Format: Kindle, 282 pages
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Karen Kincy
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Dieselpunk / Romance
Until death do us part.
When Ardis and Wendel abandon the battlefields of Prussia and Austria-Hungary, they expect anonymity in America. Perhaps assassins and bloodshed will be no more than a distant nightmare. But not even the bustle of New York City offers them peace. Together, they must fight to escape the shadows of their pasts, and avoid a far more terrible future.
Faced with a nemesis, one question remains. How far would you go to save the one you love?
Specters of Nemesis is the third and final installment in author Karen Kincy's Shadows of Asphodel series. The year is 1914, co-protagonist Ardis escaped from dark past fleeing from America to becoming a mercenary for the Archmages of Vienna. She's tried hanging up her sword but there are way too many enemies still kicking. She's survived assassins, an airship crash, the Imperial Russian Army, and a disgraced former Persian Prince who just happens to be an necromancer and assasin.
I am talking, of course, about Wendel, the devilishly handsome, charming, disinherted Prussian Prince who is an assassin, and an necromancer who used to work for the Order of the Asphodel. He still has a bounty on his head for his actions in Constantinople. As the story picks up, Ardis, who carries a sword called Chun-Yi, and Wendel, who has a raven named Krampus, have tried to leave the war behind them ending up in NYC for a bit of rest and relaxation and hopefully plenty of sex.
But, this is Wendel we are talking about. Trouble follows him around wherever he goes. This time the trouble's name is Nemesis and they are attempting to keep America out of World War I by sabotaging supplies heading for the war front. The author wastes no time in putting our dynamic duo in troubling situations. From Wendel being shot, to a doppelganger Wendel returning from the future to rewriting the try to fix things, and save Ardis.
Oh, and if that weren't enough, Ardis is pregnant which makes things curiously twisted, and her past in San Francisco comes back to haunt her. This leads to a wonderful & warming reunion between Ardis and her mother Yu Lan who is a remarkable addition to this story. Can I just say that the character who impressed me the most was Yu Lan? Badass Mom of the Year totally rocked the scene and gave us a glimpse into the hard core woman who raised Ardis in a whore house, while lining up an impressive group of those who owes her favors. She's around for most of the story, and I really appreciated that.
After 4 years of waiting for the final installment to be released, readers will finally get the ending that they were hoping for. I am going to say this. There is plenty of sex. Plenty. Of. Sex. There is also the return of Konstantin, now a former Archmage, as well as Nikola Tesla. But, it is a twisted story in that you end up with two versions of Wendel. The original, and the one who is much, more intense, and blood thirsty. One could say that he leaves the original Wendel looking like a boy scout at times. It is also nice to finally get the question as to who really is Ardis' father out of the way. Yeah, he's a rutty, dangerous, evil, SOB. If you have read the first two books, expect the third to be just as interesting. If you haven't read the series and love the twist between Steampunk, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction, then you will enjoy this series.
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