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Laura Blackstone #2
Face Off
Laura Black is a druid who can change her appearance. She is both the Fey Guild's public relations director and a secret agent for the International Security Agency. And now she'll have to choose where her loyalties lie when a political war breaks out between the fey and human populations...
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2010
5 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
About the author
Mark Del Franco
13 books365 followersCATHARGO (2016) is Mark Del Franco's latest fantasy novel, an alternative history where chance and coincidence set the stage for an entire continent to be plunged into war over the use of magic.
WHIRLWIND (2014)is Mark Del Franco's first young adult novel, an urban fantasy featuring teens with elemental powers.
Mark is the author of the adult urban fantasy Connor Grey books. The best order to read the series is:
UNSHAPELY THINGS
UNQUIET DREAMS
UNFALLEN DEAD
UNPERFECT SOULS
UNCERTAIN ALLIES
UNDONE DEEDS
The Laura Blackstone urban fantasy books, also set in the Convergent World, are
SKIN DEEP and FACE OFF.
Mark Del Franco lives with his partner, Jack, in Boston, Massachusetts, where the orchids Just Won't Die.
WHIRLWIND (2014)is Mark Del Franco's first young adult novel, an urban fantasy featuring teens with elemental powers.
Mark is the author of the adult urban fantasy Connor Grey books. The best order to read the series is:
UNSHAPELY THINGS
UNQUIET DREAMS
UNFALLEN DEAD
UNPERFECT SOULS
UNCERTAIN ALLIES
UNDONE DEEDS
The Laura Blackstone urban fantasy books, also set in the Convergent World, are
SKIN DEEP and FACE OFF.
Mark Del Franco lives with his partner, Jack, in Boston, Massachusetts, where the orchids Just Won't Die.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
August 1, 2010
Despite the crazy confusing plot the characters are outstanding in this book. Although, I must admit I actually liked the 1st book in the series more than this one (just barely), but still this book was a hell of a ride.
This book picks up with the consequences of the first book. Meaning the mysteries behind the motives of the first book come into play, more characters are added, and the crookedness in politicians, etc. seem to be everywhere screwing with everyone.
I did love how involved it all was. The plot was definitely thought through, well planned, and did make sense in the end, but holy crap it was extremely confusing up until the very end when thank god the characters come out and just explain it all. Once explained I was able to backtrack and see how it all took place, but the sheer number of twists and turns and unrelated villains really made it difficult to keep up with.
Laura is fleshed out so much in this installment. (A classic case of the first book being all world building, this second book was all characterization and plot.) Not only is Laura's persona clarified, but so is her other persona Mariel Tate, as well as some new ones. It was the secondary characters that stole the show though. Sinclair, Terryn, and Cress were awesome in this book and I care for them as much if not more than Laura!
So glad the first book in this series showed up on my library hold list for me! I definitely want to check out del Franco's Connor Grey series now!
This book picks up with the consequences of the first book. Meaning the mysteries behind the motives of the first book come into play, more characters are added, and the crookedness in politicians, etc. seem to be everywhere screwing with everyone.
I did love how involved it all was. The plot was definitely thought through, well planned, and did make sense in the end, but holy crap it was extremely confusing up until the very end when thank god the characters come out and just explain it all. Once explained I was able to backtrack and see how it all took place, but the sheer number of twists and turns and unrelated villains really made it difficult to keep up with.
Laura is fleshed out so much in this installment. (A classic case of the first book being all world building, this second book was all characterization and plot.) Not only is Laura's persona clarified, but so is her other persona Mariel Tate, as well as some new ones. It was the secondary characters that stole the show though. Sinclair, Terryn, and Cress were awesome in this book and I care for them as much if not more than Laura!
So glad the first book in this series showed up on my library hold list for me! I definitely want to check out del Franco's Connor Grey series now!
February 16, 2019
I loved it.
Face Off deals with the consequences of the events from Skin Deep. Lots of fae politics and undercover work for Laura. She has to add a new persona into the mix to investigate the secretive organization Legacy and find out what they are planning.
Laura is juggling her three jobs quite well.
This time, though, the stakes are more higher because it is personal. The blurb implies she has to choose between the fey and humans. She doesn't. The choice is between her friends, her real self, and the other side.
As for the romance, she finally accepts what Sinclair is to her. It is subtle and not in your face romance.
I also loved the other romance in the book - Cress and Terryn are wonderful.
The author leaves most characters to deal with the consequences of their actions off page. Terryn, his family, Cress, the Guildmaster - they all have to make their decisions later. The only one whose immediate plans we do know is Laura herself, which is fine with me.
I wish this author would write more books set in Laura Blackstone/Connor Grey world. Unfortunately, this is it (for now, hopefully).
Face Off deals with the consequences of the events from Skin Deep. Lots of fae politics and undercover work for Laura. She has to add a new persona into the mix to investigate the secretive organization Legacy and find out what they are planning.
Laura is juggling her three jobs quite well.
This time, though, the stakes are more higher because it is personal. The blurb implies she has to choose between the fey and humans. She doesn't. The choice is between her friends, her real self, and the other side.
As for the romance, she finally accepts what Sinclair is to her. It is subtle and not in your face romance.
I also loved the other romance in the book - Cress and Terryn are wonderful.
The author leaves most characters to deal with the consequences of their actions off page. Terryn, his family, Cress, the Guildmaster - they all have to make their decisions later. The only one whose immediate plans we do know is Laura herself, which is fine with me.
I wish this author would write more books set in Laura Blackstone/Connor Grey world. Unfortunately, this is it (for now, hopefully).
February 1, 2019
25 points/100 (1.5 stars/5).
Laura Blackstone is thrown into a middle of another conspiracy. This time involving her boss's sister and a whole lot of politics.
I wish I could say I understood what happened in that book. I can't. I tried, I really did. But nothing made sense. Nothing was actually explained. What little was explained actually pertained to the last book instead of this book (probably to keep the mystery going). I just.. I'm so glad this is over.
Every time I put down this book, even for the smallest reasons, like I needed a drink of water, I completely forgot entirely what was happening and had to relearn as the story went on. I thought this was just a case of extreme apathy, but going through the reviews on GoodReads shows that a lot of other people were confused. See, I kept forgetting what was going on because what was happening didn't actually make sense in the first place.
Technically, this takes place two months after the first book. Only it doesn't feel like anything happened at all during those two months. There was a major terrorist attack, the cleanup barely had even begun by the end of book one. Now, two books later and..nothing really came of that at all. Laura's relationship with Jono did nothing. Nothing happened except that she went on vacation for two weeks and he started working for their weird agency.
Laura's maybe boss, mostly friend character actually ends up being her boss in this book. Skin Deep was trying to do that, but didn't actually succeed in telling us that. Plus, he is super politically powerful, what with being sort of royalty (what the fuck is he doing running this bizarre ass agency??), which I kind of gathered from book one. Again, book one didn't succeed in conveying that very well. Oh! And he is actually going out with the Leahandsidhe, which I really don't remember from book one and I finished that book two hours before I started this one.
Face Off manages to infodump some information on me. Too bad absolutely none of it stuck. It was political and worldbuilding in nature. The problem was was there were too many names in this entire series. There are two books, both totally about 150,000 words total, and probably 150 names. It is too much. There are too many players. If you're going to write a book with that many people in it, you actually have to devote time to explaining who they are in a way that doesn't just dump all the information in a few paragraphs. There were at least a dozen people I assumed the wrong gender on the first time I saw their name, until I was corrected. One or two I can understand, for this length of a series, a dozen is unacceptable.
There are too many plotlines in this book. And none of them are ended satisfactorily. Laura goes from person to person to event to event doing I have no fucking clue what but it sure made sense to her at the time. They're all supposed to be connected together, and they loosely are. It just.. doesn't work. IT really doesn't work. Nothing is explained in the proper ways, I'm just supposed to guess what Laura is doing at any given moment, and sometimes I swear I'm supposed to guess who she even is supposed to be at the moment!
And, as if there weren't enough plot threads in the first place, there is the secondary romance arc that is just... so obnoxious. It takes up so. much. time. in a book that is already too short for its own good. The (mostly)-Royalty boss is in love with the character that is a pariah amongst her own kind just for being what she is. Everything seems to come back to this romance arc - that isn't even about the main character. I'm at a loss on this one. From what I can tell, every fey can work magic on each other with no problems, yet this person who can eat energy is somehow the worst. Not the person who can assume your face and do whatever they want or the person who can put you to sleep and do whatever you want. It is baffling.
Then there is the fact that Laura is working essentially at least three, maybe four or five FULL TIME jobs. In any other person, they would be working these jobs overtime to get the amount of work they have done in time. For just one of these jobs. Yet she is somehow juggling all of these jobs? Give me a damn break. There must be some magical schedule builder in her head that can fit in all these events and have her show up at just the right time to get there, get it done, and get out of there before the next catastrophe hits.
Laura has no real personality other than "I'm busy, can we deal with this later?". She is used as a magical fixer for everything in the plot instead of as a character. She even says that she works too much and that her job is interfering with her being a real person. Only, guess what, she had that realization LAST BOOK, too. I made a note of it but I don't remember if I talked about it in the review.
Laura's romantic interest, Jono, follows her around like a puppy dog, with none of the background or personality traits to justify following her around like a puppy dog. He is the worst flirt in the world. He has no reason for even liking her other than 1) he thinks she is pretty 2) he thinks her energy looks pretty 3) she keeps saying no in a way that clearly says "keep asking". This isn't a romantic interest, it is a "I was told I had to have romance to be successful" interest.
The ending makes it clear that the author wanted to write more in this series but never got the chance. Because this series doesn't actually end, it just stopped producing books. Then again, there wasn't really enough there to make a series out of in the first place. It could have worked, maybe, if del Franco tried to make it one a bit more. However, it ended and it is good enough, because there wasn't anything there to make me go "Aw, man! I wanted to learn about that!"
The last chapter is all infodump. Seriously the last 4 or so pages are all Laura explaining what actually happened in the book. Any author that has to spend the last few pages of the book explaining what happened did a really, really poor job of writing that book. I just feel like this is probably the most unacceptable part of this entire thing.
Laura Blackstone is thrown into a middle of another conspiracy. This time involving her boss's sister and a whole lot of politics.
I wish I could say I understood what happened in that book. I can't. I tried, I really did. But nothing made sense. Nothing was actually explained. What little was explained actually pertained to the last book instead of this book (probably to keep the mystery going). I just.. I'm so glad this is over.
Every time I put down this book, even for the smallest reasons, like I needed a drink of water, I completely forgot entirely what was happening and had to relearn as the story went on. I thought this was just a case of extreme apathy, but going through the reviews on GoodReads shows that a lot of other people were confused. See, I kept forgetting what was going on because what was happening didn't actually make sense in the first place.
Technically, this takes place two months after the first book. Only it doesn't feel like anything happened at all during those two months. There was a major terrorist attack, the cleanup barely had even begun by the end of book one. Now, two books later and..nothing really came of that at all. Laura's relationship with Jono did nothing. Nothing happened except that she went on vacation for two weeks and he started working for their weird agency.
Laura's maybe boss, mostly friend character actually ends up being her boss in this book. Skin Deep was trying to do that, but didn't actually succeed in telling us that. Plus, he is super politically powerful, what with being sort of royalty (what the fuck is he doing running this bizarre ass agency??), which I kind of gathered from book one. Again, book one didn't succeed in conveying that very well. Oh! And he is actually going out with the Leahandsidhe, which I really don't remember from book one and I finished that book two hours before I started this one.
Face Off manages to infodump some information on me. Too bad absolutely none of it stuck. It was political and worldbuilding in nature. The problem was was there were too many names in this entire series. There are two books, both totally about 150,000 words total, and probably 150 names. It is too much. There are too many players. If you're going to write a book with that many people in it, you actually have to devote time to explaining who they are in a way that doesn't just dump all the information in a few paragraphs. There were at least a dozen people I assumed the wrong gender on the first time I saw their name, until I was corrected. One or two I can understand, for this length of a series, a dozen is unacceptable.
There are too many plotlines in this book. And none of them are ended satisfactorily. Laura goes from person to person to event to event doing I have no fucking clue what but it sure made sense to her at the time. They're all supposed to be connected together, and they loosely are. It just.. doesn't work. IT really doesn't work. Nothing is explained in the proper ways, I'm just supposed to guess what Laura is doing at any given moment, and sometimes I swear I'm supposed to guess who she even is supposed to be at the moment!
And, as if there weren't enough plot threads in the first place, there is the secondary romance arc that is just... so obnoxious. It takes up so. much. time. in a book that is already too short for its own good. The (mostly)-Royalty boss is in love with the character that is a pariah amongst her own kind just for being what she is. Everything seems to come back to this romance arc - that isn't even about the main character. I'm at a loss on this one. From what I can tell, every fey can work magic on each other with no problems, yet this person who can eat energy is somehow the worst. Not the person who can assume your face and do whatever they want or the person who can put you to sleep and do whatever you want. It is baffling.
Then there is the fact that Laura is working essentially at least three, maybe four or five FULL TIME jobs. In any other person, they would be working these jobs overtime to get the amount of work they have done in time. For just one of these jobs. Yet she is somehow juggling all of these jobs? Give me a damn break. There must be some magical schedule builder in her head that can fit in all these events and have her show up at just the right time to get there, get it done, and get out of there before the next catastrophe hits.
Laura has no real personality other than "I'm busy, can we deal with this later?". She is used as a magical fixer for everything in the plot instead of as a character. She even says that she works too much and that her job is interfering with her being a real person. Only, guess what, she had that realization LAST BOOK, too. I made a note of it but I don't remember if I talked about it in the review.
Laura's romantic interest, Jono, follows her around like a puppy dog, with none of the background or personality traits to justify following her around like a puppy dog. He is the worst flirt in the world. He has no reason for even liking her other than 1) he thinks she is pretty 2) he thinks her energy looks pretty 3) she keeps saying no in a way that clearly says "keep asking". This isn't a romantic interest, it is a "I was told I had to have romance to be successful" interest.
The ending makes it clear that the author wanted to write more in this series but never got the chance. Because this series doesn't actually end, it just stopped producing books. Then again, there wasn't really enough there to make a series out of in the first place. It could have worked, maybe, if del Franco tried to make it one a bit more. However, it ended and it is good enough, because there wasn't anything there to make me go "Aw, man! I wanted to learn about that!"
The last chapter is all infodump. Seriously the last 4 or so pages are all Laura explaining what actually happened in the book. Any author that has to spend the last few pages of the book explaining what happened did a really, really poor job of writing that book. I just feel like this is probably the most unacceptable part of this entire thing.
August 21, 2018
3.5 stars
Good solid story, no doubt about that, but I admit that i liked the first book better.
Too bad that this series seems to have been abandoned, it had a lot of potential.
Good solid story, no doubt about that, but I admit that i liked the first book better.
Too bad that this series seems to have been abandoned, it had a lot of potential.
January 6, 2013
Good solid read with one minor complaint. Laura Blackstone is able to perform multiple duties because she can glamor into different people. This allows her to spy and work different jobs. It gets fairly unbelievable when she is taking on more than her two usual glamor/jobs. For one, there's the timing issues since all the organizations expect her to show up daily and she can't. Her two "regular" jobs are such that she can generally pull it off, but in this book she takes on a third personality that was bound to fail, yet it continued off and on through the book.
When it becomes apparent that her new persona must deal with a lover of the person she's pretending to be, it's entirely unlikely she could get away with it even for a short time. Gestures, smells, reactions...a lover is going to notice such changes--add to that she doesn't want to actually have to sleep with the guy and you have a mess. In this particular case, she's supposed to be playing the part of a brownie (supernatural creature) and seemed to conveniently forget that brownies are very organized and even anal retentive when it comes to detail--yet her character mentions she "didn't get to her important messages" and "forgot an important password." If all the other brownies she knows and we've been introduced to exhibit incredible multi-tasking brownie skills, and she's so great at "acting out personas" there is no way she should have used those excuses. The entire "fake" added suspense because you just know it's got to fail, because no one in their right mind would have continued it. So while it was cleverly done, it didn't entirely work for me. I didn't get why they didn't just have some hacker break-in and get the data once she knew where it was. The risks taken on the fake introduced us to important characters, but the danger was simply too high and easily discovered to be believable.
Now then, other than that subplot, the story was excellent. These books are much more complex in character/detail and plots than most urban fantasy. It takes some concentration to keep the various politics straight. The characters are drawn extremely well and are memorable. Laura Blackstone's personal life is more interesting in this book. She develops as a person. Her trust issues get page time.
I really like that this book deals with 'racism' and 'exclusion' on several different levels--the way people look, cultural, abilities and just flat out, "don't like that guy because I've decided I'm better than him and everyone else." There's nothing preachy about it, but rather, organizations are drawn so well, you see the politics and the ugliness behind many of the moves. As I said, it's a complex book with many nuances; personal, political and monetary. The author does a good job of mimicking a corporate setting and the manipulation of power that goes on there.
In many ways the complexity of the plots and details reminds me more of epic fantasy; specifically Katherine Kurtz' Deryni series came to mind because of the detailed world and factions in it.
In the end, it's the characters that make the story and this series has it.
When it becomes apparent that her new persona must deal with a lover of the person she's pretending to be, it's entirely unlikely she could get away with it even for a short time. Gestures, smells, reactions...a lover is going to notice such changes--add to that she doesn't want to actually have to sleep with the guy and you have a mess. In this particular case, she's supposed to be playing the part of a brownie (supernatural creature) and seemed to conveniently forget that brownies are very organized and even anal retentive when it comes to detail--yet her character mentions she "didn't get to her important messages" and "forgot an important password." If all the other brownies she knows and we've been introduced to exhibit incredible multi-tasking brownie skills, and she's so great at "acting out personas" there is no way she should have used those excuses. The entire "fake" added suspense because you just know it's got to fail, because no one in their right mind would have continued it. So while it was cleverly done, it didn't entirely work for me. I didn't get why they didn't just have some hacker break-in and get the data once she knew where it was. The risks taken on the fake introduced us to important characters, but the danger was simply too high and easily discovered to be believable.
Now then, other than that subplot, the story was excellent. These books are much more complex in character/detail and plots than most urban fantasy. It takes some concentration to keep the various politics straight. The characters are drawn extremely well and are memorable. Laura Blackstone's personal life is more interesting in this book. She develops as a person. Her trust issues get page time.
I really like that this book deals with 'racism' and 'exclusion' on several different levels--the way people look, cultural, abilities and just flat out, "don't like that guy because I've decided I'm better than him and everyone else." There's nothing preachy about it, but rather, organizations are drawn so well, you see the politics and the ugliness behind many of the moves. As I said, it's a complex book with many nuances; personal, political and monetary. The author does a good job of mimicking a corporate setting and the manipulation of power that goes on there.
In many ways the complexity of the plots and details reminds me more of epic fantasy; specifically Katherine Kurtz' Deryni series came to mind because of the detailed world and factions in it.
In the end, it's the characters that make the story and this series has it.
June 8, 2020
This is the second book in the Laura Blackstone duology by Mark Del Franco. This book is Urban Fiction and Alternate Reality. In this one the land of Faerie merged with our world somewhat over 100 years ago. The many types of Fae found themselves in a new world of humans who wanted nothing to do with them. They eventually gained citizenship in several countries around the world but not very much human trust.
In present time Mariel Tate is a high-ranking agent in the security firm InterSec. Laura Blackstone is the PR director for the Fey Guild. The catch is that Mariel and Laura are the same woman who keeps her personas separate by magic and sheer willpower. Now she will have to choose where her loyalties lie when a political war breaks out between the fey and human populations. A great finish to this duology.
In present time Mariel Tate is a high-ranking agent in the security firm InterSec. Laura Blackstone is the PR director for the Fey Guild. The catch is that Mariel and Laura are the same woman who keeps her personas separate by magic and sheer willpower. Now she will have to choose where her loyalties lie when a political war breaks out between the fey and human populations. A great finish to this duology.
August 26, 2012
I went back and forth on the rating for this book, but finally settled on a four. I honestly found all the conflict to be exhausting and unpleasant, but it was very realistically written and I certainly felt connected to Blackstone. I decided that if del Franco weren't such a good writer, I wouldn't be feeling everything so much.
I read Face Off right after finishing Skin Deep, which is how I recommend that you read them. That is, after all, how the plot works. There's a lot more of Jono Sinclair in this volume than the first, which will be popular with romance fans.
During the events of Skin Deep, Laura retired the Janice Crawford persona. Her life should be simpler now that she's just herself and Mariel Tate, right?
Wrong, because she and Mariel Tate are being pulled in opposing directions by powerful forces, and she has two more-than-full-time-jobs. Toss in an order to impersonate an uncooperative prisoner in order to infiltrate a terrorist group, and her life is at risk every day too.
In the midst of all this, there's a visit from royalty, and her boss assigns Mariel yet another top priority.
The only respite is her growing relationship with Jono Sinclair, who is also undercover with the terrorist group. He's the only person in the world who always knows who she is, no matter what glamour she's wearing.
Laura started wondering how much of herself was left behind all the personas in Skin Deep, realizing that "Laura Blackstone" was in danger of becoming just another persona. She's even more concerned about that issue in Face Off, but thanks to Jono she's getting back in touch with who she is behind the masks. Will she be able to hold on to her progress? Will she be able to simply survive the undercover assignment with almost no preparation? Or will it be the internal Guildhouse politics that do her in? These questions kept me reading and interested. I was thrilled with how del Franco answered them, and I'm intensely curious as to whether those answers leave any room for further adventures with Laura and Jono.
I read Face Off right after finishing Skin Deep, which is how I recommend that you read them. That is, after all, how the plot works. There's a lot more of Jono Sinclair in this volume than the first, which will be popular with romance fans.
During the events of Skin Deep, Laura retired the Janice Crawford persona. Her life should be simpler now that she's just herself and Mariel Tate, right?
Wrong, because she and Mariel Tate are being pulled in opposing directions by powerful forces, and she has two more-than-full-time-jobs. Toss in an order to impersonate an uncooperative prisoner in order to infiltrate a terrorist group, and her life is at risk every day too.
In the midst of all this, there's a visit from royalty, and her boss assigns Mariel yet another top priority.
The only respite is her growing relationship with Jono Sinclair, who is also undercover with the terrorist group. He's the only person in the world who always knows who she is, no matter what glamour she's wearing.
Laura started wondering how much of herself was left behind all the personas in Skin Deep, realizing that "Laura Blackstone" was in danger of becoming just another persona. She's even more concerned about that issue in Face Off, but thanks to Jono she's getting back in touch with who she is behind the masks. Will she be able to hold on to her progress? Will she be able to simply survive the undercover assignment with almost no preparation? Or will it be the internal Guildhouse politics that do her in? These questions kept me reading and interested. I was thrilled with how del Franco answered them, and I'm intensely curious as to whether those answers leave any room for further adventures with Laura and Jono.
July 26, 2011
I was so happy when this book came in for me at the library. I loved the first book in this series for the realism and the strong characters, and I expected only good things from this one. I was more than a little let down. This book is written almost like a manual. I felt like I was receiving on the job training as I read it with it's ridiculous amount of detail about the main characters working life. Details about this group, and that organization, this politician, and this group of magical creature are rattled off in rapid succession with little explanation. This was more a debriefing, and less of a casual novel. I really didn't care who was being infiltrated, and what difficulties the main character was having getting close to someone she may or may not like. There was just too much jumbled detail here, and it didn't flow well at all. I've always known that any number of good books in a series does not guarantee that the next book will be good, and with urban fantasy that is even more true. Usually, the only thing that remains constant in urban fantasy books is the cast of characters, and the characters in this one were not nearly amazing enough to carry me through the drudgery of the work life presented.
September 7, 2010
Wow, that is my first thoughts on this book. It certainly fulfilled my desire for more on the Fae. It had politics. Boy, did it have political intrigue, more on Fae culture (according to this author's imagination). I love Laura and her role in the courts. I love how this author depicts the history of the Fae and their interaction with the United States government. I would love to see more on the past before they came to be in the United States, but, I know that would be difficult because the protagonist's history does not predate the coming to the United States. I wish these books in this series came out more frequently.
July 7, 2025
I really did enjoy this book and it was quick and easy for me to get through.
The story and the mysteries were good, but for me, the ending of the book didn’t really feel like an ending. Yes, the main plot points were all tied up nicely, but it didn’t feel finished.
We don’t get to see the repercussions of anything on those involved and it feels like no one actually faced the consequences for their actions. The aftermath is left unfinished, like there was supposed to be another book to follow this one…
This book introduced Terryn’s brothers and sister. The sister Draigen is the current head of the family as Terryn stepped down after the death of his father (long before this story). They should be a loving family, and that is what the try to portray, but at the end of the story, it is revealed that they have all been plotting against each other for their own benefit. Except Terryn hasn’t been plotting against anyone - but Draigen has been plotting against him and his lover Cress.
An anti-fey terrorist group kidnaps Cress when she should have been protected, and makes her into an essence draining well. None of that would have been possible without Terryn’s backstabbing family.
Cress nearly loses herself, but Laura is able to save her, and then Terryn is able to help bring her back to herself.
What happens afterwards though is a mystery because the book never hints at what happens after Laura tells Terryn what his family did - in front of the exact family members who did it too! We also don’t know if Terryn gets his job back, of what happens to Cress.
At the start of this series and more explored in this story, Laura is questioning who she is outside of her job. She has lost so much of herself to splitting her time between being 2 and sometimes 3 people, that she doesn’t do anything fun for herself. She keeps everyone at arms length and the people that she calls friends aren’t really friends outside of her job. Laura hasn’t been anyone for years and the more she thinks about it, the more she realises just how much of herself she has lost.
Jono also comes back in this book. This time as a more solid love interest. He makes Laura question things she never would have, and in that way he is good for her. She begins to trust him more and realises that she wants more of him in her life.
As the ending of the story is rather abrupt, it could be suggested that Laura gives up her personas and goes away with Jono… but the ending doesn’t really give a good idea of what might have happened next.
We still don’t know all that much about Laura and her past either. We don’t know anything about her family or her last relationships. We don’t know where she is originally from or even roughly how old she is. She is just as much of a mystery at the end of the story as she is at the beginning. But maybe that is how it is meant to be - like the reader is supposed to be kept at arms length like everyone else?
I dunno, I feel like I should know the main character better after reading two books about her, but also, maybe that is o purpose as well, because Laura dies t really know who she is outside of work either?
All in all, this is a good book, but I feel like the ending could have epa swerved more questions, or there should have been a third book to wrap things up better.
The story and the mysteries were good, but for me, the ending of the book didn’t really feel like an ending. Yes, the main plot points were all tied up nicely, but it didn’t feel finished.
We don’t get to see the repercussions of anything on those involved and it feels like no one actually faced the consequences for their actions. The aftermath is left unfinished, like there was supposed to be another book to follow this one…
This book introduced Terryn’s brothers and sister. The sister Draigen is the current head of the family as Terryn stepped down after the death of his father (long before this story). They should be a loving family, and that is what the try to portray, but at the end of the story, it is revealed that they have all been plotting against each other for their own benefit. Except Terryn hasn’t been plotting against anyone - but Draigen has been plotting against him and his lover Cress.
An anti-fey terrorist group kidnaps Cress when she should have been protected, and makes her into an essence draining well. None of that would have been possible without Terryn’s backstabbing family.
Cress nearly loses herself, but Laura is able to save her, and then Terryn is able to help bring her back to herself.
What happens afterwards though is a mystery because the book never hints at what happens after Laura tells Terryn what his family did - in front of the exact family members who did it too! We also don’t know if Terryn gets his job back, of what happens to Cress.
At the start of this series and more explored in this story, Laura is questioning who she is outside of her job. She has lost so much of herself to splitting her time between being 2 and sometimes 3 people, that she doesn’t do anything fun for herself. She keeps everyone at arms length and the people that she calls friends aren’t really friends outside of her job. Laura hasn’t been anyone for years and the more she thinks about it, the more she realises just how much of herself she has lost.
Jono also comes back in this book. This time as a more solid love interest. He makes Laura question things she never would have, and in that way he is good for her. She begins to trust him more and realises that she wants more of him in her life.
As the ending of the story is rather abrupt, it could be suggested that Laura gives up her personas and goes away with Jono… but the ending doesn’t really give a good idea of what might have happened next.
We still don’t know all that much about Laura and her past either. We don’t know anything about her family or her last relationships. We don’t know where she is originally from or even roughly how old she is. She is just as much of a mystery at the end of the story as she is at the beginning. But maybe that is how it is meant to be - like the reader is supposed to be kept at arms length like everyone else?
I dunno, I feel like I should know the main character better after reading two books about her, but also, maybe that is o purpose as well, because Laura dies t really know who she is outside of work either?
All in all, this is a good book, but I feel like the ending could have epa swerved more questions, or there should have been a third book to wrap things up better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2012
Second in the Laura Blackstone urban fantasy series revolving around a druidess playing two different glamoured roles in Washington D.C.
It does play off the same culture and set of events as the Connor Grey series and Donor Elfenkonig is still alive.
My Take
This was rather disappointing. I did empathize with Laura and her self-assessment about her life. Del Franco slid this in very smoothly and very well. And there certainly was a lot of action---both political and physical---happening in the story. My problem with it is the lack of warmth. Which is weird as Del Franco is doing a lot to interject it with Laura's escalating interest in Jono and her friendships with Saff, Cress, and Terryn. But Laura still comes off as a cold person. Maybe Del Franco is simply that great a writer that we feel the removed quality of Laura's life. But I don't think that's it.
Jono's perspective on how InterSec operates is causing Laura to take a harder look at how the agency operates and at Orrin's actions. This could also be a reason for the coldness I feel.
If InterSec is not under Guild authority, how can Orrin force Terryn out? It's not clear who Orrin was pointing the essence bolt at.
I really enjoyed Del Franco's Connor Grey series and this one just isn't up to snuff. Which is even more disappointing since the CG series has ended.
The Story
Orrin app Rhys is being a totally ungrateful jerk. After Cress saved his life and many others in Skin Deep , Rhys is working to get her thrown out simply because of what she is. Part of his actions are to paint all the Inverni as terrorists because of the actions of a few.
The secret clause in the Treaty of London is the reason behind Draigen's visit to the U.S. and a meeting with the president. A clause that makes "the Inverni instant criminals...if they protest Maeve's rule in any way".
Then there are the Inverni fae who are being attacked in D.C. and the lack of interest in investigating by the Guildhouse. All part of a plan by the Danann fae and other interested parties. People and fae interested in changing the status quo.
The information Jono has dug up indicates an upcoming attack and InterSec needs a hard insertion. That's Laura up to bat with her glamouring skills. A very chancy masquerade in the heart of the enemy's camp. Two full-time jobs working with and against all kinds of enemies with all the questions that are rising up in Laura.
Friends are threatened and she is questioning the choices she has made in her life.
The Characters
Laura Blackstone is a druidess and the public-relations director at the Guildhouse in Washington D.C. Her ability to create intricate glamours and detect lies caused her to be recruited by InterSec. As Laura, she works for the Guildmaster Orrin app Rhys, a very duplicitous, bigoted Danann fairy; she's very business-like and careful. Mariel Tate is her other identity, working for InterSec as a special operations agent, and she is brash, arrogant, and powerful. A completely different woman. Saffin is Laura's persona's assistant. A brownie, she is incredibly efficient...and incredibly observant as Laura learned to her dismay in Skin Deep .
Jono Sinclair is a half-human, half-jotunn with the ability to sense the shape of someone and he can do sendings. He's currently undercover as Bill Burrell in the Legacy Foundation somewhat against his will. He managed to pass as human for most of his life, but his attraction to Laura/Mariel and his ability to sense essence shapes came to light, making him a threat to InterSec and Laura. He's a cheeky boy.
Resha Dunne is a merrow and one of the Guild board directors. He represents the solitaries and does a very good job of appearing to be dumb. Ian Whiting is a druid who seems to have committed suicide. Very unlike him.
Terryn macCullen is Laura's supervisor at InterSec. Cress is a leanansidhe and Terry's mate. Her kind is feared by all fae as she feeds by sucking out their living essence. But, Cress is an exception, just not to Orrin app Rhys or Terryn's family. Terryn should be the underKing of the Inverni, but he refused to accept the crown when Maeve killed his father. Instead, he appointed his sister, Draigen macCullen, as his regent. Brinen and Aran are Draigen's brothers and the leaders of their Guardian units. Sean Carr, Uma macGrath, and Rory Dawson are Inverni working for Aran. And the Guardians are very quick on the trigger. Davvi is a very loyal brownie for the Inverni clan.
Genda is a Danann fairy who shares an office with Mariel. Her skills lie in finance and she needs her vanity stroked constantly. It's a major surprise for Laura/Mariel when she's appointed head of InterSec. Jenna Dahl is a newscaster with information for Laura. Allison Forth, a.k.a., Fallon Moor, is a brownie wanted for terrorist activities and is currently connected to Legacy. Adam de Winter is in charge at Legacy. He's ex-CIA and appears to be Fallon's lover. Perhaps. Rosa Lentner is an executive with a science research firm in the Midwest.
High Queen Maeve rules from Tara in Ireland. She signed a Treaty when Convergence happened in the early 1900s with Britain and the United States which included a secret clause committing them to supporting her in any action taken against her. Including an uprising by the Inverni Celtic fae clans.
Convergence occurred in the early part of the nineteenth century when Faerie and our world collided and parts merged. The Legacy Foundation is a political organization that is rapidly radicalizing and they seem to have a connection with Triad, the terrorist organization in Skin Deep . InterSec is a policing organization for the fey.
The Cover
The cover is a collage of events with, I'm guessing, the yellows, greens, and whites representing essence shots and the well-lit Washington Monument with a blurry, lit-up skyline in the background while a very cheesy looking Laura in her black and tacky vinyl jumpsuit poses in a striding profile. She's also wearing a very elaborate emerald necklace which is not mentioned anywhere in either story. Del Franco only ever mentions a pendant while emphasizing the need to be unobtrusive. This necklace on the cover is NOT unobtrusive.
The title has a number of possibilities with the Face Off ranging from Laura's seeing under the surface of her two bosses, the Inverni regent's brothers' reveal, or Laura's own in-depth look at herself.
It does play off the same culture and set of events as the Connor Grey series and Donor Elfenkonig is still alive.
My Take
This was rather disappointing. I did empathize with Laura and her self-assessment about her life. Del Franco slid this in very smoothly and very well. And there certainly was a lot of action---both political and physical---happening in the story. My problem with it is the lack of warmth. Which is weird as Del Franco is doing a lot to interject it with Laura's escalating interest in Jono and her friendships with Saff, Cress, and Terryn. But Laura still comes off as a cold person. Maybe Del Franco is simply that great a writer that we feel the removed quality of Laura's life. But I don't think that's it.
Jono's perspective on how InterSec operates is causing Laura to take a harder look at how the agency operates and at Orrin's actions. This could also be a reason for the coldness I feel.
If InterSec is not under Guild authority, how can Orrin force Terryn out? It's not clear who Orrin was pointing the essence bolt at.
I really enjoyed Del Franco's Connor Grey series and this one just isn't up to snuff. Which is even more disappointing since the CG series has ended.
The Story
Orrin app Rhys is being a totally ungrateful jerk. After Cress saved his life and many others in Skin Deep , Rhys is working to get her thrown out simply because of what she is. Part of his actions are to paint all the Inverni as terrorists because of the actions of a few.
The secret clause in the Treaty of London is the reason behind Draigen's visit to the U.S. and a meeting with the president. A clause that makes "the Inverni instant criminals...if they protest Maeve's rule in any way".
Then there are the Inverni fae who are being attacked in D.C. and the lack of interest in investigating by the Guildhouse. All part of a plan by the Danann fae and other interested parties. People and fae interested in changing the status quo.
The information Jono has dug up indicates an upcoming attack and InterSec needs a hard insertion. That's Laura up to bat with her glamouring skills. A very chancy masquerade in the heart of the enemy's camp. Two full-time jobs working with and against all kinds of enemies with all the questions that are rising up in Laura.
Friends are threatened and she is questioning the choices she has made in her life.
The Characters
Laura Blackstone is a druidess and the public-relations director at the Guildhouse in Washington D.C. Her ability to create intricate glamours and detect lies caused her to be recruited by InterSec. As Laura, she works for the Guildmaster Orrin app Rhys, a very duplicitous, bigoted Danann fairy; she's very business-like and careful. Mariel Tate is her other identity, working for InterSec as a special operations agent, and she is brash, arrogant, and powerful. A completely different woman. Saffin is Laura's persona's assistant. A brownie, she is incredibly efficient...and incredibly observant as Laura learned to her dismay in Skin Deep .
Jono Sinclair is a half-human, half-jotunn with the ability to sense the shape of someone and he can do sendings. He's currently undercover as Bill Burrell in the Legacy Foundation somewhat against his will. He managed to pass as human for most of his life, but his attraction to Laura/Mariel and his ability to sense essence shapes came to light, making him a threat to InterSec and Laura. He's a cheeky boy.
Resha Dunne is a merrow and one of the Guild board directors. He represents the solitaries and does a very good job of appearing to be dumb. Ian Whiting is a druid who seems to have committed suicide. Very unlike him.
Terryn macCullen is Laura's supervisor at InterSec. Cress is a leanansidhe and Terry's mate. Her kind is feared by all fae as she feeds by sucking out their living essence. But, Cress is an exception, just not to Orrin app Rhys or Terryn's family. Terryn should be the underKing of the Inverni, but he refused to accept the crown when Maeve killed his father. Instead, he appointed his sister, Draigen macCullen, as his regent. Brinen and Aran are Draigen's brothers and the leaders of their Guardian units. Sean Carr, Uma macGrath, and Rory Dawson are Inverni working for Aran. And the Guardians are very quick on the trigger. Davvi is a very loyal brownie for the Inverni clan.
Genda is a Danann fairy who shares an office with Mariel. Her skills lie in finance and she needs her vanity stroked constantly. It's a major surprise for Laura/Mariel when she's appointed head of InterSec. Jenna Dahl is a newscaster with information for Laura. Allison Forth, a.k.a., Fallon Moor, is a brownie wanted for terrorist activities and is currently connected to Legacy. Adam de Winter is in charge at Legacy. He's ex-CIA and appears to be Fallon's lover. Perhaps. Rosa Lentner is an executive with a science research firm in the Midwest.
High Queen Maeve rules from Tara in Ireland. She signed a Treaty when Convergence happened in the early 1900s with Britain and the United States which included a secret clause committing them to supporting her in any action taken against her. Including an uprising by the Inverni Celtic fae clans.
Convergence occurred in the early part of the nineteenth century when Faerie and our world collided and parts merged. The Legacy Foundation is a political organization that is rapidly radicalizing and they seem to have a connection with Triad, the terrorist organization in Skin Deep . InterSec is a policing organization for the fey.
The Cover
The cover is a collage of events with, I'm guessing, the yellows, greens, and whites representing essence shots and the well-lit Washington Monument with a blurry, lit-up skyline in the background while a very cheesy looking Laura in her black and tacky vinyl jumpsuit poses in a striding profile. She's also wearing a very elaborate emerald necklace which is not mentioned anywhere in either story. Del Franco only ever mentions a pendant while emphasizing the need to be unobtrusive. This necklace on the cover is NOT unobtrusive.
The title has a number of possibilities with the Face Off ranging from Laura's seeing under the surface of her two bosses, the Inverni regent's brothers' reveal, or Laura's own in-depth look at herself.
July 28, 2018
Laura Blackstone lives in a world where the Fey have gone public and have a guild to handle fey/human affairs. Laura is their head of public relations, but she also uses her shapechanging illusion powers to be Mariel Tate, top secret agent for the International Global Security Agency (why she bothers with the pr job is never explained.) Her two identities come into conflict as the head of the guild tries to destroy the head of the IGSA, the two belong to rival Fey factions. What's interesting here is that as Laura starts to develop a real relationship, she begin to resent (and be suspicious of) both of her bosses. The book is set in DC yet does not seem to have any local flavor. As someone who has worked PR in DC, I was disappointed.
September 16, 2019
I did like this book even if i got a little disappointed as well.....Laura was way too clueless in my opinion.With all her experience i don't see how she could have missed that her cases were linked for so long. Also....vilains have it a little too easy to my taste
For the rest i loved how Laura and Jono relationship evolved and i loved to see them bickering together. The investigation was really complex and Saffin is really a wonderful characther
so enjoyable but must be read in order or may be too confusing
For the rest i loved how Laura and Jono relationship evolved and i loved to see them bickering together. The investigation was really complex and Saffin is really a wonderful characther
so enjoyable but must be read in order or may be too confusing
January 28, 2018
I think my true rating for this book would be 2.5. I did like it because of it's super interesting plot, but I think that there are a few shortcomings. I would still definitely read any future books in this series because the plot is really interesting and unique.
To read my full review of the book, please see my book blog review here.
To read my full review of the book, please see my book blog review here.
November 21, 2021
2020: DNF.
2021: Wow! What a political and murder mystery. Crazy. Had guessed the suspense bit.
2021: Wow! What a political and murder mystery. Crazy. Had guessed the suspense bit.
January 11, 2011
Summary: Laura Blackstone is the public relations director for the Fey Guild. She is a druid who can manipulate her appearance by changing her essence. She also works for Intersec (International Global Security Agency) for the Special Ops Division as Mariel Tate.
Her partner is Jonathan Sinclair (Jono) a former SWAT officer who we last saw in Skin Deep. When we pick up the story, he is undercover trying to get into the Legacy Foundation, which is a bunch of human radicals who seek to end the monarchs in Ireland and Germany. He is a former cop who found out about Laura's essence changes in the last book.
Guildmaster Orrin Ap Rhys tries to get rid of Cress, the leanansidhe (demon fey) who is Laura's friend as well as the lover of Laura's boss at the InterSec, Terryn macCullen, as well as the person who saved the Archives and Rhys's life.
There are a bunch of twists and turns as Laura needs an in to the Legacy group and to get close to Adam DeWinter, former CIA, and someone who wants to destroy the Fey. She and Jono capture Fallon Moor, and she assumes her personna.
Rhys, it seems, has been funneling millions of dollars to Legacy, who in turn, kidnaps Cress and attempts to use her powers to eliminate the Fey. Rhys, fires Cress, removes Terryn from his position, and inserts Genda Boone, who has absolutely no clue about operational directives, but is a financial whiz. Supposingly, Genda and Mariel have some kind of strange frienship.
Terryn has some choices to make. His sister Draigan, the designated underking, has come to town for a meeting with the US president. Her brothers, Brinen and Aran, Lord Guardians for the Regent. Complex political machinations and deceptions abound, including a faked assassination attempt on Draigan.
Genda is simply irritating, no doubt about it. All she talks about is parties, food, and outlandish clothes. She thinks that Mariel Tate, Laura's Intersec Persona, is her friend.
Saffin Corrill, who is Laura's assistant and brownie, is an interesting character as well. Saffin went bogart in the last book, but she is still an interesting character in that she thinks the world of Laura and keeps her secret identies all to herself.
Romantic Interlude: Yes, without describing the actual feats of sweaty nuisances. Laura and Sinclair, it seem, are now a couple, which had been coming for two books.
Mutual hatred award: Terryn and Sinclair (Although at the end Sinclair is still working for Intersec.) Tate and Rhys who had her friend Cress removed from her job, and then kidnapped.
There was definitely some pretty decent moments in this novel. The shoot out between Laura and gang and the legacy group, which lead to the all out assault by the legacy group on the Guildhouse and the Washington Monument. The use of Cress as a weapon was definitely an interesting twist. I would have loved to see Laura/Mariel's essence blast take out Rhys, but, he's in hot water and I don't see that he will be around much longer.
I think I liked the Skin Deep alot better considering what happend at the Archives and the way the characters responded under pressure. Mariel, Laura's alter-ego, is definitely a hard case and takes no nonsence from anyone. Laura's character almost made me stand up and applaud when she started questioning Rhy's motives.
I think it is hard for a maie author to get the proper prospective of a female lead character. However, De Franco does a fair enough job writing about Laura Blackstone and her other characters she manages throughout these stories for me to continue reading this series, as well as Connor Grey's.
Overall, I rate this book as a 3.5 stars.
Her partner is Jonathan Sinclair (Jono) a former SWAT officer who we last saw in Skin Deep. When we pick up the story, he is undercover trying to get into the Legacy Foundation, which is a bunch of human radicals who seek to end the monarchs in Ireland and Germany. He is a former cop who found out about Laura's essence changes in the last book.
Guildmaster Orrin Ap Rhys tries to get rid of Cress, the leanansidhe (demon fey) who is Laura's friend as well as the lover of Laura's boss at the InterSec, Terryn macCullen, as well as the person who saved the Archives and Rhys's life.
There are a bunch of twists and turns as Laura needs an in to the Legacy group and to get close to Adam DeWinter, former CIA, and someone who wants to destroy the Fey. She and Jono capture Fallon Moor, and she assumes her personna.
Rhys, it seems, has been funneling millions of dollars to Legacy, who in turn, kidnaps Cress and attempts to use her powers to eliminate the Fey. Rhys, fires Cress, removes Terryn from his position, and inserts Genda Boone, who has absolutely no clue about operational directives, but is a financial whiz. Supposingly, Genda and Mariel have some kind of strange frienship.
Terryn has some choices to make. His sister Draigan, the designated underking, has come to town for a meeting with the US president. Her brothers, Brinen and Aran, Lord Guardians for the Regent. Complex political machinations and deceptions abound, including a faked assassination attempt on Draigan.
Genda is simply irritating, no doubt about it. All she talks about is parties, food, and outlandish clothes. She thinks that Mariel Tate, Laura's Intersec Persona, is her friend.
Saffin Corrill, who is Laura's assistant and brownie, is an interesting character as well. Saffin went bogart in the last book, but she is still an interesting character in that she thinks the world of Laura and keeps her secret identies all to herself.
Romantic Interlude: Yes, without describing the actual feats of sweaty nuisances. Laura and Sinclair, it seem, are now a couple, which had been coming for two books.
Mutual hatred award: Terryn and Sinclair (Although at the end Sinclair is still working for Intersec.) Tate and Rhys who had her friend Cress removed from her job, and then kidnapped.
There was definitely some pretty decent moments in this novel. The shoot out between Laura and gang and the legacy group, which lead to the all out assault by the legacy group on the Guildhouse and the Washington Monument. The use of Cress as a weapon was definitely an interesting twist. I would have loved to see Laura/Mariel's essence blast take out Rhys, but, he's in hot water and I don't see that he will be around much longer.
I think I liked the Skin Deep alot better considering what happend at the Archives and the way the characters responded under pressure. Mariel, Laura's alter-ego, is definitely a hard case and takes no nonsence from anyone. Laura's character almost made me stand up and applaud when she started questioning Rhy's motives.
I think it is hard for a maie author to get the proper prospective of a female lead character. However, De Franco does a fair enough job writing about Laura Blackstone and her other characters she manages throughout these stories for me to continue reading this series, as well as Connor Grey's.
Overall, I rate this book as a 3.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2015
Laura Blackstone is back from vacation and ready for action once again. She is a druid that could change her appearance and works undercover. She is Laura Blackstone, the public relations director of the Guild and Mariel Tate, a hot Old fae who works case for InterSec.
Laura managed to prevent the Legacy Foundation to send rocket launchers. However, she doesn't know what they are planning. It is again the work of Laura Blackstone, with the help of Jono Sinclair, to infiltrate Legacy, with another persona, to find out what they are planning. Laura will find out that Legacy isn't just a terrorist group. They are doing something much bigger and Laura doesn't know if she could solve the case before everything is too late.
On the other hand, Draigen,the underKing of the Inverni and Terryn's sister is visiting the United States and it is her job to protect her from the assassinations. However, she couldn't do her job when the people she is working with are the possible suspects. She has to do all 3 of her jobs when Terryn is on leave and when she is worrying about Cress' kidnapping. Life just ain't easy if you are living 3 of them, most especially when you have to choose between your friends or the rest of the world.
The story idea just never fails to amaze me. I'm incredibly happy I stumbled upon this book in the bookstore. It is really something you should read. It's not a perfect book that would receive a 5 or 6 stars from me but it is a must read.
I had a bit of a problem with the plot. I think it was mostly my fault. I don't really have a knack for mystery or crime books. I'm not into those books. I'm more of a straight forward type of person. The plot was very much twisted, for me. There were a lot of evidences that leads to dead ends and there were too many parties included in the whole scheme. It's not that it is bad or anything; I'm just too impatient to wait for the answers. However, this book is still great. You could totally see how the story progresses. The author doesn't jump from one thing to another which is totally awesome. Though, I still think the first book is better.
The characters were seriously awesome. Laura is forever a kick-ass chick. Jono is so cute as well. They make a great team. Too bad, not much were revealed about the two main characters, like their past or something.
I'm so sad that the author won't continue this series anymore. I want to know more about the characters and what happens to Laura's and Jono's relationship. I want to find out how Laura will let everything go to find what she wants in life and to know who she really is. WHY!? STILL SO MANY QUESTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS!!!! NNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!! You can't do this to me Mark! This series was so much fun but it's heartbreaking to see it end. *sniff*
PS: I'm expecting the cover for this book to be Mariel Tate and the first one to be Laura Blackstone. BTW, Mariel really is HOT. I love this cover, with her tight suit and everything.
Check out more of my reviews on: http://kimreadinglounge.blogspot.com/
Laura managed to prevent the Legacy Foundation to send rocket launchers. However, she doesn't know what they are planning. It is again the work of Laura Blackstone, with the help of Jono Sinclair, to infiltrate Legacy, with another persona, to find out what they are planning. Laura will find out that Legacy isn't just a terrorist group. They are doing something much bigger and Laura doesn't know if she could solve the case before everything is too late.
On the other hand, Draigen,the underKing of the Inverni and Terryn's sister is visiting the United States and it is her job to protect her from the assassinations. However, she couldn't do her job when the people she is working with are the possible suspects. She has to do all 3 of her jobs when Terryn is on leave and when she is worrying about Cress' kidnapping. Life just ain't easy if you are living 3 of them, most especially when you have to choose between your friends or the rest of the world.
The story idea just never fails to amaze me. I'm incredibly happy I stumbled upon this book in the bookstore. It is really something you should read. It's not a perfect book that would receive a 5 or 6 stars from me but it is a must read.
I had a bit of a problem with the plot. I think it was mostly my fault. I don't really have a knack for mystery or crime books. I'm not into those books. I'm more of a straight forward type of person. The plot was very much twisted, for me. There were a lot of evidences that leads to dead ends and there were too many parties included in the whole scheme. It's not that it is bad or anything; I'm just too impatient to wait for the answers. However, this book is still great. You could totally see how the story progresses. The author doesn't jump from one thing to another which is totally awesome. Though, I still think the first book is better.
The characters were seriously awesome. Laura is forever a kick-ass chick. Jono is so cute as well. They make a great team. Too bad, not much were revealed about the two main characters, like their past or something.
I'm so sad that the author won't continue this series anymore. I want to know more about the characters and what happens to Laura's and Jono's relationship. I want to find out how Laura will let everything go to find what she wants in life and to know who she really is. WHY!? STILL SO MANY QUESTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS!!!! NNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!! You can't do this to me Mark! This series was so much fun but it's heartbreaking to see it end. *sniff*
PS: I'm expecting the cover for this book to be Mariel Tate and the first one to be Laura Blackstone. BTW, Mariel really is HOT. I love this cover, with her tight suit and everything.
Check out more of my reviews on: http://kimreadinglounge.blogspot.com/
November 11, 2010
The Setting — is Washington D.C. post Convergence. Something happened many years ago that merged the Fairy world and our own. Forced to integrate, the various races now walk a political tightrope of intrigue and terrorism. The landscape of DC is different than it is today, but that would be expected with a world that has so many differences than our own; mostly the location of buildings and important locations to the Fae which of course do not exist in the here and now (that we know of).
*slight spoiler; not that you didn’t see it coming*
The Characters — were a little disappointing this time around. I feared in Skin Deep that Laura just wasn’t enough, but the character was rescued from flatness by a really interesting character arc. I came into Face Off hoping for the same thing. I was disappointed. I think there are some distinct barriers for a man writing a female lead, especially when one of the crucial character development moments includes sex. It was closed door sex, but I failed to see the changes her decisions made in her or her relationship with Jono. I found through Face Off that Jono became far more entertaining with his quick wit and charisma. The stories of Cress and the Inverni fairies seemed at times more interesting than Laura, who sort of hit a plateau in this book.
The Plot — started out amazing – and then I felt like the end became a little like a clusterfuck. The thing I really like about the Laura Blackstone books are the complex plots and the secret spy stuff. There are multiple story lines being juggled and the plot is fascinating, though I question one particular character having big moments in both books when that character is a secondary one. My biggest issue with the end of the book was the way the resolution played out; there were so many things going on, and so many ways in which it could have unfolded, that I thought summing it up in one sit down was anticlimactic. I would have preferred to have been led along with a few more bread crumbs, given a few more clues and piece at least part of the puzzle together myself.
I still enjoyed the book. If there are more Laura Blackstone books, I’ll read them, and hope that they get better, because who doesn’t love a super hot, awesome spy with a sexy, witty boyfriend?
*slight spoiler; not that you didn’t see it coming*
The Characters — were a little disappointing this time around. I feared in Skin Deep that Laura just wasn’t enough, but the character was rescued from flatness by a really interesting character arc. I came into Face Off hoping for the same thing. I was disappointed. I think there are some distinct barriers for a man writing a female lead, especially when one of the crucial character development moments includes sex. It was closed door sex, but I failed to see the changes her decisions made in her or her relationship with Jono. I found through Face Off that Jono became far more entertaining with his quick wit and charisma. The stories of Cress and the Inverni fairies seemed at times more interesting than Laura, who sort of hit a plateau in this book.
The Plot — started out amazing – and then I felt like the end became a little like a clusterfuck. The thing I really like about the Laura Blackstone books are the complex plots and the secret spy stuff. There are multiple story lines being juggled and the plot is fascinating, though I question one particular character having big moments in both books when that character is a secondary one. My biggest issue with the end of the book was the way the resolution played out; there were so many things going on, and so many ways in which it could have unfolded, that I thought summing it up in one sit down was anticlimactic. I would have preferred to have been led along with a few more bread crumbs, given a few more clues and piece at least part of the puzzle together myself.
I still enjoyed the book. If there are more Laura Blackstone books, I’ll read them, and hope that they get better, because who doesn’t love a super hot, awesome spy with a sexy, witty boyfriend?
August 23, 2010
I will continue to rate these highly by virtue of the utterly fantastic world build. I read and read and I still want to know more about Fae politics, and how they are dealing with being thrust into the human world, and how the humans are coping. It seems an overdone, trite concept, but trust me when I say this is a singular world/series.
The plotting and the scheming in Face Off was good, though I did sort out the overriding threat long before the protagonist did, which left the last chunk of the book less interesting than it could have been, but it was still executed very well.
The second Laura Blackstone novel lived up to the expectations of the first, and moved a bit more towards a more typical urban fantasy with the development of her love interest. The character still remains intensely interesting on a psychological level- having one person pretending to be so many conflicting personas at once leads to interesting contemplations on issues of the self- and Laura does go through some changes in this book. And they are good changes, ones that further the character, and I am interested to see where they take future books.
Del Franco's Connor Gray books remain a better series in my opinion, but the Laura Blackstone books are still a very enjoyable read. You get an inside view of the Guild and InterSec workings you miss from reading Connor's point of view. Both series work together excellently to flesh out the magnificent world Del Franco has created.
The plotting and the scheming in Face Off was good, though I did sort out the overriding threat long before the protagonist did, which left the last chunk of the book less interesting than it could have been, but it was still executed very well.
The second Laura Blackstone novel lived up to the expectations of the first, and moved a bit more towards a more typical urban fantasy with the development of her love interest. The character still remains intensely interesting on a psychological level- having one person pretending to be so many conflicting personas at once leads to interesting contemplations on issues of the self- and Laura does go through some changes in this book. And they are good changes, ones that further the character, and I am interested to see where they take future books.
Del Franco's Connor Gray books remain a better series in my opinion, but the Laura Blackstone books are still a very enjoyable read. You get an inside view of the Guild and InterSec workings you miss from reading Connor's point of view. Both series work together excellently to flesh out the magnificent world Del Franco has created.
December 24, 2010
Face Off (Laura Blackstone, Book 2) by Mark Del Franco picks up immediately following events at the National Archives. Laura again is balancing two personas, Mariel Tate--fey representative to human intelligence agencies and Fallon Moor--terrorist brownie, plus her own responsibilities as public relations director for the Washington, D.C., Guildhouse. The plot of this volume centers around an official visit to Washington, D.C., by Draigen macCullen, Terryn macCullen's sister and regent for the Inverni faerie clan. We also meet Terryn's brothers Brinen and Aran, Lord Guardians for the Regent. Complex political machinations and deceptions abound. Laura gradually unweaves the conflicting threads and uncovers several surprising connections. Laura continues to grow close to Jono, former SWAT team member and InterSec trainee, and she is again aided by her always efficient brownie assistant, Safi. Resha Dunne, the merrow, is back and proves a source of support for a solitary besieged by fey politics. In the conclusion of the book, Terryn is left with difficult decisions that will leave you anxiously looking for the next installment of this series. Five stars for another great urban fantasy by Mark Del Franco.
November 12, 2010
3.5 stars
In the aftermath of the Archives bombing (book 1), the Guildmaster Orrin Ap Rhys tries to get rid of Cress, the leanansidhe who is Laura's friend as well as the lover of Laura's boss at the InterSec, Terryn macCullen. In addition to that, Terryn's sister, Dreigen macCullen, the leader of the Inverni clan, comes to visit Washington D.C. and soon is under threat of assasination. Laura (along with her other persona, Mariel Tate) and her hopeful-man Jonathan Sinclair, have to investigate both cases to avoid more horrible outcome.
I get hang of the characters second time around -- but I still can't get into the world of Laura Blackstone or care enough for her, like I do with the other series by Mark Del Franco, which is Connor Grey. Maybe because as character, Laura doesn't hit with me ... I think it might have to do with her other persona, which makes me slightly torn on which persona that I like the most. In fact, I probably like Laura better as Mariel Tate (because she kicks ass). Honestly, I love the other characters (Terryn, Cress, Jono, even Saffin) better than Laura. As for the fey politics, it's pretty clustered ... there are many things at once but at the same time to be resolved altogether as well.
It's not a bad series though -- and I will still read the next books.
In the aftermath of the Archives bombing (book 1), the Guildmaster Orrin Ap Rhys tries to get rid of Cress, the leanansidhe who is Laura's friend as well as the lover of Laura's boss at the InterSec, Terryn macCullen. In addition to that, Terryn's sister, Dreigen macCullen, the leader of the Inverni clan, comes to visit Washington D.C. and soon is under threat of assasination. Laura (along with her other persona, Mariel Tate) and her hopeful-man Jonathan Sinclair, have to investigate both cases to avoid more horrible outcome.
I get hang of the characters second time around -- but I still can't get into the world of Laura Blackstone or care enough for her, like I do with the other series by Mark Del Franco, which is Connor Grey. Maybe because as character, Laura doesn't hit with me ... I think it might have to do with her other persona, which makes me slightly torn on which persona that I like the most. In fact, I probably like Laura better as Mariel Tate (because she kicks ass). Honestly, I love the other characters (Terryn, Cress, Jono, even Saffin) better than Laura. As for the fey politics, it's pretty clustered ... there are many things at once but at the same time to be resolved altogether as well.
It's not a bad series though -- and I will still read the next books.
September 7, 2010
The second book in the Laura Blackstone Series delivers just as much suspense and intrigue as the first. Laura Blackstone has two identities - she is herself - an elf working as the very visible public relations for the Fey and Mariel Tate a tough as nails investigator for the InterSec - the fey equivalent of the FBI. When her Intersec bosses' sister who leads the minority sect of the elves comes to town the action heats up, not just between her and the half giant Jono who passes as a human, but between the two branches of fey and her two jobs. Because there is a traitor or traitors somewhere who want nothing more than to bring down the current powerbase of the fey, and there are many humans who will do anything to help them, then turn on them in the hope of wiping them out. The book had good action and developed the main characters well and the plot was good, but the mystery was not buried as deep as I liked and I spent the last 1/4 of the book not wondering how it was going to wrap up but what the body count was going to be. Still a good, worthwhile read.
March 23, 2012
It's rather hard for me to give a fair and coherent review for this book. On the one hand, Del Franco's world-building is never less than stellar, his characters are great, and his stories are compelling. On the other hand, I was trying so hard not to pick holes in the plausibility of this series in general and this story in particular that I think I might have sprained my disbelief. One of Laura's jobs is (at least nominally) a desk job, yet she can leave it often enough and for long enough to keep two other personas alive without her boss noticing? The paranoid semi-secret organization where she goes undercover doesn't mind that she's there one day in three, if that? I also particularly dislike books where the Big Reveal of the Evil Plan is perfectly obvious to me well in advance of the main character grasping it--which this was, if only by about 20 pages. It's a shame I have so much trouble with the overall scenario, because I *like* Laura, in all her characters.
November 20, 2010
This is a hard book to review without spoiling it. The best way to describe it is that it is like the tv show Alias only with the Fey. Because at the heart of the story it is about spies it makes for great fun. Instead of spies relying on make-up for disguises you have people that can glamour themselves to look like different people. At the heart of our story is Laura/Mariel a woman how has 2 very different and real personas that she switches between to get at the heart of matters.
At times it is easy to get confused with the story as it seems like people have so many names and only certain people go with others depending on just "who" the person is at the time. But overall this was a fun story to read due to figuring out just who was the bad guy and who was the good guy.
At times it is easy to get confused with the story as it seems like people have so many names and only certain people go with others depending on just "who" the person is at the time. But overall this was a fun story to read due to figuring out just who was the bad guy and who was the good guy.
September 23, 2010
This series of Del Franco, set in the same universe as his Connor Grey books, just doesn't work for me. this is the second book I've read and I still can't find a way to like Laura or be really gripped by the story. It may have something to do with the fact that government intrigue plots generally don't catch me up, but I find it surprising when I know Del Franco is a perfectly good writer that I can't find anything to hook me. Perhaps it is simply that writing from the perspective of a female protagonist just doesn't manage to have the same oomph.
Oh well. It's an okay book, but I'll be sticking to the other series from here on out.
Oh well. It's an okay book, but I'll be sticking to the other series from here on out.
September 22, 2010
What more can you ask for than conflicting and confusing paranormal politics? Del Franco has done it again. I have to say that Laura Blackstone is one of the best written heroines in the paranormal/urban fantasy realm. The world building here is just unprecedented, and the character development is coming along nicely. Who out there isn't rooting for Laura and Jono? I am fairly new to Del Franco's books, but I have to say, after this second installment I am definitely a fan. I can't wait for the next one!
August 21, 2011
I am continuing to enjoy this series. I felt the action was good and I liked that Laura was juggling fewer personas, allowing her to develop her personal identity. She realizes that keeping people at arms length in order to make sure her covers remain intact has caused people around her not to know or really trust her. This realization allows her to finally grow her friendships both with Cress and Terryn a little deeper. Not to mention Jono. Jono is great - he is extremely likable but never pushy.
December 27, 2011
Urban fantasy that was ok. Unfortunately, this one took a lot of work to get into. I'm not sure what was keeping me back from getting sucked in, but something definitely did. I finished it finally, but certain elements of the plot were obvious to me too early on and I felt like there was a moral of the story that was being beaten over my head. I love the main character and her dilemmas even if I'm not sure how she manages it all, but this story did not do her justice the way the first novel Skin Deep did.
October 18, 2010
Not a bad follow-up to Skin Deep, the first Laura Blackstone novel. Though I was a bit surprised that given the actual length of time between the two books, he made the length in the books just a couple of months. I wasn't sure if that pushed Face Off back a couple of years or moved up Skin Deep.
Despite that, I really enjoyed this one as well. It's got the gritty spy stuff going on, all while Laura is going through the burn out most agents tend to suffer in spy novels.
Despite that, I really enjoyed this one as well. It's got the gritty spy stuff going on, all while Laura is going through the burn out most agents tend to suffer in spy novels.
November 2, 2012
A fabulous ending, complicated yes, believable? Totally. And it set up perfectly so many other questions that need to be answered. Ace TOTALLY dropped the ball when they chose to pass on further books in this series. If they aren't smart enough to realize that and correct their mistake, I certainly hope a publisher with vision takes advantage of ACE's stupid and picks this series up. PLEASE Mr Del Franco, don't let it die with so much of the story unfinished.
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