R12: Team #8 ~ Vor8ious Readers

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Team #8
Captain: Elizabeth

Members:
D.A.
Elizabeth
Melissa
Nichole

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Just a Hop, Skip & Click Away
Happy Reading!

Shelf Announcements ~ Check for the latest shelf announcement & review the requirements for each shelf
Free Space Rules ~ Where to look when pickin' your free space book
Stamp Me! ~ Request a stamp for your bingo card
Discussions ~ Throughout the game, head here to chat with other players & shelf chant til your heart's content
Bingo FAQ ~ Don't hesitate! If you have a question, let us know.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Hiya, Team Caps! Thanks for volunteering to guide your team through a round of BookShelf Bingo!

Your job, should you choose to accept it, will require a few things:
1 ~ Be our go-to person should we have any questions about your team
2 ~ Organize your teammate's weekly reads for each shelf/category so that the BSB Ninjas can quickly and easily verify and approve your stamp request(s)
3 ~ Encourage and motivate your team (you may also ask to borrow Judithe's whip whenever necessary)
4 ~ Post regularly to ensure your team is communicating and on track each week (Send them a PM and friendly poke if they haven't posted at least once a week, noted their book choice, and/or appear to have dropped out of webspace)
5 ~ Send us a PM (Steph, Sandra or Judithe) should you need us for any reason throughout the game

[Steph, Serious series addict]

EXAMPLE OF WINNING PATTERNS
For R12 only

- - OR - - - - OR - -

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Link to print your own copy: BINGO card

[Steph, Serious series addict]

...

[Elizabeth]

Free Space read 4/4 STAMP
D.A.:Dead Heat (from SOS BEST OF: Urban Fantasy Series Listopia), 7/18/2015, ★★★★1/2 Review
Elizabeth: Night Reigns (from SOS BEST OF: PNR Series), 7/17/2015, ★★★, Review
Melissa:Darkness Unknown (group bookshelf), 8/9/2015, ★★★1/2, Review
Nichole: Queen of the Darkness (group bookshelf), 7/19/2015, ★★★★ Review


**
Shelf #1 ~ 15 July: Strong Heroine 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Dragon Bound, 7/17/2015, ★★★½,Review
Elizabeth: Magic Breaks, 7/23/2015, ★★★★ Review
Melissa: Cinder, 7/25/2015, ★★★1/2 Review
Nichole: Entreat Me, 7/20/2015, ★★★1/2 Review


**
Shelf #2 ~ 22 July: A Bloody Mess 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Hex Appeal (vampires), 7/28/2015, ★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines series), 7/24/2015, ★★★ Review
Melissa: Consumed (vampires), 7/30/2015, ★★★★ Review
Nichole: Demon from the Dark (vampires), 7/25/2015, ★★★★ Review


**
Shelf #3 ~ 29 July: Happy Birthday! 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Shadow Study (Feb 2015), 7/31/2015, ★★★ Review
Elizabeth: Johnnie (Mar 2015), 7/30/2015, ★★1/2 Review
Melissa: Servicing the Target (Jul 2015), 8/3/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: Magic Shifts (Aug 2015), 8/5/2015, ★★★★★, Review


**
Shelf #4 ~ 5 August: Series Catch up 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: No Quest For The Wicked, 8/6/2015, ★★★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: A Feast for Crows, 8/11/2015, ★★★1/2, Review
Melissa: Sixth Grave on the Edge, 8/7/2015, ★★★★1/2, Review
Nichole: Heart of Venom, 8/8/2015, ★★★★★, Review


**
Shelf #5 ~ 12 August: Demons 4/4 Stamp
D.A.: Under Attack(p.24 of Demons shelf), 8/15/2015, ★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: World After, 8/14/2015, ★★★ Review
Melissa: Seventh Grave and No Body, 8/18/2015, ★★★★ Review
Nichole: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, 8/18/2015, ★★★★ Review


**
Shelf #6 ~ 19 August: Dark & Stormy 4/4 Stamp
D.A.: Staying Dead, 8/22/2015, ★★★, Review
Elizabeth: The Hell You Say, 8/22/2015, ★★★★, Review
Melissa: Acheron, Dark-Hunter series, 8/24/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: Lothaire (Immortals After Dark series), 8/23/2015, ★★★★, Review


**
Shelf #7 ~ 26 Aug: Urban Fantasy 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Better Homes and Hauntings (pg 89), 8/27/2015, ★★★★, Review
Elizabeth: On the Edge, 8/30/2015, ★★★1/2, Review
Melissa: Phantom Shadows (pg 75), 8/29/2015, 3.5-3.75★ Review
Nichole: Fate's Edge, 8/29/2015, ★★★★, Review


**
Shelf #8 ~ 2 Sept: Favorite 4/4 Stamp
D.A.: Echoes of Betrayal(favorite series), 9/3/2015, ★★★★★, Review
Elizabeth: Dark Skye (favorite series), 9/6/2015, ★★1/2, Review
Melissa: Big Bad Beast, (favorite author), 9/5/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: Thicker Than Blood(favorite theme), 9/4/2015, ★★★★ Review


**
Shelf #9 ~ 9 Sept: Meow 4/4 Stamp
D.A.: Magic Burns, 9/10/2015, ★★, Review
Elizabeth: Blood Trade, 9/12/2015, ★★★1/2, Review
Melissa: Provoked, 9/12/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: Mercy Blade, 9/12/2015, ★★★★ Review


**
Shelf #10 ~ 16 Sept: Paranormal Romance 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Skinwalker 9/22/2015, ★★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: Tall, Dark & Lonely, 9/18/2015, ★★★, Review
Melissa: Night Unbound, 9/21/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: A Red-Rose Chain, 9/18/2015, ★★★ Review

**
Shelf #11 ~ 23 Sept: Cover Love 4/4 Stamp
D.A.: Hyperion 9/30/2015, ★★★, Review
Elizabeth: The Scribe, 9/28/2015, ★★★★, Review
Melissa: Written in Red, 9/29/2015, ★★★★★, Review
Nichole: Winterblaze, 9/29/2015, ★★★1/2 Review

**

[Elizabeth]

Shelf #12 ~ 30 Sept: Itchy Witch 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Grave Peril, 10/2/2015, ★★, Review
Elizabeth: Black Arts, 10/2/2015, ★★★★, Review
Melissa: Magic Shifts, 10/5/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: Blue Lily, Lily Blue, 10/1/2015, ★★★★, Review


**
Shelf #13 ~ 7 Oct: New2You series 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Bloodlines 10/7/2015, ★★, Review
Elizabeth: Daughter of the Blood, 10/10/2015, ★★★★, Review
Melissa: A Stone in the Sea, 10/11/2015, ★★★★, Review
Nichole: Discount Armageddon, 10/14/2015, ★★★ Review

**
Shelf #14 ~ 14 Oct: Reader's choice 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: Fable: Blood of Heroes, 10/17/2015, ★★★★, Review
Elizabeth: How to Drive a Dragon Crazy, 10/22/2015, ★★★, Review
Melissa: Eighth Grave After Dark, 10/17/2015, 3.5-3.75★, Review
Nichole: Black Widow, 10/15/2015, ★★★ Review

**
Shelf #15 ~ 21 Oct:Coupledom 4/4 STAMP
D.A.: The Golden Lily, 10/21/2015, ★★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: Bayou Moon, 10/26/2015, ★★★1/2, Review
Melissa:Samson's Lovely Mortal, 10/28/2015, ★★★-★★★1/2, Review
Nichole: Wicked Cravings, 10/24/2015, ★★★1/2 Review

**
Shelf #16 ~ 28 Oct: Alpha Male 4/4 Stamp
D.A.: Tall, Dark, and Vampire, 11/3/2015, ★★, Review
Elizabeth: House Rules, 10/30/2015, ★★★, Review
Melissa: Amaury's Hellion 11/1/2015, ★★★, Review
Nichole: The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, 11/2/2015, ★★★★ Review

**
Shelf #17 ~ 4 Nov: Same, but Different 4/4
D.A.: Written in Red, 11/11/2015, ★★★★1/2, Review
Elizabeth: Spiral of Need, 11/7/2015, ★★★, Review
Melissa: The Fallen, 11/10/2015, ★★★, Review
Nichole: Sweet Release, 11/12/2015, ★★★ Review


**
Shelf #18 ~ 11 Nov: BINGO 0/4
D.A.:
Elizabeth:
Melissa:
Nichole:

[Elizabeth]

Hi everyone!
I see you were busy while I was sleeping!
I'm in Greece, we are in GMT+2, which means 8 hours ahead of you (CT).
This is my third time playing Bingo, I haven't been captain but I could do it if any of you doesn't care for captaincy.

I like most of the names you came up with.
My favorites are:
Eight Track Minds
Kiss My Eights
Scintil8ing Divas/Captiv8ing Divas
Vor8ious Readers
Shhh, I'm Reading
***
D.A.—just a reader wrote: "Maybe we all could narrow the names down to our top 3 favorites or something and then tally up which if any we had in common? Or does someone have a different method or just want to toss over a se..."

Top 3 favorites:
Kiss My Eights
Scintil8ing Divas/Readers
Vor8ious Readers

[Elizabeth]

D.A.—just a reader wrote: "so long as she promises if we get in a race for the final winning shelf call that she can be online for daytime (PST time zone) call of final shelf and for the posting of our final stamp request..."

I'm not sure I can promise that Debbie since I don't know when the game is going to end but I usually log in several times a day. I believe though that the mods won't have a problem with someone else from the team posting if that's the occasion. And as I said I could be captain if no one else wants to do it, so if there's anyone else willing be my guest.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Older messages under spoiler tag. Trying to collapse a lot to move captain's eventual "stamp me" posts back towards top of thread.(view spoiler)[
[Formerly message 7, trying to delete some posts so captain's posts for our reads show further towards top]

[Formerly message 9]
"Scintil-EIGHT-ing _______" might work into a team name? That's as good as I got (brain kept going to Worblehat, the librarian in Discworld, for sime reason just because an odd word that wouldn't leave.)

[Formerly message 11]
LOL, I only had a partial team name ...

Obusc8? Annihil8? Captiv-EIGHT/8? Oscill-8? Suppurating wound? Magic Eight Ball? Or anything that has nothing to do with 8...

Searching goodreads quotes for "eight"--
• One-oh-eight (the temperature in I Cannot Go to School Today... " by Shel Silverstein.
• Hmm... another of his poem's mentions "Magic Bean Buyer" -- we could be "Magic Bean Buyers"?
• "Boojums one-oh-eight" or "Magic Bean-Buying Boojums" (boojum = imaginary dangerous animal in Alice and Wonderland)?
• "Eight-Legged ________ "?
• "Ninety-eight and three quarters percent" (Dr. Seuss “And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”)
• "Eight Days a Week" (from “As I stood outside in Cow Lane, it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No, eight days a week.” ― Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie)
• Hard Eight? Eight Ways from Sunday?

(Boy, the quote sections on goodreads sure contain some multi-page/screen long quotes).

[Formerly lost track already] I'm liking the nearly alliterating sound of "Magic Bean-Buying Boojums" although that may not be the best reason to pick a team name. I like "Frog Squad" "Ninety-EIGHT and Three-Quarters Percent [Guaranteed]"and "Eight Days A Week" too.

Maybe "Vor-Eight-ious" or "Vor8ious" something...? (hide spoiler)]
[Former message lost track of number]
Ooh, taking a page from you I looked at my last BINGO round suggestions for team names: I still like "The High Incredible Brain Scratchers" from One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater song: (view spoiler)[

"In these days of flying saucers and Sputniks
You expect almost anything to happen
The Thing, The Fly, The Mole People, The Gamma People
The Indestructible Fossil Man, The Amazing Colossal Man
The Body Snatchers, The High Incredible Brain Scratchers       <---(hmm, ...)
I was a teenage werewolf, I was a 50 foot woman!
And other unidentifiable flying objects

I dismissed them all as being science fiction
They belonged on a library shelf
But here I am facing contradiction
'cause it happened to me myself...

...One eyed flying purple people eater
One horned flying purple people eater
One eyed, one horned flying purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me...

...I said, "Mister Purple People Eater, what's your line?"
He said, "eating purple people, and it sure is fine"..." full lyrics at http://www.songlyrics.com/judy-garlan...

(hide spoiler)]

[Another old post](view spoiler)[: Maybe we all could narrow the names down to our top 3 favorites or something and then tally up which if any we had in common? Or does someone have a different method or just want to toss over a selection to Mr. R or something?

If Elizabeth's "...could do it ..." means she'd "like to do it" — I vote Elizabeth as team captain so long as she promises if we get in a race for the final winning shelf call that she can be online for daytime (PST time zone) call of final shelf and for the posting of our final stamp request. Not that I know it will be a race or what time our last book will be read and posted to this group ... but, that's usually when mods are online to do things like stamp requests and I'd like to start the final reading as soon as shelf called. Just picky about the final shelf; I'm easygoing the rest of the game.

(I do prefer "readers" instead of "divas" as part of team name just because "divas" has been used a lot.) (hide spoiler)]

Another old post (view spoiler)[
Elizabeth wrote: "...believe though that the mods won't have a problem with someone else from the team posting if that's the occasion. ..."

I agree; so long as everyone's books were caught up with required postings there shouldn't be an issue with that (can always ask mods beforehand if worried about; it is captain's duty to post but once last book required is finished and if captain couldn't be reached I think they'd allow it). Plus even if Elizabeth got sleep deprived and put her life on hold to be glued 24/7 to this thread there's no telling who would take the longest to read and post their book or anything where you certainly couldn't predict by anyone's time zones when a stamp request needed to be posted.

My concern was just speculating if the final call came down to a race between teams and the other team(s) got their last stamp requests in before it was daylight in her time zone... (hide spoiler)]

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

My top 3:


• The High Incredible Brain Scratchers
• Ninety-EIGHT and Three Quarters (hey, I love my Dr. Seuss and it's not exactly in common use)
• Vor8cious/Vor-EIGHT-ious Readers (Readers, Divas, Ninjas or whatever is fine by me)

[Now I need to prohibit myself from changing my mind and editing this post...]

[Nichole]

(view spoiler)[

Hola!

I'm in Oklahoma (CST). Yay! I usually skip captain duties if I can but I think I can swing it if needed. I, um, have a problem saying no to team challenges and have 5 going now... This one is pretty easy to track though.

I like what you have so far for Team names, D.A.! I'll be back with a few in a minute but I'm easy and will go with whatever :)

Yes, but it was the best part! :)

okay, team names... (I peeked at some of my old Team 8 name ideas. Lazy!! Lol!)

Voracious Domin8rices
Between The Sheets
Eight Track Minds
Dead Man's Hand (Aces & 8's)
Kiss My Eights
The Series Killers
The Termin8ers
Frog Squad
Shh, I'm Reading
Mullet Mafia
I think she's in Greece. Maybe. I'm not sure where that puts her with us.

I like...

Kiss My Eights
Scintil8ing Divas
Between The Sheets
Eight Ways to (Win?)

But like I said, I'll go with whatever :)

Anyways, off to bed! I have to be up really early tomorrow-Boooo!

I'm great with Elizabeth as El Capitan! I will be more than happy to help if needed. I'm 100% positive the mods won't mind if someone else ends up posting the final stamp request so long as they make a post with all the information needed. They're pretty awesome ladies.

My favorite name is Kiss My Eights. I'm pretty sure I have my Free Space book picked out but it may end up changing. It all depends on the other challenges. As of right now, I'm leaning towards Queen of the Darkness. We shall see! (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Nichole wrote: "I'm great with Elizabeth as El Capitan! I will be more than happy to help if needed. I'm 100% positive the mods won't mind if someone else ends up posting the final stamp request so long as they ma..."

I've got the first book in audio. Is this series good?

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Elizabeth it is!

(My free space read is going to be Dead Heat from link SOS BEST OF: Urban Fantasy Series Listopia.)

[Nichole]

That's hard to say as far as recommendations go. It's Dark Fantasy with plenty of gross factor-rape, child abuse, etc... It's also hard to follow in the beginning with the world building. So many names, places, and the jewels kind of bog you down. Once I put my blinders on though, I really enjoyed it, lol. I think if you are a fan of Fantasy you might enjoy it. It's one of those you either hate or love. It's also not a romance! I think that comes later.

[Nichole]

I think Dead Heat was my free space from last round, lol!

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

I love the series and have had the book for a while but for some reason am just not reading it. This challenge usually gives me the kick in the ass my TBR needs.

[Nichole]

So I posted this in another thread and have been laughing (tears) ever since. Poor Kitty!

[Elizabeth]

Nichole wrote: "I think Dead Heat was my free space from last round, lol!"

I think I read it during last round, as well!

[Elizabeth]

This looks familiar! Maybe because my previous cat did it!

[~Melissa~]

Oh Nichole - poor kitty LOL!!


My faves:
Kiss My Eights
Vor8ious Readers
Shhh, I'm Reading


Hi Elizabeth and thank you for volunteering for Captain duties :)

My Free Space book - #17 SOS Best of UF List


My old posts:

(view spoiler)[

Hi all!! I'm looking forward to the new round! I've played in the past. I'll pass on captain as I've less time to get online with new work restrictions and teenagers and a hubby taking up time when I get home. I still find time to read though!!


I'm from the midwest so Central Standard Time (CST) for me. My family will be going on vacation Aug 10th for a week (Sun to Sun) - I should still have internet but you never know. I will attempt to have previous weeks book done and posted before we leave town.


Hmmm team names - I'm so bad at this ...I'll think on it


Oooohhh, I like ...in no particular order:
Eight Track Minds
Shhh, I'm Reading ( I tell my family this all the time,lol)
Kiss My Eights



Here are some more:

Vor8ious Readers
Domin8tors
Heavy W8 Readers
Series R Us
Don't H8te the Winners ( I think this was my team last go round)
Passion8 Readers

Scintil8ing Divas? Readers? .....hmmmm (hide spoiler)]

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Shelf! Shelf! SSSSSSssssshhheeelllffffFFFFF!!!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

That must be one shiny bathtub!

It's definitely OK for anyone on the team to post the winning notice to the thread - time zones are all over the world, so that just makes sense. For all the other shelves, it doesn't matter, so easier if the captain does it.

[Elizabeth]

Regarding the name so far, we have:
Kiss my Eights (3 votes: Nichole, Melissa, Elizabeth)
Vor8ious Readers (3 votes: D.A., Melissa, Elizabeth)
Nichole picked only one favorite name instead of 3, though.

[Nichole]

Okay, I'll tip the scale and vote for Vor8ious Readers.

Shelf day! Yay!

[Elizabeth]

Thanks, Nichole! How many hours till the shelf announcement?

[Nichole]

About 9 hours :)

Good idea D.A., I moved all my first posts below Elizabeth's tracking post too.

[~Melissa~]

Morning ladies....checking in before work. Was hoping for a 'really early' shelf call,lol

Yay - we have a name!

I'll delete/move my first posts to a later post of mine so the tracking post is up top :)

[Elizabeth]

Thank you all for removing the old posts :)
We are ready for the shelf announcement!

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Stalking for shelf call (I get time zone confused but I'm guessing maybe within next three hours?).

[Elizabeth]

Two hours, maybe?

[Elizabeth]

I'm going to read for the Free Space.

[Elizabeth]

Shelf #1 ~ 15 July: Strong Heroine
Direct Link: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

I'm deciding. Most of my first attempts were only on " kick-ass heroine" shelves, with and without dashes and s.

[Elizabeth]

I've narrowed it down to Magic Breaks or World After but I'll decide tomorrow.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison will be my "Strong Heroine" read. Been forever on my TBR and always think to use for challenges but somehow don't.

If it starts sucking, I'll try again to read Magic Burns stuff because everyone is still telling me the next book will hook me.

[Nichole]

Those are both great choices, Elizabeth!


Hmm, see I was waiting and looking forward to the first (every) shelf call and then I have the hardest time choosing!! We'll see how I feel after finishing up my current books.

or or or - (I have a BR for this, I'll have to see if she's ready yet)

I've been in a Fantasy mood lately :) Don't know if you could tell, lol.

[Nichole]

Good choices, D.A. :)

Ilona Andrews is one of my favorites! But I do, occasionally, hear that people don't like Kate Daniels. The blasphemy! LOL

[~Melissa~]

Elizabeth wrote: "I'm going to read for the Free Space."

I like this series - I just read this one a few of months ago :)

[~Melissa~]

Ilona Andrews is a fave of mine too!!


Ok - Strong Heroine shelf - worked out great - I'm going to go with as I need this for 2 other challenges this month. Yeah! I knew there was a reason I was waiting to start it :D

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Nichole wrote: "Ilona Andrews is one of my favorites! But I do, occasionally, hear that people don't like Kate Daniels. The blasphemy! LOL"

It's not that I don't like Kate Daniels. I like her well enough but I'm finding the books aren't ones I like or dislike -- just not getting into them. Decent concept and none of the characters grate on my nerves or anything, I just haven't been interested and have DNF'ed the second book several times now.

[Elizabeth]

D.A.—just a reader wrote: " Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison will be my "Strong Heroine" read. Been forever on my TBR and always think to use for challenges but s..."

I hope you'll enjoy Dragon Bound! I really like this series.

[Elizabeth]

I've started listening to my Free Space book and enjoying it, so far.

[Nichole]

Okay, I made a decision!

Strong Heroine:

Free space: - found on the group bookshelf.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Finished my Strong Heroine book. It was really good but I need to get some sleep before posting the details.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

STRONG HEROINE Space
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
Finished: July 17, 2015
Series: Elder Races, #1
Rating: ★★★½☆
Number of pages: 323

Review: I really enjoyed this fast-paced sometimes smutty little paranormal book. Pia and Dragos engaged me immediately as did the plot (and you have to really smile at what was taken from the dragon hoard) and the pace. New to me author.

I enjoyed both for what it was and what it wasn't. My unfounded worries on what it wasn't kept this stuck dusty on the TBR pile for way too long -- which is a major reason I like these BINGO challenges. I will be pursuing the series (but in no hurry since switches main characters a lot and takes a few books to get back to Pia and Dragos).

What it was: a good story. There was a good tale running through the whole book with fast pacing. Engaging characters, neither of which were cardboard extremes of wimpy or superpowerful. Within the story was a good romance (okay, got smutty and I eye-rolled at a single "bud" phrasing in a sex scene, but not the fated mate so have to be with an asshole type of smutty). Dragos the very ancient immortal dragon came across as being ancient and I liked how baffled he'd get with Pia and his efforts to accommodate her seeming human-ness, some arrogance and sometimes overbearing but never abusive to her. Pia, despite being caught up in all kinds of things outside her control, managed some clever moves that flummoxed both the good guys and the villains and was a well-grounded, smart cookie.

A wee bit of mystery with what Pia was and what bad guys were doing, some humor (not the forced overused humor) and some good vs. bad guy tension. Worldbuilding was extremely light (could develop further along the series but in this one it was just that the supernatural and mythological beings had been out in the open alongside mere humans since Elizabeth times with portals to fae realms and the usual elves, fairies, goblins and a variety shapeshifters called "Wyr" instead of "Were" that included dragons, griffins, bears, thunderbirds, minx, etc.). A little suspension of belief needed because even once I accept the idea of shapeshifters within a fictional world I still have trouble accepting the extreme change in body mass it takes for a bear or a dragon to shapeshift into a human -- but that's in almost all paranormal and urban fantasy books.

What it wasn't: The reasons I put off reading this for so long turned out to be bogus. Before reading I was worried it was overhyped (so many friends raved about this series), one of "those" PNR books where some wimpy little dishrag was fated to mate so put up with some jerk, I'm allergic to billionaire love interest books (blame FSoG and one too many harlequins read as a teenager -- okay, after centuries of living and being a dragon who hoards, Dragos was a rich SOB multi-billionaire but that's the end of the similarity), description didn't sound that interesting ...

The cover still bugs the hell out of me though. I keep wanting Dragos to please stretch and stand up instead of that awkward hunch. (I know, the rest of the cover art not showing probably shows him ready to launch as if a gargoyle sitting on a ledge with wings but it just looks like an uncomfortable crouch).

[Elizabeth]

Free Space


Night Reigns by Dianne Duvall
Date finished: 7/17/2015
Rating: ★★★
Review: Second book in the Immortal Guardians series and it was enjoyable, easy to read/listen to, with lot of action. Unfortunately, it's been some time since I read book#1 and I didn't remember much of the story.
I enjoyed the narration of Kirsten Potter but I don't think that I'll continue with the series. It took forever (about 75% of the book) to finally learn what Amy is and the whole thing was a let down. Moreover, I didn't feel the romance between Amy and Marcus, although I liked both of them as characters.

[Elizabeth]

I'm reading for the Strong heroine shelf, found in page 5.

[Nichole]

Great job, Ladies! I'm hoping to have both of my books finished up over the weekend.