Etiquette and EspionageWritten by Gail CarrigerNarrated by Moira Quirk

Sephronia Temmenick was the youngest daughter in a large family. Her eldest sister is about to have her “coming out” party to introduce her to the other noble families and which could make or break her chances for an advantageous marriage. However as Sephronia is still a rather wild and unruly girl who is more interested in climbing trees and other “unseemly” things (such as dismantling clocks) for a young lady, and who cannot even curtsy or show the proper manners, it is recommended by an older family friend that she be sent to Madame Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. What neither Sephronia nor her family are aware of is that this finishing school is not the normal finishing school that most assume it to be. Instead, while it does train the students in the usual things taught at a finishing school, it also trains the girls in covert espionage tactics. And Sephronia is a covert recruit, who until she arrives, is herself unaware that this is not a normal finishing school.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The story in this steampunk novel was very entertaining and the narrator did an excellent job of keeping the individual voices distinct from each other. I enjoyed listening to Sephronia’s exploits at her new school, and her discovering that there were advantages to knowing some of the things a “proper lady” was expected to know, and how to use those skills to her benefit, both personally and professionally.

And naturally, as can be expected when there is a large group of students gathered together, there are usually some bullies among them. And in this case, Sephronia seems to have started out by making an enemy out of one of the older girls, simply in the process of trying to save her from a group of villains attempting to kidnap her.

This book clearly ties into the world of both the Parasol Protectorate and Custard Protocal series, though it takes place in a time before either of them. So if you happen to have read any of the books in either series, some of the characters within this book may be somewhat familiar to you.

Overall, I did enjoy listening to this book and look forward to continuing on with this series.

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Heart of Night by Angelina Steffort

After watching the man she loves die, Anya is kidnapped by the traitorous crow faerie who had secretly allied with the flame faeries and is taking her to them, to eventually be sold to the King who originally gave her as a bride to the Crow King. It seems her life has now come full circle back to where she began, as he prisoner of the King who wants her to suffer for her father’s crimes. She is almost ready for it all to be over, for what is there left worth fighting for without Myron? But what she doesn’t know is that Myron is alive and hunting for her, determined to get her back. She is the love of his life, and the one who broke the curse that all crow faeries have lived under for centuries. He is not willing to give her up, but first he needs to find her and rescue her from whatever horrible fate is being planned for her,

I received a review copy of this and enjoyed it as much as I did the previous book in the series. I enjoyed the multiple twists that took place along the way. This story definitely tugs at the heartstrings quite a bit for a number of reasons that aren’t all related to only Anya and Myron, but I do not want to spoil any of the surprises in this book for you, and there are more than a few.

The roughest part about the ending of this book is the fact that it ends where fans of the series are left waiting desperately for the third book in this series to see what will happen next, and I can assure you that I will be waiting just as impatiently as everyone else for book three to be released. I do recommend reading book one in this series before this one as you may feel a bit lost if you try to jump right into the middle of the series. But I do think this series is worth reading if you’re looking for an entertaining, magical story that tugs at the heartstrings periodically along the way. 

But do be warned that there is violence in this story. Several of the characters are tortured at times throughout the book, though the worst of it is behind the scenes. It is pretty obvious that it happens, and the after-effects of it aren’t hidden from the readers. Still, for most, I think you will probably enjoy this book. Especially if you have enjoyed any of the other books in this world/setting. Recommended.

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Mannigan: A speck of Light by L Ross Coulter

Will has just been released from incarceration after a very long time. While he was there, most of his organs had been harvested, and the doctors have told him that he has very little time left. He is bitter and angry with the world, for when his wife was judged not worth the cost of fighting her cancer, she  was left to suffer and die. After that, things fell apart for him and left him with nothing save his anger and bitterness toward the world. That was what had led to his becoming incarcerated in a modern facility, where those who survive long enough to be released rarely live more than a week or two beyond their release, usually dying alone and in a great deal of pain. But the doctor who oversees his final days, believes that he can offer him a chance for something more. A life that won’t end, as a part of a group called Legion.

I received a review copy of this book, and when I began reading this story, I thought it was primarily a dystopian novel, though it also seems to be a bit of a story about humanity. But it does also paint a very bleak future for mankind. Will was a very angry and bitter man, and achieving an inability to die or be killed doesn't seem to change that throughout the book. While he does still possess some kindness, especially towards those who are also suffering for various reasons, he still wants his revenge on those in charge who had allowed his wife to be declared not worth saving, and who had used his body to save others who were deemed worthy without his permission while incarcerated.

I must warn readers that this book does contain a great deal of violence. It paints a very dark picture of the future, and while I don’t want to spoil the ending, from what I can see, the only real sign of hope for the world comes at the end of the book, and even in that moment, I am uncertain as to whether it truly is a hopeful ending or not. And that possibility, I find a bit of a depressing thought, because either possibility is equally possible in my mind. But it is clearly something meant for readers to decide for themselves.

It was interesting, but I’m not entirely sure if anyone actually grew or changed in any positive way or not. I don’t know what we were supposed to learn from what Will went through, though I have a few ideas. I believe that perhaps this book was trying to teach a lesson about what the future may hold that comes with an implied warning about repeating the mistakes others have made rather than learning from them.. And honestly, I think that for me, not being able to decide whether the ending was meant to be positive or negative is what disturbs me the most. I’m not sure if that was the point of the story, but this one just didn’t really resonate with me for some reason, though it has stuck with me. (There is more that I would like to say about the ending, but I am trying to avoid spoilers for those who decide to read this book for themselves. As I said, it does make you think about quite a few things.)

If you’re looking for a book that will truly make you think about the ending, then you will likely enjoy this one. It may paint a somewhat bleak picture for the future, but it also does seem to show that despite everything, hope always survives. For despite all the bad things that happen to quite a few people, most of them still manage to be kind and have hope, even Will.

I'm engaged to Mothman by Paige Lavoie

Heather and Moth are very happy with the life they are building in their cabin in the woods. But when a portal suddenly opens and takes them back to Moth's home in the Faerie realm, will he still want to remain in a cramped cabin with Heather? Or will he want to stay in his home realm and become the king he was once meant to be?

I enjoyed reading this book. I have visited both the Mothman statue and the Mothman Museum, so naturally both this book and the previous one in the series. (If you haven't yet read it, I highly recommend reading I'm in Love with Mothman before reading this one.) You'll likely be a bit confused about a few things if you haven't.)

Moth is a very interesting character with quite a few surprising layers to him, but his family history is quite a lot for a girl born in the human lands. And honestly, I believe that Heather is even more fascinating. She has Hashimoto's Disease, making their time in the Faerie lands a bit of a challenge without her medication, and is also a former social media influencer. So if anyone can win over Moth’s family, it should be her … even if she isn’t royalty herself. And this is not the only difficulty she and Moth will have to face. But are they capable of facing those challenges together, or will it drive them apart.

If you like fantasy stories involving a variety of creatures, multiple realms, and stories that tug at your heartstrings, then you will likely enjoy this book. I know that I did, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series. I’d recommend giving this fun series a try.

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https://4horsemenpublications.com/product/im-engaged-to-mothman-mothman-in-love-2/ (link to book on publisher's website)

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2040 by Robert Albo

Michael Knightsbridge was going nowhere in life. He lived off of government assistance programs and felt no drive to achieve anything more in his life. Then, after his twin brother sells their parents’ house and convinces Michael to move to California and move into his family's home. He even gives Michael a job at the lab where he works. But after an accident happens while Michael is working, his life takes a very different turn, and everything changes.

This was an interesting story set in the near future, where technology and Artificial intelligence plays an integral part in everyone's lives. In this story, we see both positive and negative possibilities for both. We also see how emotional intuition and responses can sometimes be as or more beneficial in the long run to simple logic. This story has a number of hidden (and not so hidden) themes running through it. Some of them deal with politics, technology, emotions, logic, kindness, cruelty, right and wrong, as well as a few others. All of this combined to create a story that turned out to be something quite different than I had expected.

I don't know if this is meant to be the first book in a series or a stand alone novel, but if it does ever have a sequel, I would be interested in seeing what happens to the characters next. If you enjoy speculative fiction, science fiction, stories involving Artificial intelligence, aliens, and humanity, then I think you should give this book a try. It may not have been what I was expecting, but it was something that I did enjoy reading.

https://amzn.to/3RIiO7H (Amazon Link)

https://books2read.com/u/bP8PYr (Books2Go link to other Vendors)

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.