FL1: Team #7 ~ Curious Raccoons

[Breann]

Georgina & Seth are one of my fave couples. Eugenie & Kiyo? Makes me want to stab something.

[KarenF]

Yeah, by the last book I really only liked Dorian so the ending made me particularly stabby.

[Breann]

KarenF wrote: "Yeah, by the last book I really only liked Dorian so the ending made me particularly stabby."

I didn't even finish the last one. I had a sneaking suspicion about what was to happen so I read spoilers and decided not even to continue.

[Alyssa]

I read for RED this week. Finished 3/23/13.

5 stars

It was really good! I liked this new type of paranormal creature. Paris was a pretty interesting setting too.

(I'll fix this up nice later. Had to do it quick on my phone.)

[Vi]

I finished on Tuesday 19th March

This is Christie's first book (and incidentally available free - copyright has run out) and you can really tell that. It was not great and it certainly introduced Poirot too. I want to laugh whenever I picture him. Definitely continuing the series.

[Vi]

@All: Thanks for prayers. My dad was discharged yesterday with strict instructions of bed rest. Now comes the hard part.. making him rest

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Good luck Vi!!!!

[Breann]

Vi wrote: "@All: Thanks for prayers. My dad was discharged yesterday with strict instructions of bed rest. Now comes the hard part.. making him rest"

I'm glad he gets to go home. :)

[Breann]

All updated :)


Week 8 ~ Red
KarenF: Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead March 20th ★★★★✩ Review
Breann: Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane March 17th ★★★★✩ Review
Alyssa: Die for Me by Amy Plum March 23rd ★★★★★ Review
Vi: The Mysterious Affair At StylesAgatha Christie March 19th ★★★✩✩ Review
Sandy: Requiem by Lauren Oliver March 18th ★★★½✩ Review



We'll get a new card in about 6 hours or so.

[Breann]

We drew another 2 and moved to space 128. Our color this week is BLUE.

[Breann]

Does have enough blue?

[SandyC]

Breann, looks like a lot of blue in the background.

I am going with either or

[KarenF]

I think I'm going with

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Breann yep that one is OK for blue or orange.

[Alyssa]

Is blue enough? I have back-ups if not.

[Vi]

Can I use ? I just started it.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Alyssa & Vi, yes & yes ;)

[Breann]

Week 9 ~ Blue: Blind Space
3/24/13
★★★★✩

Pirates are awesome. Especially when they're in space.

It was a slow start, but once the pace picked up it really picked up. The story begins with Tristan and the men on his ship being abducted by pirates. Not only blinded and held prisoner, Tristan has to deal with Captain Valero and his repeated attempts at seduction. What a sad, sad tale. Tristan dealing with tattooed and pierced, bad ass space pirates hitting on him. Repeatedly. *sigh*

The story was told from Tristan's POV, who was a very likable character, but I would have liked to read some of Valero's thoughts as well. Valero was instantly attracted to Tristan and was a little pushy from the get-go, which I liked. A lot.

I always enjoy Marie Sexton's writing style. I've loved every book I've read of hers. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as her others, but still a very enjoyable read.

[KarenF]

Week 9: Blue
Book: The Viper by Monica McCarty
Date Finished: 3/25/13
Rating: 5 Stars

I have to admit that when I started this series I thought the whole concept might be pretty cheesy. It sounded like a Highlander/Navy SEAL mashup that was just cashing in on two hot romance sub-genres. Boy was I wrong. There are so many historical details, real life people, battles & places that I've taken to cheating and reading the author's note first because the research is so fascinating.

In this book the heroine is Bella MacDuff, a real life Scottish heroine who risked a great deal to crown Robert Bruce and was punished in a horrible way for it. The hero, Lachlan MacRauri has been in previous books as a surly, out for himself type. It takes most of the book for his whole story to come out but there are plenty of times along the way when you see that there is more to him than he wants others to see. It is a romance though, so it's no surprise that Lachlan is honorable at heart and that Bella gets a happy ending that she probably did not get in real life.

I saw some reviews complain that there was too much historical fact and not enough action or romance. I thought that there was plenty of action, they were on the run for much of book and there were a couple of escape scenes. I also thought the romance itself was strong. There were many lovely scenes between the two. And if Lachlan was on the edge of being too much of a jerk sometimes for me, he never truly crossed the line and always redeemed himself. I do enjoy straight historical fiction, as well as historical romance, but often the characters who are living interesting lives don't have the greatest outcomes. It's fascinating but sometimes a little depressing to read. For me this book fulfilled my interest in history and my desire for a happy ending.

[Breann]

is anyone reading Lover At Last?

[KarenF]

Breann wrote: "is anyone reading Lover At Last?"

I'm not. I still need to read Lover Reborn!

[SandyC]

Breann wrote: "is anyone reading Lover At Last?"

I bought it today! Will read it soon!

[Breann]

Just finished today :) Let me know what ya think!

[Alyssa]

I gotta wait till I get paid Friday to get it. Then, I'll be reading it as soon as I can. So excited!

[Breann]

It was definitely pricey. Darn publishers know where to hit us. We can't say no to Qhuay.

[SandyC]

Breann wrote: "Just finished today :) Let me know what ya think!"

Dang, Breann, you read it one day? Nice!
I also bought . :-)

[SandyC]

Week 9: Blue
Book:
Date Finished: 3/27/13
Rating: ★★★★

This was my second Eloisa James book and I wasn't disappointed. Since her father's death 7 years ago, Kate has been a virtual slave to her stepmother, responsible for running their estate and taking care of tenants. When her stepmother asks her to pose as her step-sister in a convoluted plot, Kate meets a handsome prince who turns out to be surprisingly kind, dutiful, considerate and intellectual. Unfortunately, he is betrothed to another. There are great secondary characters as well as a lot of humor. I will be reading more of this author.

[Breann]

Sandy wrote: "Breann wrote: "Dang, Breann, you read it one day? Nice!"

I'm on spring break so I was able to read the day away!

[Breann]

We ran out of space where I was keeping track of our reviews,so I continued in message 11

[Vi]

Week 9: Blue

Again from my mobile device so no fluffies.

Finished on 25 March. Rated it TWO stars.

This is my third KR book in this month (for RRRC FAC challenge) and my ratings have gone progressively down. This book is supposed to be a romantic-suspense and I felt it didn't live up to both the genres. The problem I found with KR books is that they are a little too predictable with little or no conflict. Whatever conflict is there is not too strong. This was a re-read and I can't believe KR was one of my favorite authors not too long ago. The burning question I had at the end of the book was Have my tastes changed THAT much? That should pretty much sum up my feelings.

[Alyssa]

Week 9 - Blue

I finished on 3/29/13.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Review: Oh, how I love this series! Totally a good story. Not one of my favorites, but still awesome. Can't wait to read the next one. Luckily, I have it on hand. :-)

[Breann]

All updated :)


Week 9 ~ Blue
KarenF: The Viper by Monica McCarty March 25th ★★★★★ Review
Breann:Blind Space by Marie Sexton March 24th ★★★★✩ Review
Alyssa: The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter March 29th ★★★★½ Review
Vi: The Midnight Hour by Karen Robards March 25th ★★✩✩✩ Review
Sandy: A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James March 27th Review ★★★★✩

We'll get a new card in roughly 6 hours.

[Breann]

We drew something NEW this week, a 5! Our color is purple!

[SandyC]

A good reason to finally read .
My copy is much more purple than anything I can find online.

[KarenF]

I've been holding onto this one in the event of purple. I'm going to read:

[Breann]

I'm going to read

[Vi]

Darn it! I JUST finished yesterday. Off to scout my bookshelf

[Vi]

How about ? The English version is too yellow I suppose but how about ?

[Vi]

Or using this alt cover ?

[SandyC]

Hard to tell on my phone, but the alt cover for Warprize looks to have the most purple in it.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Vi, you can use the French Warprize cover.

[Vi]

I had some very unexpected reading time and I finished Warprize



Finished today, 31 March. 4 stars

War prize is a fantasy romance; high in both with a light mystery. Xylara and Keir are fantastic leads. The supporting casts were very good as well. The world created by the author is very good and I'm very interested in reading. I'll definitely be picking more books by the author.

[Vi]

Thanks, Sandra!

[KarenF]

Week 10: Purple
Book: Supernatural
Date Finished: 4/1/13
Rating: 3.5 stars

It's always hard to rate anthologies, overall I'd give this 3.5* but I'm rounding up since I really enjoy these series. Individually some of these stories succeed more than others and some stand alone better than others.

Vampire Fight Club - set in Larissa Ione's Lords of Deliverance/Demonica world this story is enough away from the central action that it could probably be read alone but I think it's richer if you already know some of the characters. I enjoyed Lena & Nathan's story and I always enjoy visiting the violent and passionate world Ione has created. This was my second favorite story in the book.

Darkness Eternal - I think this one would be confusing for readers not familiar with Ivy's Guardians of Eternity series. While the characters aren't central to the ongoing plot of the series in this story they are mixed up with a lot of the main players and events. The romance develops quickly and under less than ideal circumstances. Still the characters are likeable and there was certainly enough action to keep the pages turning.

Kane - This is probably the one easiest to pick up without reading the series but unfortunately it was my least favorite. I enjoyed the Nightwalkers series, especially the first book, Jacob, so I was looking forward to getting Jacob's brother Kane's story here. But not a lot happens. There's a fair amount of world building/info dumping, which is why it was more accessible but as someone familiar with the series, I was kind of bored.

Dragon on Top - probably my favorite and certainly the longest in the anthology, Dragon Kin books are always good for some LOL moments, a hot romance and some good fighting. That's all included here, although the romance with Bran the Merciful had a little less violence than some others. But the humor and the heat were all out in full force.

[SandyC]

Week 10: Purple
Book:
Finished: 4/4/13
Rating: ★★★★★

Review: First of all, I owe a debt of gratitude to Vi who recommended this book to me in a Pick It For Me Challenge.

Based on a the fairy tale, "The Wild Swans," (which sadly I had never read) the book is about Sorcha and her 6 older brothers. They live in Ireland, in a mythical world where fairies are real and magic abounds. Their father marries a wicked woman who turns the boys into swans. The spell can only be broken if Sorcha (1) doesn't speak; and (2) weaves 6 shirts out of a plant that basically tears up her hands every time she touches it.

I kept forgetting that Sorcha was only a young teenager. She endures so much heartbreak and hardship, it's almost unbearable to read. I found myself thinking about the story constantly and worried that she wouldn't make it through all the obstacles she faced. And there's Red. Ah, Red, Hugh of Harrowfield...my newest book crush!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story, beautiful writing, nasty villains, and strong heroines. I will definitely pick up the next book in the Sevenwaters series.

[Breann]

It's already Thursday, I've got to focus & read! (which means getting off of GR...)

[Vi]

Yay, Sandy!! I'm SO glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my all time favourite books. I love, love Sorcha and Red.

[SandyC]

Great book! I loved it!

Speaking of great books...
Jamie and Claire return in December!! :-)

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/04/05/d...

[Alyssa]

Week 10 - Purple

I finished on 4/6/13.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Review: Really liked it. Who knew an all girls boarding school could be soo exciting. I don't know if I could handle the running around all night that the characters do. Every once in a while, I just have to crash out and sleep like 12 hours. Guess I'm glad I'm not Lily or her friends. Ha.

[Breann]

Week 10 ~ Purple: Archangel's Storm
4/6/13
★★★★✩

Nalini Singh has a way of writing characters that are so intriguing I can't help but want to know more about them. She is able to do this with all her characters, the MC and secondary. The intricate webs she weaves in this series with the Cadre has kept me guessing throughout. Are they good? Are they bad? Some are clear while others, not so much. Can't wait to read the next one where we get back to Elena & Raphael!