Blending images can be achieved by more than one way. Using your blending options is certainly one you should master. Another is to make good use of the masking features of PS. The "Blend If" options can also be very useful. Experiment with your channels as well, depending on the colors you are working with your channels can give you dramatic effects.
When I began making composites, collages, montages, whatever you choose to call it I scoured the web for good tutorials that would give me a little step up. That was when I discovered there are so many different ways to work this effect. But the most help I received was from Orion Williams web site. Thi was some time back and his site is not like it used to be. But he offered up his open source psd files so you could actually see how he did everything. Now, don't get me wrong, it is not that he is the best out there, he isn't. The actual help was that I could SEE what was being done and then take my own files and come up with a similar effect and just move forward.
The Orion Williams site is called Photoshop Designer, check him out. Be sure to look at other places as well. Amazon.com offers a large selection of USED
PS books that deal with nothing but the blending style techniques.
Graphicsoft is another place to look, they have some pretty good stuff, and don't forget to take a peek at what the adobe.com site has.
Hope this helps, good luck!---bedlam123