Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school. 

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

Okay, confession time. I have the first book in Carriger's Parasol Protectorate adult series and haven't actually gotten to read it yet. :) I had an opportunity to read her YA mostly out of curiosity. What was all the fuss about? I knew it was the same world (25 yrs prior to the other series) so I thought this would be a good place to start.

I was not disappointed. The writing, the whole tongue-in-cheek way of thinking and talking really had me smiling. It was fun. And I just really enjoy a book that is all about the fun. I really enjoyed the main character, Sophronia (although I'd love to hear it pronounced... not in my head... LOL). She was quite juvenile before going to the school, but in some ways reminded me of Anne Shirley (Green Gables). Someone who's curiosity is more than her common sense. In a time where women were seen as property, I always enjoy this type of rebellion. :)

Sophronia grows up fast and is put in a place that is quite confusing at first. In fact, I still don't know exactly what the school's end game really is, but oddly enough that never bothered me. Her time there has her realize her potential and Sophronia shines.  Her growth is exponential and while seeming almost 10 years old in maturity at first, she is quite grown up in just a few chapters. It's like a light went on within and she really shined at the school.

There is intrigue and adventure. Loved the secondary characters especially Soap. No real romance to speak of, but hints that it may come at a later time. I understand that this is the first in 4 books and I can't wait to start on the next. Oh and it has me wanting to dive into the other series even quicker.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. I really enjoyed my time here and I recommend it to those that enjoy fun YA, inquisitive girls, or just want to get their feet wet in steampunk. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

I received this book from NetGalley and Little, Brown and no compensation for my review was given.

AimeeKay Review: Moonsongs #1, #2 by E.J. Wesley

Blood Fugue (Moonsongs #1)

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried.

Life has pummeled her heart into one big, lonely callus. She has no siblings, both parents were dead by sixteen, and her last grandparent—and caretaker—was in the ground before she turned twenty-one. She’s the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thinks…
Suddenly, instead of burying it with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

Okay have to say I LOVED both stories!! Can’t wait to see what happens to Jenny and Marshal in the next Moonsong book!

Blood Fugue: Moonsongs Book 1 is short and its fast pacing made it go by even quicker. Loved the story, even though it was in first person. It was done well and I really wanted to see where the story was going. I found Jenny interesting and Marshal amusing. The only real issue I have is that I wish the story hadn’t ended so soon! However since I had book 2 readily available that was only a temporary annoyance.

Witch's Nocturne (Moonsongs #2)

After receiving an ancient tribal journal from her grandfather, Jenny is sent on a mission of discovery in an attempt to unravel clues to her family's monster hunting past. The journey becomes more than academic when she is asked to confront a coven of dangerous witches who plan to cast an insidious spell on the plains of West Texas.

Witch's Nocturne is the second of the Moonsongs Books, a series of paranormal-horror-action novelettes by author E.J. Wesley. These stories contain language and content better suited for mature readers.

Witch’s Nocturne: Moonsongs Book 2 is just as fast paced but seemed a tad longer, although not as long as I would have liked. I really enjoy the authors writing and I want to read more about Jenny and Marshal. The shortness of the books reminds me of t.v. episodes; short, sweet, resolved in under an hour. But I’m talking good, interesting t.v.. The kind that draws you in and leaves you eagerly awaiting next weeks episode.

The characters are interesting and have tons of potential. There isn’t a love interest, but I found that a refreshing change from other novels that feel the need to cram insta-love down the readers throat. Marshal and Jenny are friends and you can see it in their interactions.

While the stories are short they don’t lack in substance and I hope the next book will be out soon, maybe even a full length novel???(hint! hint!) Of course both books were good even though they were short so maybe the formula shouldn’t be messed with? Don’t care as long as there is more of Jenny and Marshal in the works I’m good.

If I have to say anything that I don’t like about the books it is more superficial than anything. Personally I don’t like the covers. Not my style. *shrug* I’m only mentioning it because I know a lot of readers who base their choices on covers and blurbs. Even if a book has a great blurb they still might not pick it up if they don’t like the cover. If you are like me and the front just doesn’t do it for you don’t judge this book by its cover, you will be missing out!

Honestly you could read book 2 without reading book 1. There is enough back story fill in to not leave the reader completely lost. (But because I enjoyed book 1 so much I don’t recommend it)

Definitely pick up this quick, cool new series. You won’t regret it!

Bloggy note: There is a Author Blog Post as well as a giveaway going on for these books! Just go to the post HERE to comment to enter. While you are there don't forget to enter for a huge giveaway associated with that blog tour. Enter via Rafflecopter form for that giveaway on the same post.

Author Blog Post: E.J. Wesley

“Why is it that the Apaches wait to die -- That they carry their lives on their fingernails? They roam over the hills and plains and want the heavens to fall on them. The Apaches were once a great nation; they are now but few, and because of this they want to die and so carry their lives on their fingernails.” ~ Cochise, Chiricahua Apache Chief

One question I’m frequently asked about the Moonsongs stories is, “Why the Native American twist?” Jenny, the Moonsongs heroine, is descended from a fictitious Apache tribe called the Navezgane. That connection serves as the basis for her adventures, as she learns (in Blood Fugue, Moonsongs Book 1) she has become the latest in a long line of tribal “monster hunters.”

When I came up with the concept for the stories, the first thing I decided on was the West Texas setting. When you travel to the more rural areas of Texas, you can’t ignore a sense that time has somehow leapt over some of the little towns you encounter. On the surface, the dusty streets, waving strangers, and vast stretches of undeveloped land seem to indicate that the rules of progress and change do not apply. 

I believe a large part of that feeling of timelessness is due to the Native cultures that once solely inhabited the land. Though they are now largely lumped into somewhat minimalizing terms like “heritage” and “history”, the spirit of those First People is still very much alive in the untouched areas. 

Standing in a field of golden wild grass as it dances around your knees, you can almost hear the whispering footsteps of the buffalo stalking hunters around you. As the sun rises behind a distant mesa, it’s easy to imagine the sight of a lone warrior or scout on horseback, scaling slowly to the top for an unfettered view of the sprawling prairie below.

Now take all of that deep connection to the very roots of humanity in the Western Hemisphere, the innate spirituality of the land, and juxtapose it with a modern twenty-two year old girl, who loves video games, has a purple mohawk, and would generally like to give the world a giant middle-finger. That’s Jenny, and that’s the basic framework for the Moonsongs stories.

Yes, there are monsters, big pickup trucks (hey, it’s Texas!), sinister witches, and tons of smartass interactions via Jenny and her best friend, Marshal. But Moonsongs is really about this jaded young woman, who hasn’t felt very connected to anything, discovering the power of having a purpose in life. Even if it is a very dangerous and scary-as-hell purpose.

I believe Jenny’s journey, her struggle for identity, is one many people in this age of Internet relativity can relate to.

~ E.J. Wesley ~

Blood Fugue (Moonsongs #1)

“Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried.
Life has pummeled her heart into one big, lonely callus. She has no siblings, both parents were dead by sixteen, and her last grandparent—and caretaker—was in the ground before she turned twenty-one. She’s the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thinks… 

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.” 

Suddenly, instead of burying it with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

Blood Fugue can be found at:

Amazon Goodreads

Witch's Nocturne (Moonsongs #2)

After receiving an ancient tribal journal from her grandfather, Jenny is sent on a mission of discovery in an attempt to unravel clues to her family's monster hunting past. The journey becomes more than academic when she is asked to confront a coven of dangerous witches who plan to cast an insidious spell on the plains of West Texas.

Witch's Nocturne is the second of the Moonsongs Books, a series of paranormal-horror-action novelettes by author E.J. Wesley. These stories contain language and content better suited for mature readers.

Witch’s Nocturne can be found at:

Amazon Smashwords Barnes and Noble Goodreads

About the author:

Born and raised in Oklahoma, E.J. grew up in a land of good earth and better people. He holds degrees in psychology and counseling, but prefers to spend his time in the heads of imaginary people to real ones. He writes and lives in South Texas, and loves to chat about movies, books, music, food, and family.

Find the Author: GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

This is so interesting and look out for Aimeekay's reviews tomorrow of these books! Book #1, Blood Fugue is free right now at Amazon for today! You can try it out and then get the other 2 (there will be 3 in all) at a later date! Sweet! Right? If you happened to miss it and want to read it, just enter by commenting below! Any ebook format is available! I'll end the giveaway on the 9th.

There is also a tour giveaway!

• 1 Prize Package #1: Signed copy of Soul Screamers Vol. 1 by Rachel Vincent, Signed copy of Capital Hell by Alicia M. Long, signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Texas (Little Known Facts about Well Known Places (Package open to US addresses only) by Victor Dorff 
• 2 winners of a $15 GC to amazon or B&N 
• 1 winner of $20 towards The Book Depository (INT ONLY!)

Sweet right? Just fill out the rafflecopter form below for that giveaway.

Also, don't forget to go to the other stops in the tour! Just click HERE for those dates and addys.

Winner!

The winner for:

is...

Daniela!

(confirmed)

Congraties!!!

Targets of Opportunity by Jeffrey S. Stephens

THE ENEMY HAS A THOUSAND WAYS TO STRIKE. WE HAVE JUST ONE WAY TO RETALIATE. HIS NAME IS JORDAN SANDOR. In Targets of Deception, which suspense master Robert K. Tanenbaum called “a fast-paced thriller,” Jeffrey Stephens introduced CIA agent Jordan Sandor, whom bestselling author Steve Alten praised as “terrific.” Now Sandor is back, playing for bigger stakes and facing deadlier challenges. 

Whisked from his Manhattan town house to a gabled CIA safe house in Virginia, Sandor faces off with a top terrorist agent from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. In exchange for protection from his own side, Ahmad Jaber is offering the CIA explosive information: word of a secret, unholy alliance forged among operatives in the Middle East, a ruthless South American, and Kim Jong-Il’s North Korea. Jaber claims not to know specific details, only that the strike will target the heart of America. 

The fanatics stage a stunning diversion in the Caribbean, mercilessly downing a passenger jet and unleashing an assault on a French intelligence installation. Sandor, however, has already moved in a different direction. Leveraging Jaber’s infor-mation, he assembles a small strike force to penetrate North Korea. The team knows they will not all return, but the intel they gather will be vital to American security. What they ultimately discover plunges Sandor into a frantic race against time, struggling to defeat a shadowy figure—a master terrorist with a plan of destruction so perfectly disguised that even with the new knowledge he has gathered, Sandor cannot guess where or how he will strike. 

As a storm rages in the Gulf of Mexico, word comes that two submarines have penetrated U.S. waters. With the U.S. military hampered by the hurricane, Sandor turns to a few daring U.S. Navy SEALs to duel with the enemy they cannot see . . . for now they know only that there are two nuclear weapons aimed at a target of opportunity whose destruction would change the world order forever.

 This book is the second book with Jordan Sandor as a "have his own rules" spy. The first is Targets of Deception. You do not need to read the first book to get caught up with this one, but in terms of having a connection with Sandor it helps. You don't get connected to him much, unless the first one is read. It isn't essential to the story since this one is mostly about international and political intrigue, but since Sandor is much more of a cad toward women in this one than the last, it helped me. :)

Now, Sandor isn't too bad of a cad, but he does seem to see women in one dimension, with the exception of Hea who plays a central part in this tale in getting his arse out of North Korea in one piece. I really liked the respect he had for her, with the exception at times I felt he was too forward. With so much going on all at once, this wasn't too often, but often enough I felt that he would have gone further if he had the time. Also, in the last book I complained about the woman in the book as not being competent. Hea, was not incompetent and in fact, I think surpassed Jordan in some ways. She never took anything for granted including her own family's safety. She is one character I'd love to get to know more.

The one character you did have sympathy for in a surprising way was Jabbar. You don't just get the one dimensional terrorist caricature. I appreciated that and even though he was a "bad" guy, you felt that he was truly trying to do what was right while trying to protect his own life as well as his wife's. I like it when you get a more rounded view of secondary characters.

I give this book 4 stars. It's much more about political intrigue than the last book which was more action oriented. It is a large book, but reads quite quickly. I recommend it to those that love international twists and turns in thrillers where the end goal isn't revealed until the end.

I received this book from Pocket Star books and no compensation for my review was given.