has her learning more about her own history, her family's history, and the real purpose of the new school she is attending. It takes a while, but, Gwen starts making a new life that includes her new school and some of the people that she has managed to let into her life. Her relationship with her grandmother grows as secrets are revealed. There are Amazons, Valkyries, Spartans and a host of other descendants of serious kick butt heroes from throughout history and mythology.

One of the fun things was a nice tie in to the Elemental Assassins world and of course the great food that is depicted has crossed over and morphed into things that Gwen and her grandmother love to eat. Another great thing in this book was Gwen’s new friendship with Daphne. She turned out to be more than we could ever have guessed judging by the first run in that she and Gwen have at the beginning of the book. Daphne turns out to be a bright light in this series. The jury is still out on Logan, but, he has potential. A sneak peak at the first chapter of the next book in the series (which I usually stay far away from when they are posted because they just drive me nuts with the wait for the entire book) looks like the possibility Gwen might have some choices at Mythos Academy. I look forward to the next in the series!




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Perfect Cover by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Who knew I would enjoy a book that had cheerleaders in the backdrop? I am so much like Toby, sarcasm and all, that it was like reading an biography of myself, well minus the cheerleading and the secret agent parts, maybe. I am the smart-mouthed techie! Too hilarious. It was like she was reading my mind. I was laughing out loud throughout most of the book. I stayed away from the popular crowd in high school and in college until my last year when I decided it was time to grace them with my presence, well in high school I was recruited and in college I wanted to share my desire for public service with an amazing sorority.

Perfect Cover was great fun and a very entertaining story, so much so that I already bought The Squad: Killer Spirit. Ready! Go!


Review can also be seen at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...



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Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What fun was this book? I was a little skeptical because of the title. But, I went from Oh. My. Gods directly to this one and that is why there is one review. I have to go back to book 1 and put in a 5. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Yes, there was the typical teenage angst which totally rang true, but, there was also a deeper story there that deals with family and relationships and Tera Lynn Childs did a wonderful job capturing it from a teenage point-of-view. I have had step siblings before and it is not easy. To be honest when it comes to our parents we're just a bit teenage like, especially when it comes to mourning their loss. To me, my daddy is and always will be my daddy even though he is gone and Phoebe expressed those feelings the same way I do even given my over 30 status (Don't judge my inability to accept my age!).

Goddess Boot Camp is a continuation of Phoebe's story continuing where book 1 left off where Phoebe just finds out about her lineage and she has some serious trials coming up. She still has her running trials and the trial of changes in her friendships with her best buddies from California. But, she now has new close buddies that she is learning and growing with which includes her boyfriend Griffin. They both have learning pains because despite his having an on again, off again relationship for a very long time with one person that relationship never seems to have grown into what his relationship is with Phoebe. Phoebe only has one relationship with men to draw from and it ended badly. They learn from each other and learn about trust and faithfulness even when each doesn't realized that they have exhibited distrustful behavior.

Phoebe gets a great surprise in her final trial of the book and the end leaves me hoping that there is possibly more left to everyone's story.

Review can also be seen at: http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...



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