R1: Split Second Readers

[Belinda]

Welcome Tia! Thanks for filling in for us :)

[Belinda]

We're all upto date & ready to roll :)
I'm working again this afternoon so it'll either be on my tea break or when I get home

[~Melissa~]

Hi Tia!! Thanks for joining us.

[Christal]

Hi Tia, welcome! :)

A tea break, Belinda? That sounds so lovely.

[[deleted user]]

Thank you for having me I'm looking forward to getting started tomorrow.

[Belinda]

'Tea' was not as great as it sounds crystal. It's Aussie slang for dinner (evening meal). I managed to get away for 10 minutes to eat standing up before I ran back to work. One of the girls didn't even get a break :(


Anyway, better things: this weeks roll!!
3 & 5 placing us on space 50

[Belinda]

I'll be reading the fifth in The Lord of deliverance series:

[~Melissa~]

Belinda wrote: "I'll be reading the fifth in The Lord of deliverance series: "

Hope you enjoy it!! I really ♥ the whole series.

Sorry about your break - hopefully that means the whole shift went by really fast.

[~Melissa~]

I'm going to go with #5 - Guardians of Eternity series

[[deleted user]]

For the zero you can read a standalone right ? If so then I will go with End of Story .

[Jenne]

That's right Tia.

[[deleted user]]

I'll do it works for the alternate which is author: j

[Christal]

I'm trying to figure out what genre I need to read in another challenge and then I will pick my book from there... hopefully by tonight!

[~Melissa~]

Roll: 3 & 5 placing us on space 50
#5 - Guardians of Eternity series

Finished 3/15/14
Rating: 4♥
Review: I'm enjoying this series more and more with each book. We meet Jagr a reclusive loner type vampire in Book #4. He is tasked by the Anasso to go to St Louis and bring back Darcy's(the Anasso's mate) sister, Regan. Regan is one of the 4 pure blood Weres that had been stolen at birth. She was sold to an Imp who kept her in a cage for the last 30 years and make money off of her as a side show freak due to her healing abilities. Salvatorre, King of the Weres, had learned of her existence and freed her from the Imp only to reject her as he could smell that she was infertile (what an asshole) - well she did have the opportunity to just be his woman for sex - nice??!? No spoilers with this as you learn this within the first chapter. Fascinating to watch this reclusive vampire start to empathize with Regan's situation and start to have feelings for her. Regan is also used to being a loner and has no desire to need anyone or trade one set of shackles (the imp) for another (family ties). Throw in the lovable, funny gargoyle, Levet and you have an entertaining read.

I believe Salvatorre's book is up next and I'm hoping his HEA gives him hell.

[[deleted user]]

Actually no, I'm changing my pick to which is a standalone

[Lesley]

I went with a standalone for this round.

Week 6
Move from 42 to space 50
Standalone for #0

Darlene Deluca
finished 3/16/14
REVIEW
*****

I loved this book. Mandi has made a big mistake and also suffered a terrible loss in her life and she feels a lot of guilt over both of them, to the point where she is punishing herself as she tries to put her life back on the track she had been heading before.

Into the diner where she works and into her life comes Lane, an urban planner who is hoping to shake things up a bit in the small town in Texas but little does he know that both his life and Mandi's life are going to get shaken up in the process.

Their relationship starts off very quickly (almost too quickly but hey it does happen that way in life sometimes) and while they do talk, it takes a little while for Mandi to open up to Lane about why she's where she is and doing what she's doing with her life when they are plenty of other opportunities for her. She doesn't disclose everything about herself so when he discovers her secret, he reacts badly and is ready to put her out of his mind and his reaction has Mandi pushing him even further away.

A huge (unexpected to me) coincidence puts them back into each other's world but is it too late for them? Will their trust issues with each other keep them apart?

I loved this book. Mandi did a few things that had me shaking my head at her. But I really loved Lane, right up until his bad reaction that tore them apart. Granted that knowing Mandi's past, I could understand why he reacted the way he did so I never stopped loving him, and I just kept up hoping that they'd find their way back to each other by the end of the book.

[Christal]

I'm going to be reading for stand alone this time.

[~Melissa~]

Nice job Lesley - glad you enjoyed your book!

[[deleted user]]

Week Six Space 50
Used the 0 for a Stand Alone Book
Read: End of Story 2 stars

This was truly a disappointment! The premise sounded so great ; a struggling writer gets a chance to teach a writing course for inmates at a prison and when she gets there she is inspired to use one of her students as an inspiration for a fictional account of his crime. Instead she becomes overly involved in the situation and things go haywire from there. Certain things just drove me crazy about this story like the fact that she mentions that she is a writer about 80 times over and over and then she has to explain to multiple people that she is a fiction writer because no one understands why she is writing a fictional account of a real crime. This case in itself wasn't solved yet , so to me her writing a nonfiction book and trying to solve the case would have made more sense too so it just bothered me that she kept wasting her time on something that didn't even make a lot of sense to begin with. Plus , just from the creative writing courses I have been in they pound into your head Show Don't Tell and this entire book was the author telling the story of a story inside a story. I never felt connected to what was happening as a novel it felt more like a mix between a memoir and a very long newspaper article. I wish I had a more positive review because I was really looking forward to reading this book but it just was not for me.

[Christal]

Sorry, I ended up changing my book again!

Week 6
Space: 50
5th in series, stand alone, or Author: J

Book: by Isla Morley
Series: Stand Alone
Finished: 3/20/14
Rating: 2.5 stars

*******

Review: Above started out interesting but then the kidnapping aspect just dragged on and on. I felt bad for Blythe but at a certain point, it started to lose the emotional impact. When the dystopian elements hit, the tone of the book changed drastically. It was almost like two stories in one book instead of being one cohesive plot.

[[deleted user]]

Week 6
Roll: 3-5 (50)
Fifth book in a series or a standalong
Alternate: Author-J

-Standalone
Finished: 20/3/14
Rating: 4/5
Review:
I really enjoyed this book. Maybe not the best of the best, but I really liked how the main character, Khemri developed. I also really loved the final line of the book, it really stood out to me. It was a great story.

[Belinda]

Great work everyone! I should have my book finished soon. I've been rearranging the study & spare room this week - made myself a craft room! :) however it has meant 2 trips to ikea within a week and then all the putting together.....

[[deleted user]]

Aww I miss IKEA , we don't have one near us over here , it can be so frustrating to put together but I love there furniture and how great is a craft room :) Enjoy !

[~Melissa~]

Belinda wrote: "Great work everyone! I should have my book finished soon. I've been rearranging the study & spare room this week - made myself a craft room! :) however it has meant 2 trips to ikea within a week an..."

how fun - time consuming but fun!!

[Belinda]

Very time consuming but so much fun!! Included two trips to ikea (1 1/2 hours drive away...)
I managed to read a bit at the hairdresser this morning whilst my colour was setting. Only 30 pages to go and I can't put it down!!!

[~Melissa~]

Yikes - that's a long time in a car for Ikea,lol ~ and twice. Do you have audio books you can listen to while you drive?

[Belinda]

Yeah we did. Plus there's a huge shopping centre on the way ;)

[~Melissa~]

Oh nice... Ikea and extra shopping. Sounds like you had a good time.

[Belinda]

Yup! Has a full car load the second time. They have a Daiso at the shopping centre so I bought heaps of storage stuff for $2.80 each!! Bargain!!!!

[Belinda]

Week 6 - space 50:
Finished: 21/3/13
Stars: 5!!

Review:
Who knew Angels could be so naughty? Wow! What a ride! With a cast of familiar characters popping in and out the story of Reaver (and Harvester) was a wild ride from start to finish. There were lots of revelations along the way and the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance lore was heavy in the storyline. I have new respect for these characters both from tribulations from the past and actions within the present. Take a look at this series if you haven't already.....

[Belinda]

This week: 5 & 4
Moving from space 50 to space 59

[[deleted user]]

For this week's Space 59 from the keepers shelf I will be reading The Titan's Curse .

[Belinda]

I'll be finishing the allie beckstrom series this week:

[~Melissa~]

Belinda - can you come fix our junk room - now that your done with your new room,lol

I'll be going with the alternate shelf for this one. I'll figure out my book later and put the link with it. Waiting for other team challenges - hoping I can coordinate - keeping fingers crossed :D

[Christal]

Oh, this week is a toughy. I'll have to think about my book.

[~Melissa~]

Forgot to come back and update you guys. Oops!!

From the keepers shelf I will be reading

[[deleted user]]

I'll be doing fom the keepers shelf

[[deleted user]]

Week 7
Read: The Titan's Curse 5 Stars

I love this series and Rick Riordan's writing. He makes learning fun and even as an adult it makes me crave more knowledge about not only Greek mythology but also geography. The characters always end up all over the globe during their adventures and this book is no different. The Titan's Curse if based on a prophecy given to Zoe Nightshade (daughter of Atlas) . It states that hunters and campers will go on a quest together to save the goddess in chains. This ends up to include not only Artemis (the goddess of the hunt) who is represented as a young girl who leads the hunters , in a unit free of males but also Annabeth Chase , Percy's love interest and daughter of Athena who was considering secretly joining the hunters. The group of three campers and two hunters must travel to attempt to rescue the two but at the same time they must find a beast that ends up to be an Ophiotaurus which Percy calls Bessie because it looks like a half cow and half sea creature. The cow is to be sacrificed giving the person who does it the power to kill the gods. In between these missions they still manage to have some comical moments splattered all through the book , like throwing the burritos at the skeleton army that attack them, making Dam jokes at the Hoover Dam , etc. This is just such a refreshing read especially this month when I seemed to find myself reading a lot more thrillers and true crime so this was just out in left field. I love how Riordan uses everyday objects in the book as magical pieces like the New York Yankees cap that they use to become invisible and sneak around to get closer. I loved the relationship and the natural dialogue between the characters even though this is very fantastical subjects and situations that in another writer's hands would just come off as silly. I smile the whole time I am reading these books and can't wait to continue reading his books.

[~Melissa~]

Week 7: 59

Alternate - keepers shelf

3/23/14
5♥

Review: This was a re-read for me (first time in 2011). I enjoyed Tegan and Elise's story just as much the second time around. When done right I love a tortured hero story (Zsadist comes to mind). Elise has lost everyone she holds dead and feels she has nothing left to lose. She goes after the Minions to attempt to do some damage to the Rogues and their leader. This latest Minion she learned was set to pick up a package for his Master. Tegan finds her being threatened by 3 Rogues after just coming from killing the latest Minion. He takes her home to find out that she has killed over a dozen Minions since he dropped her at home 4 months ago and she has no plans to stop. Elise appears delicate and fragile ~ she is anything but that when she sets her mind to something. Tegan hasn't let anyone in to his life in centuries. Along the way - many other developments happen as well. This is where I stopped last time. I can't wait for Rio's book which is up next - another tormented hero =)

[Christal]

Week 7
Space: 59
5th in series, 9th in series, or 'keepers' shelf

Book: by Ilona Andrews
Series: #5 in Kate Daniels
Finished: 3/25/14
Rating: 5 stars

*******

Review: I've been working on re-reading this series since I have a friend that is reading it for the first time and I just want to refresh my memory before book #7 comes out. I have loved all the Kate books and this one is no exception. While I thought the beginning was a little slow, the Andrews duo definitely knocked it out of the park by the end. I am still looking forward to seeing the reprecussions re: Julie focused on more and learning more about Kate's origins. I love the Russian characters that have come into this series and I hope we see a lot more of Roman in the future!

[Lesley]

Week 7
Space 59
5th in Series

(Pride series #5)
Author: Jill Sanders
Finished 3/26/2014
****

Review
This is the first book I've read in this series, but I really liked it. My favorite part is that even though all of the books in the series take place in the same small town in Oregon, they're all standalone stories and 'can' be read out of order.

Luke was such an absolute sweetheart. Gorgeous and sexy and a heart of gold too since he came back home from MIT to take care of his aging grandmother after his grandfather passed away. Amber was a great character too - it did seem that she fell into her new job in Pride awfully easily, but other than that, I enjoyed their story. And even though I'm a big fan of angst in romance, there really wasn't much of that with Amber and Luke. She had her own misconceptions about him and his job but it wasn't a big enough deal for her to that ever became an issue.

I'll be reading more books in this series!

[Belinda]

Week 7: book 9 -
Finished: 27/3/14
Stars: 4.5

Review:
What a great conclusion to the Allie Beckstrom series! It sees Allie and her band of magic users - Authority & hounds alike, combating the Soul Complments Leander and Isabelle who are he'll bent on making magic there's to control. With help from Stone, the Animate gargoyle and Allie's dead father, Daniel Beckstrom, who once created the network within Portland to make magic's network of lightening rods, who's spirit now resides within Allie, the team set about closing the magic wells and shifting down magic. However with Shame and Terric losing control of magic and Allie's inability to cast magic will they get it done?
This sets the scene for the Brojen Magic spin off series starring Shame and Terric

[[deleted user]]

Week 7
Roll: 5-4 (59)
Fifth in a series, or ninth in a series
Alternate: Keepers

-Keepers shelf
Finished: 27/3/14
Rating: 5/5
Review:
Oh my god! I finished reading this early today, but totally forgot to write this up. Obviously it was amazing. This isn't my favourite in the Harry Potter series, but I do love the Triwizard Tournament. And of course the end of this book has one of the biggest moments in the entire series.

[Belinda]

Ack! Small numbers this week!

3 & 2 - places us onto space 64

[[deleted user]]

I'll be going with the alternate 2011, and reading

[Belinda]

I'll be going back to the dark side this week: book 4 in the downside ghosts series

[~Melissa~]

Yeah - so excited!! I will be reading #6 Colorado Mountain series

[[deleted user]]

I will be reading from the alternate of 2011 The Goddess Test .

[~Melissa~]

Week 8
Roll:3 & 2 (64)


#6 Colorado series
3/29/14
5♥

Review: It was hard to put this KA book down. Had to finish it this morning. Loved both Jacob(Deck) and Emme. A few issues with Jacob - really the most being - what you idiot took 9 years to figure out she was the one that was perfect for you?? You're supposed to be a genius,lol. Once he figured it out though - yowza - all in. He was fabulous. Emme - oddly messed up over stuff happening in her childhood - still an wonderful KA chick. I'm unsure why this wasn't dealt with in her childhood but that is never really covered. Was so glad this was great as I really didn't get engaged in the characters in #5 - Jagged. This was back to KA awesomeness. Loved it!!

[Christal]

Week 8
Space: 64
4th in series, 6th in series, or 2011 pub date

Book: by Ilona Andrews
Series: #6 in Kate Daniels
Finished: 4/2/14
Rating: 5 stars

*******

Review: It's kismet! After re-reading book #5 last week, I was able to continue on with book #6 this week. I really loved this book and it was still a 5-star read for me, but Curran still made me so angry. Even knowing his true motivations, I wanted to sock him in the mouth. I loved all the interactions between Kate and Hugh, even though he's especially slimey. I liked the setting change too, but I will be glad to be back in Atlanta in the next book.