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

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

Lulu... I read Shadow Keeper too. I want to know what happened between Emme and Val Saldi too. In the last book, he showed up to help her and her family and it appeared that they really cared about each other, even though their families are at odds. Considering Feehan's books are chock-a-block full of sex, I'm guessing that he supposedly had sex with some woman and Emme showed up and saw them. Consequently, I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding.

melindeeloo... I think that a person who hasn't read the Dark Hunter series can read the Deadman's Cross books. There is no reason that the reader would need to know anything about the other series. It does have a bunch of the peripheral characters. Have you read all of the Dark Hunter books? I'm a couple of books behind. I really should get caught up.

I listened to a contemporary romance, Cake. Surprisingly, it wasn't full of contemporary romance tropes, no "cheating", no indecision, no big blow-up or breakup. It actually had very good character development, believable scenarios, and lots of witty banter. I think that I will enjoy reading the next books sometime.

I started Red Sister. I am really enjoying it, Mark Lawrence is a fantasy/warrior author favorite of mine. His books generally have a darker feel.

Doug... I listened to the Devon Monk House Immortal series, and really liked the characters, and the strange world that she created. It's also nice that the next books are out, so you can read one right after another if you choose.

I listened to a novella The Emperor's Soul. In this world, "forgers" have the ability to re-write history, create and change the make up of just about anything, and restore broken items. In this novella, the M.C, Shai, has been captured attempting to steal an revered artifact and two days before her scheduled execution she is brought before the ruling members to attempt to do something that no one has been able to do. She has been given only 100 days to accomplish this task. The writing is clever and the characters are memorable. This is only about a 4 hour listen but I did not feel like the story lost anything because it was so short.

I finished another abandoned author's latest book, Death Doesn't Bargain which is Kenyon's second book in her Deadman's Cross series. While I did like the "couple" in this story, what really got me excited was the fact that Asheron, Savatar, Jaden, and of course, Thorn, all make an appearance in this book. In this world, Thorn has the power to bring people back from the dead to serve under Captain Devyl Bane, both to make right their past life wrongdoings and to fight demons who are breaking through the realm gate to save humanity. Kenyon's use of the tortured hero is once again applied here. I did like the h, Cameron Jack. She is fair, witty, and generally a good person. She belongs to a angel-like race, known as Hellchasers. The H, Kalder Dupree is a merman, who was raised in his father's harsh court, and was tormented by a wicked mother and horrible brothers. In the last book, Deadmen Walking Kalder sacrificed himself to save Cam, and was sent to another realm to be alternately tortured, and to fight demons. Cam hasn't had it easy either. She and her brother were orphaned at a young age and he thought that in order to protect her that she should dress as a young man and work in taverns, while he is away at sea. This is set in the young days of the "New World", and the other "Deadmen" all have their past lives to overcome too. This series is kind of a prequel to the Dark Hunter stories, even though there are a couple of modern references between Thorn and Savatar. I listened to this on audio and a couple of times I had a hard time discerning which character was talking. There were a couple of instances where I was confused as to who revealed a "big secret" or even gave a general statement.

Now I am totally out of books to read, perhaps it book roulette for me.

Carol... I am wondering if you are going to read the next book, The Girl in the Tower ? I really liked that one and can't wait for the third book. It isn't a cliffhanger, but I need to know the "rest"!! :-}

Waverly... I used to say that I wanted to be at a dinner with Ann Charles. I like her crazy way of writing.

I finished Shadow Keeper , It has all of the usual Feehan tropes, Sex, Crazy Plot Twists, Sex, Alpha Men, Sex. I like this series because they aren't the same old paranormals, they have the ability to ride shadows, which are like tubes that teleport them to various locations. This is the story of the 3rd Ferraro brother, Giovanni and his h, Sasha Provis. She is a recent transplant to Chicago from Wyoming because her brother has suffered a traumatic brain injury and needs to be in the best facility. Sasha is smart, dedicated to her brother's care, and determined to do it on her own. The H, Giovanni comes from a famous family known for it's riches and "player" sons. Sasha, while working in one of the Ferraro nightclubs, overhears Giovanni suggesting a lewd game giving points for how far each man gets with a woman from the club. The caveat is that anything done has to be suggested by the woman herself. Sasha, their waitress in the VIP section, is disgusted by his game and isn't afraid to glare at Giovanni for it. All the makings of a perfect beginning for a relationship, right? All in all, this was a good addition to the Shadow Riders series and I hope that the next novel will be about the only sister of the Ferraro family.

Vinity... When I went to the RT in Dallas, they were really pushing Butcher's Cinder Spires series. I liked the first book and would love to see another one someday.
I seem to see a pattern with lots of the fairly popular authors of a certain persuasion who get all caught up in their ego's and forget that there are lots of waiting, (somewhat patiently I might add), readers who actually brought said authors to their level of fame by purchasing their books. It seems that they don't have a conscience at all.

Liz... Good luck with the dance. I hope that your son's class has a fantastic time. First dance's are really special and I'm sure that a lot of thought went into it.

I have to laugh, what odd timing. I am listening to the latest Feehan book in the Shadow Riders series, Shadow Keeper and really liking it.

HappyBookWorm... I agree about Rothfuss, I do wish that he would finish the Kingkiller Chronicles. While I'm making wishes, I wish that George R.R. Martin would finish his A Song of Ice and Fire series, and that Scott Lynch would finish the Gentleman Bastards series.
I noticed the other day that GRRM has a new book coming out, and once again it isn't Winds of Winter. It is Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones , sub titled- (A Targaryen History). It will be $15.99 and will be out November 20th. Add that to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones and I'm sure that GRRM could have written the next AS of IF book in the time that he took to write those books. Sadly, I'm not sure we'll ever see the end of that series.

Doug... I lasted for a few more books in the Anita Blake series than most folks. It was such a disappointment to see that series degenerate to the levels it has. I hung in there hoping that it would get that edge back.

Melindeeloo... I agree about the guy on the Tiger Striped cover, he's not what I picture in my minds eye. Where is his tiger-striped hair? How did you like the "twist" in the story? I am excited to see future books, especially those about the Austin crew. I do want a book and an HEA for poor Ben. I wonder if the "fae" woman's daughter is a match for him.

Lisa... Have a great time!! I am soooo jealous! ;-)

Vinity... I think that I am over the Dresden series. The latest books have been somewhat blah, and I can't even remember the story line of the last book.
I am happy to see that your sister is out doing trials. What are the puppies crossed with? In my limited experience, a border collie cross usually acts like a border collie. My Grandparents had border collies for years, and we spent a lot of time with them. Nine week old puppies must be so cute.

I've been listening to the Thunder Point series and I am on the last book. Once again, I have enjoyed this "town", and I most certainly have been utilizing the free "Romance Package" novels. I have noticed that in some of the "Romance" series that the first book or even the last is a credit and the others are for free.

Doug I can understand a 1* review if you did read an ARC, but some of the ones that I have read are totally false. On the rare occasion that I have read an ARC, I post my reviews close to or on the release date because I am too lazy to write a couple of reviews and post them at different times. Unless I write it down I will forget, LOL!! I can see the advantage of the post anytime you want, but I can also see the advantage of a "verified" purchase or the acknowledgement of an ARC for an honest review on Amazon. I feel bad for the authors who suffer because of the low reviews.

I thought that I would give Goody Two Shoes a try, but I have this horrible obsession with reading series in order. So I had to get the first book too, Lingerie Wars because a reviewer stated that she liked the main character, Caroline in the first book.

Speaking of reviewers, how is it that people can give a 1* review on a book that they haven't read, is still on their "to read" list, and more importantly hasn't been released yet. I think that those are totally false and entirely misleading.

Doug... Have you read Kleypas' other historical series? I like the Wallflowers and the Hathaways in particular. I seem to remember that I love her historicals but only like her contemporaries. I'm not usually much of a fan of contemporary romances in general.

I am continuing to listen to the Virgin River sort of spin-off, Thunder Point. I do like the Virgin River series a bit better but I am enjoying the Thunder Point books too. I'm up to The Homecoming. which is book 6.

On kindle I read a few books, For the Hope of a Crow I wasn't sure how Joyce was going to redeem the bad guy of the Outlaw Shifters stories, but she did a pretty good job of it.
I read the novella set in the Shifter's Unbound series, Tiger Striped which had a pleasant surprise in the end. I hope that Ashley sticks with the Austin Shifters and especially with Tiger and the Morrisseys. Something big seems to be brewing.
I liked the latest Nocturne Falls installment, The Reaper Rescues The Genie It's always nice to visit the regulars and find more supernaturals.
I read an alternate "Victorian" era steampunk(ish) book because on one of these boards it was a challenge read book for the month of May, (Darned if I can find the discussion board for it though.) The Deathsniffer's Assistant . In this world Elementals are bound and their particular talents are used for common everyday things. For example a fire elemental is trapped in a way that they produce heat in a salamander. a lightning one is used to power up equipment much like electricity would power up a small motor. When you become an adult, you are tested to see what your particular (magical) talent is. Some are healers, some are truth seekers, and our main character is able to scribe things quickly. His parents died in a horrible accident 6 years earlier and he was left to care for his then 7 year old sister. He has also kept her "gift" hidden. She is the most sought after talent, and he has taken great pains to keep her hidden, because once exposed, she will be sought after and exploited. The family money runs out and he seeks employment and the only job that he can find is as an assistant to a Deathsniffer, an investigator of sorts who specializes in murder victims. This is a weird world and you are kind of plopped into it and you slowly become acclimated to it. This novel has a dark feel and in the book it is raining quite a bit, so it sets the tone and it makes you feel rather overwhelmed just like the main characters do. It was an interesting take on alternate London. It is free on KU, and I just might continue this series in the future. There are 3 out of 4 books out and I think that I will read the rest when the final book comes out presumably next year.

The second book in Hailey Edwards's Foundling series came out today, Bone Driven This is the next book after Bayou Born and is also about Luce Boudreau, a police detective, who was found as a child in the swamp and covered in strange tattoos.

TINNGG wrote: "Sam Adams Coffee Black Lager. Good...but I was regretting it at 2 AM."

Sounds yummy, but maybe not late at night.

I happen to agree with Doug about Alexa. I haven't ever had any trouble and I never gave her access to my contact list and I haven't even let her read my audio books. (I have a small rubbery bluetooth speaker that I can suction cup to any smooth surface and it will play my audio books in any room within a certain distance of my phone.) The only downfall of my Echo, (Alexa), is that it lists absolutely everything that I ever ask her and it reports to my Alexa app on my phone. I really don't need any list of how many times I have asked for a 15 minute timers or what the weather will be for that particular day. I have requested that they create an update for that. I would pick "nothing" to be listed on my app except for my shopping and to do lists. I hope that they fix that soon, it is a pain to remove hundreds of records one at a time. There should be a select all button.

TINNGG... Mmmmmmm! Sam Adams Coffee Stout. :-}

On audio, I am back visiting Thunder Point, the next "town" after the Virgin River series. While I am enjoying it, it's not Virgin River, and the teen-age angst of the second book about killed me. If I wanted that I would read YA books.

On kindle I am reading The Reaper Rescues The Genie , which I am enjoying, but I have next to no time to sit and read.

I would like to thank Doug and the others here for their military service. Freedom is not free.

Liz... HappyBookWorm would be able to verify but I think that the Wolf Brides' stories are an off shoot of the Bear Fur Hire books. You meet Luke, (the first wolf H), in one of the Fur books.

Douglas wrote: "Well for anyone else that had the same question I did, this is what I found for reading order of the T. S. Joyce Damon’s Mountains series:

Reading Order for Damon’s Mountains:

Lumberjack Werebear..."

Doug, while the number of books seems daunting, they are short "books" and quick reads.
As Liz stated, they aren't War and Peace, but for some reason once I started reading them, I couldn't stop. One of the best thing is that they are free on KU.

Liz... I really liked For the Hope of a Crow. I think that she really redeemed Ram. He was such a jerk in the Outlaw books, but I had a feeling that something was up when he replaced the cattle. I absolutely loved the h, Vina. She was such a great character. When she had her midnight story time with the Crow, her lonely, solitary life came out. Even though she was one of the rarest shifters, and her Dad was the only other one that she knew, she was a pretty good match for Ramsey. I liked her attitude, and her temper went from 1 to 100 in a split second. (view spoiler)[Who do you think planted the "bugs"? I think that it was one of the Crow Chasers, maybe the first one that Ramsey rejected, Sabrina. It could have been his second or one of his followers who ended up leaving after the big fight. (hide spoiler)] I think that Rike will be the next Crow to fall.

I read the latest novella in the Shifter's Unbound series. Tiger Striped. I love anything with Tiger in it, and this one was one of the best. Tiger wakes one night to hear a desperate cry. Someone is in great pain and nothing he does can keep him from responding. Carly, his wife, decides that he is not to go alone and that whether he likes it or not, she is going too. Besides, he freely admits that he isn't such a great driver. This journey takes them far from the Austin shifter town and the rescue is a heart breaker.

Has anyone else watched the PBS special, The Great American Read? This is an exploration of the best of the best in search of America's favorite book. You can vote for your favorites.

pbs.org/greatamericanread

LAB... My heart breaks for your daughter. Kids can be so cruel. I think that with your guidance and the proper therapy that she will come through all of this with her sweet disposition intact.

I am sooo grateful that I haven't had any back problems. I am a terrible sleeper as it is. Paula, I am glad that you could find the "rainbow" in all of that darkness. I am glad that you are sleeping again.

Vinity... I hope that they can come up with a solution for you back pain. I am sending you healing thoughts.

Melindeeloo... I agree with you regarding how the audio can strengthen a book. When we listen to a good narrator, we can differentiate because of the voice changes, vs. reading. You start a chapter and because something doesn't ring true, you are confused as to who's point of view you are reading.

So, I haven't had any time to sit and read, but because Hubby is gone for the day, I finally sat down and read Planet Dragos. I liked it very much, and in typical Dragos fashion, they are ending their saga with something totally Dragos. I loved the story of Pia and Dragos from the beginning and will be sad to see them go, but I look forward to a new demense and it's possibilities. The introduction of a new character was a good twist and I loved Pia's ordering him around.

So, what to read, I have the latest T.S. Joyce book, For the Hope of a Crow. and I also have the latest in the Nocturne Falls world, The Reaper Rescues The Genie which I was going to start a couple of weeks ago and haven't touched it yet. Or maybe I will watch some mindless TV. ;-}

LAB... Wow! You have a lot on your plate, and you were looking at schools with your oldest too, right? I wish you some rest and relaxation soon. Are you going anywhere good on vacation?

LAB.... Re: Leo's head. A lot of people have posted on Faith Hunter's Spoiler FB page about this and there are quite a few ideas. I am going with my theory. Jane might have bubbled time just a tiny bit and his head wasn't completely severed. She did see his head fly off but there may have been some time bubbling involved. I think that the bite of the Arcencial might have a healing property. It did take a long time for Katy to "come back". There is also some talk about his sanity if he does come back. I think that he will be OK. I think that Katy was always nuts and her revival just emphasized it.
You asked about the Dark Queen title. She is independent of, but linked to Leo. This title allowed her to create her own clan. I think that was also why Leo didn't put up a real stink over who she wanted for her clan. She is on a level with Leo, but not over him and not ruled by him. We will learn more about the title, I think, in the next books.

I haven't ever done a complete re-read and considering the next book won't be out for, (I think), 18 months, I think that I have time.

Faith Hunter has stated that she has 2 more books under contract.
Here is the link for her Spoiler FB page...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/19208...

Doug... I had a bit of a time in the beginning of How Hard Can It Be? I also listened to it, which I can imagine is easier than reading it. The voices are amusing and the voice of the lead character made the book for me. I probably would have had a hard time reading it too.