R7: Team #12 ~ Naughty Nooners

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

New Shelf


Cover Love

(moved to msg 15)

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

I'm not sure what I'll be reading for this shelf. I looked through all 100+ pages to make sure I have a variety to pick from.

This shelf works well for us. It gives us a 3-in-a-row with "Book Boyfriends" and "Strong Heroines". We're getting our stamp for the former and all we need is two more for the later to get our second stamp. :)

[Jackie M]

This is a good one for us, gives us three in a row:)

[Jackie M]

For Cover Love I will be reading

[Kari]

Cover Love I will read which shouldn't take too long and then I will hop on Strong Heroine, I'm kinda waiting to see what to read for that one just yet.

(Also, be impressed, I managed to get this done on a weekend haha) I'm so over work right now.... I finished out today in overtime, tomorrow starts a new payweek and I'm already scheduled for overtime this week as well. They have only been giving me one day off a week, and I just interviewed for a promotion so I have to put up with all this because I'm on my best behavior until they announce who got the position!! I am trying hard to catch up on all the shelves I was behind on this week though

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

I'll be reading .

---------
Kari - Good luck! :D

[Isha]

Shelf 1: Free Space


Book: by Larissa Ione
Rating: ★★★
Finished: 22/06/13
Review:

Re-read

I enjoyed this a lot more after having read the demonica series. It was much easier to get into now that I have a better understanding on the world building but there was still so much information put into this book that I was still left feeling a bit confused.

It is still a 3 stars read for me. Though I did enjoy it more on my reread I didn't quite enjoy the book as much as the demonica series.

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Read: 9/12/12 ★★★

Didn't love the book. I haven't read Larissa Ione's Demonica series yet so that might be the reason why I found it confusing at times.

Might do a re-read once I've started the Demonica series

[Isha]

Not sure what I'll be reading for cover-love yet. Will post later once I decide.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Yay! One step closer to our FS stamp! :D

I haven't updated our master list in MSG 15 yet, though I made all the corrections/updates. I'm waiting for Steph to officially stamp us.

Speaking of Steph....We finally get our first stamp...and she's missing it. ;)

[Judithe, Soap Operas never end....]

She'll be back soon!!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Yay team! I'm drowning in uni finals at the moment, so little-no GR time. But I'll get us our pretty, pretty stamp ASAP, promise.

For the current shelf, I'm reading OBSIDIAN by Jennifer Armentrout. I'm already 1/2 way thru it. It's a quick read, so I should have a review shortly.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Steph wrote: "Yay team! I'm drowning in uni finals at the moment, so little-no GR time. But I'll get us our pretty, pretty stamp ASAP, promise.

For the current shelf, I'm reading OBSIDIAN by Jennifer Armentro..."

Good luck with your test! :)

[Isha]

Steph wrote: "Yay team! I'm drowning in uni finals at the moment, so little-no GR time. But I'll get us our pretty, pretty stamp ASAP, promise.

For the current shelf, I'm reading OBSIDIAN by Jennifer Armentro..."

Good luck with uni finals Steph. I just finished mine this weekend.

On another note I'm done with Archangel's Storm and I'll have my review up soon.

[Isha]

Shelf 2: Assassins


Book: by Nalini Singh
Rating: ★★★★
Finished: 23/06/13
Review:

Archangel's Storm was a lot slower than I like and probably why it took me so long to get into at first but I still ended up loving it. I enjoyed the slow build up of Mahiya and Jason's relationship.

Another reason I love this book was because of where it was set. It's been a few years since I went to Rajasthan, India and reading this book brought back a lot of memories of Jaipur and udaipur and its beautiful palaces.

Another great book from Nalini Singh and I can't wait till we get back to Elena and Raphael in her next guild hunter book.

[Isha]

Shelf 4: Strong Heroines


Book: by Jeaniene Frost
Rating: ★★★★
Finished: 24/06/13
Review:

I enjoyed twice tempted much more than the first book. I haven’t read any of the Night Huntress books and so I didn't have a lot of knowledge or expectations of Vlad's character before the Night Prince series and before he met Leila and because of that I had a harder time understanding Vlad in Once Burned but I felt like I understood him more in this book. It was nice to see Leila and Vlad's relationship progress but I did become irritated with Leila a few times in the book and also felt like the wedding happened a bit too soon.

Overall I quite enjoyed this book and I'm glad the author decided to make the book into a trilogy instead of two books.

[Isha]

I couln't find this in the rules anywhere but are anthologies allowed? I was hoping to read for cover-love.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

They are allowed as long as you read & review the whole. Say something about each story. And the book must meets page requirements.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Thanks, ladies! These are my two final finals! Graduation to follow. Yipppeeeeee! Now, I just have to survive these presentations and I can finally breathe.

Yay, Team! A stamp is on its way! Woohoo!

Hope everyone's enjoying their current reads. Mine was a quick read. I will post my review after I get cards stamped.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Naughty Nooners!
We now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'book boyfriends'. 

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

Woohoo!! :D

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Thanks, Steph! :-D

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Christina (AKA Babbling) wrote: "Thanks, Steph! :-D"

Welcome! Thanks for you're doing for the team to keep us organized, Cap. :)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout
Series: Lux #1
Shelf: Cover Love
Read: 23 June
Rating: 3.5★
Review:
I really enjoyed Obsidian. It was a quick, but entertaining read. It was hard to put down. Had the story been a bit more original, I probably would have rated it 4.5-5★ vs. 3.5★. That said, there is much to like about the book and I will be continuing on with the series to see what's in store for Katy and the band of Luxen.

After Katy's father died, her mom decided to pack up and leave FL for WVA. In an effort to get Katy to socialize before school starts, her mom pushes her to go next door and meet the neighbors. The boy that answers the door is to die for, if she can refrain from killing him. He's got an ego and attitude that says he knows just how gorgeous he is. His sister, however, is a bundle of joy and excitement. Her fun and inviting personality is hard to resist. She and Katy quickly become close friends.

Katy and Daemon have a strong chemistry, which Jennifer writes well. They have the type of ponytail-pulling love-hate relationship you'd picture school kids having when they realize the opposite sex doesn't have cooties.

A bit too Dé twili'ja vu-ish:
- Standoffish, oddly unique, gorgeous boy in class
- Pretty, but doesn't know it "normal" girl
- The gorgeous kids at school that everyone admires from afar
- Boy with the ability to stop a truck to save the girl

There are more, but I won't bore you with them. And, despite those, there are differences or tweaks on the SSDB (view spoiler)[shame shit, different book (hide spoiler)] aspects of the story and characters. Enough that I sometimes got lost in the story enough to forget about the 'series-that-will-not-be-named'. I hate to call these criticisms because I can only imagine how hard (or tempting) it might be to meld some similarities from other popular series/books into your own, but with a YA market busting at the seams these days, it's super refreshing when you actually find one that does stand apart from the crowd. And, while it had aliens, which is on the verge of unique, this one didn't do that entirely, at least not for me; hence the 3.5★. But, like I said, I enjoyed it and will see what future installments have to offer.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Steph -- You all make the captain job too easy. My old, cheep, glitch-y mouse caused more headaches for me than the team. Copy & Paste was a real nightmare with a mouse that was too sensitive when it came to highlighting text. ;)

I have a new mouse now.

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I grabbed when it was on sale without realizing it was a spin-off (thanks to the convo in one of the other team threads, I know I can read it without having read the trilogy first). Still might look into this -- the alien thing would be the hook, it's why I started the Midnight Breed series, since vampires in general are not my first choice in supes. I've never read/seen "the series that can't be named", so that has little impact.

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Msg #15 is now updated. Please take a look. I'm pretty sure I caught everything.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Christina, is often on the free list ;)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats Naughties!

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Thanks, Sandra. :D

Including Barnes & Noble?

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

I don't know about them as they deal only with the US, no international at all, but its worth a look and keeping an eye out :(

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Well-- $4.00 or $5.00 isn't too bad for an ebook, considering that's less than mmpb. My ebook collection is relatively small and I'm very selective about what I'll buy, even at the .99 price (which is what I paid for Obsession).

I budget money separately for B&N (which is mostly ebooks), Amazon (paper), and eHarlquin.com (No, I can't do just ONE book fund). I can buy the occasional ebook at a higher price. I'm re-reading (reading the books I missed) Philippa Carr's Daughters of England series in ebook format. I buy the ebooks one at a time (right now book 5 is on sale for $7.19, reg. $7.99 -- so I bought it) and so far, that's been approximately 1 a month.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Well, I read the kindles on my computer, mostly 98% freebies, so it might be worth you dl the kindle app for the freebies Christina. Save a ton of money that way.

[Kari]

I finished my Cover Love Book

Book: The Darkest Kiss
Finished 6/25/13
Rated: 4 stars

Review: I liked this one so much more than the first book in the series!!! While Ashlyn and Maddox were sweet, they were not nearly as exciting as Lucien and Anya. Anya was hilarious and crazy. I loved her dialogues. Lucien just made your heart break with all his insecurities. I was a little sad when this book was over because I really liked their story. It was a totally wild ride that was exciting for most of the book. Sometimes Maddox and Ashlyn dragged a bit. Hence a higher star rating than the first installment.

I also like how Showalter really developed the Cronus storyline. It brought the Titan/Greeks arc to a place where i'm legitimately interested to see where the series goes.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

I'm actually spending less money on book this year than in previous years. I've cut back on paper books. Yeah, I may have three book-related budget items, but I rarely spend it all-- the money rolls into the next month.

I'm trying to avoid having two out of control TBR piles, especially since paper is still my preferred format. :) Dear Author just had a post about hoarding free/cheep ebooks...not going that route. ;p

I have the Kindle app on my computer, my phone, and my NOOK HD (I got the HD for magazines, catalogs, graphic novels, and other colored/oversize books). Only as a last resort would I read full length novels on them. I use my Nook Simple Touch -- easier on the eyes and lighter than the HD. I also added the Sony Reader app and the Kobo app, which I don't even have an account for, to the HD. In case of a catastrophe -- I will be able to access my Epub books, Nook Books, {the few} Kindle books, and {the few} Google books.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Kari wrote: "I finished my Cover Love Book

Book: The Darkest Kiss
Finished 6/25/13
Rated: 4 stars

Review: I liked this one so much more than the first book in the series!!! While Ashlyn and Maddox were sweet,..."

Yay, Kari!! :D I link this up before going to bed...

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Must admit I prefer paper as well ;)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

I prefer paper, but have acquired a TON of ebooks over the past couple of years. So much easier with all of our travels/moves to just pack up the external hard drive vs boxes and boxes of paper books. Now, I have both. :D

I didn't realize she had a spin-off, Christina. Looks like, from the GR info, that it's not going to be another series, but a stand-alone only. I'll have to buy that one when I'm finished with the Lux series.

[Jackie M]

I finished my book and will list my review tomorrow.

I like what I have read so far with the Lux series do I just added her spin off book to my TBR list.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

A stand alone book? That's a rarity, especially in fantasy.

Ah, yes. JFTR weight limits. Having been raised in the Army, Steph, I can see the wisdom of ebooks over paper. :D

Jackie -- Yay! I'm also working on my review. :)

[Jackie M]

Book Frost Burned
Shelf Cover Love
Date Read 7/26/2013
Rating ★★★★
Review

What can I say?? Mercy is just awesome.
She is one of my all time favorite characters because she is strong, independent, and compassionate.
In this installment Mercy is trying to find where the pack is being held and trying to keep the others that associated with the pack safe while trying to keep herself alive as well.
We get it all in this book werewolves, vampires, fae, and even a zombie fae.
This was a typical Briggs book ya know AWESOME, it was action packed and hard to put down and now I have to patiently wait forever until I can get my next Mercy fix.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

N14: Cover Love - Every Other Day - ★★★★ - 26 Jun 13

Kali D’Angelo is not an ordinary teenage girl. Every other day, she is. . other, driven by a need to hunt and kill supernatural beasties like hellhounds and zombies. Kali doesn't know why she's this way and she can't confide in anyone in the hopes of uncovering the truth. She hasn't seen her mother since she was three, her father -- a college professor -- seems to forget she exists, and she has no friends. And the last thing she wants is to be turned into a lab rat, studied and experimented on.

Then one day at a school pep rally, Skylar Hayden offers her a stick of gum and, in less than a week, Kali's world is turned upside down and she learns the truth about herself.

What I liked the most was the characters. Kali does the best she can, given the situation she's in. It's easy to see how frustrating it is for her: there is no one else like her, yet she feels there should be; and there's no one to ask about it. Also, she's someone who can't sit by idly when she has the ability to make a difference.

Both Skylar and Bethany are a bit of surprise. Each, in their own ways, throw Kali through loops. Bethany may seem like the stereotypical in-crowd cheerleader, but there is more depth to her than that. Skylar reminded me very much of Winfred Burkle (AKA Fred from Angel): smart, brave, and talkative. She's also two brothers shy of being Ginny Weasley.

I did have some minor issues, mostly regarding world building. The world the author created seemed intriguing, but I thought it was a little thin as well. Since it is a stand-alone book, it only has to serve this book and not a series. Interestingly, the book ends in such a way that the author could easily write a spin-off book/series if she desired.

I don't remember specifically why I added this book to my TBR pile -- who's review might have sparked my curiosity. I'm glad I did and I really liked it.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

MSG 15 updated

[Jackie M]

I'll be at work when the next shelf is called, so I post my pick tomorrow.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Jackie M wrote: "I'll be at work when the next shelf is called, so I post my pick tomorrow."

No problem. :)

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

NEW SHELF

Angels & Demons

(moved to MSG 15)

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

I'll be reading

[Jackie M]

I am going to read

[Kari]

I will read The Darkest Pleasuresince I am already going on that series

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Hi, teammies! Finals have been submitted, so now I wait. Phew! Still can't believe I'll soon be holding my college diploma! :D

So, I've scrolled through the new shelf and cannot decide what I want to read. Will choose one of these, most likely:
or

Hope everyone's enjoying their books! Go, team, go!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Update: I'm starting for our current shelf.

[Isha]

I'll be reading for Angels & Demons shelf.

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Yay, Steph. :)

***

Kari, Steph, and Nikita -- picks added.

[Kari]

I finally finished my Free Space book. Holy hell was that a long book.

Shelf: Free Space
book: Clash of Kings
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I really like this series, and the story is absolutely phenomenal. However so much happens that it is almost too much to take in. We are following so many different points of view that you really have to keep track of each element of the story. I find certain characters a lot more entertaining than others, for example Denaerys and Jon Snow compared to Sansa or Davos. I'm hoping the 3rd book focuses less on the political intrigue at the capital and more on the impending invasion by zombies (essentially). That part of the story is way more fascinating.