SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R12: Team #5 ~ Ravishing Tarts
I'll be starting The Darkest Whisper at lunch today. I also brought Touch the Dark if I'm not feeling it.
Shelf: Dark and StormyThe Darkest Whisper
Rating: ****
Read 08/20/2015
Review:
It took a minute for me to get back into the world (I read Book 3 in 2011) but it was off like a shot. The book opens with action and its pretty much nonstop throughout. I loved Sabin and Gwen. I loved that Sabin’s demon, Doubt, is pretty much terrified of Gwen’s other half. Mwa ha ha. I liked Gwen’s sisters, for the most part.
I really felt for Torin in this installment; I could feel his loneliness leaking from the pages. Also, somebody please ask Ms. Showalter to stop torturing Gideon. I realize that they all heal quickly and his body parts will grow back but damn it.... Just quit.
Oh and the leader of the Hunters being Gwen’s ******? I don’t know if I like that development or not. Evil jerkwad... The kids are just creepy too.
I’ll read the next few, which are currently sitting at home on one of my bookshelves. I’m not sure whether it will be sooner or later though. I might have to do some snooping for spoilers for the coming books first. Just to make sure there are no nasty surprises ahead.
CONGRATULATIONS, Ravishing Tarts!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'series catch-up'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Ravening Tartlets!
Shelf #6 ~ 19 Aug: Dark & Stormy
Dream Man - Linda Howard ~ ★★★★ (8/20/2015)Review:
A romantic suspense with a dose of paranormal in the form of a psychic heroine.
Marlie is having visions of someone gleefully committing a murder and when the police investigation is stalled due to the lack of evidence, she comes forward with what she's seen.
Detective Dane Hollister does not believe in psychics, and suspects that Marlie knows what she does because she was involved in the murder somehow.
When his investigations into her disprove his claim, he is forced to consider that she is telling the truth and freed from the restrictions he would have faced had she been a suspect, he gives in to his attraction to her and starts pursuing her.
The two become close and Dane gets proof of her abilities, when (view spoiler).
A gruff, forceful hero, a wary, traumatized heroine and a case made all the more difficult because of its effects on the two, followed by an unexpected, gratifying twist at the end, when (view spoiler).
The couple finally reach their happy ending and (view spoiler).
For Dark & Stormy I think I'm going to read
Series Title: Darkest London
Shelf: Demons
Read: 24/8/15
Rated: 4 Stars
My Review: This is the 11th book in the series and it was a good one. Lots of mystery, some new supernaturals and old favourites returning to keep you entertained. I liked Roke and Sally more than I expected too but I don't think I will be the only one thinking Cyn stole the show. I can't wait to see how hard he falls!
Book: Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan
Shelf: Dark & Stormy
Date Finished: 8/24/15
Rating: 4 Stars
I'm having a hard time rating this one because some of the things that I didn't like I think are just me not being in the mood for this type of book. So I'm giving the benefit of the doubt since I enjoyed others in this series and there were plenty of things I liked about it. It just wasn't a fall into it, easy type read for me.
I saw a lot of reviews having an issue with Jack. And what's strange for me is that I'm usually way more judgement of the heroes than the heroines in most romances. I try to give the women a break. So imagine my surprise when I actually like Jack better than Mary in this book. Yes, he can be kind of jerky to her but even when he tried to do the right thing, she didn't cut him much slack. But I think my real issue is that she never seemed to trust him. Even when their feelings were growing and their relationship was changing, she didn't hesitate to think the worst of him. I think that was my real issue there, the continued lack of trust.
So the romance didn't grab me but I do still enjoy the larger world and all the things going on within. When Jack and Mary were working well together I was really into it. This was a bit of a darker read than I was in the mood for. Both Jack & Mary have painful backstories and I think that may be a bit of why I put this one off for a while. I've just been into more lighthearted fare lately. Still I do recommend this series to anyone looking for some different paranormal romance.
Looks like we're ready for our Demons and close to the Dark and Stormy shelf stamps! whoo hoo!Shelf #5 ~ 12 Aug: Demons
✔ Cristina Dead Ever After review (8/13/2015)
✔ Karen F Sins of the Demon review (08/15/2015)
✔ Michelle Hunt the Darkness review (8/25/2015)
✔ Thenia Kiss of Crimson review (8/16/2015)
I went ahead and requested our stamp, Thenia. Hope you don't mind. :)
Shelf #6 ~ 19 Aug: Dark & Stormy✔ Cristina - The Darkest Whisper review (8/20/2015)
✔ Karen F - Shadowdance review (8/24/2015)
✦Michelle - Darkest Flame
✔ Thenia - Dream Man review (8/20/2015)
I am going to read
for Urban Fantasy
SO MANY CHOICES... ugh lol
CONGRATULATIONS, Ravishing Tarts!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'demons'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Ravening Tartlets!
I have one paranormal book left for August challenges and 4 people have shelved it as Urban Fantasy so I'll take it!I'm going to read
I think I'm going to read
. It's only been on Mt. TBR for a few years.
Anyone heard from Thenia lately?
Since Thenia hasn't checked in, I'm going to go ahead and act as Captain until her return, unless anyone has any objections?Shelf #7 ~ 26 Aug: Urban Fantasy
✔ Cristina - Stray review (08/30/2015)
✔ Karen F - Grave Phantoms review (08/29/2015)
✦ Michelle - Obsidian
✦ Thenia -
Apologies for being MIA team. I'm unexpectedly out of town and while I was supposed to have internet access, that happened to not be the case.Thanks for stepping up Christina! I'll be back home next week when I'll get caught up with everything, including our lists and my books. In the meantime, happy reading!
Thanks again Christina and sorry for the unexplained absence.
It's fine. I was just worried about you. It seemed totally out of character. Glad you're okay:)
Book: Grave Phantoms by Jenn Bennett
Shelf: Urban Fantasy
Date Finished: 8/29/15
Rating: 4 stars
I adored Astrid & Bo's relationship. I've been looking forward to their book and it didn't disappoint me. This is a longstanding crush, friends to lovers type story and it was appropriately sweet. Bo & Astrid love each other pretty much from the beginning but there are countless things standing in their way. I like that that author doesn't shy away from the racism that Bo faces, without ever taking away his power. Bo's a handsome man, a flashy dresser & high up in Winter's organization. He faces daily micro-aggressions and he knows that if Astrid chooses to be with him they can't legally wed but he doesn't beat himself up too much over it, it's just a fact of his life.
Astrid is a younger heroine, she's only 20 in this book. So if that's the kind of thing that you don't like, well, there it is. I liked her personally. She's got the Magnusson stubbornness and goes after what she wants. On a shallow note, I loved the description of her clothes, 20's fashions are so awesome even if I don't have the flapper body for them to work on.
A couple of things that didn't work as well for me, the paranormal story I thought wasn't as well integrated into the relationship as in the previous entries. It was more a reason for Bo & Astrid to have a lot of alone time together but unlike the first two books neither of them have any special spiritual powers. Also, I thought Bo's sexual dominance kind of came out of nowhere given what you learn about some of his sexual history. But those are minor quibbles. Overall, this is a great series and I'm sorry to see it end.
Stray
Shelf: Urban Fantasy
Rating ****
Read: 08/30/2015
Review:
This book has been sitting at home on Mt. TBR since 2011. I’ve also checked it out on my library’s ebook collection so many times I have lost count.
It was a pretty good read. Yes Faythe (dumb ass spelling) is immature but I don’t think she’s so immature that it seems unreal. She’s rebelling against her life being chosen for her and lashing out. I can understand that. I’m that kind of person a bit too. Tell me I can’t do something and it’ll be the very next thing I do.
So the Stray plot with the kidnapped Tabbies was pretty interesting but I think what really kept the pages turning for me was the characters. On the romance front, I’m not sure which ship I’m on. I’m still standing on the dock, contemplating my choices. I have a feeling that the Marc ship will reach its destination and the Jace ship might wind up sinking in the middle of the ocean but I might still get on that boat.
I’m not certain when I’ll get to the next book in the series as I don’t feel the burning desire to find out what happens now but I put the rest on the list.
Shelf: Dark & Stormy
Read: 31/8/15
Rated: 5 Stars
My Review: The Dark Kings series is a spin-off from the Dark Warriors series which was a spin-off from the Dark Sword series. While I would highly recommend every single one of them you don't need to have read them all to enjoy the story.
A few characters from the Warriors do play a small part and they will continue to do so, especially following the revelations in this book. However, we do have new enemies to fight and Dragon Kings to get to know. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it's a well developed world that Donna has created and you can easily believe that there could be some truth to the stories. I will be continuing with the series, there are two books I am looking forward to most. Tristan's and Con's.
I am part way through my UF book now, life calms down for me next week so I should be quicker at getting my reviews in.
Shelf #6 ~ 19 Aug: Dark & Stormy✔ Cristina - The Darkest Whisper review (8/20/2015)
✔ Karen F - Shadowdance review (8/24/2015)
✔ Michelle - Darkest Flame review (08/31/2015)
✔ Thenia - Dream Man review (8/20/2015)
Requesting our shelf now. :D WTG team!
CONGRATULATIONS, Ravishing Tarts!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'dark & stormy'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Ravening Tartlets!
I'm back team! I'll get right on catching up with everything. Sorry again for the sudden absence and thanks to Christina for picking up the slack.
No problem. That's what teams are for :)
Shelf #7 ~ 26 Aug: Urban Fantasy
Now You See Her - Linda Howard ~ ★★★ (9/2/2015)Review:
A story about Sweeney, an isolated artist with a few unusual abilities and Richard, the powerful, rich man with whom she shares a very intense connection.
Richard is in the middle of a divorce with his wife, who has less morals than a flea and (view spoiler). Sweeney's increasing abilities have her painting parts of the (view spoiler) and trying to figure out the identities of the people in her painting so that she can prevent it from coming true.
Interesting idea, parts of which I felt could be expanded quite a bit more. Regardless, it was an engaging story and I look forward to reading more of the author's work.
Shelf #7 ~ 26 Aug: Urban Fantasy✔ Christina -
✔ Karen F -
✔ Michelle -
✔ Thenia -
Done: 4/4 ~ stamp requested
Shelf's up!Shelf #8 ~ 2 Sept: Favorite
Read a book: in your favorite series, by your favorite author, featuring a character with your favorite paranormal ability or your favorite supernatural being, etc.
Shelf #8 ~ 2 Sept: Favorite✔ Christina -
✔ Karen F -
✔ Michelle -
✔ Thenia -
Done: 4/4 ~ stamp requested
Quick update: We've got our stamps for shelves 1~6 (4, 5, 6 lists) and we're one book away from our #7 ~ Urban Fantasy and two books away from our Free Space stamp.The new shelf is Favorite - Read a book: in your favorite series, by your favorite author, featuring a character with your favorite paranormal ability or your favorite supernatural being, etc.
Happy reading!
I should be finished my UF book tonight or tomorrow morning. I had a meeting tonight that I forgot about so didn't get finished earlier as I hoped. I will be reading
for favourite. It has dispatched so should be here soon.
Oh yay! I didn't start reading anything this morning even though I was stuck at home waiting for some work to be done on the house. I was hoping the shelf would fit
as well. So that's what I'm going for. I have it on my kindle so I'll be starting momentarily.
Shelf: Urban Fantasy
Read: 4/9/15
Rated: 4.5 Stars
My Review: I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, I hadn't read any reviews or even the synopsis. I just know that it routinely showed up on my news feed or on Facebook so I thought I would give it a try and I wasn't disappointed.
Young Adult isn't something I read often, I find it hard to identify with the characters and often drown in the angst. I didn't have that here. I liked the slow build relationship between Katy & Daemon, their tension filled interactions didn't have me groaning in despair. Parts of the story felt familiar, I can't quite put my finger on why though. I'll definitely pick up the rest!
That's us ready for another shelf :) I have a wedding tomorrow so depending on the hangover, my next review likely won't be up until late Monday or Tuesday. All my kids are in school full time from Monday, so I am looking forward to some me time. It's been so long, I'm not sure what to do with myself other than tackling Mount TBR and playing with the puppy.
Have a great weekend and Happy Reading!!!
Shelf: Favorites
Lethal Outlook
Rating: ****
Read: 09/04/15
Review:
So I love Abby and her friends. I love the wacky situations that they wind up in. However, this one (and the last one) felt like it had sharp edges around the wacky. Like Karin Slaughter decided to try writing cozy mysteries. I don't know if I just noticed it now or if its been that way for a while. It's got madcap shenanigans mixed with horrific situations. Regardless, I still love it and I'll keep reading this series.
In this one, Abby and Dutch are working different cases, avoiding Abby's sister who is a planning their wedding, and poor Dave who just wants to help them build their dream home.
Dutch's case, I'm sure, we're going to see in the next book. Abby and Candice are trying to solve a case of a missing mother. There are light red herrings here and there but I swear I never saw the bad guy reveal coming AT ALL.
Book: Archangel's Enigma by Nalini Singh
Shelf: Favorite
Date Finished: 9/4/15
Rating: 5 stars
I'm not one for putting Gifs in my reviews (too much work) but if I were picture Kermit flailing arms here.
I have to admit that I wasn't sold on Naasir in earlier books in the series. But in the last one we got to know him a little better and I was looking forward to his story of his quest for his mate. I liked Andromeda right away. A scholar with a spine of steel, people constantly underestimate her and she often encourages this. I don't want to get too much into her secrets as I'd be approaching spoiler territory. Of course, Naasir has secrets too and the mystery surrounding him and his origins are cleared up by the end.
Despite the darkness in this world and the peril they are often in Andromeda & Naasir's courtship is playful. I loved them together, they are so much fun. She accepts and understands his unique thought processes and he encourages her less buttoned down side. It's a nice counterpoint in a world where the evil doers are really evil.
Nalini Singh's world building is second to none. Even though the romance is front and center there are overarching stories going on in both of her series that make the world so much richer. Big events happen here as the Cascade continues to destabilize the power structure and the world. As always, I can't wait for the next one.
Shelf #8 ~ 2 Sept: Favorite Never Marry a Viscount - Anne Stuart ~ ★★★★ (9/3/2015)Review:
The third and last book in the series, where the bad guy's motives are finally revealed and the mystery solved.
Sophie, the youngest of the three Russell sisters, is left behind when the other two go off to try to find out who framed their father and clear his name. Forced to leave her sanctuary and with few choices left to her, she decides to follow in their footsteps and investigate the third and last suspect, the Dark Viscount, Alexander Griffiths.
Using her talent for cooking and baking, and with luck on her side, she becomes his new cook, but in a case of mistaken identity he thinks she is (view spoiler).
A game of cat and mouse begins, with the two giving off sparks whenever they're in the same room, until they finally succumb to their attraction. Their problems do not end there, however, as (view spoiler).
Sophie's sisters with their significant others make their appearance, and so does the bad guy, who (view spoiler).
The mystery is finally solved, the bad guy (view spoiler) finally faces justice and the Russell name is finally cleared.
I particularly enjoyed the banter and relationships between the men and Alexander's (view spoiler) confession of love. The conclusion redeemed the slightly less than satisfying endings of the first two books, giving all three Russell sisters their undeniable happy endings.
Very engaging, enjoyable series, with a dark undertone.
I forgot to mention that your Urban Fantasy stamp is on the way. Congrats team!We're also one book away from our Favorite shelf stamp and still 2 from our Free Space shelf.
Hmm, I really should find something to read that fits that shelf...
I'm reading my Favourite book just now, shouldn't be long :)
Shelf's up:Shelf #9 ~ 9 Sept: Meow!
Read a book: featuring any form of feline shifter
Happy reading!
Shelf #9 ~ 9 Sept: Meow!✔ Christina -
✔ Karen F -
✔ Michelle -
✔ Thenia -
Done: 4/4 ~ stamp requested [image error]
A helpful list if you're looking for ideas for this week's shelf. https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/ca...
I'm going to read Desire Untamed for this shelf. I was going to read Magic Breaks (love me some Curran) but I couldn't find it in my stacks at home :(.
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
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Prudence (other topics)
Burn for Me (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Tessa Dare (other topics)
Gail Carriger (other topics)
Ilona Andrews (other topics)
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✔ Christina -
The Darkest Whisper - Gena Showalter~ ★★★★ Review (8/20/2015)✔ Karen F -
Shadowdance - Kristen Callihan~ ★★★★ Review (8/24/2015)✔ Michelle -
Darkest Flame - Donna Grant~ ★★★★★ Review (8/31/2015)✔ Thenia -
Dream Man - Linda Howard~ ★★★★ Review (8/20/2015)Done: 4/4 ~ stamp received (9/1/2015)