Agnieszka’s Comments (group member since Aug 10, 2017)

Agnieszka’s comments from the Badass Reading Challenges group.

book 1 of
Title: Happily Ever After book 1 of Deep Haven Collection 1
Author: Susan May Warren
Genre: Christian romantic suspense
Tags: Forginevess, Dreams under fire or Dreams comming true
Read: 9/6/17
Rating: 4*
Review:
There's not much Mona Reynolds dreams of than to open her own book store in a small tourist town on the shores of Lake Superior. When she finally takes the steps to make her dream reality and starts to refurbish an old Victorian house there occurs one 'mishap' after another.

This was onother book I struggled to rate. I'm not sure there was any area I loved that I didn't struggle with as well.
I loved almost all the characters even if I didn't like their development within the story very much. I loved the way Christian faith was part of the characters' lives and characters and still struggled with the way they dealt with forgiveness - especially in the last five or six chapters of the book. Almost from the first page there's so much suspense I was amazed how it's possible to create so much tension and anticipation with words and still couldn't bear the intensity. It was so obvious to me who caused all the trouble for Mona almost from the point this character was introduced and still didn't mind it at all. I wasn't that big fan of Reece (an author in the book) but cared very much for the real man behind and didn't mind it at all I guessed the identity as fast as the one of the 'perp'.
In the end I decided on 4 stars because of the great story line, writting style and characters.

Recommendation: Yes!

That's working really well :-)


Title: Belonging
Author: Robin Lee Hatcher
Genre: Christian historical romance
Tags: teacher-MC, orphans, single parent or guardian, small town machinations
Read: 9/5/17
Rating: 4*
Review:
Felicia Kristofferson leaves Wyoming after her parents' death when she finds out she was never legally adopted and can't therefore inherit their farm. She accepted a teaching position in a small town in Iowa. From the beginning she has to deal with the dislike of the town's 'elite'.
I'll admit I'm no more that much into historical fiction and only started this book because I needed one set in Iowa. After the first chapter I was hooked and loved the book very much. I loved the characters especially the both MCs, Charity (his daughter) and Kathleen (her friend) and their development within the story. The story was very interesting and I struggled to put the book down.
I rated the book 4 stars because there were parts that appeared not very realistic. Despite this little flaw I'm already looking forward to continue this trilogy.

Recommendation: Yes, especially if you like (sweet) historical romance with strong Christian set of beliefs.

If it were not for this challenge I wouldn't manage to write this review so I'm really happy about :-)


Title: Rumble on the Bayou
Author: Jana Deleon
Genre: romantic suspense
Tags: fun, FBI, daredevil/kick-ass heroine, small town cop, drugs, hate-to-love story, crazy gators :-)
Read: 9/4/17
Rating: 5*
Review:
This is a book from the author's back list. It's not as wonderful as her Miss Fortune series but still great. Despite the author's signature style with fun, quirky characters, fictional Louisiana bayou small town and a successfull big city professional struggling to navigate the depths of culture shock in hicksville :-) this book is a little different. It was difficult for me to determine why. OK there's much more sexual tension and the two short graphic sex scenes (which I din't mind at all) and that surprised me especially because it's shelved as cozy-mystery on the main page.
This book started with a real bang - Gator Bait's deputy (actually acting sheriff) finds a stoned gator in the pool of the town's notorious drunk with a backpack full of drugs and money in his mouth and knows immediatelly her trouble just started - big time :-)
I really love Jana Deleon's style and decided to read this book after I run out of the books in her Miss Fortune series. Too bad it takes so much more time to write books than I'm going throu. I'm sure the next time I'll need something fun I'll get back to this one.

Recommendation: Oh yes sure - especially if you love fun stories and don't mind explicit sex scenes!

I can't believer how fast this one was!


Title: Web of Deceit
Author: Susan Sleeman
Genre: Christian RS
Tags: technology, grief, serial crimes, FBI, single parent of guardian, fast paced, disfunctional family
Read: 8/30/17
Rating: 5*
Review:
I’m so glad this book was available for a short period of time for free. It doesn’t happen that often anymore I’m able to finish a 200+ pages book within one day which shows how much I loved it!
I have to admit I was a little bit cautious after I noticed how many books this author published with Love Inspired Suspense and those I read I wasn’t much excited about.

Three years after Kait found out her brother-in-law is a cyber-criminal she and her colleagues at the FBI were looking for and he killed her twin-sister in front of her she’s frustrated there’s not a whisper of a lead to find him.

I loved how realistic and candid this novel is. I’m sure there are readers who don’t appreciate the graphic violence and sexual tension between the main characters – I liked the story even more because that’s how life often is.

The novel is fast paced, has interesting characters with great character development and shows enough faults in their relationships to stay realistic
Kait’s mother, boss and her brother-in-law (pretty creepy) were the only characters I didn’t like and I suppose it was even on purpose.

Recommendation: Oh yes! Especially if you don't mind violence and sizzling romance (no graphic sex)

BARC Mods wrote: "This is the general Q&A pretty much, so you are good there.

Anthologies are allowed as is. Boxsets have to be used as their individual books, so to use it, you'd have to use the separate 3 books. ..."

Thank you I think I get it now.

OK let's beginn :-) I hope you don't mind I added 'Tags' - often they help very much to get a better feeling for a book :-)


Title: Lizzy and Jane
Author: Katherine Reay
Genre: Chritian Chick-Lit
Tags: food, cancer, estranged family members, single parent or guardian, insta-love, self-employment or (small) business owner, literature references
Read: 8/30/17
Rating: 4*
Review:
Elizabeth is struggling to create magic in her kitchen and when the owner/investor of 'her' restaurant hires a second chef she fears to lose her life's work and her dream. She decides to visit her estranged family to find back to her roots and help her sister during her chemo.

After a pretty tough beginning – I was only able to enjoy this novel on third or fourth attempt – I loved it. The book is rather realistic with lovable characters and I loved the character development especially of the two Sisters and Nick. Since I expected this book to be a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice I was a little disappointed to find out it’s not – at least in the beginning. The many Austen references were very interesting – especially all the food implications and made more and more sense as soon as I stopped expecting a retelling. I loved the combination of literature (not only Austen, but also Hemingway and other well known authors) and food as well as the way Lizzy was able to draw conclusions to food preferences of people in her life and those she started cooking for.

The relationship Lizzy started while visiting her sister was the only slightly unrealistic part of the story and one I thought a few times was almost annoying.

The thing I loved most: Lizzy's favorite Austen book is also my favorite :-) All in all I liked the book pretty much and I’m already looking forward to read the author’s debut novel Dear Mr. Knightley next :-)

Recommendation: Yes!

Hope it's the correct thread - I didn't find a general Q&A - perhaps I'm just too tired and blind ;-)

Are book sets/anthologies not allowed at all or can we use them if we treat those as one book, e.g. I'm planning to read soon the entire - can I use it (as one book)?
In case I can use it. According to the re-read rule do I need to stretch it into three calender months or would it be just one re-read?

I'm a little confused about these two rules:
- Start book before challenge: No &
- You MAY use books you are CURRENTLY Reading to cover newly joined challenges, as long as it's not finished, it may be used
Does it mean I can use books I started before I joined a challenge but not finished yet or only books I started after I joined the challenge? (I joined today grrrr and have five books I already started but read all less than 10% - between 5 and 32 pages and was wondering if I can use those or not)

I'm still struggling to write reviews for my read books and need all the help I can get to (finally) do it - so please sign me up!

It was a rather well RAT for me. I finished all but two books I planned for this month (and with the CCC RaT there's still a small chance I'll finish at least one of those) and even read some I didn't expect to finish that soon :-)

I loved most of the BARC and BoB activities even if I didn't finish all of the planned (yet). My favorite part were the recommendation tasks :-)

✼Danielle✼ wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "✼Danielle✼ wrote: "Loved from this week
"

Complicated sounds great - too bad there's no ebook available (at least not in Germany) and I hope it wi..."

Thank you so much for this great news!

✼Danielle✼ wrote: "Loved from this week
"

Complicated sounds great - too bad there's no ebook available (at least not in Germany) and I hope it will change soon :-)

(BARC) Activity Report Day 7:

Recommendation Time!: 5 and 6 star books from this week in the order I finished those

5* great (Christian) non-fiction about setting, developing and mantaining boundaries in all kind of relationships - tough stuff for people struggling in this area but very helpfull
6* wonderful (Christian) historical romance fiction with a dash of suspense, mail-order-bride (and I'm no more that fond of HF!) this book will make it for sure into my top ten for this year, perhaps even into the top five - we'll see what other gems I'll discover within the next four months :-)
= 5* - (Christian) non-fiction, spiritual life and personal development (mostly in term of life as part of (Christian) community) - it's my third book by John Ortberg (all read within the last five months) and I loved all of them
5* RS - this one is among my top five by Nora Roberts - if not even the top three - #1 & 2 are and , not sure if liked more that this one and I'll re-read it to be sure ;-)
5* RS - Kendra Elliot is becomming more and more one of my favorite authors and I'm so glad I discovered her debut novel last year even if it's her weakest but still great - especially for a very first book :-)

Cool, that's a nice trick - already saved to my bookmarks :-)

(BARC) Activity Report Day 5:

Recommendation Time! Recommend at least 8 books that are half one color, half another (4 & 5 star-books read the last two years - as close as it gets with my books)
great Christian RS
love this series (RS set in Canada)
one of the more intelligent chick-lit books
= Nora Roberts! (romance, slightly PN)
great cozy-mysteries series, very fun
= = Nora Roberts :-) (romance series sprinkled with a little suspense)
= Temperance Brennan series! (thriller)
= = Lincoln Rhyme series (thriller)
great RS series, gets better with each book; Hidden was Kendra Elliot's debut
non-fiction (Christian)
= great non-fiction, very fun written and still you get all the basic information
classic (epistolary novel)
a classic
very interesting Christian fiction (fictional biography)
one of my favorites this year (Christian romance)
(current cover: ) this one is one of the few without suspense by Kathleen Brooks but still great!
YA

Leave a book review: I'll add this one later, most likely tomorrow (German time) perhaps still within the day in the US :-)
That didn't work as I planned!

(BARC) Activity Report Day 4:

Madd Libs Mixer - BoB Style: Not worthy to be up when (you're) bad headlined.
I think that should work - another tough activity but fun again :-)

(headlined) (bad) (worthy) (be) (up) (when) (to) (not)


If you like this, try that . . .

If you like by Ronie Kendig
... strong female characters try Miss Fortune series - first book , or
... good written Christian RS, try Lynette Eason, Dee Henderson or Irene Hannon
... RS, try Karen Rose Julie Ann Walker, Kendra Elliot or Kathleen Brooks
... contemporary Christian military ficition, try , or Don Brown
... conspiracy themed books, try Jason Bourne series - especially or

That was an easy one!

Recommendation Time:
That was a tough one! There're so many great books/covers it was really difficult to cut it down to eight. I picked those because either the cover grabs my interest each time I'm going through my Kindle or because they are interesting/beautiful. So far I didn't read any of those but most of them are on my soon-TBR-mental-shelf

Sun:

Moon:

Book spine rainbow:
Too bad my digicam and my desktop PC are not on speeking terms :-)

Karsyn wrote: "Just for the challenges. So if you mean for activities we're doing for BoB like the recommendations or tabloids, then no in those cases it doesn't need to be 200+."

Thank you, that's so great!

Does the 200+ pages rule apply for the BARC Activities as well?

Titles in the Tabloids: That was so fun I made several of them :-)

Soldiers of Fortune & Swamp Team 3 => Soldiers of Fortune finally defeated by Swamp Team 3!
Louisiana Longshot & Orphan X => Louisiana Longshot killed Orphan X!
Riptide & In Rides Trouble => With this Riptide In Rides Trouble (hope you can phrase it that way in English)
Lethal Bayou Beauty & Persuasion & Evil Games & Cold Light of Day => Lethal Bayou Beauty's Persuasion led to Evil Games in the Cold Light of Day


Synopsis rewrite: not sure if I got it right but here's my rewrite for Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon :-)

To: hotdudeinNE@ gmail.com
From: farmgirl433@ gmail.com

Harrison,
I just can't believe my bad luck! First I get burned on my last undercover assignment (you know arm candy of this shady arms dealer?) and there was no other possibility I had to kill him. I can see how boss wasn't happy I used these feet-killing-things they call shoes - that was the only thing they were good for anyway so no loss there. Since boss suspects there's a mole he decided to send me on vacation?!? Now I have to pose as his former beauty queen turned librarian niece in the bayou! Hello doesn't he know I don't have one female bone in my body?!? I'm an assassin! But if I want to fly below the radar until you found the leek and the price on my had goes away I didn't have a choice.

I'm less then six hours in hicktown now and got already a reprimand from the local deputy (hey why do they force me all the time to wear this feet-killing shoes - I had to get rid of them and the murky water seemed like a perfect choice) and when I finally got to my aunt's house her stupid dog fished a bone from the bayou and two old nice ladies asked for my help. It shouldn't be a problem only I didn't know they head The Geritol Mafia and now I'm really deep in trouble if I don't solve that murder and get off the deputy's radar. Why don't I just shot myself and spare all of us the trouble, grrrrrrrrr.

I hope you can smooth things out with boss
Fortune

Karsyn wrote: "My Eclipse:

"

Cool! It's quite a time ago we hade one in Germany but I still remember it very well :-)