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R7: SS "Se7en" (7)
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Hopefully My new baby daddy. LOL
Roll 1:5+4=9Book:Winter Ball by Amy Lane Pages 200 GR
Date: 1/17
Rating: 4 stars
How it fits:Set in California
Review: This was a nice friends to lovers GFY story. It wasn't overly sweet but it didn't drown in angst either. It had a good balance between romance and drama of dealing with realizing they were gay. Most of the story is devoted to them being together including a great deal of sex and playing soccer together. The other parts Skip's job and Richie's parents help ground the characters as individuals and add some depth to the characters. Carpenter's character also makes a great secondary character that I wouldn't mind seeing a side story about.
Week 1: Roll = 9 (5+4) or alternate California
Book: The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King 528 pages
Finished - 1/19
Rating ****
How it fits - set in San Francisco, California
Review - This is the last of the Kate Martinelli series, or at least I assume so as it was written about 10 years ago. It's also been several years since I read the book before this in the series and I was worried that I had forgotten some of the details. Fortunately, I remembered all the important items that carried from the last book.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. Each book focuses on something a bit unusual. In this case, the focus was a murder of a Sherlock Holmes aficionado, a early 20th century manuscript which may or may not have been written by Arthur Conan Doyle and the Societies/Groups formed based a love of Sherlock Holmes.
The mystery kept my attention and interest throughout. I also liked seeing how Kate Martinelli's life had grown through the years. Art of Detection would not qualify as a romance - the mystery is the main focus, but seeing how Kate's life has grown through the years to include a larger circle of people, including her lover, daughter, friends and extended family. Seeing the personal aspects of her life added richness to the story and if this was the end of the series, it's a good, satisfying ending.
Finished my book
Week 1: 9
Spot: 9 (or set in California)
Book: November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Qualification: Set in California
Finished: 01/20
Rating & Review: ♥♥♥
Oh dear, I don't think I liked this one as much as everyone else seems to. While I did like it, I found some of the dialogue a bit cringe-worthy. I did think the idea behind the book was a very interesting one and enjoyed the way it played out, although I wish the "twist" had just been completely left out. I didn't feel the book needed it at all.
Oh no Joanne that's a shame, i loved that one but I agree that it wasn't as good as her others.
Oh good, I'm glad to hear you say that. I still plan on checking out the rest of her books. Hopefully I'll enjoy them a bit more.
Week 1: Roll = 9 /California
Walk on Earth a Stranger
1/20/16
2 stars
Want Historal fiction????Go somewhere else...Guess it must be the history buff in me. I started out kind of enjoying it, but once the parents got killed...it went downhill for Lee...and Me...
Uncle kills the parents, and trys to tske her because she can sniff out gold, with her witchy sense.
She runs awat, try to pretend to be a boy, and joins a Wagon Train to California to the big Gold stike in California. Her half Indian childhood friend and her met up, and join the train. But, she acts so femine...how can they not know she is a woman...plus throw in come degrading comment about being a half breed.
They follow even though they know what is happening around them is morally wrong...Just leave already! Travel on your own!
Next we find out that almost everyone knew she was a girl...anf they are okay with her staying, and sleeping under the wagon with the boys???
Lets not forget abou the young boy who keeps wondering off, and no parent seems to care, until they cant find him. The last time the boy went misding, only Lee and Jeff went looking for him, the boys father stayed in camp....
Ugg..anyho...dont read it, have no idea how it was so highly rated in the first place...
Week 1Roll =9/California
Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre
21 Jan
Review
I really enjoyed this book, girl next door meets a Hollywood superstar and falls in love.
Who wouldn't want to bag themselves a Brad Pitt or George Clooney?
Summer lives in a town called Quincy in Georgia, apparently this is a real town (in Florida)
The town has lots of millionaires, this is due to the people investing in Coca Cola many years ago, their small $19 investments have made them very rich indeed, if you ever dare ask for a Pepsi in Quincy you would probably be run out of town!
What a better place to make a movie........Queue Cole Masden
Just Apoorv to check in and we are ready for tomorrow's roll :•)
Whoop, whoop! So ready for the next roll!
Week # 1.. and I am right here. :-)
Number Called : 9
Requirement : Set in California
Book Read : D is for Deadbeat | Sue Grafton | 21Jan2016
Rating : ★★★
Review
A man shows up in Kinsey's office, wanting help locating someone so he can give them a $25,000 cashier's check. He gives the check to Kinsey, writes her a pre-payment check for her services and leaves. The next time she sees him, he's dead.
There was an interesting cast of characters in this book, lives touched and forever changed by an alcoholic man. Regrets, revenge, and emotional wounds never healed provide a backdrop from which the rest of the story evolves. While is book is ok, in my opinion it is not as good as the previous, in the series. I found none of the characters likable. The murder victim was unsympathetic and the ending, while tragic, did not give me a sense of sorrow that it should have. While I figured-out who the murderer was about half way through the book, the author offered up other possibilities to throw me off and keep the story interesting.
In this, the fourth book in the series, I thought Kinsey was cold and detached. Her personal life is mostly non-existent which might explain why Kinsey again makes a poor decision about the man in her life - that should bite her in the ass some time in the future. I much prefer the Kinsey in the third book, she had friends, and she cared about people, that’s the Kinsey I want to read about.
New roll 6+1=7New spot: 16
This week we can read
#16 in a series
#6 in a series
#1 in a series
A stand alone
Alternative - #16 Text item Cup/Mug (must show page/location number and sentence)
REVIEWS
V Audio Nerd - HERE
Amber - HERE
Apoorv - HERE
Esther - HERE
Joanne - HERE
Barbara - HERE
Abbie - HERE
Lots of choices this week guys :o)
Yes, definitely a better roll...lots more possibilities!
Mod
This week we can read
#6 in a series
#1 in a series
A stand alone
Alternative - #16 Text item Cup/Mug (must shop page/location number and sentence)"
Please always list your new spot.
New Spot: 16
♥Remember, in addition to what you listed up there, you can also read #16: Sweet Ruin (Immortals after Dark, Book 16) or Portrait in Death (In Death Book 16)
Nice and easy this week. I'm going to go with a stand-alone
by Paolo Bacigalupi which fits a bunch of other challenges right now :)
Mod
Esther,
your review has everything, but if you could format it the way that helps me, I would really appreciate it. See Post 54 or 55 of your teammates
Mod
Whoop thanks Ezi, I'm only on #11 on IAD so I can read that yet.....booo
Mod
Lothaire is one of my favorite books of all times. Top 3 favorite audio of all times.
Yes we can also read #16 in a series sorry guys, I was at work typing so I was rushing lol
I started it last night so I am only about 20 mins in, I'm going to binge read tonight though
I'll make sure my reviews follow the format from here on out. Apologies for last week. I have to get everything finished up over weekends because my weeks are quite hectic so I didn't have a chance to reformat.
Week 2: Roll = 16 (1 + 6)
Book: How to Howl at the Moon by Eli Easton 196 pages
Finished - 1/23
Rating *****
How it fits - Book 1 of Howl at the Moon Series
This is a shifter book with an unusual premise - What if dogs could sometimes under special circumstances, could gain sentience and the ability to shift into humans. The book is set in a small town where a large percentage of the population was a dog who "quickened" and could shift into human form, was a child of "quickened" dogs (the trait carries over into children) or a human who fell in love with one of the supernatural dogs in the town.
The sheriff of the town, Lance, was descended from border collies. As such, he was very protective of his town/pack. He happened to see a newcomer come into town and he made it his business to find out about this stranger to see if he was a threat. He felt attracted to the stranger which was a problem because he had reason to believe the stranger had come into town for criminal reasons.
I'm a fan of paranormal romance and wasn't sure if I would like this book - it sounded like it would be light and silly. I picked up the book and it was on the light side, but definitely not silly. I loved the book and couldn't put it down. It was sweet, engaging and very funny (I loved Lance's mother). I immediately bought the second book in the series and put the author's other books on my wish list.
Week 2 Spot: 16
Book:
Read: 24 January
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
How it fits: Stand Alone
Review:
I really enjoyed this book, I wasn't expecting much and I was only reading it as I needed a Y author for another challenge lol.
However this a few twists and turns in it that I didn't see coming and it kept me turning the pages.
Holly went missing, for 6 months, she just turned up in the woods at the back of her grandpa's house battered and bruised and completely void of any memories, she doesn't even know her own name.
She managed to escape someone that she can't remember, however he remembers her, and he is not happy that she got away!!
Week 1Spot 16
#1 in series
The Scorpion Rules
1 star
1/25/26
...honestly I dont know WTF I just read....a world where if you want peace, you must submit your child as a hostage, and if you start war, your child is killed.
It pretty much droned on and on, and on...I had know idea what was even happening most of the time.
All I know is that if Greta makes if passed her 18th birthday then she is free to go...kind of defeats the purpose in my mind.
Oh, and she kind of has this weird love triangle going one, Greta apparently enjoys the company of men and women....but thst was a bore too....just dont waste your time...
We're not chatty enough I'm guessing?I'll be posting my book soon. I'm on the last pages.
Lol oohh I can chat with the best of um, Abbie has seen many of my mundane rambles haha
I can be chatty if others are. I'm not usually the initiator though, sorry
Week 2: 6+1=7
Spot: 16
Book: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Qualification: Standalone
Finished: 01/27
Rating & Review: ♥♥♥♥
Set in the near future, the water has dried up in the southern United States and the desert states are fighting over the Colorado river. Whole towns are being destroyed over the lack of drinking water and the country is breaking apart as the states fight each other for rights and control of the most precious resource.
The chapters in this book alternated between telling the stories of 3 characters: Angel, who does the bidding of "the queen of the Colorado river" and is the titular "water knife", Lucy, the idealistic reporter who has a way out but stays to get the story and help the people, and Maria, who has no options and is just living day to day, trying to get by.
It took me a couple of chapters of each character to really get into the story and figure out the world they live in. At first I found Angel the most boring, but his character became more interesting as the story went on. Maria I had a hard time reading about because it's depressing to read about someone who constantly has bad things happening to her and no way out. Once she stepped up and started making choices, even if they were stupid ones, she became easier to read about. Lucy was a complex character also. No one was all good or all bad.
One gripe I had though was the sex scene. Maybe I've been spoiled by reading some steamy romance lately, but the description in this book was unappealing and somewhat cringe-worthy. I could have done without any romance in this book at all.
Joanne wrote: "I can be chatty if others are. I'm not usually the initiator though, sorry"Its okay, just took me a minute to find our thread, since we didn't have any activity!
Week 2: 6+1=7Spot: 16
Book: Wild Cards edited by George R.R. Martin
Qualification: Book 1 of series
Finished: 01/28
Rating & Review: ♥♥♥
I have previously read the books in the re-boot of this superheroes series. The premise is that an alien virus let loose over Manhattan a few years after the end of World War 2 causes people to either die horribly, become horribly deformed "jokers" or hugely powerful "aces". The books are a collection of inter-linked stories by different authors set around specific historical events.
I very much enjoyed the re-boot books that are set close to current history, but I found returning to the very beginning was harder going. There were several sections I found boring or inaccessible, though there were some good sections and interesting historical observations. The opening story with Jetboy was filled with references to different types of World War 2 planes which "flew" right over my head. There were a few other sections that I found too dark or inaccessible. None of the stories really resonated with me to the extent that the later books (starting with Inside Straight) have. I think from now on, I will probably stick to the later books in the series.
Week # 2I am sorry, I am kinda popping in here Thursday to Thursday.. work and school are hitting me from both sides.. but I will be here chit-chatting away very soon ! :)
Number Called : 16
Requirement : Series 1st
Book Read : Dirty Kiss | Rhys Ford | 28Jan2016
Rating : ★★★
Review
Okay, so I had heard a lot of good things about this series and more over this book in particular. After reading it, all I have to say is ‘Why?’ It was, personally for me, a letdown in more ways than one.
The idea of the book is nothing new or path-breaking, and that’s okay! What bothered me what the lethargic execution of the plot. So, the mystery revolves around a wealthy young married father's suicide (murder?) in a Korean secret gay club while the story revolves around our main character Mr. Private Investigator Cole McGinnis and his sudden insta-love with the victim’s cousin Kim Jae-Min. And with all that, come the various issues that pop up during Cole's investigation and scouting.
The best part of the book is the real emotion that percolates through depicting the difficulties with homosexuality, family feeling, hypocrisy, addiction, etc in the Korean-American families and circles. I absolutely loved how Rhys Ford described the conservative attitude that permeates in the Korean culture regarding all the above and how it tears through a simple man who only is looking for happiness in his own life. I had never read a book with a Korean MC (I have read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which is an immaculate love story arising from the Chinese-Japanese culture and Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet which is a decent effort to a real-life love story having the Chinese-Tibetian culture at the fore, but never Korean), so this was a refreshing change and I liked it. Rhys makes a very good effort getting that part of the story right. I loved the interjections of the Korean terminology and wished she had interspersed them a little more and a little better.
Another thing Rhys Ford is good at is creating amazing secondary characters: Scarlet, the cross-dressing sensation, Claudia, the sassy secretary/mother figure, Bobby, the pervy best friend even Neko, the cat added to the only fun I had while reading this book. Yes, it was the secondary characters and not Cole and Jae who caught my attention. Says a lot, doesn’t it?
Even after all this, the book felt raw and immature. I did not like Cole, he was way too needy and unsure of himself. The whole insta-love thing was ridiculous, to say the least. How the cousin of the murder victim whose case you are working on, becomes your ‘baby’, in the very second meeting, is beyond me! It was so strange to see them start having all sorts of feelings for each other in no time that the emotion never felt honest to me. I just didn't feel like we got enough of their time together in the book to validate the strength of their feelings for one another and thus it felt either forced or weak. The sex was even worse! It was mechanical and repetitive and unnecessarily graphic (even biological at times) in terms of the way it was elaborated. (and please, Rhys Ford, the word is ‘penis’, even ‘cock’ or ‘dick’.. but please stop calling it ‘his sex’, that’s just ugh!)
And yes, just so you don’t forget, this is a MM ‘Mystery’ as well. The investigation of the case was a joke. And I get it that in books of this kind, the focus remains on the Romance than on the Mystery, but this seemed different when it started and I was expecting a more taut mystery just based on that start. I mean, there were bombs, dead bodies and cars being run off the road left right and centre but the detectives seemed to remain convinced that it was suicide and not murder. Even in the face of all this bloodshed and mayhem on the streets their only response to the situation was to make nasty homophobic comments to Cole. I mean, how convenient !
All in all,
It maybe wasn’t as bad as I am making it out to be, but it for sure irritated me. It felt under-developed, under-cooked and half-hearted. I wish I had liked it more, but I will continue reading the series, unfortunately with one step on the back-foot going into it. *crosses fingers for a surprise*
Apoorv wrote: "Week # 2I am sorry, I am kinda popping in here Thursday to Thursday.. work and school are hitting me from both sides.. but I will be here chit-chatting away very soon ! :)
Number Called
: 16..."
That's a shame. I've read the first part of Rhys Fords Sinners Gin series and really liked them. I was looking forward to Dirty Kiss. I'll still read it because opinions can be different, but I hope the series gets better.
Esther wrote: "Week 2: 6+1=7Spot: 16
Book: Wild Cards edited by George R.R. Martin
Qualification: Book 1 of series
Finished: 01/28
Rating & Review: ♥♥♥
I have previously read the ..."
I'm sorry you didn't care for Wild Card Esther, but glad it wasn't just me. I read it when it first came out, thought the premise was great, but wasn't interested in the execution. I didn't know there was a reboot. I'll have to check it out.
Let me blow on those dice for you V,...for good luck!
Lol thanks lovely.One more review to go and then we are rollin' rollin' rollin'!!
Roll 2: 6+1=7 1: 6+1=7Book:Obedience Training by Mya Lairis
Date: 1/25
Rating: 4 stars
How it fits: 1st in the Ian McAllistor series
Review:I enjoyed this one a lot. The world building was fairly simple and didn't get bogged down in a lot of complexities. Yet at the same time everything made sense and the world didn't feel vague or undefined. I liked having a goleum for a MC a type of paranormal that doesn't get explored very often. There was also a good mixture of kink and romance between Ian and Khalid that liked. To often books end up on one side or the other but I love books like this one that manage to balance the two of them.
Sorry I haven't had internet access much this week since my wifi is out :(
Week 3 New Roll 2+3=5
New Spot = #21
This week we can read
#21 in a series
#2 in a series
#1 in a series
A stand alone
Alternative - #21. Title W
REVIEWS
V Audio Nerd - HERE
Amber - HERE
Apoorv - HERE
Esther - HERE
Joanne - HERE
Barbara - HERE
Abbie - HERE
Rubbish roll this week sorry guys :o(
Oh well. At least it'll be easy to find a book
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*knees buckle*"
My heart beats fast, my stomach flutters, my blood pressure goes up...he messed me up!
YUMMY!