Vanessa’s Comments (group member since Jun 15, 2017)

Vanessa’s comments from the Read, Reading, Planning to Read and More group.

Rebecca Zanetti's first 4 dark protectors books are $2.99.

ttps://www.amazon.com/Dark-Protectors-Box-Se...

tag=bookbubemail16-20Dark Protectors Box Set

This is directly from the Laurenston/Aiken newsletter. I quote---

"Last month I announced the new G.A. Aiken series that I have coming out starting in September 2019. Some wondered what was going on with my Dragon Kin series. Well…my Dragon Kin series is complete. Honestly, after 9 books (not including my novellas), I’m impressed my publisher let me go as long as I did. Impressed and grateful. Does that mean my dragon characters are dead and gone? Absolutely not. Just because I ended one series, doesn’t mean the characters are gone forever.
Although no characters from my Dragon Kin show up in Book 1 of the Scarred Earth series, that series also takes place in the same two-sun world as my dragons and I have plans to tie it all together later in the series.

So yes, my Dragon Kin series is “over” but it’s not done."

If you haven't read these yet, the first 3 Lindsay Buroker Dragon Blood books are free on kindle and only $7.49 on audio.

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Blood-C...

Vinity wrote: "I just finished the first 3 {ones in audio} of this series A Rather Lovely Inheritance I enjoyed them. Light mysteries. I couple falls into solving historical art crimes. The first 3 ..."

Vinity.... I liked the Lovely books, but it seems that the author suddenly stopped writing them and her last written book, A Rather Remarkable Homecoming isn't on audio.

I have been listening to a different series, The Ministry of Curiosities series. The first book, The Last Necromancer is a bit slow and all of the characters are sort of feeling their way through, but the rest of the books have been picking up steam as far as the solving of a big mystery. the relationship between the main characters, and the backgrounds of the peripheral characters. New characters are added as the storyline changes, and they all bring a unique quality to the novels. I am on book 7, Of Fate and Phantoms and I anticipate each chapter. The writing is improving as the series goes on and the main character Charlie also develops, from viewing the world as a clever street urchin to an impressive intelligent young lady. What is called book 5 is actually a novella, Ashes To Ashes and I read it on kindle rather than waste an audible credit for 128 pages.

Jodi Taylor's next addition to the Chronicles of St Mary's is Hope for the Best and will be released on April 23rd. The audio lists April 25th as the release date. I love this series and especially on audio. Talk about nerdy, awkward relationships done with humor and honey. I can't wait.

Kristi... I agree with Doug. There are reoccurring characters many of whom were together as children and have reconnected as adults. The men aren't always nice guys, but aren't wholly bad men. Each book not only finds each HEA, it adds to the basic story of these people who were treated so horribly as youngsters.

Vinity... I can't believe that you hubby is so anti-tech. You are tech savvy and apparently so is your son.

Shannon... I haven't read the Tir Alainn novels.

I'm having a hard time settling on a book to read on kindle. I have been reading some of My Paranormal Valentine which is a collection of short stories. So far they're OK, just not thrilling me.

Shannon.... I really like the Veronica Speedwell series. Every year I look forward to each book. It is also excellent on audio. Have you tried Raybourn's other series, Lady Julia Grey Mysteries? Silent in the Grave is the first book in that series. It's a great series. Vinity and I both love the opening line. " To say that that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."

LAB... I read both the Virgin River and the Thunder Point books. I liked them both, but IMHO the town connection was better in the Virgin River series than the Thunder Point series.

I really hope that Wild Country isn't her last book in that series. I really fell into this new town, and some of the characters have to have their HEA's. I wonder if this is a ploy to generate more interest or is it just too hard to continue writing in this world. That would be a tragedy, at least for her readers. I have no interest in her Black Jewels series, I tried to read the first book, but it didn't grab me.

On kindle, I read A Wicked Kind of Husband. I liked it but did not love it. I did love when the H and h bantered back and forth, but their hang-ups just about made me crazy. I think that it would have been a better novel if the "legal matter" had a little more page time and their insecurities had a whole lot less emphasis.
On audio, I finally got to listen to Reel of Fortune and Swamp Spook both of those books came out on audio last month. No offense to Jana DeLeon, but there doesn't seem to be much emphasis on the audio edition of her books. I have asked her on FB and she just states that there are no plans for audio editions each time a new Miss Fortune novel is released. The voices of the main characters are hilarious, and I just can't imagine reading these. It wouldn't be the same.
I started listening to The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo So far, I like it. It has a very unusual circumstance. The H rescues the h, (kidnaps actually), while she is going to enter the church for her wedding. I must admit, the H is quite a bad man.

Edited for clarity, oops! ;-)

Doug did you ever hear anything about In a Badger Way from NetGalley? I requested it again, after the little teaser. There are 11 reviews up already.

LAB... Also, if anyone has read the Glass and Steele series, the Ministry of Curiosities series is by the same author. This is a series set in Victorian London, and is not steampunk, but there are hints of supernaturals besides the lead, Charlie, a necromancer.

LAB☺ wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I finished Wild Country 2 days ago and after that and Circle of the Moon I ..."

LAB... I am happy to say that I am really liking the Ministry of Curiosities series. I have listened to the first 2 books, and am about 80% through the third book. The characters are what I would imagine it would be like in a hodgepodge situation where people from all classes are together to both form a group of co-workers, and also a small family. There seems to be one big mystery to solve in each novel and a few ongoing themes throughout the series. Charlie is a great character. She is smart, able to read people, and better yet, able to pry vital information from them. She is incredibly observant but still naive in some ways. I will probably go through the whole series one right after another. There are actually 9 books, with a novella listed as book 5 written from Lincoln's POV.

I think that the Hugh Jackman thing was a hoax. He doesn't need your email address for anything other than spam. Any legit person would happily send out a newsletter and wait for you to join their mailing list. Too many red flags. They could link your email and IM account and gain access to your address books. Creepy!!

Vinity... For some reason, The Others series is one that I just can't do in audio. I don't listen to the Jane Yellowrock or the Soulwood series either. I did listen to one Jane book and one Others book but I just didn't like them on audio. I think that my characters' speech in my head is very different than the narrator's interpretations. It's not the narrators abilities, it's me.

Thanks Lulu. I wonder just how difficult it would be to do the Acton & Doyle novels on audio. Thanks for the tips. :-)

After the RT awards ceremony, I was outside the auditorium at a champagne reception with Grace Draven, some of her family members, Elizabeth Hunter, Cherry Adair, and others. Patty Briggs had just received a RT lifetime achievement award for fantasy writing and she just strolled up to us. Grace and I were all smiles and Patty seemed a bit overwhelmed. Mike was a couple of steps behind her and kind of standing alone. My friend Cathy and I kind of stepped aside to allow Grace and family the chance to speak to Patty and found ourselves standing with him. I asked him about Patty's recognition and we just started yakking away. I told him that I liked his responses on the forums and he asked me my name and it went from there. He kept checking on Patty, and eventually they moved on. I was really sad to hear of his passing.

Vinity... I didn't find anything worth buying on the Audible sale either. Sometimes there are a lot of interesting books, and like this time, none.

Lulu... I did too. When I posted about the Mercy book, I thought about Mike. He was funny, clever, and so supportive and protective of Patty. I had the pleasure of meeting them in Dallas @ the RT, and he was just as sweet as you could have imagined by his postings on the Ammy boards. Sadly, some of those people that we used to talk to on a regular basis are gone and their posts are lost forever.

I should get around to reading the Acton and Doyle series one of these days.

Also, Did anyone else get an email Tuesday that stated the next Mercy Thompson book was released March 5th? It is false, (release date is May 7th, I was all excited, I thought that I missed something, but no, it is not released until May. :-(

On a totally different note, I do wish that GoodReads would fix their app so that you can reply or add a book link in the discussion boards on the Android and kindle apps, (mobile version). They just had an update and I thought that they would address this, but no, still not fixed. Yes, I have complained along with many others.

I finished Wild Country 2 days ago and after that and Circle of the Moon I can't seem to get into anything else. I need to drift off into a different genre I think. I thought that both books were 5* reads.

On audio, I am listening to a very different series, (the first 3 books are available for 1 credit), called The Ministry of Curiosities series by C.J. Archer. The Last Necromancer is the first book and because there is so little info about the Male lead, (possible H?), I am intrigued. The premise is that the h, Charlie, is the last known necromancer and when she "raised" her Mother's spirit upon her death her father, a Vicar, threw her out of his house at the age of 13. Small and malnourished, she has been passing for a 13 year old boy for 5 years. Moving on every 6 months or so among London's boy gangs to avoid detection. When caught for stealing, Charlie is placed in the regular cells in jail, prey for the men there. Faced with rape, a cell mate comes to her rescue, but is killed. She then raises him, he scares the wits out of everyone, and Charlie escapes to freedom, but not for long. So far the series is enough to keep me listening.

melindeeloo . . You can add me to the fans of the Gentleman Bastards series. What I like most is that they are just as apt to lose at whatever their scheme is as to win. I'm hoping that the 4th book comes out this year as advertised. I won't hold my breath on that one, we've been fooled before.

HappyBookWorm... I didn't know you lived in Alabama too. I'm glad you are safe. My good friend's daughter was within 10 miles of one of the towns affected by the worst of the tornadoes. Her husband is in the military and they are moving to Tampa in April, now they will only have to worry about hurricanes and thunder storms. ;-)

I'm about 70% into the upcoming Boundary Broken and so far it is turning out to be excellent. It has me drawn in from the first couple of chapters.

Has anyone read The Last Necromancer. which is the Ministry of Curiosities series? It is free on KU and the audiobook is only $2.99.

Doug have you read the other books in the Royal Rewards series? Are they any good? I see that they are free on the Romance package on Audible.

Doug are you and yours safe with all of the tornadoes?

Mindy... I listened to Rhapsodic. I liked it but didn't love it. I tried to get through the second book, A Strange Hymn and got about 1/3 of the way into it and it just wasn't grabbing me. They wander around and don't really uncover a lot about the "babies".