R8: Team #1 ~ Read for Speed **2ND PLACE**

[Thenia]

Sandra wrote: "Remember we don't count the Free Space book in the 3 strikes policy, so Stephanie is technically only 3 books behind, but has anyone contacted her to see how she's going?"

I know Free space doesn't count in the 3 strikes, I just summed up the books per shelves. :)

I just sent her a message. Hopefully she'll drop by soon.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Good, OK, no worries ;)

[Rachel-RN]

For those of you behind (for whatever reason) the most important shelves for us are:
1. Demons (1st potential Bingo for us if stamped and Favorite is called- we would need to read fast as this shelf is a Bingo for Team 8 too)
2. 5 Stars and Supernatural (2nd potential Bingo 1st row if stamped and Magic shelf called).
Again, as this is a *team* challenge it would be nice for the chosen books to be read and reviewed by shelf call next week. Most likely next week will be the last week and we have 2 potential Bingos.

[Rachel-RN]

Supernatural:
Reader's Choice: TBD (will see what I'm in the mood for- this has to be my favorite shelf since I can pick anything!!) Leaning toward

[Monica]

Rachel thanks for the information about the shelves. I made sure to finish my Demons book since it gave us 4 in a row. I will work on my 5 stars book and supernatural. The books I am going to read can fit on both shelves. They are both supernatural. The books are:

and

Which ever one I finish first I will put on the Supernatural shelf.

[[deleted user]]

OK I'll be reading and both are on the Supernatural shelf, so I'll use one for either shelf :)

[Thenia]

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia - (12/8/2013) ~ ★★★
Shelf #12 ~ 8/12/13: Supernatural

Interesting young adult book with a male protagonist living in a small southern town where things never change, until one day they do.

The narrator did an excellent job, both with the various accents and the interpretation of the different, colorful characters and he made the book a lot better for me than it would have been had I read it instead.

Many of the elements I find irritating in young adult books were present in this one as well, but the male main character was thankfully not as dramatic as the female teenagers tend to be. (view spoiler)[That's not to say that there wasn't plenty of drama in the story as it was. While the students' behavior might be believable up to a point, I found the attitude of the majority of the town towards one teenage girl particularly absurd. (hide spoiler)]

I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series, but if I do it will be in big part because of the audiobook and great narrator. Next book in the series is Beautiful Darkness.

[Monica]

Thenia I agree with you on Beautiful Creatures. The narrator I had for mine was fantastic and makes me want to continue the series but only in the audio version.

[Thenia]

Monica wrote: "Thenia I agree with you on Beautiful Creatures. The narrator I had for mine was fantastic and makes me want to continue the series but only in the audio version."

I don't think I would have enjoyed it half as much had I read it - I've grown tired of YA books and this one was pretty big too, but he was so good that I finished it pretty much in one sitting!

[Monica]

I know if I had picked up that book I would still be trying to read it. It was an easy book to listen to in one day.

[[deleted user]]

I'm over half done my first book and loving every minute of it, I should be finished Phantom Shadows tomorrow :D

[[deleted user]]

Supernatural Shelf

by Dianne Duvall

Finished: 09/12/13
Rating: 5 stars

Review:Dianne Duvall has done it yet again! Phantom Shadows is my favorite Immortal Guardians book so far. Bastien and Melanie's story was fantastic, their relationship started off slow but but gained heat and speed once the story got rolling. Bastien is by far my favorite Immortal of the series, his not so squeaky clean past gave him a depth of character that I found very appealing and his love for Melanie only made me love him more. Melanie was just the right woman for Bastien, she didn't let him get away with a lot of bullshit and was constantly calling him out on his feelings. She is smart, funny and able to kick some serious ass in her own right.

Of course the story it's self was a continuation of events that took place in previous books and we finally got to see an old enemy put to rest. Plus add a few new twists, an unexpected pregnancy, a few new characters, the mysterious Zach (can't wait to learn more about him) and a boat load of non-stop ass kicking and you get Phantom Shadows. Fantastic!!!

[Thenia]

I just got a message from Stephanie and unfortunately she's quitting the game...

How do we proceed now ninjas?

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Thenia, now you work out what shelves have been completed and request them.

Hope Stephanie is OK, just overwhelmed with books ;)

[Thenia]

Sandra wrote: "Thenia, now you work out what shelves have been completed and request them.

Hope Stephanie is OK, just overwhelmed with books ;)"

She said RL surprised her but it was a good surprise. :)

I'll get right on the requests!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Well that's good!!

[Thenia]

Okay team, stamps for Free Space, Demons and 5 Stars are on the way - congrats!

Also, we're 1 book away from our *First, Second or Third stamp and 2 books away from our Supernatural stamp.

[[deleted user]]

That's to bad, but it's totally understandable that RL can sometimes get in the way.

On a lighter note yay!! for all the forth coming stamps, great work ladies!! I will be done my Reader's Choice book Wednesday at the latest

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Hi, Thenia, I can't find Monica's review for her 5-star book and there's no link here. Am I missing it?

[Thenia]

Steph wrote: "Hi, Thenia, I can't find Monica's review for her 5-star book and there's no link here. Am I missing it?"

Sorry Steph, I fixed it now. ;)

[[deleted user]]

I think she might have jumped the gun on that stamp Steph :) I can't find Monica's 5 star review either so i'm guessing it's not done yet

[Thenia]

Sorry again, my bad indeed - maybe I should lessen the open tabs cause it's a mess here... Scratch that request out Steph!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

LOL! No worries, hun. Two stamps comin' up! ;)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Read for Speed!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'free space' and 'demons'. 

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

Good Job!! :D

[[deleted user]]

Gosh I really hope the favorite shelf is called this week I have just the book I'm dying to read for it too!!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamps Speedies!

[Monica]

Okay I am really hoping to get some reading done this week. I was planning to read tonight but my son just came home from a trip to Seattle Washington with his Aunt and I was over there listening to their stories. Then I had to drive him to go get his car from the shop. We are supposed to get snow tomorrow so I am hoping that maybe just maybe I could get the day off. Then I would spend most of the day reading.

I am taking off Friday and I plan to read as much as possible. Well I am going to go and read a little before bed. I will work on the Supernatural and 5 stars books first. Since they will give us another 4 in a row.

[Thenia]

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis - (12/10/2013) ~ ★★★★
Shelf #11 ~ 8/12/13: *Reader's Choice

This is the introduction to Lucky Harbor, a little coastal town where three half-sisters meet again to sort out the little inn they've inherited from their free-spirited mother.

Maddie, the middle sister and the quietest of the three, is determined to fix the ramshackle inn whose state matches that of her life, and make a home there with her sisters, despite knowing very little about them besides their vastly different personalities.

Jax Cullen, the tall, dark and handsome contractor (among other things) who is helping her fix the inn, is making her plans to stay away from men impossible. Still recovering from a bad relationship she is reluctant to start anything but the intense attraction between them is simply irresistible.

I really enjoyed listening to their story, (view spoiler)[which was steamier than I expected (hide spoiler)] and I'm looking forward to Tara and Chloe's stories next, starting with Tara's in The Sweetest Thing.

[Rachel-RN]

Supernatural 4*
Finished Dec 10th
What a wonderful wrap-up! Jane and Gabriel get their HEA. Loose ends are tied up. The character featured in the spin-off is introduced in this one well. Thankfully Jane's mom isn't as bad in this one. Enjoyed Jolene, Zeb, Dick, Andrea, and Jenny. Highly recommend this series as it's light, paranormal fun. (Plus is a perfect length at 4 books).

Molly Harper is on my must buy new list!

[[deleted user]]

Reader's Choice Shelf

by Dianne Duvall

Finished: 10/12/13
Rating: 5 stars

Review: Another great edition to the Immortal Guardians series! Etienne and Krysta's story was fun and fast paced. These two people were absolutely perfect for each other. They each complimented the others personalities and I found their love story very sweet.Of course we got to revisit all our favorite couples and we also got to learn a bit more about the elusive Seth and Zach, two guardians that I can't wait to get their on stories.

As usual there was a ton of action and no shortage of hot and steamy moments and even though Etienne is not my favorite Immortal his story is well worth the 5 star rating I gave it and the series as a whole is a solid 5 stars for this reader. I can't wait for Night Unbound(book 5) when it's released in September of next year.

[Monica]

Supernatural Shelf
by Mary Janice Davidson
Finished: 12/10/13
Rating: 5 stars

Review: Another great story in the Queen Betsy series. Elizabeth Taylor continues to be undead and a queen. She prefers Betsy.

Undead and Unemployed has the vampires being killed by someone. Eric, Tina and a few other vampires go to the Queen for help. Betsy isn't to interested in helping. She didn't want to be a vampire nor did she want to be queen. When Tina is attacked Betsy get's concerned.

The vampires set a trap and set up Betsy as the bait. Nothing happens until they decide to call it a night. That is when the vampire hunters decide to attack. Betsy is her typical self and just talks to them trying to get them to understand that not all vampires are evil.

Jessica, Mark, Eric, Tina, Monique and Sarah meet the Blade Warriors when they decide to go to Betsy's house to make sure she is a vampire. This is when we meet Jon, Ani, and Father Marcus. Betsy talks with them and they start to see that not all vampires are evil.

Betsy realizes she can see ghosts and at first is terrified by this. It was touching to see how she finally adjusts to this. She helps the ghost re-unit with her mother who just happens to be the vampire Sarah. The Queen also learns that when she kills a vampire she gets all their possessions.

I wasn't surprise by who was the one getting the vampire hunters to do his/her bidding. It was funny with how the ending went. I will be continuing this series just for the laughs.

[Monica]

Well I just started reading and I am loving it. I am about 30% done. Hoping to possibly finish it up this week. If I had more time to stay up tonight I could possibly finish it tonight but alas I need to get to bed so that I can get up in the morning to go to work.

Happy Reading!!

[Thenia]

Congrats team ~ our Supernatural stamp is on the way!

We're one or two books away from all our remaining stamps, too, so good job! I'm looking forward to the new shelves...

[Monica]

I'm looking forward to them too.

[[deleted user]]

yes I can't wait for the new shelves, this week shelves were the easiest ones I've had to read for so far. I have books all picked out for the shelves that will give us bingo so I'm ready to read as soon as they come up

[Thenia]

~♥ Kat ♥~ wrote: "I have books all picked out for the shelves that will give us bingo so I'm ready to read as soon as they come up "

You mean if they come up :P

Do you think we'll be lucky?

[[deleted user]]

I'm feeling lucky :) maybe we'll get at least 1 shelf that will work in our favor!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Read for Speed!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'supernatural'. 

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

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Speedies!

[Rachel-RN]

Reader's Choice 5*
Dec 13th
Excellent finish to this series. Events in this one pick up right after The Queen Is Dead. Good mystery regarding Ali and who or rather, what, she is. The big bad gets a fitting end. I really enjoyed this world and Xandra, who is kickass. She really comes into her own and I enjoyed the journey. This series also has strong supporting characters as well. Blood! Betrayal! Gore!

[Rachel-RN]

Shelves called:
Urban Fantasy
Magic

[Rachel-RN]

Magic is a winning shelf for us; but we need our 5 Star stamp first. It's a big race; Urban Fantasy gives Teams 2 and 5 a bingo as well.

[[deleted user]]

Team 4 can win with both shelves too but they have to read both to get the bingo.

I'm going to read for magic I'm not overly concerned with the UF shelf as it doesn't give us bingo.

[Rachel-RN]

Team 4 would need both Magic and Urban Fantasy stamps first.
For Magic:
UF: TBD

[Thenia]

Shelf #13 ~ 15/12/13: Magic

✔Kat - Half-Blood - Jennifer L. Armentrout - ★★★★★ - (12/15/2013) Review
✔Monica - The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern - ★★★★ - (12/15/2013) Review
✔Rachel - Kitty's Big Trouble - Carrie Vaughn - ★★★★ - (12/14/2013) Review
✔Thenia - The Girl of Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson - ★★★ - (12/15/2013) Review

Done: 4/4 ~ stamp pending

[Thenia]

Shelf #14 ~ 15/12/13: Urban Fantasy

Kat -
Monica -
Rachel -
Thenia -

Done: 0/4

[Thenia]

I've got a couple of choices for the magic shelf - I'll use whichever book I end up finishing first.

If Monica manages to finish her 5 star book the magic shelf is a winning shelf for us like Rachel said, so it looks like we might have a chance at winning this round! Kat it seems like you were feeling lucky for a reason! :D

Enjoy your books and let's live up to our team name!

[[deleted user]]

I'm already half done my book I should have it finished tomorrow afternoon or early evening at the rate i'm reading :)

[Monica]

Okay I have my magic book decided. I am borrowing the audio from my library so I should be able to finish it quickly. I am almost done my 5 star book. Getting off now to read.

[Monica]

Shelf: 5 Stars:
Finished: 12/14/13
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
I understand why this is a five star book. Once I started the book I didn't want to stop reading the book. I found Hazel and Agustus wonderfully captivating in The Fault in our Stars.

I didn't have any previous knowledge of what this book was about. John Green is one author I have been told to read. I have only read one other book by him and enjoyed it a lot.

Reading a book where the character is dying of cancer is not something I have ever encountered before. Hazel is living her life a normal as she wants. I am not sure if I would be the way she was knowing that I had a terminal disease. Once Hazel meets Agustus at the Support Group is when she starts having a normal teenage life. Another great novel by John Green who is slowly becoming a favorite author of mine.