The Janus Affair (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences 2) by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

Hello to all,

               Today i will make a short break from the historical romance because it was really too much for me, i still have some reviews to finish and post before the end of this month and others books to read later ( if i'm better tomorrow i will perhaps add one more but my bloodpressure it's telling me a big big STOP at the moment so no reading no computer ( oki i'm already doing an exception) and a long rest).

Anyway to be back on the subject, i wanted a book i was sure to enjoy and my discovery of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series really manages to put me in a good mood so  here comes my review of the second book  called The Janus affair" , now i can't wait to read the short stories ( available in pdf - thanks you!-on smashword) it won't be anytime soon since i don't have the files those 4 files to get the complete anthology book1 and can't buy them now but one day!!!

Until then happy reading^^

Publisher: Harper Voyage

Publication: 2012

Genre: steampunk, romance, suspense
Violence: strong

Language: normal
sex: mild

Public: 18+

Source: Won on A. L. Davroe

Short description from goodread :

Evildoers beware Retribution is at hand, thanks to Britain's best-kept secret agents

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain's latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance . . . with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown.

The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure. And though their foe be fiendishly clever, so then is Mr. Books . . . and Miss Braun still has a number of useful and unusual devices hidden beneath her petticoats

My opinion:

        I devoured this book and my! It was even better than the first one, this series goes on my “to buy” list without hesitation and I can’t wait for the next one (one year at least that’s too long!!) This is a great book under all aspect and I loved it so much (thank you Amanda for this discovery, thank you!)

Now I will try to refrain from my super enthusiastic mood to try to explain why I’m so passionate about The Janus Affair. To start: the plot.  I was fascinated, completely immersed in the story and I couldn’t guess what was going to happen at all.  We still have the big plot that started in the first book with the mole, the attempt to destroy the ministry etc, that’s the red line of the series in a way but each book is developed around a specific case that Miss Brauwn and Mister Brooks decided to resolve (or to be more precise Eliza decided and Wellington must tag along^^;;).For once, it’s not Eliza who finds the case but the cases that find her because it’s closely related to her past. When she learnt that she can’t be in charge of the investigation, start the secret part of her secret job after all with secret agents it’s not that surprising.

What I particularly enjoyed was the development in the relation between Eliza and Wellington, it’s doesn’t go too quickly at all but this case being in relation to Eliza’s past Wellington is discovering a part of her he didn’t know existed. He also starts to realize what he is feeling when some competition arises.

From Eliza’s point of view, this unexpected meeting with important figures from her past gives her the opportunity to find a closure with her memories and to understand what she really wants. She is discovering that she likes the liberty a secret job is giving her but even more she loves and trusts her partner. She isn’t the same girl that came in London in exile; she is stronger and more determined.

This look in her past is really interesting and instructing; it helped me to understand her even more. For the first time too Wellington really confide in her and it’s the main step he had to makes to start their relationship on a non platonic level. Still we get information more detailed about his past but we still want more (is his father still alive? Where he is? Etc.)

We also are learning more about the ministry of seven, those children are so cute, funny and more intelligent and realistic that they should at their age. For the first time too they express their opinion on Wellington and about the potential relation between him and Eliza. It would be hard to imagine them in a normal house but at least we learn a bit more about their live past and present in this book. ( I want more of them!!!!!)

The villain start his moves but are we really sure of his reasons and identity?  We will see in the next book because the ending is perfect for this book, we get all the information about the special case, we got our favourite characters in a more heated relation and we get a promise of more adventures. Too good.

Really I love this book and series and I want more. I recommend it wholeheartedly to all readers who loves steampunk book with a lot of adventures, a romance blossoming and great investigations and suspense.

If you get the opportunity, don’t forget that there are short stories you can read while waiting for book 3, available in all formats on smashword (there is a complete anthology book 1 divided in 4parts or all stories separated depending on your preference), for the native English speaker, you can also listen to the free podcast ( the others too but in my case I need the written text too!!!!)

Score:5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge



Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences 1) by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

Hello everyone^^,

                           The first sunny week of summer has come to an end with again rain, rain and guess what? more rain. Fortunately for me, my reading shedule gave me such a pleasure that i could forget the weather.
To go on on my discovery of Steampunk and thanks to a contest on A.L. Davroe, i've got the opportunity to read Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris...i 'm so glad for it. Even better, i've found that apart of book2 already available, there are also several short stories *__* i want those pdfs as soon as i can *_* but those are available for free in podcasts on the series' official website. Now it's my first time with podcast but i loved the one i tried ( however english not being my native language i still have difficulties with listening comprehension thus the reasons i want the pdf of those stories too^^)

So, today, i will introduce you to this wonderful series and it's first book Phoenix Rising: (be cautious of the sparks and explosive...)

Happy reading

Publisher: Harper Voyage

Publication: 2011

Genre: steampunk, romance, suspense
Violence: strong

Language: normal
sex: Mild ( lot of allusions) 

Public: 18+

Source: Won on A. L. Davroe ( thank you so so much!)

Short description from goodread :

 Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!

My opinion:

          A wonderful example of steampunk! I loved all the gadgets and the investigation parts. The Characters are so fun and they still keep a lot of secrets for the readers and for each others so the series is really promising.

The relation Welly has with his father is strange and makes me so curious. We can guess it wasn’t easy for him to distance himself from this strong figure and part of me would be so delighted to read a meeting with Miss Braun  just to see the reaction of Welly ‘s father.. it could be so fun.

Eliza Braun is crazy in love with dynamite , when asked to choose between back up and black powder she choose the powder and the result is a lot of work for clean up team and for the ones responsible for keeping everything secret. Hard to find logic explanation for so many destructions. Because of her petulant behaviour she is partnered with Wellington in the archives, so far from the field she is accustomed for, however some will have great surprises if they thought it was going to keep her calm.  Proud woman from New Zealand, she will shake the British archivist and every ones that cross her path. 

I absolutely loved all the opera part, really you should read it it ‘s action packed, funny, everything ^^

The other characters aren’t lacking either. The ministry of seven is cute, cunning and so resourceful.

Director Sound is secretive and must have a plan to pick those two agents and put them together. As for the plot, with so many villains part of so many secret society it’s a just a bit difficulty to guess who is who but at least we know we will have a lot of actions. Phoenix society, House of usher ( from whose we know nearly nothing yet) and Lord Sussex scheming plot… while this book has a proper ending , we really want more and the series is really promising.

As for the romance part:  I love how it’s developing. Currently it’s more one sided Books is really attracted to Eliza but not acting on it yet and while she loves to tease him she must first find closure on her “affair” or lack of it with Harrison. However even if she is comparing them she is slowing appreciating Wellington more and more so it’s  a great promise for the rest of the series while they are learning about each other.

I wholeheartedly recommend it. It was pure pleasure and if I wasn’t for the orgy part it would have be great for a larger public but as it stands for adult readers only.

Score:  5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge

Book read for the 2012 TBR reading