Vi’s Comments (group member since Jun 04, 2011)

Vi’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Sure, Lisa Kay. No hurries.

God, I have to re-read my posts before submitting. I just eat too many words in between that it is embarrassing.

Oh yeah, I'm very shy - if you meet me face-to-face for the first time, you wouldn't hear me speaking much.

Oh LK, have you any of Osborne's other books? Care to recommend one for me?

Vi's Answers to Lisa Kay's Questions for Prologue to Chapter 3

1. Have you ever read any of Maggie Osborne’s books before? How do you like her less than perfect heroines? What about westerns as a subgenre of romance? Have you read many? If so, who are your favorite authors?

No, I hadn't heard of the author prior to this book. I've read 2 Western Romance so far - Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson and Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman. I liked the latter better than the former.

2. What did you think of Low Down’s method of “sweet talking” to motivate her patients into rallying? (BTW, ugh. Who gives fish stew to someone who is tossing their biscuits? LOL!)

Oh, I was shocked but realized it was very effective. Great thinking!

3. We don’t know Low Down’s history yet, but I’m willing to bet it is a sad one. I’m under the impression that she has nothing. Given this, is her yearning for a family and someone to love not only understandable, but believable, despite being impractical, or less than sane? (BTW, I got a kick out the fact that Low Down was looking at Max McCord when her “fondest wish” came to her.)

Obviously, I can't really relate but I can understand that she wants someone to love for her own. She doesn't want to be alone anymore which is so understandable. The only I didn't was the fact that she asked for a baby in front of so many people. I couldn't have.

4. I must admit that when I read reviews that Max was already promised to Philadelphia yet made to be part of the “lucky twenty-four,” I was a little skeptical about the storyline. Nevertheless, the way Ms. Osborne writes the scene and sets it up in escalating stages worked for me. You? At first he was just going to join the group that was willing to “poke” her, and I could understand to a certain extent about of saving face, when push came to shove, mingled with hope against the odds ー and then Preacher Jellison insisted on marriage, of course.

This requires a huge suspension of disbelief on the reader's part if you ask me. I mean, who the heck in their right mind will insist on a promised guy to do it. Plus, she needn't have had to do it like this - I mean she's in a mining town with all guys, for crying out loud! So yeah, huge suspension of disbelief

5. Are you like me and feeling for both these characters already? They are in an impossible situation. I felt for Low Down when she was not “duded up” like the rest of the town and when the men all balked; but, it was excruciating the next morning when she was at the riverbed and Max was talking to her – then he turned down her dinner invitation! She may have a generous heart, but she has pride too.

Oh yeah, my heart was cracking up for her. She's so naive and so clueless that you just want to hug her. I can understand with Max also and the impossible situation. I also liked that Osborne didn't make him a perfect character - he had his flaws.

6. Bookquote: “Had he troubled himself to inquire if she had someplace she would rather go, like south? No, he had not. . . If she wanted a baby, she had to follow where her husband’s privates went…” I love the way Ms. Osborne writes Low Down’s thoughts. As frustrating as the set-up of their situation is to me, these wry notes of insightful humor are softening me up. How about you?

Oh yeah, it shows Low Down so properly and also just about tells her how she was treated previously. It somehow seems a miracle that she is so like her now even with all the turns life gave her.

7. What did you think about the “treasures” the men left outside Low Down’s tent? Her gratitude for them?

Well, they damn sure had to do something. All of them were relieved that it was Max who was trapped. And this somehow redeemed them. Mighty telling of Low Down when she was able to savor the gifts as they come - she's such a positive person.

8. There are many things that endear me to Low Down, but I have to say when she was thrilled at being considered a temptress, that was an ice cream sundae topper. Did she work her magic on you? If so, when and how?

Osborn writes good stuff - I don't know when I fell for her but somehow I did - completely. The magic is subtle that you don't you're falling until you're all done.

Um, so start date? When is your pref, Lisa Kay? Before or After Christmas?

Anomander, I saw you post that link somewhere and now I'm spending hours on that blog. Bad Anomander! ;)

Lisa Kay - I don't celebrate Christmas and I don't think Anomander does either. I can start anytime after 12th. I want to finish The Mists of Avalon that I'm reading (You should read that one - it has lots and lots of discussion topics - a very good BR book).

I'll be getting my hands on this book today. I'll join in as soon as I'm caught up.

Can I join in this buddy read as well? I saw the thread and the blurb and I wanna read the book! I should be able to get the book tonight/tomorrow morning..

How about 10 chapters per day? The 7th day we can finish the rest of the book. I don't have the book so I don't know the count, unfortunately.

OK, I can get the book on Dec 6th. Can we start of Dec 7th?

I finally finished this book today and finished all my backlogged books. Yay! First, man, this book was awesome. I read it late last night and got up early to finish the book. It was THAT awesome. I'm so so glad I finally picked up the book.

After the fiasco of this buddy read, I'm hesitant to suggest the next book as buddy read. But I really would like to read the next book ASAP! Anomander, would you like to continue the series?

IIRC, the whole series has Jo as the lead character. David and Lewis play important roles.

LOL!

I'm lazy to do the last set of questions (Going to Thailand tomorrow!!! :D) but here's some of my thoughts:

1. The last few chapters were bizarre and kinda confusing. Which leads me to think that they will play a bigger part in the next few books.

2. My hate of love triangles is reinforced after this book.

3. This book is definitely much better than the first book.

Thanks for the great Buddy Read! After reading the questions, I revised my rating to 4 stars. I'm open to a buddy read of the next book *hint hint*

Answers to Lisa Kay’s Questions for Chapters 10 -12

35. Well, Mr. Black turned out to be useful. Good. Think Bran will make a good “father figure” for his daughter, Kara? Hey, maybe another spin-off series. Cool. Comments.
Haha, I hope not another spin-off series. I really want her to write more A & O books! I like Bran very much. He'll make a good father figure. And Kara will have Charles. But, I want to read a book just about Bran and his mate Leah.

36. Man-oh-man! I’d sure like a friend like Zee. He is just full of handy things to give Mercy, including information and a “superhero vampire/sorcerer-slaying kit.” Think all of it will come in handy?
Of course. I'm liking Briggs' writing. She somehow makes every word count in the book!

37. Are all the injustices going on getting to you as much as they are to me? Mercy doesn’t really dwell on it, but it is obviously a strong motivating factor for her. Comments.
It gets to me as well. Mercy doesn't seem to dwell on it but we do get an idea from her comments and the narrative. Her reaction to alpha wolves tell a lot - as does her reaction to Samuel and Adam. Somehow, while I think she needs to remember how the packs work, I also feel that she needs to keep an open-mind. After all, she can bring about change due to her unique position. Plus, I get the feeling she's a little bit insecure.

38. Were you surprised that Mercy could get Warren to lie down? Darryl wasn’t too happy about it; think this will come back to haunt Mercy?
No. She and Warren have a very good bond, obviously. Not really. Mercy enjoys a unique position in the pack which will hopefully work in her favor. Plus, her growing up with a pack cannot go wrong.

39. “Kill the vampire and the demon goes away…” Do you think this will prove true?
I'm thinking this means that the demon can't be truly dead? Maybe it goes to Hell or wherever it is from to possess somebody else?

40. What do you think of Stefan’s experiments? What does this say about his character? What do you think about how pissed he was at Andre? Do you think Andre really was unaware at how angry Stefan would get?
Stefan seems sympathetic or forward thinking for a vampire. And it demonstrates his self control (for a predator). I'm very sure Andre would have known exactly how angry Stefan would get. This blood bond thing seems very complicated.

41. What do you think about Estelle killing Joey? What will Marsilia do about this? Or won’t she care? Won’t her apathy toward humans eventually bring about her downfall?
Briggs shows Vampires in a predator light without any romance-y feelings which is refreshing. I'm digging it. But given Briggs version, it seems to be in character for Estelle. They are predators, after all. Nah, Marsilia won't do anything about this. One would hope that eventually it would bring her downfall.

42. Whoa! Mercy saw Daniel’s ghost. What do you think about where and why she was able to see him?
Poor guy was dead. Poor poor Daniel. I'm thinking Daniel came to the place where he felt most comforted. Mercy can see ghosts, can't she? But his comment about he ate me doesn't sit well with me.

43. So, Ford doesn’t think Stefan is dead, due to the threshold remaining intact. Did you think he is right?
Yes!

44. So, Mercy had an epiphany about ghosts’ patterns. Did this make perfect sense to you? But, eek! then Samuel and Adam went missing. Were you worried? Comments.
No, not really. I felt a bit lost then and it felt a little bit contrived. Foreshadowed early in the book. I expected either one of them to get caught but not both.

45. Thank goodness Mercy didn’t delete that email. Were you surprised to learn about Andre’s association with Littleton? What about Andre feeding from “The Mistress herself”? What does this say of their relationship? Did you think it would really give him an edge – or enough of one?
Yes, Mercy isn't TSTL at all. I really like that about her. Eeeks, ekes. This really squicks me out. Andre and Marsilia's relation feels like parasitic on both ends. Nobody is going to benefit from that relation. Yeah, it would give Andre an edge because Marsilia can see that Andre's much more malleable to her cause.

46. Yikes! Werewolves really don’t react well to demons. Uh…understatement. Comments?
Poor Ben. Poor Samuel.

47. Stefan commanded Mercy to come to him? What was that all about?
Ha! We can see more of Stefan's powers. Mercy being weak might have made it easier but I think Stefan is much more powerful than my initial estimate.

48. So, he bit her, right? What will the exchange of blood do for her?
I don't think it can turn her into a vampire but I hope that it will have less ill effects.

@Lisa Kay

#28 - I can see that but I have a special talent for denial. So, I'll just lumber along rooting for Samuel. :D

Questions for Chapters 7-9:
24. Poor Tony. He's so out of his depth on this one. I just wish he doesn't get himself killed by trying to be a hero.
No, I don't think so. He trusts Mercy and I don't think she'll stay in the sidelines when she can help him out with the supernatural (fae, werewolves and Vampires)

25. Funny:
In Montana, the Indians don't have a rain dance, they have a Stop-this-Damned-Wind-and-Snow dance. If you've ever been to Browning, Montana, in the winter, you'll know it doesn't work.
Yep!

26. Poor Honey. Pack hierarchy's so rigid. And she actually risked all that for mercy? And that idiot Paul, I hope Warren kills him!
I feel Mercy and Honey now. God, don't they know that it's the 21st century already?!

27. Sweet:
Kyle, dressed in slacks that cost more than I made in a month, sat without hesitation on the bloodstained floor next to the bed and began talking quietly about baseball, of all things.
Do you think Kyle and Warren will make it? Will Warren survive?
I really hope that Kyle and Warren make it (hello, immorality). I'm pretty sure Warren will survive.

28. If he didn't tell me what he could now—didn't help me with what I intended—then he wasn't the man for me.
Wow! Adam came through. Do you think it gives hope to those of us rooting that Mercy ends up with him?
As I'm firmly on the Team S, I really hope that she doesn't end up with Adam.

29. "It was a Porsche," I said with dignity. "And the road was covered with ice. If it was Samuel who told you about it, I hope he told you he was the one who egged me into taking the car out in the first place. I'm going back to see how Warren is."
*giggles*
*giggles along with everybody else* That was so cute.

30. Liking Uncle Mike. That little tid bit about werewolves losing control when in the presence of the demon. Bad bad news!
Sounds like foreshadowing to me! (My brain's screwed up!)

31. So Marsilia didn’t give Mercy complete information on how to make a dead vampire stay dead. Surprised? Also, the ghost hint.. Did you get why Marsilia said that? Why didn’t Mercy?
Argh, why can't vampire queens not be witches? Why? Makes you think that they want a sorcer-demon-vampire?! No idea on both counts.

32. If Stefan was dead, wouldn’t Andre have been able to enter his home? Andre does seem to want Stefan to be dead.. a lot, doesn’t he?
Stefan seems to be nice or a vampire. I hope he doesn't die.

33. The trailer scene was just scary. Why didn’t she get more worried when he mimicked Samuel’s voice?
I was thinking the same thing. How could she not have worried more? But she has guts - which leads me to ask - if lets say, Littleton was able to literally throw Mercy out of the trailer, then her situation would be much much worse. Made me realize how fragile her trailer is.

34. Could Elizaveta be involved in all of this?
I hope not. Can't the witch be just the witch for once?!

I finished it yesterday but just managed to find time to answer questions.

CaroB's Qs for Chapters 4-6

17. The mood at the Seethe's interrrogation sure was dark. There was a passage that stayed with me: "I wished I knew exactly why they were so worried about me - maybe then I wouldn't feel like a chicken in a den of foxes. The boy next to Marsilia quit rocking. When he looked at me, I felt it, like a flash of ice running over my exposed skin. "How interesting" he said." What was your take on the rocking lie-detector boy? What did he mean by "Interesting"
Seriously freaky. I mean, rocking to her heartbeat! I'm guessing that all vampires have some psychic abilities to an extent. I don't know why he said interesting - even after I have finished reading the book.

18. What is the deal between Daniel and Stefan?
The way Andre and Stefan speak - it's like a toy caught in the middle between two idiot guys. Also, somehow it leads me to question whether he is straight or bi. (Wonder why?!)

19. Mercy beleives the harness kep her alive at the hotel. Surprised?
Very. Is it because the vampire ignored her?

20. I think I may be switching over to team Adam :-) These are the lines that made me rethink: "I'd had werewolves love me and hate me, but I'd never had one respect me before. Not even Samuel. Adam respected me enough to act on my suspicisons. It meant a lot." For me, respect is THE single most important thing in a good relationship. Everything else: trust, love, loyalty, commitment... they come after. Do you agree? What did Mercy have with Samuel if respect wasn't part of the equation?
I think my heart melted a bit when I read that. I really want that for Mercy. Before that, I was completely in Team Samuel. Now, I'm 75% to 25% in favor of Team S. Tortured hero!!

21. What do you think of Adam having claimed Mercy as his mate? At the end fo the sparring session, when it was starting to get hot, what did Adam know? Do you think it's a good thing or a bad thing that Mercy becomes truly submissive with him?
My reaction was: Huh? What! How come?! Reading Mercy becoming submissive with him is very puzzling. Given her reaction to alpha males, it is surprising which leads me to think that maybe Adam couldn't control something?

22. OMG! What are your thoughts on Samuel's revelations?
Oh poor Samuel. I feel so bad for him. I can't believe that female. How could she not even consider Samuel's rights?

23. Did you suspect that Tom would throw this spanner in the works?
No, it came as a complete surprise. But we do see Mercy turning out to be some sort of contact person between the supernatural and the humans. Unwilling, as she might be.

Teaser, teaser: Keep an eye on David and Lewis :grin:

Lisa Kay wrote: "@ Vi

#12 – I don’t like triangles either. Somehow I’m reading two books with them now. I came via A&O too, so I’m rooting for Samuel.

Did you manage to read the prequel before the first book? I didn't and I was so baffled when I started the book. I even returned the book to the library thinking somebody had ripped pages!!

#8 – Ah! Yes, that would make sense

I think Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series and the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews have their fair share (I was shocked at first - UF having such violence?) of violence. Fair warning to peeps, I guess.

#6 – Well, we only have his word on it – for what it is worth!

Now that I think about it, Stefan said cats (or was it animals?) didn't like vampires. So how come animals like demon-sorcerer-vampire??