SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Hello ladies, I'm sorry that I have been so unsupportive and MIA. My family showed up for a visit on the same day that my husband lost his job. They stayed a few days (we got to go to Kim Harrison's book signing though!) and then had to leave b/c my mom's BF died. What a freakin' week!

Give me a bit and I will get all out posting business caught up. Thank you bunches Josie! That was super-sweet and ridiculously helpful. I needed it. :)

Dana, sorry to hear RL is kicking your butt!

My condolences to your mom.

It is always a shock when you lose your job, so I hope hubby is bearing up OK.

Sending best wishes for all your family.

Thank you Sandra. This week has been so epically bad that it has become a joke for us. I almost prefer it that way though. (This is where you know I am a bit nuts. C= ) And yes, the spouse losing his job was a shock. He seems OK and says he is fine, but men take things like this so hard. It makes me worry but then that is what we women do really well, right? Worry about our men? :) We are gold medalists in that Olympic event!

My mom is a total trooper but of course I am worried about her too. She just lost one of her other dearest friends only 6 weeks ago. Not a good time for her. I'm glad I got to see her and pamper her a little this week. Even if the circumstances in my own house weren't so great. Misery loves company! :P

I got pulled away from my demon book but I promise to get my booty in gear and finish.

While driving to and from work the last few days though I did manage to listen to the audiobook of


Title/Author: Swallowing Darkness
Read for shelf: paranormal romance
Date finished: Mar 10th
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Review: So my nerves needing a little soothing this week so I did reread. I did do a new format though and I am glad I did.

This book is to date my favorite of this series. I have read all of LKH's Anita Blake books but prefer her Merry Gentry series of the two. This book is the best of them all. Now that the 'great goal' is finally met, the author has cut back on the sex scenes and spent a lot of time on plot development in this story. Huge leaps and bounds in this book! You learn much of the world of fae that is new and there is a major shift in storyline in this book. Will Merry be queen? What is happening with her sick-o uncle? What is up her freaky cousins sleeve?

For anyone that has read these books but stopped before reading this one, I would recommend you try this one as well. It is a good one with lots of action, romance/steam, and all the exciting paranormal aspects that we love to hear about. :)

Also, this was very well preformed as an audiobook. The woman was British and for these stories, you almost have to hand these off to a native. Although the stories are set here in the states, most of the characters are hundreds/thousands of years old and are all from England, Scotland, and Ireland originally. It just lent something to the story and I thought it was wholly pleasing.

Yeah done! I'll go see if I can't get us a stamp. :)

BSB Week 5 (Mar 4 - Mar 10): paranormal romance
Completed: 5/5
D.G.: Haunting Beauty Mar 8th ★ ★ ½
Dana: Swallowing Darkness Mar 10th ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Josie: Windfall Mar 7th ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Juana: Lothaire Mar 9th ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Steph: The Darkest Seduction Mar 7th ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Here are what we have chosen so far for our new week.


BSB Week 6 (Mar 11 - Mar 17): paranormal mystery
Completed: 4/5
D.G.: Deeply, Desperately Mar 14th ★ ★ ★
Dana: Raven Cursed
Josie: Naked in Death Mar 14th ★ ★ ★ ★
Juana: Blood Brothers Mar 17th ★ ★ ★
Steph: Crime Seen Mar 14th ★ ★ ★

Oh Dana! What a week! I'm sorry for your Mom and your Hubby. And for you as well! {{HUGS}}

Oh and I'm definitely reading Deeply, Desperately.

Thanks D.G.!

I'm just glad to be on the other side of it! Getting organized and moving forward always makes a person feel better...that and reading. ;P

Got your change noted too.

Oops! Yeah, I need to pay more attention to the bingo cards. LOL! ;)

I'm SUPER swamped with Uni stuff right now. My classes are getting harder (ie: more reading, more assignments, more discussions req'd each week) and it's pissin' me off b/c I don't have hardly any time left to roam GR. :/ Boo! Hiss! Please forgive me if I'm MIA for a bit here and there.

I'm reading for the PN-M shelf. 1/4th through it. I read a lot at night to decompress, so I should be finished soon.

Sorry to hear about your husband's lost job, Dana. That sucks! And, my condolences to your mom. I know she was happy to be able to spend time with you.

I'll be updating bingo cards w/stamps uno momento.

CONGRATULATIONS, Twisted Sixes!
We now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'paranormal-romance'.

[Our updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Yay, Team!! :D

Congrats on the stamp Twisteds!

Sandra wrote: "Congrats on the stamp Twisteds!"

Thanks! :D Go, team, go!

Yay! We got another stamp!

Let me know how you like Crime Seen, Steph. I know this is one of the books that turned it around for me.

I'm enjoying it so far - about 45% in. (view spoiler)[Still feel like she doesn't treat Dutch as good as he deserves. ;) (hide spoiler)]

SHELF: Paranormal Mystery



Title/Author: Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber
Read for shelf: paranormal-mystery
Date finished: March 14
Rating: ★★★
Review: This book was a bit of a disappointment. After such a cute first book, I was hoping for more character and plot development but it seems clear to me that the author didn't have a plan in place when she started the series. This book seemed directionless and instead of a big mystery, we got tons of little plots (at least 7 or 8) that were solved too quickly and amounted to nothing. Definitely not what you would expect of a "mystery".

Then, there's the business of the relationship with Sean. Last I knew in Truly, Madly, they were just getting to know each other but in this book, the author made it seem as if they loooved each other 4EVA! Yes, I know that people can fall in love in a few weeks (the timeframe betweent the two books) but they both had too much baggage for that to seem possible, specially when we didn't see them fall in love but just got that as a fait accompli.

Also, I got tired of all the cat's antics. Does the reader really need to know EVERY TIME the main character feeds her pets? I think this cat got more airtime than the love interest.

Overall, a weak second book with a listless plot. I'm not ruling out reading the next book (maybe this is just a sophomore jinx) but I won't go out of my way to get it.

Steph wrote: "I'm enjoying it so far - about 45% in. [spoilers removed]"

Totally agree, Steph! I wished I could have killed her in that third book.

Good review, DG. I have that TBR, but haven't felt motivated enough to start it.

LOL! Ditto!!

Finished #5; review to come.

Oh, Dana! Sorry for your terrible week! I hope you had fun at Kim Harrison's book signing though :)

I've finished Naked In Death, review to come soonish.

Crime Seen by Victoria Laurie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Read: 14 Mar 2012
Shelf: 'paranormal-mystery'

In Crime Seen, the 5th book in the Psychic Eye Mysteries series, Abby is staying with Dutch while she recovers from her injuries. He gives her a few case files to look at to see if her "guides" offer any tips or leads he can follow. He and Milo are preparing for the parole hearing for a man who confessed to killing a cop. These two cases become mingled when Abby searches for clues. Not sure if her psychic mojo has been lost or not, she's uneasy about starting back with her clientele. So, to save some money, she offers to share space with her friend, and sometimes client, Candice who is interested in starting up her own PI business. Together they work on the case while trying not to get themselves killed in the process.

This series continues to offer interesting mysteries, however the relationship between Dutch and Abby is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I don't want it to happen. I can see the collision course even if they cannot. There's nothing I can do to stop it, but I cannot stop looking. When these two first met, I was equally smitten. However, Abby continues to keep Dutch at arms length, even as he continues to be overly supportive and appreciative of her abilities. So far, there has been no acceptable explanation for her commitment phobia. She says she loves him, but then in the very next breath treats him terribly. I hope, after the events at the end of this installment, they are finally able to become the strong couple I know they can be. She has an FBI guy at her beck and call, yet she continues to venture on her own after killers. This makes no sense to me, especially considering the costs she's paid for doing so. Candice is tough and can teach Abby a lot about self-defense. Abby will need it if she's going to continue hunting killers on her own.

You're so right, Steph. There hasn't been a good explanation as to why Abby is such a commitment phobic.

Yeah, it's starting to really bug me. If Laurie explained her reasons, maybe Abby's attitude and actions would make more sense.

Seeing as you're on the 5th book, do you recommend it, Steph (or D.G.)?



Title/Author: Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
Date finished: 14th March
Rating: ★★★★
Review: This has been on my tbr list for so long so I'm kind of pleased that I've finally read it!
It's a weird mix of crime and futuristic sci-fi. There was a bit of politics thrown in on whether guns should or should not be banned and whether it's right that prostitution should be legal etc.

I don't mind but I didn't know that there would be so much... er, I suppose "heavy stuff". There's child abuse, incest and people being shot in the genitalia so be careful if you're sensitive about that.

I liked Eve. I didn't love her but I hope that the more the series progresses, the more you get to see the real her instead of Eve the Cop. Roarke. Well, there's much said about him already so I won't bother.

It was a good first book and I'm looking forward to carrying on with the In Death series, as daunting as that is lol :)

I don't know, Josie. It depends on what you're looking for.

This series is more a mystery than anything else. Yes, there's an interesting PNR aspect but it's all centered on the main character - everything else is real life.

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of mystery but I might pick up the first book and see how I find it :)

Sorry your book was such a disappointment DG!

And thank you ladies for your kind wishes. :)

..So far, there has been no acceptable explanation for her commitment phobia. Commitment-phobic characters make me crazy!

I'm with DG, Josie. While I'm stickin' with the series, it's more out of a need to finish it than loving it at this point. I always have hope that a series I really enjoyed in the beginning, but falters in the middle will pick up again at some point. I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess. ;)

Me too, Dana! Sometimes, in small doses it adds some nice tension, but when it's dragged out or never explained (reason for it) it can be annoying.

For me this series really turned around with book 4, Steph so if you're not loving it, I'd say don't continue. I'm sure there are tons of books out there you could be enjoying more!

Very true. But, I really like Dutch and the books are typically quick reads for me. So, I'm gonna finish. ;)

Our next shelf is up, ladies! 'Magic': http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/m...

I'll be back w/my book choice shortly. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Thanks, Steph! Let me check my bookshelf and I'll BRB with my choice.

Title/author: Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

Read for Shelf: Parnormal Mystery

Rating: 3stars

Review: It all started when 3 ten year old boys went on an adventure in the woods. They thought it would be cool to mix blood to become blood brothers, that ended up unleashing a demon and thier great ancestor. And that is what brings Caleb, Fox, and Gage to their current state of being. Trying to stop the coming days of mayham that is about to break loose on their town for seven days and nights. What is different about all this this time is that Caleb has asked for a fresh pair of eyes to figure out this curse. And with Quinn on the scene Caleb is going to have to watch his heart, while watching out for Quinn. And pretty soon the demon hounding Caleb, Fox, and Gage turn on the new commers in town. Layla, Quinn, and Cyble. Will Caleb find a way to stop whats been going on for a long time with the help of his friends and Quinn? Well I'll just have to read the rest of the series to find out.

For the Magic Shelf I will go with The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

I have so many choices for this that I'll just post when I'm done reading. I really don't know what to pick!

Also, this is in a decent spot for us. Once we finish the demon and free space shelves, we'll have 3 RRR in two different rows.

:) Go, Team, Go!

I'm reading for the 'magic' shelf. Enjoying it so far, but I always like her books in this series.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Hey guys sorry for my late review. I'm having internet problems, and right now I'm at a McDonalds using free internet. But to make it up, I finished my book for the "magic" shelf.

TITLE/AUTHOR: The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

READ FOR SHELF: Magic

DATE FINISHED: 3/18/12

RATING: 4 stars

REVIEW: Gabriel O' Callaghan is a seer which means she can see both Faeries and humans. I think that is so cool but I guess I could see how that could be to much for someone. Adam has been turned human for a time and with Gabriel's help if she is willing, he can get back to his world. But along the way Adam can't help but fall in love with one of the mere humans he so enjoys. But Adam has a little secret which will be the end of their relationship. Gabriel awaits his decision but will Adam pick a mere human over his beloved realm with Queen of the Fairies?

Sorry 'bout your internet problems, Juana. That sucks. I'm lost without mine! Good review. I haven't read that series, but have received a push or two from those who know how much I enjoyed her Fever series. Haven't gotten into Highlanders yet, but those accents ... mmmmmm >:) Me Likey!

Ahhhh magic! Too many choices! But as D.G. said, this is a decent spot for us. Looks like only team 10 and team 12 get a four in a row with this one so no wins yet! ;)

Here's our 'magic' week...

BSB Week 7 (Mar 18 - Mar 24): magic
Completed: 3/5
D.G.: Sabriel Mar 21st ★ ★ ★ ★
Dana: Inheritance
Josie: Undone Mar 21st ★ ★ ★ ★
Juana: The Immortal Highlander Mar 18th ★ ★ ★ ★
Steph: Oracle's Moon



Go Juana! Whoo girl, check out the dust trail behind you. :) I have about 6 books on the magic shelf staring at me...they all want to be picked! I need to go to the eye doc tomorrow, so after I get my eyes dialated (oh JOY!) and can see again, I'm making a choice dang it!

I love KMM's Highlander men! Yum is right. :P~ (note my drool!)

LOL @ Dana's drooling. ;)

Wow, Juana! Done already. Good job!

I still haven't decided what to read. Yesterday I started like 4 fantasy books in audio (which are bound to be in the magic shelf) but didn't feel like continuing any of them. Sometimes I feel that audiobooks have to pick me. :)

If I can't find anything on audio, then I'll try to see what I read in print. I'm supposed to read My Soul to Take for a group read so that could work. :)

Title/Author: Sins of the Heart by Eve Silver
Read for shelf: Demons
Date finished: Mar 18
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½
Review: This series is a keeper for me for sure.

What a diverse cast of gods this book has! There are so many different pantheons for writers to pull out of history so if you are diligent, you can find a writer who touches just about all of them. Eve Silver pretty much hits them all here but keeps them restrained to the underworld. Very cool concept. I liked Roxy well enough although I didn't think that we really got to learn enough about her. I'm hoping that there is some follow up on Roxy and Dagan so I can get some closure.

My only real complaint about this book was the ending. Did the author have a dentist appointment that she was late for and just had to run? That wasn't just a cliffhanger, it just ended in the middle of a paragraph! I liked it regardless and it will definitely get me to read another. :)

Now that I finally read my demon book, I can go and fetch us a stamp! Wheee! :)

BSB Week 4 (Feb 26 - Mar 3): demons
Completed: 5/5
D.G.: Storm Front Feb 29th ★ ★ ★
Dana: Sins of the Heart Mar 18th ★ ★ ★ ½
Josie: Chill Factor Feb 29th ★ ★ ★
Juana: The Darkest Seduction Mar 3rd ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Steph: Every Other Day Mar 7th ★ ★ ★ ½

Did the author have a dentist appointment that she was late for and just had to run? That wasn't just a cliffhanger, it just ended in the middle of a paragraph.

LOL, Dana!

Yay us! Another stamp!

CONGRATULATIONS, Twisted Sixes!
We now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'demons'.

[Our updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Go, Team, Go! :D

WTG, Juana!

Hope you're able to find something that works for ya, DG.

LOL Dana! Yeah, I was lucky enough to have 1-2 on-hand and jumped into #2 soon after, so the drop wasn't too painful. Hope you continue to enjoy the trilogy. There's a 4th book that picks up a thread from the trilogy, but, according to her website, it's supposed to be the start of another trilogy. At least, I think that's right. Anyway, hope you enjoy them.

YAY Team! Another Stamp!! :D

I'll have my 'magic' book finished by tonight.

Congrats on the stamp Twisteds!

Thanks! :D GO, Team!

Yay! We got our stamp!

So for the magic shelf I'm reading . The first 1/4 of the book was a bit slow with Sabriel on her own (that's why I wasn't sure I was going to stick by it) but then a circumcised penis and a talking cat came along and things perked up (so to speak, LOL!)

LOL!

Lol DG! Sounds interesting, will have to check it out...

Dana, oh I'm going to be such a pain here but I gave Chill Factor 4 stars not 3, don't want anyone thinking I didn't like it much :P

Work has been very busy so I only started yesterday. I'll probs finish it today though (oh and if I haven't already said it's going to be for the magic shelf). Happy reading everyone :)