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

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

Elizabeth wrote: "Douglas wrote: "Allow me to state the obvious, after reading Flame in the Dark I am having a really hard time reading anything it was so good (and freakin Alabama lost today so I am..."


Liz... I would read the Jane Yellowrock series, it will help with a few of the characters, but I suppose you could read the Soulwood books without the JY series. There is just so much history/background that would help you understand the dynamics of the main characters.

Sharon wrote: "@ Vanessa

That's a great story how you actually met Ms Dunbar, Did you like her? awww shame you didn't get her to autograph a book but i'm guessing you use a kindle lol. A few of you guys have met..."

Sharon, I have (somewhere) a couple of her signed books. Dunbar was a lot of fun. When I first approached her she had a pair of devil horns on her head. I laughed and talked about those and then invited her to sit with us. I have met so many authors there. I should explain, the RT is actually The Romantic Times Magazine's yearly convention where they give out their previous year's awards for all genre's of novels. They just call it the RT Booklovers Convention. It is in Reno, (boo!!) next year on May 15-20, 2018. I'm only booing because I would love to see it closer to home. I live in the North East. It costs somewhere in the vicinity of $500. plus hotel to attend as a reader. Pack light because you can come home with tons of books, almost all of which are signed. Ask Ezi about that!! LOL!! You get them at the publishers' meet and greets, at seminars, at the awards ceremony, they have "flash" signings, it's a crazy few days. On Saturday, the big convention hall is filled with tables, and authors who wish to participate are seated in alphabetical order and you can bring books, or you can purchase books. (They mark them with a phosphorus mark to determine the books that you have to purchase.) If you live close by, you can bring books in to be signed, but I think that they limit how many at a time. There is no limit on how many times that you can return to your car though. ;-) I like to get there a couple of days early, in fact that is when I met Debra Dunbar, a day before the RT was supposed to open. I like to meet people in a relaxed atmosphere and explore the area around the convention while I am there. This is the link to next year's RT-

https://www.rtconvention.com/

If anyone is interested, I think that I might go to Reno next year, I would love to meet more of you. Liz and CarolB are you coming this year? :-)

Ok books, I needed a "V" author so I started the Called by the Bear, Part 1.
Because there is a continuing "bad guy" theme I am now on Book 3. I was up way too late reading this. It's not that it is so enthralling, I just can't stop reading these. These are written in the first person, and each chapter has the name of the person whose point of view it is. These are really insta-love/mate, but sometimes you want that, and especially with shifter stories. I would give these 3.5*'s good not "classic" PNR.

I don't know why but I love goofy Christmas themed books. Apparently I'm going to be reading a few this season. From the Nocturne Falls Universe When Birdie Babysat Spider: A Jayne Frost Short.
This short story will be out on Christmas day.

Also, the Happily Everlasting series is continuing-
Total Eclipse of The Hunt This will be out on Dec. 12th. Two days later Curses and Cupcakes will be out.

Thanks Doug for the MJD rec. I did like her humor, ( I started to read her series and then people here were complaining about her going off the rails so I stopped.) I also need a "U" location so I might use the "u" in Undersea for that. I have 5 categories in my 2017 challenge and am dangerously close to actually filling in all of them.

Vinity... I don't like the wireless ear buds, I much prefer the ear buds that plug in.

Sharon... Funny story, I went to the RT Convention in Dallas a couple of years ago. My friend and I were sitting at the bar and saw a woman sitting by herself. We invited her to sit with us and turns out it was Debra Dunbar and she was also waiting on Susan Illene. We had a great time and caught up with them a couple of times during the week. Although I read lots of PNR, I had no idea who Debra Dunbar was. Next day, we walked into one of the publishers' "parties", and across the whole room was a banner touting Dunbars' latest release. We laughed. I have only read a couple of her books and only one of Illene's. They are good writers, I just had some new shinies from my favorite series that came out shorty after. Also, I had, (and still do to some degree), a ton of "free" books that I had to read or still are on my TBR pile.

Vinity... Like you and Doug, I was a fan of the replaceable battery and with my new phone, I purchased a wireless charger. I can only charge it in the flat position because of the case(s) on the S8 Active. I needed to have the stronger phone because of my job. I am starting to really love my phone. I hate the cost. I really looked around and even went to a couple of AT&T stores. The difference in informed, available help is amazing. One store didn't know that the "Actives" are exclusive to AT&T, one didn't tell me if I purchased 3 accessories that I would get a sizeable discount on them. One store actually told me that I could not purchase the phone outright, that I had "charge" one payment and then I could come in and pay off the balance. I guess that they figured that I wouldn't take the time to come back and pay off the balance. It pays to shop around if you can. (I purchased my phone and it's accessories with discounts, at the time of the sale).

On to books, I am trying to fill in the empty spots in my 2017 reading challenge. I needed an author with an X in the name. I read the worst "novella" that I have ever read. It was by Kim Fox. Good thing it was free. There is time spent that I will never get back.
To fulfill my "V" author category I am reading Called by the Bear, [bookcover:Called by the Bear, #1-3
Apparently this was a serial, and has multiple books.

This is a really good start to a series, The Lies of Locke Lamora and is only $1.99.

Vinity... I was going to get that book, and then I forgot about it. I liked Kingston's Welsh Blades book, The King's Man and never got around to reading the second book in the series, Fair, Bright, and Terrible. I love the narrator so I went back and purchased the A Fallen Lady.

Kristi... The first Shadow book was pretty good, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to read the second brothers' story. Without giving away anything, the second brother has a thing for tying things up.

The Trouble in Mudbug is pretty funny and a sort of spin-off of the Miss Fortune books.
Also, the Felix Castor books are pretty good, just a bit darker The Devil You Know and Vicious Circle . They are a kind of darker version of the Alex Verus series, which I like better and read as soon as the books are available.

Doug... Sorry about your team. It really is hard to get enthused about anything after a really good book. Please tell me that ... (view spoiler)[Occam is still there for Nell. They are so sweet together. (hide spoiler)]

I have been reading a little series about Mail Order Brides in Montana, I wanted the stories about the 3 brothers who married 3 sisters. I got all the way to the end of the third book and the last page of the epilogue was missing. I hate that. I haven't seen that happen in years.

I know that a few of us have read this series, The Lies of Locke Lamora is on sale today for $1.99. This is a tremendous series.

Kristi... What did you get from the $4.95 sale on Audible?

I got Cruel Beauty

My Lady Jane

and Shadow Reaper .
I read the first Shadow book and was going to read the second when it went on sale, so good!

Vinity... I was going through my e-mails right after I posted and there was one from QVC and it had the Surface as one of the electronic "Black Friday Weekend" deals.

Vinity... On QVC there is a 128 Gig Surface Pro 4 w/keyboard, pen and Office on sale. I don't know if this is just for today or this weekend.

http://www.qvc.com/Microsoft-Surface-...

Doug... Sooo Jealous!! I love the Nell universe and am very glad that there will be more books after this one. I still rate Faith Hunter's two current series as my favorite Urban Fantasy series. She always manages to draw me in.

Vinity... I have a Surface and that is all that I use now. I would be heartbroken if I broke mine, and the touch screen is one of the best parts of using it.
I, just last Thursday, purchased a new Galaxy S8 active. This phone is exclusive to AT&T. I bought a case that is supposed to be military grade and the same with the screen protector. This phone is supposed to also be waterproof, although I will take them at their word for that. As you know, I work outside. I listen to books while I work when I can. I cannot believe the cost of new phones. What gets me is that they are all glass, even on the back. What purpose does that serve? Another thing to break, that's what. I haven't shut off all of the unwanted features quite yet but it seems pretty straightforward. I like the speed, ease of use/syncing , and the storage capacity. My old phone lasted me many years, so I figure that I probably got my money's worth. The only thing that bothers me is that although I sent all of my contacts and my calendar to my sim card last week, not everything transferred. So I am reduced to going through my contacts and calendar and posting them to my new phone. I hope that this helps with your new phone decision.

For the Chicagoland Vampire fans, Chloe Neill is apparently starting a new series with Ethan and Merit's daughter, Elisa and surprise, (not), Gabriel's son Connor.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...
Wild Hunger
It will be out July 10th 2018.

Also on pre-order is the next Kate Daniels book,
https://smile.amazon.com/Magic-Triump...
Magic Triumphs
This will be out May 8th, 2018.

Liz... T.S. Joyce's books add a little bit more as you read the series. Most of the time you get an answer to your questions but it might be from the perspective of another person of the group, or even from another group entirely, (like in this case the mountain lions). You should try some of her other series, I think that you will like her books, they are direct and read fairly quickly. They are also on KU, which is nice.

Demetra... I hope that book 4 in the Gentleman Bastard series is out next year. I'll cross my fingers too, but I won't hold my breath LOL!! He has fooled me before, the "German" version had a date of July of this year I seem to remember.
Thanks for the "The Stone In The Skull" info, I might delay this until the price goes down or the second book comes out, just to see if the "preaching" continues. I'm not much for that. I don't mind a little, but if it phased you, and because we seem to like the same fantasy books, I might wait and see.

I finished Rhapsodic, a couple of days ago. I liked it and I have the next book, but I feel that there was way too much bouncing back and forth from the present and 7 years ago. Generally that doesn't bother me but nearly every chapter had a "7 years ago" chapter attached. I would have liked to have been introduced to her best friend/business partner and had some background info on her. It was a good read and I want to read the next segment. Is this a trilogy? Does the story line end with the 2nd book? I know that there is a "Book 3" but it gives the background on the "Bargainer" and is only 186 pages long.

I started listening to a Jennifer Crusie book, Fast Women
It has been a long time since I read one of her books, and I am enjoying this one. A divorced woman, Nell, applies for a job at a detective agency and practically destroys the office while she is waiting for the owner, Gabe to get off of the phone. This novel is done with Crusie's usual aplomb. The side characters are funny and interesting and of course there is a background mystery to solve.

On kindle, I also read Thrown to the Wolves.
This is a 4 story anthology. Three stories are from the Gemini universe and one is from the Black Dog. This book is free on KU. It was really nice to see a couple of side characters get a HEA. It is a really fast read at only 133 pages.

Because of the holiday, I have been reading quick books. I read a book that I have had in my kindle for a long time. Westward Winds
It's good that it was free because I kept getting bumped out of the story by sayings, items, or analogies that were not around in 1800's Montana. She also uses the wrong word to describe some people too. These are simple, easy reads. The "big" disagreement was kind of pathetic, and lasted way too long, but I did like the lead characters and their families. I am reading the 2nd book, Westward Dance.
I'll probably read the first 3 books because they are about three brothers and three sisters.

I know that perriwinkle usually did this on the Amazon forums but I would like to carry on the tradition--

What are you reading? Weekend of November 24-26th

Happy Birthday Doug!! :-}

DemetraP wrote: "I'm reading A Stone in the Skull. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and so far it's got wizards, gods, a "Dead Man" a soldier of an emperor and when they pull down their face veil and look at you, i..."

I loved the Locke Lamora books, (because of your recommendation I might add), and put this on my wish list. Let me know how this works out, and I am with you, I hope that she prods him into finishing the series. Maybe he was helping her write her book and he will get back to his series now. I need to know more about Locke and Jean. I hope that Jean meets someone else, he is such a great character.

ETA... There been a pre-order for Book 4 in the Gentleman Bastard series,(in German), for quite some time. The date has been changed to June 11, 2018. Maybe we will finally get the next book.

Vicki wrote: "Vanessa... I haven’t read her before. Which of Joyce's books,would you recommend I begin with?"

Vicki... This is a new series so you can read it without reading the other series.

If I were to start the "other" series, I would start at the beginning, (timeline wise) with Bear My Soul.
HappyBookWorm don't you think that is a good place to start? I started in the middle somewhere, but I soon went back and read all of her other books. I believe the Bears Fur Hire and the Wolf Brides books are related, but not a part of the bigger series, (Fire, Saw, Gray Back, Boarlander, and then the off shoots of those. The Winter Haven series is separate, but "after the shifters came out". I loved them all and they are free on KU.

I finished the latest shifter book by T.S. Joyce. It's a new series Outlaw Shifters, and is set in Montana, one of my favorite places on Earth.
For the most part For the Love of an Outlaw is a typical shifter meets mate series. What I like about her books are the heartfelt emotions and the raw destruction these shifters can emote. These are easy, simple reads, with no extraneous fluff, just the grit. In this new world, shifters occupy towns and territories under the noses of humans. Shifters are not out to the world. I enjoy her writing and this book was no exception. I would give this first book 4.5-5.0*'s. It hits all of the right buttons for me, emotional characters, powerful story lines, adequate world building, and an HEA in the end.

ETA... https://smile.amazon.com/Love-Outlaw-...

Has anyone read Strange the Dreamer?

Laini Taylor wrote it. I did like her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. I guess what I am asking is- Is this book a really YA centered book or can a person who dislikes all of the YA tropes actually enjoy it? Generally speaking, I do like her imagination, prose, and world building.

I finished the first 2 books in a Shifter series, Diablo Lake. Moonstruck
and Protected.
This is a series about a mythical Tennessee town protected by witch's magic, hidden from any non-magical beings. Shifter families, (both wolf and big cat), and witches live together. The wolves have a split faction, the Dooley family and the Pembry's. These first 2 books are about the two couples who are to be the leaders, (Patrons), of the wolf families. I love the banter between the best friends Katie Faith and Aimee, (the h's). I don't know why the author insisted on using the full name Katie Faith through out these books. It is tedious. This series is interesting enough to make me want to read the next book. My only "nit" is that the language gets tangled up in the attempt to sound like the rural south. These books are only about the wolves and there is only a minor instance where the "cats" are involved. There is still an "unspoken" mystery that still has to be solved and it is crucial to determining a certain characters vehemence against the first books' couple. There are some really sweet moments and smexy scenes. I would give this series 3.5- 4.0*'s.

On kindle, I am going to start a new series started by T.S. Joyce For the Love of an Outlaw
I thought that her last book Son of the Dragon
had the feel of an ending.

On audio, I am listening to Rhapsodic
I haven't had much chance to listen this weekend and I'm not sure that I will continue this series, unless it really picks up. After this I think that I am going to explore those "free" Romance books on Audible.

Hi Everyone.. I have been bouncing around between genres. I finished Liondrake's Star Warriors, I like them they are lighter and quite funny at times.
I listened to Seduced by Fire.
This was a nice conclusion to the trilogy, but I can't help feel that I want more from the side characters, especially the younger brother, from the first and the third books. I would give the trilogy 4 stars.
I also listened to Raised in Fire.
This is the second book of a trilogy. I read the first book for a reading challenge last month. I like this series, the h is "something else", and is faster than a normal human and vampires find her scent most appealing. She is partnered with a very old vampire and with a couple of talented witches, they set out to solve supernatural cases under the noses of unsuspecting local police. They series is kind of the typical ass-kicking heroine type but I do like the other characters and the over all mystery running through the series. I would give this series 3.5-4.0*'s. Worth reading but I want to come to the dramatic conclusion.

I also finished A Bachelor Establishment.
which I loved. The banter was excellent and I loved the awkward way that they fell in love, and especially the "marriage proposal". This had everything that I like about an historical read and none of the usual misunderstandings. I would rate this a 5* read.

I am listening to Rhapsodic.
I am enjoying it but the bouncing back and forth between her teen years and now are making me a tad bit tired of it all. I am past the half way point and I hope that it ends soon. Please tell me it doesn't last throughout the whole book.

On kindle I am reading something that BareThoughts sent to me a while ago, Moonstruck.
This is a town unknown to outsiders and there are 2 factions of wolves and the rest of the town are witches. It is interesting and the love story is between a couple that have a connection that goes back a few years and they weren't able to do anything about it then. The wolves and witches when they make the "right" mating, it amplifies their magic or power. One faction of wolves rejected her and want her for the power that she will bring them and the other is where her love interest is. It drew me in right away, and I think that unless it falls flat that it will be worth reading more of this author.

I read the first book a long time ago. The first 3 books (Omnibus) are on sale until November 21st. Witch & Wolf Omnibus Books 1-3

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

Liz... I would say that if you can tough it out through Sagitta,
then you would be set up for the next book, Hierax.
Something major happens in the end of Sagitta and it leads right into Hierax.

Thanks Paula, I might as well read Ariston too.