Wow! This one was so much fun! I loved book 1 but I think I loved this one more! And i loved the twist even though I had a feeling it may happen! I really need the third book now!

I am so utterly devastated. I LOVED book one and I was so excited for this one and... I am so let down. Everything fell flat.
What bothered me the most was the fact that they brought back a character I really liked—only to sideline them. It felt like there was NO reason for this and it baffled me. Going through all that trouble to bring back Sebastian and for what, to have him hide away a good majority of the book?
Instead the main focus ended up being the romance. Which isn't bad! But it felt so trivial and irrational. While the love triangle issue gets resolved, it is at WHAT COST.
The ending slightly made up for it, though I wasn't really expecting it. I wonder what this means for the third book, but that's all I'm really looking forward to.

I am wavering between marking this as 2 or 3 stars. The problem is most of the book was 3 worthy but the ending made me fairly disinterested in continuing the series, which screams 2 to me.

Our cast of characters is trying to find their place in the midst of a shadowy secret society of those with super special abilities (think X-Men), but can the Society be trusted with their best interests? Evelyn isn't convinced of their honesty or integrity, but finds herself with little choice but to follow along with her friends and discover the truth behind the Head of the Society and all that they embody.

I was on-board with this storyline mostly, even if it wasn't as good as the first book, until the end. Up to that point, we had the shadowy Society plotline and I liked that Evelyn wasn't buying what they were selling from the get-go, as it was nice to have a character be suspicious of a supposed good thing and not blithely traipse along with them.

Much to my disappointment, there was less humor throughout this than in the first book, which was one of my favorite things about the first one. Mr. Kent, when he wasn't amusing me with his wit, was less likable and was actually a bit annoying. And then we had the ending, which without going into detail, made me personally not care whether I finished the rest of the series or not.

I enjoyed this book! Not quite as much as the first book, but it was still a good read nonetheless. I'm glad we got to follow the original cast. Despite reading this second book years after the first, each person still kept in character and held the same values so it was easy to pick back up. One qualm I had with the book is with the new characters -- particularly the sheer number of ones added. It was a little hard to keep up all the new names with since there were so many powers added and side characters pulled from the first book. Sometimes, I forgot who was important or the small details that would later add to the big reveals. As a reader, it made these scenes less satisfying. Still, the action was entertaining and the stakes were always high. I was always invested in our main characters and found them absolutely charming. There were some funny lines that I laughed out loud at (usually delivered by Mr. Kent.)

I realized this was a sequel after I requested it so I cannot fairly review this book cause I have not read the first one! But I will get on that!

I absolutely LOVE where this took a series I was already incredibly invested in. This writing duo never disappoints.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

2.5/5 This one was just not for me. I didn't enjoy it and it took me a while to figure out where this was going, I just didn't enjoy it and it makes me sad. I wanted to. The first book was decent, I gave that one a 3 stars, but this one was just not that great. I mean I recommend it if you're into like steampunk, and historical fiction with magic in it you'll like it! I loved the magic in this novel, but again I had to push myself to really get into it. It just wasn't my thing! But definitely check it out if it sounds like something you'd like!

Rate: Not rated
Recommend: No
Review:
In hindsight, I should not have recommended this book since I struggled through the first book before I DNF'd it. The reason I requested it was because the cover is stunning and the synopsis sounded interesting. I did not know this was the sequel until I looked here. That being said, I did not think it right to date thus book because I also DNF'd it.
I did not make it far in this book because, like the first one, I found it slow and boring. I like the idea behind the series and I think I would enjoy it if I found the characters more interesting, the pace was sped up, and it had more action.
Due to my not getting very far in these books, I can not give it a long review because my feelings are based purely on the first few chapters. Maybe one day I will pick this series up again and change my ratings, but as of today, this is how I feel.

Already reviewed and feedback sent ages ago. Not sure why these are duplicating. But please find review content at my archived blog www.behindonbooks.wordpress.com

- Thanks! Sorry this is a little haphazard. Just trying to clear my Shelf here. :)

As I’ve been doing with most books lately, I reread These Vicious Masks before embarking on the sequel. I was again impressed with the humor, the characterization, and the fast-paced sheer fun of the plot. All of those wonderful elements appear in spades in These Ruthless Deeds too, only, you know, turned up to ELEVEN, with an even more intense and shocking conclusion that left me in shock.




One of my other favorite current series, Lady Helen, has a similar-ish set up; both are historical fantasies about people with powers, centering on fabulous young ladies. The differences are myriad, and I’m not here to compare the too (though I will a bit), but where Lady Helen is Austen-esque in the wit and detail, These Vicious Masks takes more of a Tessa Dare approach (only much darker) with constant overt humor. Both are amazing and highly recommended, but pick wisely for your mood.

Evelyn’s such a queen. I just could not love her more than I do. Her observations are consistently hilarious, and I was laughing out loud through a good portion of this book. I sent endless quotes to Gillian as I read. Shanker and Zekas are so good at keeping the humor going consistently, only to suddenly slam you with sad or shippy feels in a way you were totally not prepared for, and then to make you laugh again.



The plot of the book totally worked for me, though the characters are definitely the shining light. The blurb essentially gives away the “twist,” but it happens about a third of the way through and is well handled so I don’t mind in the least. And, basically from the moment that happens through to the end, the book is fast and furious with constant painful surprises but the ever-present beat of amazing humor.

In These Ruthless Deeds, you get to know everyone better, and the cast expands to include a bunch of new characters. It’s a super painful book for, well, everyone, and oh my god I don’t know how Shanker and Zekas are going to resolve everything emotionally because MY POOR BRUISED DARLINGS.

Evelyn and Sebastian continue to be the cutest ship, and I absolutely love that Evelyn continues to see him as this handsome broody guy, and everyone else is doing the Victorian version of OMG WUT HE IS SUCH A GOOBER GIRL. And he really is just such a goober. There’s an absolutely fantastic chase scene and a shirtless scene and basically Shanker and Zekas know exactly how to play my shipstrings and oh how they do.



This series has maybe my favorite love triangle ever (though don’t quote me on it, since I don’t actually have a list). Mr. Kent’s amazing, and he becomes ever more so. He’s a bit much in book one sometimes, but the more you get to know him the more lovable he is. He wears his negative qualities openly, and I’ve come to admire that (and him) so much. Also, lbr, if I had his powers I would totally fuck with people by asking sensitive questions and watching them deal with it. He lightens every single scene he’s in, even when he’s hurting.

The reason I love this love triangle so much is that Mr. Kent doesn’t end up having his character assassinated. And, I like that he’s an actual good option. He’s a great guy and they get along so well, and, were Evelyn’s heart not already engaged, they totally could have been a thing. Unfortunately for Mr. Kent…



Given the fact that the cast has like a million people in it, it’s fucking impressive that I care about basically all of them a lot. I got serious feels from a beautiful scene between Emily and Evelyn. (And Emily and Laura should so totally be a thing.) Oliver’s a precious moppet, despite my general feelings on moppets. Evelyn’s kinda forgotten bestie (who was on a grand tour in book one) Catherine shows up and she’s fabulous and bookish and the trust between her and Evelyn deserves a million stars tbh. Lord Atherton, though awful, is the perfect straight man to the rest of the cast. I really can’t list everyone because there are so many but this cast is FABULOUS.

Because it’s a sequel, I don’t want to get into details about plots or anything. I DO want to talk about how much I love the way the powers work in this world. Shanker and Zekas make such clever use of everyone’s various powers. Mr. Kent has an obvious power on the surface, but he comes up with some creative applications I’d not anticipated. Miss Chen pulls out a hilarious application of her power in the midst of a battle. It’s another example of how good Shanker and Zekas are at humor of absolutely all sorts. Battle scenes often are a bit like in those fantastic old kung fu movies where Jackie Chan would get creative and use whatever comes to hand as a weapon.



These Ruthless Deeds lulls you into this false sense of security. It’s this flufftastic bantersplosion of all the best shiptrashy tropes, and it’s so completely unapologetic about every single bit of that. As it should be. But this book is also intense, dark, and heartbreaking, and you really don’t see that gut punch coming because five seconds before you were laughing at a hilarious joke. Even though I knew something was coming, Shanker and Zekas totally shocked and horrified me (in the good way). This series is surprisingly brutal, and that’s why I love the fuck out of it. But also, HOW COULD YOU?!?!?! That last battle scene was so intense that I actually couldn’t always tell quite what was happening, View Spoiler » and that’s basically the only qualm I have with this book at all.

This series is fucking fantastic. If you enjoy laughing a lot and getting gut punched, you absolutely must buy these because they are the best. (Even if they are the reason that I will never ever be able to quit Swoon Reads.)

Oh this sequel could have been SO GOOD. SO so good. If (and it's a bit IF) the authors hadn't done what they did. Talk about a struggle.

These Ruthless Deeds picks up a bit after These Vicious Masks. Evelyn decided to fall in with the "X-Men" of this world, a character is missing, a character comes back, and all of it was predictable and not terribly interesting. This book has a serious case of second book syndrome. A lot of things happened but at the same time, the story didn't really move anywhere.

Evelyn started getting on my nerves, bouncing back and forth between the two gentleman love interests as well as pretty much every decision she faced. I felt like her entire decision to join the Society of Aberrations (this world's "X-Men" organization) existed to fill space and give the characters something to do. They spent far too much time running around looking for people with the plot twist that you know is coming waiting patiently near the end of the book. And it would have been a HUGE twist. . . if it hadn't been so easy to predict first. 

So while Evelyn and her new "friends" are running around looking for other people with powers (because that's all they really do for most of the book), they're searching for one particular character: Sebastian. I'm conflicted because there was a chance These Ruthless Deeds would succumb to a love triangle and it didn't (so YAY!) but also the way the romance was handled, how Sebastian hardly played a role despite being a major player before, and the dynamic of the Evelyn-Kent-Sebastian relationship. . . it all seemed quite a mess.

But honestly, what really frustrated me was how a particular character was dealt with in their return from the dead. First off, why did they come back? I feel like this book was just a filler to get the characters to that particular point before the story continued in the third installment. Because nothing really happened with them. The characters spent the whole first book trying to find this character (trying to at least avoid a name because of spoilers here). Then this book, you think that character is done but NOPE. And it didn't feel natural to the story. It was meant as a twist, sure, but I didn't understand why it existed in the first place. 

I will say that despite the story falling completely flat, the writing was still great, and the book moves along quickly. I had hoped to see an improvement from These Vicious Masks which didn't happen, but I have some hope that the third book will do the series justice. There are some great concepts here that I would love to see developed and expanded on, rather than forced for the sake of tension. A bit disappointing for me.

‪These Ruthless Deed was quite an enjoyable read especially the banter, I could live off of laughs and banter for days.‬

‪I liked everything about this story except for all the new characters introduced, trying to keep up with everyone was hard and I sometimes forgot who was who. But other than that everything was as amazing as the first book. Lots of laughs, lots of swoons. Lots of twist and turns that will leave you shocked. ‬ I NEED THESE VENGEFUL SOULS RIGHT NOW

*I received a free copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Oh. My. Goodness. Cliffhanger! February 20, 2018, cannot come fast enough because I need to know how this series ends! As with the first book, I had a very difficult time putting this one down.

I am loving this blend of Jane Austen & X-Men (the best description for it)--such an odd combination, but it works so well. I specifically catch some elements of Sense & Sensibility, but it isn't simply a re-write of the book. Not even close. The powers have been fit so seamlessly into the world that it just makes sense for them to be there. They don't just feel inserted at random; they belong.

The authors have done a fantastic job of fleshing out each character and his or her abilities. Nobody feels cliche to me, and they all seem pretty real. I admire Evelyn's fierce determination to find the truth and do what's right, even if her methods weren't necessarily the best. I love Mr. Kent's wit and friendship (and I confess I found myself cheering in his corner). I continue to like Sebastian Braddock as well, but I'm also frustrated with him. I automatically loved Oliver because he shares my son's name, but I adored his 14-year-old stubbornness and mischievous ways, his eagerness to be a part of things. New characters, like Catherine and Miss Chen, grew on me as well.

These Ruthless Deeds contains a few twists that I admit I did not see coming, so bravo for that.

But now I'm left wondering not only how things will end but also the fate of many characters about whom I care. Because I don't know what has happened to them!

Note: Mild swearing.

I give the book five stars. Ithe second book was better then the first book. The characters are great and the heroine (Evelyn) is a strong lead character. She does not suffer from main female lead character trait of being too whiny. The story was fast paced. I would definitely recommend the book and series.

I really loved the first book in this series and this novel did not let me down. The story continues with crazy twists and turns that you couldn't see coming. This was a wonderful novel and I really want a physical copy now so that I can mark it up and re-read it.

I liked it, but I wasn't as transfixed with it as the first book. I do still think that it is a book that if you like Austen type books with a splash of magic and mystery to them.

I received an ARC of These Ruthless Deeds from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I kind of don't know what to say, only that I had a bit of a hard time getting through this book, given however many months this book has been on my "Currently Reading" shelf on Goodreads. I actually got stuck about halfway through and stopped reading for a while before picking the book back up.

Now, it's not because the book was bad. It wasn't, really. It was just a little ... boring, I guess. I don't know if I would say that it had the dreaded "Second Book Syndrome," but it was something along those lines. The plot was interesting, the characters were interesting, but there was something about it. I can't even put my finger on it, which kind of sucks because I wish I could explain.

Anyway, we have our main character, Evelyn. I enjoyed reading about her in the first book, her struggles with what was going on around her and trying to find her sister and all that. But then ... stuff happened. The ending of the first book ripped out all the feelings I had been having about Evelyn's quest and then stomped on them. Hard. It was horribly sad and heart-wrenching, especially because I love Sebastian and him having to deal with Rose's death made me sad for him. So, of course, These Ruthless Deeds was about trying to find Sebastian and getting over Rose and working with The Society of Aberrations. Now, grief is a terrible thing and sometimes makes you do stupid things, but Evelyn ... without going into spoilers, at the end of the book, Evelyn makes a decision that actually made me kind of hate her. Like, I was okay with the book until that point and then BAM, hate. I get why she made the decision she did. I understood what was going through her mind, but I honestly cannot believe that she actually did it. It probably would have been a three-star book if not for that ending.

Then there's the whole love situation. While Evelyn's love life did essentially resolve itself at the end of the book, again, that ending rendered the whole process of figuring out who she wants null and void. Seriously, that ending just ruined the book for me.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, the book was so-so until the end, and then I stopped enjoying it. Honestly, I'll probably read the next book because it's the last one and I do want to see what's going to happen, but I was not very impressed with These Ruthless Deeds.

These Ruthless Deeds is the second book in the These Vicious Masks series and if you like your fantasy/paranormal mixed into a historical YA, definitely check this series out. I myself have been on a bit of a kick lately trying to read more historical YA and this one was a great second book. If you haven’t read this series yet, think Jane Austen meets X-Men…do I have your attention?

Evelyn suffered a pretty big loss in book one and this book pulls us right back into her story. As she works through the pain of her loss, she is also faced with the Society of Aberrations. While she tries to figure out who she can trust and what her purpose is, things start to change for Evelyn.

Overall I liked this book almost as much as book one. I will say the ending upped the rating for me as there is plenty of action and quite a few surprises. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book for these characters.

These Ruthless Deeds is the second installment in the These Vicious Masks series by the dynamic duo Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas. The story picks up shortly after the end of These Vicious Masks. Protagonist Evelyn Wyndham has thrown herself into trying to help others after a heart breaking loss. Others who have the power of telekinesis, and a variety of other powers that would make the X-Men sit up and take notice.

As Evelyn (the girl who can heal others), Miss Alice Gray (a woman who dream of powerful people), and Oliver Myles (a boy who can slip through objects), are trying to rescue another hapless soul by the name of Emily Kane (a telekinesis girl who Miss Gray met in an asylum), they quickly find themselves in danger. Saved by Mr. Kent (the man who has the ability to force a person to tell the truth) and his new friends. That would be Captain Goode & his brother who claim to work for the Society of Aberrations. The same society who funded Dr. Beck's research.

As Evelyn learns more about her own abilities, she finds herself wrapped up in the spiderweb of intrigue that is the Society of Aberrations. This Society is apparently looking to recruit other gifted people, but for what reason? Who are they really? What do they really want from Evelyn and the others? And, who is the mysterious person who sits at the head of the Society, and what does this person ultimately want?

Evelyn doesn't trust this organization, but after finding herself between a rock and a hard place, she really has no other choice but to heal who they ask her to heal. After promising to help reduce Sebastian Braddock's powers, how can Evelyn turn their back on them fully, and entirely? These Ruthless Deeds once again tosses in an unnecessary romantic triangle which I have decided is a brutal form of torture that should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention. Seriously. How can you have someone like Mr. Kent who is obviously in love with Evelyn, and then twist it so that Sebastian needs the comforting, which sends Evelyn off in another direction? Blah.

There is a huge twist in this book, and no, if you really want to know more, I am sure there are others who will spoil it for you. There is also a diabolically heart pulsing ending to this book which once again leaves readers wanting to find out what happens next. One could say that this was one of the cruelest endings to a book that I've read in a very long time. I am not sure that the authors will find a way to fix what they left behind in the bloody ruins of my emotions, and will find a way to somehow turn the events that has seen untold darkness to set into Evelyn's heart. But, one can hope, can't they?