The Challenge Factory discussion
♦SS Archives♦
>
R2: To The Nines (9)
message 101:
by
Sara
(new)
May 23, 2014 06:49PM
I can roll. Do you just want me to post the roll here? Is there a spreadsheet that needs to be updated?
reply
|
flag
I just wrapped mine up so this review will be short.Book: Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn
Finished: May 23rd, 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Theme: Book 5
In this installment, Kitty and her fiance Ben travel to Las Vegas to tape a live episode of Kitty’s Midnight Hour show; as well as get married. In true Kitty fashion, she decides to try and do something low key and of course things never go quite the way she envisions them.
I felt that things were kind of stagnant in this book. Yeah, we get to meet some new characters, bounty hunters, magicians and new shapeshifters but most didn't draw my attention. Of the new characters, Dom was the most intriguing and had the most character depth. Dom left me with tons of questions as to his role in the Vampire world and what exactly his motivation is.
Overall, Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand was OK but not up to par with the previous novels for me. Although, I will be continuing with the series because I love Kitty's voice and can't wait to see what she does next.
Roll 5 Spot 45Book: Rosehaven
Date Read: 5/23/14
Rating:3.8
Theme: Book 5
Review:
Well I love Catherine Coulter's books and usually fall for the leading male, this time I didn't. I was halfway through the book and I still couldnt stand him.
Severin of Langthorne comes to Oxbourough to marry the Earls daughter before he passes. Severin wants Hastings to obey him and be meek and mild, but that is not who she is.
Basically he shows no gratitude and is annoying. She saves his life and he yells at here. She saves a kid from an abusive nurse and he thinks of sleeping with the nurse and keeping her around just to spite Hasting.
I think it took to long for things to change. Usually you start to see him love or at least respect her. But I still loved the other parts of the story and will keep reading her books.
Roll 63 and 5 = 8
Now on spot 53
We can read book 53 in a series, book 5 , or book 3 . The alternative is to read a book from the lol shelf.
I'm on a vampire kick right now so I'll read Vampire Zero: A Gruesome Vampire Tale by David Wellington, #3 in the Laura Caxton/Vampires series.
Thank you Sara! I so conked out last night, but in my defense I have only been getting about 4 hours of sleep most of this week and I think it finally caught up with me. I update the other thread with your roll, so don't worry about it.
Arlene, I just read
this past week, it was my first book. The first half I didn't like the hero or the heroine, but thankfully the story got better. I am definitely read the next one in the series.
You're welcome! I'm glad you got a chance to catch up on sleep.
Hina wrote: "Roll 5, Spot 45Marty -
Review,My title should be A Dozen Black Roses instead of Downpour - I read that last week. FYI.
Thanks Marty, I will fix it...I must have gone to o far down the page.
I love all of her books. I am glad it got better though it would have made me sad if it didn't. I am picking my book in a little bit when the hubby leaves for work. Today's his birthday so trying to squeeze in some family fun lol.
Roll 6 A Lady by Midnight
Theme: 3rd in a series
4 Stars
I always like Tessa Dare's book and this series is particularly interesting because it takes place in a small town on the coast of England known as a place where women could go to recover or rest or hide from the rest of England. In this story, Kate Taylor and Corporal Thorne both live in Spindle Cove, Kate as a music teacher and Corporal Thorne as a militia man. Kate doesn't know anything about her birth family, having grown up in a boarding school knowing she was an orphan. She and Thorne enter into a false engagement to protect her from a family claiming to be hers. During the course of this engagement, Kate comes to love Thorne and basically demands that they get married for real. I liked that it was a slow burn for Kate and that she actually got to know Thorne before the relationship went farther than friends. Tessa Dare's books are always feel good stories with strong characters.
Roll 6, Spot 53Book: Vampire Zero: A Gruesome Vampire Tale by David Wellington
Date: 5/28/14
Rating: Four stars
Review:
It's been a while since I read 99 Coffins, the second in this series. It was easy to reconnect with Laura Caxton, police investigator/vampire hunter. In 99 Coffins, her mentor Jameson Arkeley, sacrificed himself to save her life from a massive vampire attack in Gettysburg, PA. Unfortunately, that means he is now a vampire himself.
Caxton has to hunt him down before he succeeds in his new plan - to turn all of his family members - his estranged brother, ex-wife Astarte, son Simon, daughter Raleigh, even his ex-lover Vesta Polder - into vampires or, if they refuse, kill them. Since Jameson was a former U.S. Marshall who trained Caxton, he knows all her tricks. Caxton has to use her new partner, Glauer, and her lover Clara as assistants in her search.
There's also the matter of a vampire-wannabe sociopathic teenager named Rexworth, whom she sees as a red herring, but who turns out to be a key player in the deadly game of cat and mouse. Another added wrinkle is the interest of the Feds - a U.S. Marshall named Fetlock deputizes her on a emergency basis, but really wants to spy on her during the investigation.
The pacing of these novels is quite fast - Wellington doesn't let up the tension until Caxton successfully carries out her mission, but he immediately ratchets it up with a cliff-hanger ending. This is pretty gory series, so this definitely isn't going to appeal to the "Twilight" fan club.
Roll 6, Spot 53Book:
How to Seduce a Billionaire by Kate Carlisle. Date Read: 5/25/14
Rating: 4 Stars
Review
I love stories with heroine having a makeover and the part I really like, she didn't do it for the hero but rather her ex, to show that she is not all the things he accused her of and she wants to get back at him and make him jealous, so she is looking for someone to teach her more about seduction. Brandon, her boss seeing the changes, doesn't want anyone but him teaching her. It was a good book, I liked it.
How is everyone else doing with their books?
Roll 6, Spot 53
Book: Rogue Descendant by Jenna Black
Date Read: 5/30/14
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
Third book in the series and Nikki is being to accept and use her mythological powers. Loved the mystery of Rogue Descendant which had been building over the last couple of books but I hate the cliffhangers it left me with. I'm not going to spill the beans but the major cliffhanger has me wondering what the direction the next in the series will be.
Also, can Jamaal and Nikki's relationship EVER move forward. Nikki has to be one of the most sexually frustrated women in America. For shame Jamaal, leaving a woman hanging!! Overall, a good book and a series I am totally invested in.
Roll 6, Spot 53
Book Grave Memory
Date Read: 5/30/2014
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
So I have been putting off reading this for awhile but I am glad I finally started it.
It was slow for me at first which I hate. But then it started moving. I love Alex she is so awesome. I wish that Death and Falin where there more. I do think I am going to go back and read the first two again. But It was a good fun read!
If Hina isn't up still, it's ok to roll in the am.
Jenne I am up...just got home 10 mins. ago so I will be rolling in a little bit. :)
To The Nines rolled a 3+4, so we are now on spot 60.
Which means we can read book 60 in the series, book 6 in the series, or a Stand-alone. The alternative is to read a book with a Title starting with P.
I'm going with the alternative option. The book is The Passages of H.M.: A Novel of Herman Melville by Jay Parini.
I am reading
. It is the 6th book in the Kate Daniels series.
I think I have already read a stand-alone a couple of days ago which should qualify. Just got to write the reviews.
I'm currently reading two different stand alones, so I'll review whichever one I finish first.
Sorry folks. This is going to be a very short review. My mother passed away earlier this week and we're still dealing with all the funeral stuff.
Roll 7, Spot 60Book: The Passages of H.M. by Jay Parini.
Date: 6/4/14
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
H.M. aka Herman Melville, is the tortured genius subject of Parini's novel. The narrative switches between his long suffering wife Lizzie and a traditional 3rd person narrative. Lizzie's descriptions reveal a disturbed, self - absorbed man with violent tendencies who sets expectations for his sons that he himself can't possibly attain. The third person narrative recounts Melville's oceanic travels on whalers to Polynesia, which will inspire his famous tales, Omoo and Typee as well as Moby Dick. The author hints at the possibility of conflicted sexuality as well a strain of mental instability in Melville's family.
I enjoyed the book. It was a little slow in spots during the travelogue portions of the narrative. Lizzie Melville was actually more interesting than her husband!
Marty wrote: "Sorry folks. This is going to be a very short review. My mother passed away earlier this week and we're still dealing with all the funeral stuff."I am so sorry for your loss Marty.
Marty wrote: "Roll 7, Spot 60Book: The Passages of H.M. by Jay Parini.
Date: 6/4/14
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
H.M. aka Herman Melville, is the tortured genius subject of Parini's novel. The narrative switches be..."
I'm sorry for your loss.
Roll 7, Spot 60 Stand Alone: Second Wind
3 Stars
I liked this story of Ben and Joey. After Ben breaks up with his partner of 10 years, he buys a house and hires Joey's family nursery to mow his lawn and put up a fence. Joey is raising his year old son after his wife died during childbirth and is living for his child. Joey and Ben slowly build a relationship. Most of the story is about Joey's family's inability to accept Joey's sexuality. It takes some much longer than others, and being an Italian Catholic family, some never adjust. I think my main problem with this was that it was so long and so much happened without anything happening, if that makes sense. It was very readable and it was free, which are both good things.
Thanks Hina, Arlene and Sara. She was 85 and she went quick, which was a blessing. The family has pretty much wrapped things up and dispersed. I'll be back in Louisiana in a few days.Are we supposed roll today? I'm completely off-kilter time-wise.
After Arlene and Sherri have posted their reviews, I will post my review and roll sometime tonight.
Roll 7, Spot 60
Book: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
Date: 6/6/14
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
OMG!! I think this one is my favorite of the series. Action and intrigue throughout the whole book.
I love Kate's character and the way that she is written. Her snarky internal dialogue had me laughing out loud and she can back it up with her badassness. Curran has always been sort of "eh" for me and I have to say that at times I wanted to run him through with a sword just like Kate but in the end I like that he is imperfect and flawed in his love for Kate; just as she is for him.
The story involves Kate, Curran and crew heading to Europe to try and get the panacea that will ward off loupism in children. In exchange they are to be bodyguards for a wolf pack princess who is pregnant (by two shapeshifters) and everyone is fighting over.
Of course nothing goes easy for Kate (or Curran) and the two are thrust into a spiderweb of intrigue that is a roller coaster ride up to the very end. This is one emotional and drama laden book but well worth the effort.
Roll 7, Spot 60Book:
The Bachelor and the Babies by Heather MacAllister.Date Read: 6/1/14
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
Harrison Rothwell is big on time management, he even published a book and consults other businesses. Now his publisher wants him to write something similar for domestic (parents, families). And he knows he can do it, and he is going to prove it by taking care of his two nephews for a week. Carrie, his neighbor who is completely the opposite, completely disorganized but has much more success with his nephews than he does. Nathan and Mathew are so cute and their antics. Their interaction was so much to fun to read between all 4 of them.
Sorry its so late. Hubby is leaving for 3 weeks so I have been busy packing for him.Roll 7, Spot 60
Stand Alone The Diary of a Young Girl
4.5/5 stars
Loved this story. I am a fan of diary type books. This story really touches you. Its the story of Anne Frank and her family during the Holocaust. She writes like someone way older than a 13 year old girl. I love history and I found this book fascinating and I will probably read it again. Definitely a must read!
perfect timing Arlene! I am going to roll now. What does he do? My fiancee sails so he is gone for months at a time. I end up helping him pack too.
My husband is a correctional officer and an army reservist. He is leaving for 22 days for AT
Arlene wrote: "My husband is a correctional officer and an army reservist. He is leaving for 22 days for AT"oh wow, tough job. I still have a little over a month to go before my fiancee is back.
To The Nines rolled a 5+6, so we are now on spot 71.
Which means we can read book 71 in the series, book 7 in the series, or a book 1. The alternative is to read a book from the Maybe Shelf
Ladies,It looks like we are almost coming to the end of the road. We are in the 70s now! I know there are shelves going beyond 75, so maybe we will play a little bit longer than the following week. I noticed a couple of teams close to us as well.
Hina wrote: "Arlene wrote: "My husband is a correctional officer and an army reservist. He is leaving for 22 days for AT"oh wow, tough job. I still have a little over a month to go before my fiancee is back."
That sucks so much longer. I hate when my hubby leaves. We have 4 little boys and they miss him like crazy
Arlene wrote: "Hina wrote: "Arlene wrote: "My husband is a correctional officer and an army reservist. He is leaving for 22 days for AT"oh wow, tough job. I still have a little over a month to go before my fian..."
Yeah it sucks, but you know most of our relationship has been long distance since college. I think its just so much tougher with kids and trying to explain something like that.
The Challenge Factory
Books mentioned in this topic
Seawitch (other topics)Up from the Grave (other topics)
Lost Voices (other topics)
Glitterland (other topics)
Lost Voices (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarah Porter (other topics)Sarah Porter (other topics)
David Wellington (other topics)
David Wellington (other topics)
Nancy A. Collins (other topics)
More...
