SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

I'm re-reading and very much enjoying it. I'm hoping to read for a shelf at some point, but I want to refresh my memory on what happened in the previous books first. :)

Daffodil wrote: "I'll admit I was a little worried when I read the back-cover blurb and realized Detective Donovan Caine was making another appearance..."

I was worried about the same thing! Glad to hear his reappearance doesn't negatively affect enjoyment of the book! I'm guessing he hasn't undergone an attitude adjustment since his last appearance though. :)

Daffodil wrote: "I'll admit I was a little worried when I read the back-cover blurb and realized Detective Donovan Caine was making another appearance..."

I've only read books 1-3 so far, but I was incredibly happy to see the back of him. I had hopes of him never returning!

Kerstin wrote: "I had hopes of him never returning..."

Me too! I pretty much wanted to smack him every time he opened his mouth. I'm guessing that will still be the case in this next book. :)

Yeah, I think the urge to smack him will never leave me!

Steph Ann wrote: "I'm re-reading and very much enjoying it. I'm hoping to read for a shelf at some point, but I want to refresh my memory on what happened in th..."

I seem to be hearing a lot of good things about this series...might have to try it soon!

Lisa, it took me awhile to get motivated to start the series because I didn't really like the book covers, but all the great reviews made me give the first book a try, and I'm so happy I did! :)

CONGRATULATIONS, X-treme Readers!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'free space' and 'favorite-series.

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

Good Job!! :D

Congrats X-treme!

I'm reading

I went to the library today though so I'm trying to hold off on starting anything else until the next shelf is called.

I'm so proud of our team and our 3 pretty little stamps. :)

I'm very excited about having 3 stamps! They look so nice on the card. :)

I'm almost done with and will probably finish it today. I should be fairly busy tonight and tomorrow, so I'll be able to delay starting anything else til the next shelf is called.

Steph Ann wrote: Me too! I pretty much wanted to smack him every time he opened his mouth. I'm guessing that will still be the case in this next book. :)"

Pretty much. ;D

I just picked up and it's all I can do not to start reading right away. If it's not on the next shelf, I don't think I'll be able to wait another week.

Mr Randomizer, be nice with your next shelf pick! Please!!!

So many books have come out lately that I want to read. I'm especially hoping will work for a shelf sometime soon!

Shelf Announcement: this weeks shelf is New2You Series.

Have fun with your selections everyone. :)

Yay for a new shelf!!! I think I'm going to read . I've been meaning to start this series for awhile now, so I figure now is as good a time as any. :)

Happy reading, everyone!

I'm going to read for new2you series.

Changed my mind already. It's been confirmed in the Discussion thread that will work for this shelf, so I'm changing my choice to that. :)

Yeah, a new shelf...I think I have narrowed my choice down to 3 possibilities...

I'll let you know when I make my final decision...too many new series to choose from.

I'm going to read as well! I was hoping for it to fit into this weeks shelf :)

Lisa, those three are great choices. I especially loved The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and Halfway to the Grave

Kerstin, it feels like I've been waiting for Vlad's book forever! I'm so excited to start it!

Lisa, I loved Halfway to the Grave!! The other two I believe are on my TBR list. :)

Cristina, Revenge of the Witch sounds interesting! I look forward to seeing what you think of it!

Lisa is the start of a great series, but I love Ian and Beth's story in . Tough choice.

As much as I would love to read , it just won't fit. LOL. I guess I'll take this opportunity to read instead.

Hopefully will work for the next shelf, Daffodil! :)

I think I will read and save the others for another time.

Daffodil, I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

I really need to try the Psy-Changeling series as well, since everyone seems to be reading it.

Hope you enjoy , Lisa!!

Happy reading everyone!

In summary:

O20 - *New2You Series: 4/5
Stamp Received: Still reading

Kerstin Once Burned, 5 stars, Review
Steph Ann Once Burned, 4 stars, Review
Daffodil Firelight
Cristina Revenge of the Witch, 4 stars, Review
Lisa Halfway to the Grave, 4 stars, Review

Finished over my lunch hour. Should have a review up later today! :)

Shelf: New to You Series
Read: 7/2/12
Rating: ****

Review:

This was a solid start to a new series that's a spinoff from the Night Huntress series. Vlad is one of my favorite side characters from that series, and I was very excited when I found out he was getting his own series. I was definitely not disappointed!

Some characters from Night Huntress do appear briefly, so it would probably be beneficial to read that series first, although I think Frost does a good job of describing her world for those who may not be familiar with it.

I really liked the heroine, Leila. She's not the type to stand around helplessly while the hero saves the day and gets the chance to kick some butt on her own, which I like to see. I think she'll be a good match for Vlad.

I can't think of anything specific that I didn't like about the book, but I still feel like it doesn't rank a 5-star read for me. I really enjoyed it, but it just felt like that special something was missing to make it 5 stars. That being said, I will most definitely be reading more of this series so I can find out where these characters will go next!

Quote:

Vlad: I do my torturing in the dungeon like any other respectable castle owner.

I've nearly finished my New2You series book. The review will be up before the end of the day.

The Last Apprentice
4*
Shelf: New2You Series
Read: 07/03/2012



The style of writing was juvenile, not meant in a negative way at all.
On the contrary, personally I would've devoured these books when I was in elementary school. Of course, I never did scare easily (I'd gone through the horror section of both the public library and video store before I hit double digits in age). The witches were scary, or would be with the correct audience. Witches who are bound to their bones so they are still a threat after death. Witches who aren't bound and are still a threat after death. Using children's blood in rituals, a few deaths, a truly haunted house. It would be too much for some children, and some adults for that matter. For me, it wasn't even creepy. It was interesting though, and overall, I enjoyed reading it.

It reminded me a lot of the old Grimm Fairy tales. Not the sanitized versions, the originals. I liked the storyline and plot, and I may one day read another in the series. I'm just not overly eager to do it anytime soon. I just don't think I'm the target audience any longer.

This book reminds me of a quote by C. S. Lewis, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." It's a good story and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

I've heard they are making it into a movie called The Seventh Son, I look forward to seeing that if it pans out. Its in Post-Production, so that's a good sign.

Sounds like you both enjoyed your books. I am a little slower finishing this week. I am reading 2 books at once, which I normally don't do. But I couldn't wait to finish Bloodline which I had already started. So far both are pretty good.

I'm glad you're enjoying both of your books, Lisa! I've contemplated reading two books at once before, but haven't tried doing it yet.

I really like that C.S. Lewis quote, Cristina! Glad you enjoyed your book overall, even if you're not feeling the immediate desire to read the next in the series.

Great reviews Steph Ann and Cristina. Vlad's book is already on my must buy soon list and I'll have to think about trying The Last Apprentice series. I'd never even heard of it until you posted it, Cristina.

One of my favorite series growing up was Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. Every few years I go back and reread them for nostalgia's sake. They made the second book into a movie, but never went any farther.

I'm really enjoying . I barely even feel a twinge when I walk by sitting on my side table, waiting to be read. LOL

I'm really starting to think I need to read sooner rather than later!

Shelf: New2YouSeries
Read: 7/5/12
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This book started off as a 3 star read for me, but somewhere around the halfway mark it switched over to a 4 star. Even though Cat kicks some vampire rear-end in the beginning of the story, she still seems really young and naive to me. Her personality just didn't seem to fit with what she was doing and I didn't like her very much. Even with an explanation as to why, it still wasn't very believable. However, once she had Bones as her teacher and mentor (as well as other things), she finally seemed to mature and become the really great, strong, kick-butt female heroine that she needed to be; and I thought she was exceptional. The action scenes were first-rate and I enjoyed the storyline twist at the end. Definitely makes me want to read the next in the series.

Steph Ann wrote: "I'm really starting to think I need to read sooner rather than later!"

I think maybe you should :)

Just curious as to why when I hit the reply button to your post 186 Steph Ann, it changed the book to a completely different one with the same name? Hmmmm... Of course you could read this one too...might be good also :)

Lisa wrote: "Just curious as to why when I hit the reply button to your post 186 Steph Ann, it changed the book to a completely different one with the same name?..."

That is really strange, Lisa!

Glad you ended up liking ! This is probably one of my favorite series! I remember thinking Cat seemed immature at first too. And I love Bones! :)

The reason is GR picks up the name of the book but not the number so then it uses the default book (the most popular book with that name). I get nitpicky and go in and change them to the one I want by using add book/author :)

Also glad Cat & Bones picked up for you Lisa :)

Thanks Sandra...makes perfect sense now :)

Steph Ann: loved Bones too...am definitely going to read the next in the series. Looks like I'll probably end up reading at some point as well :)

Well, after a rather busy week I finally managed to finish my book! And I loved it :) Review will follow soon.

Shelf: New2YouSeries
Read: 6/7/12
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:

Vlad has been one of my favourites, ever since I met him the first time in the "Night Huntress" books and I expected rather a lot from his own story. I actually worried about being disappointed, but I was sooo wrong. This book was great!

Leila, our heroine, is fantastic, which is always a plus. She's strong, brave and stands up for herself and is never reduced to a damsel in distress. She is human but has some very impressive powers and is already aware of the existence of vampires, as one of them is a very good friend and father figure to her. Her powers are what get her kidnapped by a bunch of vampires, who want her to find an enemy of theirs. You guessed it, that enemy is Vlad. Instead of selling him out, she asks for help and so their adventures begin.

Vlad...what can I say...he is arrogant, sexy, dangerous...very much perfect for a leading man! He usually keeps to himself and so it's nice to see him let his guard down a little for Leila the closer they get. There are some hot and steamy scenes and I have to say that Ms Frost writes some great shower scenes! But enough of that - Vlad wouldn't be as feared as he is without his dark side and so there is a bit a torturing going on as well, as of course Vlad has his own dungeon.

The story is filled with romance, action and humour and we also get to meet some favourite characters from previous novels. The ending is not the usual HEA and makes me want to get my hands on the next instalment asap!

You'll definitely want to read at some point, Lisa!! :)

Glad you enjoyed the book, Kerstin. I agree that the ending definitely made you want to pick up the next one right away!!

Next shelf up is Shifters...I already know what I am going to read:

Another series I have been wanting to try.

Shelf announcement is up and it's the shifter shelf. I attempted to post the link and failed miserably, but Steph posted it in the Discussion Thread.

I'm going to read

I'm glad I'm not the only one with link troubles, Cristina! :)

I hope you enjoy , Lisa!

I loved Slave to Sensation! I also read Stray, but it took me a while to warm up to Faythe. Hope you two enjoy your picks!

I'm going to read for this weeks shelf. (It'll also fit the dragon challenge I'm doing at the moment, in which I'm way behind.)

I finished my New2You series read and was finally able to use my friends computer to write my review. So we are ready for another stamp!

New2You Series
Firelight, Kristen Callihan, 7-5-12
Rating: 5 stars
Review: The minute I finished this book, I was already looking forward to more from this author. I fell in love with the characters. The plot kept me engaged and guessing to the end, without frustrating me over the mystery of Archer's disfigurement. And the final confrontation was emotionally satisfying.

Miranda and Archer are both used to keeping secrets from everyone, scared to share their hidden powers/sides. Yet they still manage to build a relationship and slowly learn to trust each other. The secondary characters were also strongly drawn and I can't wait to read more about them. I'm definitely going to be reading Ian's story when it comes out.

The pacing was wonderfully done. I never felt a lag and it moved the storyline along well. I also really enjoyed the fact that Callihan managed to keep the nature of Archer's problem from the reader until it was revealed to Miranda. I came up with and discarded multiple theories until that moment and had fun in the process.

Overall, a great book.