Chill Factor follows Joanne Baldwin, Weather Warden, as she attempt to fix the mess created at the end of Heat Stroke. Kevin, an angry teenager with a lot of power, has control of the most powerful Djinn and is keeping all the Wardens out of Las Vegas. The Djinn have been disappearing and the Wardens cannot combat the unusual weather changes without them. Joanne, who is now human again, has been sent in to try to get Jonathan away from Kevin and restore order before the world is destroyed.

As in the previous books, Joanne doesn't fully understand the situation she is placed in. She is being used by others who either have more power than she does or at least think they do. Although Lewis is weakened because Kevin stole his powers, he still feels that he has the moral high ground and can use Joanne to his own ends. The Wardens also feel that they know how the world should be and that their control over the elements is saving humans from nature instead of destroying a delicate balance.

The events of this book also tie into events from Joanne's past. This leads to sections of the book featuring her memories. The majority of the time, I was able to keep straight what was in the past and what was currently happening, although there were a couple of times when I did get confused. The addition of past events solidifies Joanne's connection to current events and gives a reason why Joanne must be the one to diffuse this situation rather than one of the other Wardens.

Joanne is feisty, impulsive, stubborn, and determined. Despite the risks to her own life, she knows she cannot walk away from the situation and leave the world in peril.

I continue to enjoy this series, although I would not say it is one of my favorites. I am certainly understanding more of Joanne's character as the books progress and am beginning to like her a bit more than I did in the first book. ( )

I'm really enjoying this series, each book adds something new to the equation. Just starting book four - Windfall - now. ( )

Series is getting better ( )

All bets are off in this third installment of the Weather Wardens series. When we left our heroine, Joanne Baldwin had just died -- again -- and come back to life. She and her djinn lover, David, now set off toward Las Vegas to take down a disgruntled teenager turned psychopathic killer and the powerful djinn he controls.

When the duo are blocked by magic from entering Sin City, they discover the Wardens will do anything necessary to bring down the boy and gain control of his djinn. Other players have joined this high-stakes game, however, and Joanne soon finds herself caught between two ruthless organizations, both wanting to control much more than the weather.

Joanne continues to be a fascinating heroine, especially as more of her history is revealed, and her relationship with David is as sizzling and conflicted as ever, with enough detail to tantalize but not so much that it takes over the story. The gray areas of her world become even more important as Joanne begins to realize the cost of doing the right thing and questions her life's work.

Caine has cleverly combined the wise cracks, sexiness and fashion savvy of chick lit with gritty action-movie violence and the cutting-edge magic of urban fantasy.

After finding myself a bit disappointed by the second book, the author had grabbed me once again for the third. Poor Joanne gets tossed around a lot without knowing what's going on, but sometimes, somehow, she manages to plant her feet and make a stand. I still think I might like a story set in this worth but not following Joanne better -- I'd love to see the life of an ordinary weather mage rather than one who's the centre of a bigger power play -- but I'm still looking forwards to the next book. ( )