#Review - Specters of Nemesis by Karen Kincy #Deiselpunk #Romance

Series: Shadows of Asphodel #3
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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#Steampunk Saturday - Review - Storms of Lazarus by Karen Kincy (Adult)

Series: Shadows of Asphodel # 2
Format: E-Galley, 274 pages
Release Date: July 29, 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Source: Publisher 
Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk

Sometimes escape is impossible. Sometimes love isn’t enough. 

1913. Christmas Eve. Ardis hardly expects a quiet holiday with Wendel, between fleeing Constantinople and hiding from an ancient society of assassins. And they owe a debt to a certain archmage. 

In Königsberg, Prussia, they work with Konstantin on the next evolution of Project Lazarus. Wendel once called Königsberg home, the city now besieged by the Russians and their clockwork engines of war. This may be Wendel’s last chance to save his family and find redemption, but he’s tormented by nightmares and tempted by laudanum. 

Ardis fears her love isn’t enough to save Wendel. Her hands are full piloting the automatons, and she’s terrified to tell him a secret of her own. Will they—and their love—survive the storms of war?

Storms of Lazarus is the second installment in the Shadows of Asphodel series by author Karen Kincy. Things have moved ahead a bit since I read Shadows of Asphodel, the first book in the series. Ardis and Wendel are each dealing with the aftermath of what happened in Constantinople, and Wendel is having difficulty sleeping without nightmares. Fleeing across Europe, Ardis and Wendel reunites with Archmage Konstantin, who really needs Wendel's help in reviving Project Lazarus. But, that my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg, and you are warned to zip up your life jackets, because things are going to get bumpy!

You have to give Kincy a whole lot of credit. She doesn't let you languish in boredom, or wallow in self-pity because you want more romance, or more action, or more crazy clockwork creatures that are just mind blowing. Ardis and Wendel are arrested in Bulgaria thanks to a vampire; Wendel picks up a raven familiar he names Krampus on Christmas Day; a clockwork wasp attacks Ardis, and a clockwork dragon manages to bring down the Zeppelin that the gang, including Konstantin, is traveling in. Of course, let's not forget that the start of World War I is just over the horizon as the Russians are gearing up to invade Prussia, Wendel's former home. That means that Wendel has to face his ghosts when he returns home to Königsberg, Prussia to face his family who turned him out and disavowed him.

Storms of Lazarus is filled with sex scenes between Ardis and Wendel. There is even a glimpse of Ardis's future revealed, or spoiled as it were, before things are confirmed later in the book. I think Ardis is an entirely different character than she was in the first book. She's kind of careless in leaving her sword behind, and then letting the Archmages know of its existence. After a bit of a showdown with a clockwork dragon and clockwork wasps, our gang ends up meeting up with an American Zeppelin led by Nikola Tesla. This is why I like this series. I like that Kincy uses realistic historical figures to tell her story.

Tesla is the man. I sincerely mean that. Tesla was an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. He was a man before his time, and in this book, his suggestions are key to Konstantin's fleet of automatons. The Town of Königsberg, Prussia really did exist. You can no longer find it on the map thanks to Communist Russia renaming it Kaliningrad. But, it's nice to see an author using early 20th century historical settings to tell her story with.

I had a hard time focusing on the story whenever Konstantin was around. He's all fidgety, and shy, and bashful around every man who he comes across, including a newly introduced Zeppelin Captain Himmel. Yes, that does include Wendel as well. Wendel kind of frustrates me at times. He claims he loves Ardis, yet he seems to have more and more people coming out of the woodwork tempting him back to his old ways.

If you are looking for diversity, you found it in this story. You have a half-Chinese, half-American heroine in Ardis. You have Wendel who could actually be bi-sexual with all the fuss and muss he's experienced with several men, and women. Of course, there's Konstantin who is definitely gay in a world where it's not tolerated all that much. This was a strange story with a strange ending. Not sure what is going to happen next. 

Will there be another book? Or, are we to presume that Ardis and Wendel's journey ends with them flying off to America? I emailed the publisher and author and requested an answer to my question. My contact says, yes, there will be another installment next year! There will also be a novella featuring Konstantin coming out in September. There are a whole lot of questions remaining. Will Ardis be happy with her situation? Will she be able to get rid of her fugitive label and reunite with her mother she hasn't seen in 3 years? What will happen to Wendel now that the Order knows that he is still alive? What is it about Ardis's sword that is so magical? 

*~I received this book for free from (Publisher) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.~*

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*Steampunk Saturday* Karen Kincy's Shadows of Asphodel (Adult Steampunk)

Series: Shadows of Asphodel # 1
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Release Date: May 11, 2015
Source: Publisher
Format: E-Book, 352 pages
Genre: Adult, Steampunk

She never asked for the undying loyalty of a necromancer. 

1913. Austria-Hungary. Ardis knows better than to save a man on the battlefield. Even if he manages to be a charming bastard while bleeding out in the snow. She hasn’t survived this long as a mercenary without some common sense. 

When she rescues Wendel, it isn’t because he’s devilishly handsome, but because he’s a necromancer. His touch can revive the dead, and Ardis worries he will return from the grave to hunt her down. Besides, a necromancer can be useful in this world on the brink of war. 

A gentleman of questionable morals, Wendel drops to one knee and pledges his undying loyalty to Ardis. She resists falling for him, no matter how hot the tension smolders between them. Especially when she discovers Wendel’s scars run much deeper than his skin, and it might be too late to truly save him from himself.

Shadows of Asphodel is a story that takes place in and around alternative history Austria-Hungary. It is a place where there is a Hex in place that keeps weapons like guns from working. Ardis is a heroine who works as a peacekeeper for the Archmages of Vienna. It is her job to go into hostile territories and take out the trouble before it can spread. On one such trip, she meets the man (Wendel), who will help change her entire outlook on the people she works for, while bringing the search for her long lost father that much closer to reality. 

Ardis escaped from America 3 years before after an incident that hasn't been fully covered as of yet, but I'm sure it will be in Shadows of Lazarus. Considering the era that Ardis lives in, being half American and half Chinese makes her stick out like a sore thumb every where she travels. Living the life of a mercenary isn't as glamorous as one might think. She has no problems killing to keep the so called peace with her trusty sword called Chun Yi. After discovering Wendel bleeding, she gets even more than she bargained for when it's revealed that he's also a powerful necromancer. 

Wendel is character that is as mysterious, as he is a tortured soul. He has some serous issues that needs to be addressed. Supposedly disinherited by his family, Wendel tries to stay one step ahead of The Order of the Asphodel's assassins who want to bring him back to Constantinople. Wendel is full of self-sacrificing issues, but he does have some interesting abilities. While he fights alongside Ardis, there are times that he seems as though he will give up the fight, and let the assassins have their way with him. Perhaps that is all in my minds eye at looking at things. 

At times while reading this story, I felt as though I was a Navy sailor who is experiencing shore leave for the first time in her life. She staggers around to different markets, shops a bit at the markets for souvenirs, gets a bit tipsy drinking Sambuca, but thankfully, she walks away from anything really horrible from happening to her thanks to a charming stranger that guides her back to the safety of her ship.

In summary, I still don't know all that much about the Archmages of Vienna, or The Order of Asphodel due to the author skimming over these facts. I do hope Kincy will touch on them further in the next installment. There are moments of curiosity as to what the characters are actually thinking. Here is a heroine who can't stand to touch Wendel for who he is, while the next moment, she is falling all over him, and jumping into bed with him. Wendel has so many mood swings, I wanted to send him a bottle of estrogen so he would stop his bitching.  

Since this is adult steampunk, of course there are plenty of hot, sexual encounters. Let's not think about the fact that the sex parts were, in fact, more impressive than the anti-Heroes actions. A hero who is being hunted by the Order of the Asphodel because he is a powerful necromancer, and a heroine who refuses to allow him to fall so far he can't get up.

Next up in series: Storms of Lazarus 

**I received this book for free from (Curiosity Quills Press) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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