Review and Giveaway: Refuge for Masterminds (Stranje House #3) by Kathleen Baldwin

From Award Winning Author
Kathleen Baldwin

The stakes in this game of spies are life and death.

REFUGE FOR MASTERMINDS

by Kathleen Baldwin

Series: Stranje House, Book 3
Genre: Young Adult, Teen Alternative Historical Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: May 23, 2017

Add to Goodreads

Lady Jane Moore has a secret. A secret that must be kept buried. If anyone discovered the truth, her life at Stranje House would crumble. And with Napoleon Bonaparte threatening to invade England, everyone at Stranje House is already in mortal danger.

There's a traitor in the house. Someone is sneaking information to Napoleon's spies, Lady Daneska and Ghost. Jane is determined to find out who it is before suspicions rip apart the bonds of friendship at Stranje House. Her desperate hunt for the traitor ensnares a brash young American inventor, Alexander Sinclair, Robert Fulton's nephew, into an ambush that puts his life in danger. Sinclair is the most maddening young man in all of Christendom, a sharp-tongued rascal with boorish manners, but Lady Jane cannot bear the thought of the golden-haired genius being harmed.

Is Jane enough of a mastermind to save Alexander, her friends at Stranje House, and possibly England itself?

Fans of Gail Carriger, Patricia Wrede, and Caroline Stevermer will love this Regency-era alternate history filled with spunky heroines, handsome young lords, and dastardly villains.

"Baldwin has a winning series here: her characters are intriguing and fully rendered."
- Stacey Comfort, Booklist

"Refuge for Masterminds moves at a fast pace from the first page and doesn't stop. Although it is written with a young adult audience in mind, it is a fun and enjoyable novel and will also appeal to adult readers."
- Francesca Pelaccia, Historical Novel Society

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

My Review:   

  This is a series that I have really enjoyed, and this book continues that enjoyment.  I always love a good historical fiction that makes me interested in learning more about a certain time period.  Particularly when it gets me interested in a time period I either never thought about, or just never had any interest in even when I might have learned about it in the past in school, etc.  I also love a good series where each book focuses on another of the main characters, as well as keeping up involved in the lives of those from books before, and even getting us interested in whatever other characters we might get future books about.  I enjoyed a lot about Lady Jane, and I also enjoyed the banter between her and Mr. Sinclair in this book.  Their romance was very sweet.  The reason that Jane did not want to go to London was definitely well-hidden until it was revealed, and until then, I was unsure what in the world could have kept her from wanting to go.  But that reason was so good!  And the turn it took once she was in London was even better.  I loved the puppies, and the idea of creating a fake leg for a dog with only three legs was so sweet and a neat addition to the story.  There was a bit with a leech at the end that made me laugh out loud, as I could totally see it happening.    Another fun look into a time period and environment that we don't always spend much time looking into, not to mention the political world at the time and how the society and town worked during those days, not to mention the scientific ideas that began to spring forth as well, probably in very similar environments.

Other Books by the Author

Don't miss the first two books in the Stranje House series:

A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS Series: Stranje House, Book 1 Napoleon is exiled, Europe is in shambles and Britain is at war on four fronts. Daughters of the Beau Monde who don't fit high society's strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where headmistress, Emma Stranje, entangles these unusual girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war. Buy Link: Amazon eBook | Barnes and Noble | iBooks Check out my review HERE.  "A completely original--and totally engrossing--world, full of smart girls, handsome boys and sinister mysteries...Sign me up." - Meg Cabot, NYT Bestselling Author of The Princess Diaries on A School for Unusual Girls

EXILE FOR DREAMERS Series: Stranje House, Book 2 Tess Aubreyson can't run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. But with Napoleon threatening to invade England, Tess's disturbing dreams may be the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her friends at Stranje House. Buy Link: Amazon eBook | Barnes and Noble | iBooks Check out my review HERE. "This spy school for girls . . . is impossible to put down! . . . I recommend this book to anyone that loves brave girls, adventure and great friendships." - 5 Girls Book Reviews

Giveaway

WIN

Prizes up for grabs:
Be one of three lucky winners:
$10 Gift Card + hardback copy of Refuge for Masterminds

Contest runs from May 15 - June 3, 2017.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Kathleen Baldwin

Kathleen Baldwin loves adventure in books and in real life. She taught rock climbing in the Rockies, survival camped in the desert, was stalked by a mountain lion, lost an argument with a rattlesnake, spent way too long in college, fell in love and married her very own hero.

A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS, the first book in the alternate history series for teens, was awarded Spirit of Texas in 2016, is a Junior Library Guild selection, and Kansas NEA Reading Circle gave it a starred review in their 2016 Best of the Best for High Schools. Ian Bryce, producer of Spiderman, Saving Private Ryan, and other notable films optioned the series for film.

REFUGE FOR MASTERMINDS, Book 3 in the Stranje House series, releases May 23rd.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure, "completely original and totally engrossing."

Official website:  http://kathleenbaldwin.com/

Social media links:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Google+ | Amazon | Goodreads

Join The Tour

Follow the book tour from May 15 - June 3, 2017.

Get sneak peaks, excerpts, fun facts and other never-before-published info on Refuge for Masterminds.

Click here to check the latest tour schedule.

---

In partnership with

Waiting on Wednesday: Refuge for Masterminds (Stranje House #3) by Kathleen Baldwin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  Once again I've picked a book that is part of a series I've really enjoyed.  It's not out till May, so I've got a while to wait, although I'm going to hope for an advanced copy, egalley or ARC, before it comes out.  You can read my reviews of the first two books here:  A School for Unusual Girls, and Exile for Dreamers.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads for this third book in the series:

Lady Jane Moore has a secret. A secret that must be kept buried. For if anyone discovered the truth, her life at Stranje House would crumble. And with Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of England underway, everyone at Stranje House is already in danger. Mortal danger.

Jane knows it. She may not be like Tess, who has the advantage of prophetic dreams. Nor is she like Sera, who notices every detail no matter how miniscule and draws conclusions based on the smallest thread of evidence. She doesn’t possess Maya’s ability to soothe the tempers around her with a few well-spoken words. Neither is she a brilliant scientist like Georgie. According to Miss Stranje, Lady Jane Moore is a mastermind.

Nonsense!

Jane doesn’t consider herself a mastermind. Quite the contrary, she believes herself to be an ordinary young lady. It’s just that she has a rather excessive bent toward the practical. She tends to grasp the facts of a situation quickly, and by so doing, she’s able to devise and implement a sensible course of action. But that’s all there is to it. Well, there is the fact that she also organizes the players in her plans with quiet efficiency. So much so, that occasionally Lady Jane’s friends tease her for being a bit managing.

Do they expect her to sit back and do nothing when trouble is brewing? Not likely. Not when the people she cares about are at risk. Call it being a mastermind if you must, it is a trait that comes in rather handy in a world full of spies, sabotage, and double-dealing. Especially now that Lady Jane and Sera have rooted out the truth: There is a traitor at Stranje House.

Someone is sneaking information to Lady Daneska and Ghost, Napoleon’s spies. Jane is determined to find out who it is before the bonds of friendship at Stranje House are ripped apart by suspicions. Her desperate hunt for the traitor ensnares Robert Fulton’s nephew, Alexander Sinclair, a brash American inventor, in an ambush that puts his life in danger. Sinclair may well be the most maddening man in all of Christendom, a wicked-tongued rascal with boorish manners, but for some reason, Lady Jane cannot bear the thought of the golden-haired genius being harmed.

Is Jane enough of a mastermind to save Alexander, her friends at Stranje House, and possibly England itself? 

Have you read any of this series yet?  Does it sound good to you?  I love how every book seems to be more about one of the girls.  And I do love the cover of this one best I think!  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?  

And while you're here, make sure you go check out my Book of Choice Giveaway!