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

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

LAB... Thanks for the Rock Chick info. I listened to the first book and at the end of it was the first couple of chapters of Rock Chick Rescue and I want to know the Eddie and Jet story.
I love the Tex character, who knew he was such a coffee guru.

I finally finished Rock Chick
I am sorry to say that it never did get any better IMHO. I found the h, Indy Savage, to have an appropriate last name. At an attempt to be "independent" I found her obnoxious, obstinate, and ridiculously stupid.
(view spoiler)[ After receiving various unwanted "gifts" from an unwanted mob suitor, (one of which was a dead body), and a car explosion of a rival, she runs out headlong into numerous dangerous situations to be kidnapped not once but 3 times. (hide spoiler)]
I don't think that I have ever wanted to rate a book as low as I would have except for the side characters. I might read more in the series, but the first book was a bust to me.

On audio, I am listening to the third book in the Veronica Speedwell Mystery series by Deanna Raybourn. (The author of the Lady Julia Grey Mystery series). In this novel Veronica and Stoker are pursuing the disappearance of his ex-wife's current husband and their possible involvement in the theft of an ancient Egyptian diadem, (a jeweled crown). This series is set in Victorian England and Veronica is an uncommon woman, intelligent, a scientist, independent, and unflappable. I love her character.
ETA... A Treacherous Curse

Paula... I actually love the Black Dog series, and the spin-offs. I have read each book as soon as they have come out.

LAB... Maybe I am just in a mood against flighty women. I liked your comment and I am trying to not be so jaded.


TINNGG... That is a great comment. I have a real hard time with things like a trained cop having to be protected by a hammer wielding construction guy. I would understand if they were shot, or knocked out, or even hurt. Too Funny!!

Liz... It might just be me, some people love Rock Chick. I would probably give some of the other books a try, it's just that the h, Indy, gets on my nerves, and I generally love Kristen Ashley's writing. I did read that this series is an old series, and to be fair was probably a bit rough because she wasn't a seasoned writer yet.
Re: For the Heart of an Outlaw It just came out and there is supposed to be another shorter release sometime later this month with Colt and Karis. I think that you will like the last one, and they are free on KU!!

TINNGG... I agree, I knew that I was at risk for a thrashing by picking on Rock Chick. ;-) I'm not finished, so there is always hope that it will improve, maybe. I just find that for a policeman's daughter, a girl who has been surrounded by policemen all of her life, and who has been a slight wild child that she has no more self preservation than a happy dog. I'm usually able to pull myself out of the literal world to drift along in the book fantasy world, but this craziness draws me out of the story.

I liked and copied Randi's idea of posting the book covers at the end of my challenge lists, and because we can on GoodReads, I added links for the books read.

I've been listening to Rock Chick. This was a book that was "picked for me" on the Girls, Guns and Grimoires January 2018 pick for you challenge. The H, Lee is the typical alpha male and all he wants to do is protect the h, Indie, who through no real fault of her own, is wrapped up in a theft of a bag of diamonds. I find that she pushes all of my buttons, TSTL, argumentative, and about as dense as a brick. She is trying to be portrayed as independent but I find her ridiculous. She gets all offended at the slightest thing, Even though she has "been in love" with the H since she was 5 when he approaches her for a relationship she tries to back away because she has decided to ignore him. He rejected a relationship with her 10 years ago because he was in a special ops group and didn't need the distraction. At every turn she finds a way to find fault with their budding romance. She is also being pursued by 2 different sets of bad guys and opens doors without looking to see who is there, to get kidnapped, again. I feel like I am listening to a book about a 6 year old in a 20 something year old body. Unless this book improves a whole lot, I wouldn't give this book 2 *'s.

On kindle, I finished the latest book in the T.S.Joyce Outlaw series, For the Heart of an Outlaw. I loved the h, Karis. Her mate is the brother of the h, Ava, of For The Love Of An Outlaw. Originally Karis is escaping the breakup of a long term relationship and signs up to meet Colt. Her original intent is to keep her heart out of it, but soon finds that she has fallen for this scarred man. I found their relationship sweet and the ongoing story still engaging.

Lisa... Sorry that it didn't fit the criteria. Mandy Roth has a series about Avian shifters, also didn't one or two of the "Breeds" books have them in them? It wasn't a whole book about them though. Try King of Prey
It's a quick read.
Thanks for starting the BDB thread. I cannot let that series go, and I know that some here, (**Clears throat**), cannot stand to read it anymore. To be fair, for those who haven't read them, the BDB Legacy books are more like the beginning of the original BDB series, the more romantic PNR than UF.

Thanks Lisa for starting this, we might need to use it for other books.

Sharon... I've not read anything from Zoe Parker, have you read her before?

On kindle I am reading His Lordship's Last Wager: A Regency Romance Between Bitter Enemies and I am finding that her humor is still there and I am enjoying this quite a bit. The insults are quite biting, and pretty funny.

LAB.. I didn't see your post about Blood Fury. I took a while before I hit the button. We should do a buddy read and compare notes.

Vinity... Although this is a "2nd" book in the series, The Husband List The first book appears to be set in contemporary times. This book is set in the 1890's, and the characters are mostly the h's family. There are the usual society norms, but Caroline doesn't want to be someone's prize pony. It takes place mostly in Newport, R.I. the playground of all of the great American society families of that era. The Mother is the catalyst for all of the trauma and title mongering, but the h has her ways around her. This can be read as a stand alone, and because the reader is the one for Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series, I hear Charley once in a while, but usually only when she is reading, not exactly in the voices. It was an amusing read not too complicated, and a tiny bit quick to end.

So I was thinking about Avian shifters, thanks Lisa, and I realized that I have a novella called King of Prey.
I received it as a give-away from the author Mandy Roth and I thought that I would give it a try.

Also did anyone else get Blood Fury? I didn't realize that I had ordered it on kindle. I usually listen to those because the kindle book is $14.99 and my Audible credit is around $9.50. I don't order books that are more than my audio credits anymore.

On audio, I finished up a relatively good book set in America's Gilded Age, about an American heiress, bred and groomed for the perfect match. Who only wants her brother's best friend, an Irish American with lots of new money, no title, and no fine breeding. It is The Husband List It is a co-authored book written by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly.

I might have missed it but has anyone read Jennifer Ashley's latest Historical mystery? It's called Death Below Stairs and sounds pretty good.

Apparently I have been in an historical mood lately, I have been listening to The Husband List

Vinity wrote: "I just preordered audio of A Treacherous Curse. It's out next week :)"

Thanks Vinity... I pre-ordered it too!!

LAB... I listened to the first 2 Fire and Ice Trilogy books this summer. I liked them too. I got them in an Audible sale and I never did get the third book in audio. The main character is rather hard to describe, a Kate Daniels-esque character, who also has a parent to hide. I like her side kicks, and of course, Darius, the smug bastard.

Ezi.... Don't worry, my husband doesn't even know where the washing machine is, LOL!! I think that we all have thought of jumping in the car and just driving.

Lisa... I know that you have probably read these, how about Laurenston's The Undoing?

On audio I have been listening to a surprisingly fun mystery series, Her Royal Spyness The lead character, Lady Georgiana Rannoch, (Georgie), is a nearly penniless "Royal", 34th in line to the British Throne. She has to keep up appearances, but has no money to do it with. I found the characters fun, and the banter witty. Georgie at times, is a tad bit dense, (or maybe just naive), and she bumbles around solving the story's mystery. The 1930's London setting is different for me and I am enjoying the immersion into that era.

I finished A Meddle of Wizards. I found it to be clever, witty, and an excellent start to her Fledgling Magic series. I like quest/group fantasy novels and this one was a nice mix. Mythological gods, Viking-like humans, supernaturals, and wizards made a nice hodgepodge of characters. The one-liners were laugh out loud funny and the story was also laced with tender moments. I liked this first book. I liked the world building and the storyline and I really want to read the next book. It was a 4* read to me. I posted a review on GoodReads as this was an ARC from NetGalley. This book comes out on Tuesday.

Oh and extremely cold here!! Hate it!! ;-(