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Player: LaurLa
Roll 6: 3 + 4 ==> 7
Space Landed: Connecticut Avenue - owned by CassieV
Task: Books I Own Shelf - read 2 books if owned

Book 1: A Girl, A Guy and A Ghost - Patricia Mason
How it fits: shelved 3 times as books-i-own
Read: 05.23
Rating: ★★1/2
Review:
I rounded up for the GR rating but there was a lot I didn't really like about this book. The quirky heroine was a bit too quirky for me. She bordered on annoying at times. I also couldn't get a handle on the world she lived in - was the paranormal accepted in this book world or not? I just felt like everything that happened in her quest to find a ghost was too far-fetched to be happening in our world where most people don't really believe in the paranormal but the author didn't do enough with the world building to make me think in the heroine's world the paranormal was, well, normal. The romance was okay but wasn't well built. When the hero stepped in to be a hero, it was sweet. Otherwise he wasn't really integral to the story. Like an afterthought. Not sure if I'll give this author another chance. Maybe if it's free.

Book 2: Loyalty in Death - J.D. Robb
How it fits: shelved 40 times as books-i-own
Read: 05.28
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Always enjoy these books. It's hard not to as a romance lover because Roarke is just so... Roarke. Sigh. Anyway, Eve's villian this time was an internal/home grown terrorist group set on destroying NYC landmarks will still filled with people. It was a little disconcerting reading about a potential target being the Twin Towers as well as a past target being the Pentagon. I know this book was written in 1999, but it was still unsettling.
Eve and Roarke had some tension in this book and I was glad to see it. They need internal conflict as well as the external to keep them real. And the tension between Peabody and McNabb finally got somewhere. Big grin. Like I said, always enjoy these books and am looking forward to the next.


Once Upon A Romance Series Books 1-6 by Laurie LeClair
Date Read: 25/05/16
Rating: 3☆
How It Fits: Free Choice
Review:
This is the collection of the first six books in the Once Upon a Romance series. Each book takes a fairytale and puts a modern twist on it based on the lives of the people that own and work in a department store. I'd read a couple of the books out of order so it was nice to read them in order to follow the story of each couple and how thet get tgeir "happy ever after"

Starting at Free Parking landed on Marvin Gardens
Marvin Gardens - Recommended Shelf - Must read 2 book to own. Must read 4 books if the property is owned.

Player: LaurLa
Roll 7: 3 + 2 ==> 5
Space Landed: Virginia Avenue - owned by Abbie
Task: Book Club Shelf - read 2 books if owned
Back later with books... (this will be hard for me because I don't normally read 'book club' books)

Current Space: Pacific Avenue
New Space: Boardwalk (Need 3 books to own)
Reading from DNF Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/dnf

Current Space: Pacific Avenue
New Space: Boardwalk (Need 3 books to own)
Reading from DNF Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/dnf"
Why get people to read from a DNF shelf - that means someone thinks they're horrible - hardly a recommendation :)

Of the top 6, I've read 4: 2 three stars, one four stars, one five...you never know what people will like, lol!


Of the top 6, I've read 4: 2 three stars, one four stars, one five...you never know what people will like, lol!"
True - I didn't think of that!

Should we use them too or shall we just carry on as we are

Should we use them too or shall we just carry on as we are"
I saw one was there but haven't looked at it yet - will look later tonight - won't be home until after 5:30 tonight as I have an acupuncture session in just over half an hour.
Will be cheese on toast for dinner - and a glass of red wine!!!

I get the impression that you either play the original game (that we are playing) or start a new game with the other version. You don't mix and match.

Was yummy scrummy - sometimes the simple things in life are the best :)

Player: LaurLa
Roll 7: 3 + 2 ==> 5
Space Landed: Virginia Avenue - owned by Abbie
Task: Book Club Shelf - read 2 books if owned

Book 1: The Girl in the Hard Hat - Loretta Hill
How it fits: shelved 1 times as book-club
Read: 05.23
Rating: ★★★
Review:
What I liked most about this book was it was set in Australia on the Pilabara (sp?) and that it was a very non-traditional role for a woman - the heroine was a safety officer one a coastal mining outfit. It was interesting reading for me because of that. But the heroine started out being a bit too much of a whiner. It got better towards the end, though, and I ended being happy with the story. Again, mostly because of the setting and interesting cultural differences.

Book 2: All I Want - Jill Shalvis
How it fits: shelved 1 time as book-club
Read: 06.05
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Always love Jill Shalvis and this was no exception. There were a couple of time line issues that bugged me but not enough to down rate it for me. Well, maybe. I might have rated 5 stars if not. There was a lot of back and forth from both MCs about what they wanted. It was interesting to watch both of them come to terms with what they wanted out of life and adjust their expectations at now finding love as part of that. They were a fun couple - lots of banter and just fun! Hope there's more in this series! I think Kel needs a story ;-)

I get the impression that you either play the original game (that we are playing) or st..."
I got that feeling to when I read it.

Roll 8: 3 + 4 ==> 7
Space Landed: Kentucky Avenue - owned by CassieV (of course)
Task: 2011 Shelf - read 3 books if owned
off to find 3 books read in 2011 by someone

Hahaha! This makes me feel better since my kids (6 and 8) keep smoking me in Monopoly Star Wars :D

Land on a Chance - Roll again – 1+1 = 2
2. Advance to Illinois Ave
Illinois Avenue - Re-Read Shelf - Must read 1 book to own. Must read 3 books if the property is owned.
I d..."
Which card did you get that told you to roll again? I want to mark it as used.

Space Landed on: Free Parking
Book:

5 Stars
5/29
Review: This was a re-read for me. I loved it just as much this time around. I cried in the same places. I love Paks' character. I really enjoy seeing her develop. And I love Elizabeth Moon's writing. She is equally at home writing Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Started on Free Parking. Moving to Chance. Rolled 6 + 2 = 8
Chance # 8. Go Back 3 Spaces
This puts me on New York Avenue, owned by Sally.
Must Read Shelf - Must read 1 book to own. Must read 3 books if the property is owned.

Should we use them too or shall we just carry on as we are"
I didn't get anything. What new shelves?


Okay. :)

Land on a Chance - Roll again – 1+1 = 2
2. Advance to Illinois Ave
Illinois Avenue - Re-Read Shelf - Must read 1 book to own. Must read 3 books if the proper..."
When I landed on chance I rolled again to get my chance card number and that was card 2 - advance to Illinois avenue

Land on a Chance - Roll again – 1+1 = 2
2. Advance to Illinois Ave
Illinois Avenue - Re-Read Shelf - Must read 1 book to own. Must read 3 books..."
Thanks. I'll mark it on the spreadsheet.


Player: LaurLa
Roll 8: 3 + 4 ==> 7
Space Landed: Kentucky Avenue - owned by CassieV (of course)
Task: 2011 Shelf - read 3 books if owned

Book 1: All I Want for Christmas is You - Lisa Mondello
How it fits: shelved as 2011 by 12 people
Read: 06.06
Rating: ★★★
Review:
This was very meh. It was published in 1998 and felt somewhat dated. However, it was still a sweet Christmas love story where the H had to win over a reluctant h who had been abandoned at 18 and pregnant by the baby father and her own family. Seven years later, she still has definite trust issues but he obviously overcame them and we have our HEA. Sweet but predictable.

Book 2: Lucky in Love - Carolyn Brown
How it fits: shelved as 2011 by 5 people
Read: 06.07
Rating: ★★★
Review:
This was a secret baby plot which I am never overly fond of and in this case I didn't feel there was enough justification for the h to not have told the father about the baby. It was the result of a one night stand and the h felt shame in having done that (only one of her issues) so didn't think the father would care or want to even know. And once circumstances put them back together, she still didn't want to him to know. Some of this had morphed into fear of losing her baby, so somewhat understandable, but the father never threatened that at all. He was actually very understanding once the initial anger and shock wore off. She had to work through this fear and other trust issues before we got our HEA and while it all worked within the context of the book, her initial attitude about the baby left me not liking her much. I did enjoy that after the couple 'got together' there was still another 30 or so pages of the book where we got to see them as a couple. I like when authors do that. We get invested in the couple and sometimes the abrupt ending right after the HEA leaves you wanting more. This author gave us more and more or less saved the book for me.

Book 3: The Billionaire Falls - Melody Anne
How it fits: shelved as 2011 by 1 person (not me, i swear!)
Read: 06.08
Rating: ★★★
Review:
This was barely a 3. Just not a compelling story and the writing was meh. The whole tone of the book was very Pollyanna. Yet, I also thought the reactions of the MCs were written as over-reactions at the same time thinking all the characters were pretty cardboard and had no depth. It was also very predictable. So barely a 3. I didn't actively dislike it just a little bored reading it.
GOOD-BYE, CASSIE!!! Been fun visiting!!!

Player: LaurLa

Roll 9: 3 + 1 ==> 4
Space Landed: B & O Railroad
Task: Read a book that someone else thought stunk.
Book: In His Keeping - Maya Banks
How it fits: shelved DNF by 9 people

Player: LaurLa

Roll 9: 3 + 1 ==> 4
Space Landed: B & O Railroad
Task: Read a book that someone else thought stunk.
Book: In His Keeping - Maya Banks
How it fits: shelved DNF by 9 people
Read: 06.09
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Not sure why people would want to DNF this one, but I guess that's what makes us all book lovers... we all love different things. I had a love/hate relationship with the h, Arial. I loved how much she wanted to be independent and her own woman but in her quest to prove she could take care of herself, she kept putting herself in danger. Not TSTL danger because she could kick some ass with her powers, but still not being smart in some of her decisions. This made me mad because she was being too stubborn to listen to reason at times and that itself can border on TSTL sometimes. All in all, though, I really liked the book and am enjoying the series.
ETA: Oh, I now own B & O Railroad.. woohoo! Choochoo!!

Player: LaurLa
Roll 10: 6 + 2 ==> 8

Space Landed: Community Chest - Rolled 5: Go Directly to Jail
Task: Read a book where a character is arrested or has been in jail.
Book: Honor Unraveled - Elaine Levine
How it fits: H spends the night in jail as a teen trying to protect his druggie mother from being arrested for disturbing the peace.

Space Landed on: Chance - go back 3 spaces - New York Avenue
Must Read Shelf - Must read 1 book to own. Must read 3 books if the property is owned
Book #1: The Crown, shelved 30 times
3.5 - 4 Stars
6/9
Review: I enjoyed this book more than the previous one. Eadlyn was not quite as annoying as in the previous book. It was nice to see her change and grow. She met adversity with poise and grace, as befits a queen. And I totally called her choice from the moment she met her suitors in The Heir!
Book #2: Breakfast at Tiffany's, shelved 33 times
3.5 Stars
6/11
Review: I feel that the movie ruined this book for me. I just didn't see this Holly Golightly as the same character in the movie. And I preferred the movie version (I don't say that very often, but Audrey Hepburn is beyond compare!). Also, I was surprised by some of the social issues touched upon. I guess I know more historical facts/events than I do social history.
Book #3: Room for Just a Little Bit More, shelved 1 time
3 Stars
6/11
Review: This was a cute wrap up to this series. It was pretty much conflict free, so while I don't say it was boring, it wasn't really necessary. It was nice to see them get married, but the previous book actually wrapped up the characters nicely. And why do authors (view spoiler)
Bye, bye, Sally!

Started on: New York Avenue
Moving to: Pacific Avenue. Guess I just like visiting Sally. And Abbie is here, so we can have a blast all together!
Stand Alone Shelf - Must read 2 book to own. Must read 4 books if the property is owned.
I sure hope I can find some series books that are labelled as Stand Alone. Because I don't read many stand alone books!


That's me... chugga chugga readin' machine! I just lucked out that a lot of books for other challenges are working here (for the time being).

Player: LaurLa

Roll 10: 6 + 2 ==> 8
Space Landed: Community Chest - Rolled 5: Go directly to Jail
Task: Read a book where a character is arrested or has been in jail.
Book: Honor Unraveled - Elaine Levine
How it fits: H spends the night in jail as a teen trying to protect his druggie mother from being arrested for disturbing the peace.
Read: 06.11
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
I have been trying to read this for AGES it seems like. I read the first 2 so long ago that I'd almost completely forgotten the details of them and the series but there were enough reminders in this one that didn't feel completely lost. Although I had lost the feel for a couple of the characters so some of their actions and reactions felt foreign to me but also like I should have known that's how they'd be. But over all this was an enjoyable read. The romance was steamy (my favorite kind) and the story was good. There was one loose end that got tied that didn't make a lot of sense to me and it'll either never make sense because the author just wanted to tie it up and move on or future stories will make it make sense. It seems the smaller story arc that this character was part of is closed now with his capture but what didn't make sense to me was why he did what he did to get captured. So it's either done done or his reasons will be revealed later in the larger story arc of the series. It wasn't enough to make me not like the book or continue the series but it definitely has me scratching my head... Still, looking forward to the next because the rest of the characters all intrigue me!

Player: LaurLa

Roll 11: 4 + 4 ==> 8
Space Landed: Tennessee Avenue - I own. Roll again: 1 + 3 ==> 4. Chance - Rolled 7: Sing A Long
Task: Read a book with a musician
Book: Sonata for a Scoundrel
Shew! That was a lot of effort to get to the task!!
Edited: changed book

Completion Post
Space: Kentucky Ave
Task: 2011 Shelf (owned by Cassie, so 3 books required)
1.

Read: 26.5.16
Rating: ★★★
How it fits: Tagged '2011' 4 times
Review: OK, but one of those books that just went on, and on...and on. And even when I thought it was done there was still more. It was well written but don't settle down to read this unless you've got a lot of patience.
2.

Read: 28.5.16
Rating: ★★★★★
How it fits: Tagged '2011' 136 times
Review: Another series which hadn't been on my radar, but which I just loved. I know I'm a bit dim, but I honestly didn't realise there would be a romantic attachment between Yelena and Valek almost until it happened. And what a pleasant surprise that was. I thought it was a great story with fantastic characters which I couldn't put down.
3.

Read: 9.6.16
Rating: ★★★★★
How it fits: Tagged '2011' 255 times
Review: For someone who isn't that keen on true science fiction, this was fabulous. Although I think that listening to this particular edition on audio really made it. The narrators were so professional that you forgot you were listening to a story, it became so real. YA with characters that adults can relate to - what a relief.

Space: Marvin Gardens - Recommended Shelf - Must read 2 book to own. Must read 4 books if the property is owned.
Oh...so, as Louise is on the space too, and it isn't owned yet, does that mean whoever finishes their books first wins?
And if someone wins, does the other person then have to read another two books?
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