SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R9: Team #10 ~ Divas of Organized Destruction
Glad you liked it Val :)
Steph wrote: "Hi teammies! Back from Joshua Tree Nat'l Park, where we went camping and hiking for a couple days. Had a great time, until I broke my big toe while rock climbing. :( Ah well, old lady = old bones!..."OUCH! Sorry to hear about your broken big toe, Steph. :( I hope you're not in too much pain and that you'll get better soon.
Thanks, Ladies. She's throbbin' and screamin' like a hungry, angry baby. But, she'll live ;)I'm off to find my shifters book. I'm interested in that one too, LL. Looking forward to your review. Glad you liked it, Val.
Oh, and I finished my FS book, so I'll post my review when I return from out of town mid-week.
ETA: Damn, Mr. R, couldn't ya have waited a week for this shelf?! Nalini's next Psy book is due out in NINE days. :(
Okay, I'm having a hard time deciding on a book for the shifter shelf. I've narrowed it down to these:
I'll let ya know which one I settle on, Val.
Shelf: Demons
finished May 25/14
Rating: 4 stars
review: I really enjoyed this book. I liked the police procedural and CSI investigations. What I liked was that the demon parts were interrelated with the rest of the story and not just a story about the demon realm. I will definitely continue with the series (as I have 2 and 3 waiting).
Geez Steph, what a way to end your vacation. I hope it heals fairly quick at least.I've finished my free space book but my son is hogging the computer (teenagers *sigh*) so I'll post my review tomorrow while he's pretending to be at school.
LOL Julianne, "pretending to be at school". :)No kidding! Doc says 4-6 weeks *eek*. Hoping it'll be much quicker though, of course.
To recap.....Judithe's SOS BookShelf : Bingo R9 Stats
FREE SPACE (no time limit except before the end the game)
Completed:3/5
Julianne: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (Best of : UF list)! 05/25/2014, 4★,review
LethalLovely: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (SOS Bookshelf), 05/29/2014, 3★,review
Rosina: Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
StephB: Sixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones (SOS Bookshelf), 05/25/2014, 4.5★,review
Valerie: Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett (SOS Bookshelf)
Week #2: Shifter (May 25- 31)
Completed:4/5
Julianne: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
LethalLovely:Perfect Mate by Mina Carter, 05/27/2014, 3★,review
Rosina: Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis, 05/29/2014, 3★,review
StephB: Hour of the Lion by Cherise Sinclair,05/30/2014, 3.5★,review
Valerie: Wild Rain by Christine Feehan, 05/28/2014, 3★,review
Week #1: Demons (May 18- 24) Stamped
Completed:5/5
Julianne: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, 05/20/2014, 5★,review
LethalLovely: Stone Guardian by Danielle Monsch, 05/20/2014, 4★,review
Rosina: Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland,05/25/2014, 4★,review
StephB: The Demon's Desire by Kendra Leigh Castle, 05/21/2014, 4★,review
Valerie: Fury of the Demon by Diana Rowland, 05/21/2014, 5★,review
Shifter:
Date Read: May 27th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:
Hmmm. Lets start with the good first.
Pros:
♥ Badass, vicious and lethal werewolves.
♥ Vampires and Zombies added into the mix.
♥ Sexy hero and interesting side characters.
♥ Heroine who wasn't TSTL and seemed smart enough to know when she was in over her head.
♥ Hot sex scenes.
Cons:
♠ Almost nonexistent world-building.
♠ Extremely fast-paced (which is usually a good thing for me but in this case, it worked against PM). The majority of the book (I'd say 90%) was spent with the characters either running from the bad guys or fighting the bad guys. The ending was extremely abrupt.
♠ A serious case of Insta-love. (view spoiler) The fast pace of PM made it hard for me to connect with any of the characters, which in turn made it difficult for me to understand why they connected with each other so quickly.
That being said, I am going to read the sequel,
. The romantic pairing of a werewolf and a vampire is rare enough for me that I find myself intrigued about the sequel's hero/ine. Plus, what I discovered about the two indicates that they are both full of awesomesauce. I just hope that Carter slowed it down in BM, because PM gave me whiplash.
I totally agree with you LL. The concept had such potential for great world-building and it was my major cons too. The insta-love was to be expected with so little page count.The second book is better because it builds on the first one and I especially liked the new characters that are introduced. For so little page count...they were surprisingly complex.
LL, it's only 19 pages, first book in her Paranormal Protection Agency series but it's a freebie...if you want more of Mina Carter:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGETB8/?...
Valerie ~ Val Hall ~ wrote: "LL, it's only 19 pages, first book in her Paranormal Protection Agency series but it's a freebie...if you want more of Mina Carter:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005M..."Thank you very much for the rec Valerie but I think I'll pass. I try to stay away from novellas/short stories because they often veer into PWP territory and lack any real-or believable-plot (and stories under 50 pages? They don't even get a second glance from me). I read Solar Storm by Carter & had the same issues. I was hoping PM would be different but I guess not. I mean sure, it's not the size of your average PB but at 232 pages (according to AMZ) I feel like there was enough space for Carter to rectify the problems I had. Ah well. *shrugs*
I hear you LL but sometimes I like a short one now and then. One series I can't believe how the author managed to have so much going on in ~ 200 pages is Connie Suttle. No long description but it's an emotional roller-coaster, it's an acquired taste. Almost all her series are spin-offs so if you are interested, start with
.
Valerie ~ Val Hall ~ wrote: "I hear you LL but sometimes I like a short one now and then. One series I can't believe how the author managed to have so much going on in ~ 200 pages is Connie Suttle. No long description but it's..."Thanks again, Valerie! BW definitely sounds like something I'd be interested in.☺
Captain, I'm changing my "Free Space" read to
. I tried to pick up Angel's Ink but I was feeling kinda "blah" about it. Here's hoping BS incites a better reaction.ETA: The Bone Season is from the SOS bookshelf.
LethalLovely~I'll Tell You My Sins & You Can Sharpen Your Knife wrote: "Captain, I'm changing my "Free Space" read to . I tried to pick up Angel's Ink but I was feeling kinda "blah" about it. Here's hoping BS incites ..."That book looks interesting....I ll see if my library has it....
Rosina wrote: "LethalLovely~I'll Tell You My Sins & You Can Sharpen Your Knife wrote: "Captain, I'm changing my "Free Space" read to . I tried to pick up [book:Angel's Ink|1294..."^_^ My library has ebooks through Overdrive. The books in our online catalog are usually of little interest to me but I browsed through it 20 mins ago and saw they'd added a bunch of new titles and at least 8 books that are on my TBR shelf and TBS was one of them. It's already downloaded on Book Jesus and ready for me to consume.
I've read all of Mina Carter's Paranormal Protection Agency books (1-6) and liked them. Sexy, quick reads. :)I finished my FS book and need to get my review written. I'll do that soon.
I've started reading
for shifter. It's interesting so far (maybe different is a better description than interesting), but the world building is a bit hard to follow. The shifters are dragons, but they seem a bit alien at this point in the book. Granted, I'm not that far into it and I keep thinking I'll switch it out with a different book, but haven't yet. So, we'll see.
I'm in the same boat.
is getting on my last nerve but I'm almost done so I'm torn between finishing it and writing my shifter review or abandon it. I've read other series by Feehan and they were good ones but Wild Rain is so slow the story is pretty inexistent. I just hope it improves soon.I've read Mina Carter's Paranormal Protection Agency books 1 and 2 and found them entertaining if somewhat short.
Good luck w/it. Honestly, I've no real desire to return to mine at the moment. :/ Thinking I'll poke my nose in one of the others and see how if it catches my interest. I'll let ya know if I switch. Yeah, they are short.
CONGRATULATIONS, Divas!We now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'demons'.
[Our updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
YAY!! :D
Yay!Hey gals, I've been really under the weather lately and am having a hard time getting on the computer to post my review. It's a nasty 3 day migraine that won't allow me to even stand for any length of time :(
Meanwhile, I'm happily plugging away with Magic Slays wondering why I waited so long between books...definitely in my top 4 fave series.
Hope you feel better soon Julianne!Congrats on the stamp Divas!
I hope you'll get better Julianne.
I'm done with my shifter book, review to be written tomorrow.
Finished with my Free Space read. I'll rate and review after I get out of class tonight. Sorry to hear you're sick, Julianne. Get well soon.
Hope you're feeling better, Julianne!I've switched my shifter book to
. I definitely want to finish reading Blood Bonds, but another time.
Julianne...migraines are the worst....hope you feel better soon....I changed by Free space book to
I will be done my shifter book tonite about 60% done
I loved that series, Rosina. Hope you enjoy it.
Steph wrote: "I loved that series, Rosina. Hope you enjoy it."I loved that trilogy too. I was sad when it ended, which meant no more hilarious Nastasya (I never liked her nickname, Nasty) & no more sexy Reyn. =( You picked a good one, Rosina!
LethalLovely~I'll Tell You My Sins & You Can Sharpen Your Knife wrote: "Steph wrote: "I loved that series, Rosina. Hope you enjoy it."I loved that trilogy too. I was sad when it ended, which meant no more hilarious Nastasya (I never liked her nickname, Nasty) & no m..."
thanks ladies finally a good book ...been having a rough time lately
Free Space:
Date Read: May 29th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:
It's hard for me to write a review for TBS since I spent the majority of it confused as hells. There's a big glossary at the end that doesn't touch on half the made-up words Shannon uses. I couldn't understand WTF was going on or what a lot of the words meant and it stayed that way to the last page. The world-building was alright (Shannon rocked at describing (view spoiler). The romance was ridiculous (view spoiler). The supporting characters were interesting and enjoyable to read about. The heroine, Paige...well, she had some TSTL moments but I don't hold them against her. If I was in her position, I'd have probably resorted to doing some dumb shit too (view spoiler) I don't know if I'm going to read #2, The Mime Order. The biggest problem for me with TBS was that Shannon created a shitload of made-up words and gave us almost no explanation of what the words meant-or what anything that happened anywhere at any time meant, for that matter. She complicated the hell out of TBS for no reason I can think of other than to maybe make it "different." I'm crazy and eccentric and spontaneous and a lover of the unique, but even I admit that "difference" isn't always a good thing. There was enough good in TBS to have me intrigued but I don't know if I want to deal with this crap again in #2.
Week 2 Shifter
review: 3 stars
finished May 29
This book did pique my interest and I think is well suited for tweens.
it was quick and easy to read has the potential for a very interesting world. I liked the pack dynamics, names and heritage. What bugged me was that there were lots of editing errors (It can be painful at times). Way too much pointless conversational filler. The banter between the 3 girls gets annoying (too much of it).
LethalLovely~I'll Tell You My Sins & You Can Sharpen Your Knife wrote: "Free Space: Date Read: May 29th
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review:
It's hard for me to write a review for TBS since I spent the majority of it confused as hells. There's a ..."
great review....I havent started it yet....now I gotta read some of it to at least check out the made up words
the made up words or strange spellings for names or places is a big reason why I dont read a bunch of fantasy....or if I try to and I stick with it I take a really long time to read it
right now I am doing a BR of the game of thrones reading a chapter/day and I am slowly getting farther behind......
Week 2: Shifter Shelf
Wild Rain by Christine Feehan
Finished: 28th May 2014
Rating: ★★★
Review:
I've already read 2 of the author other series so I knew a bit what to expect when I started this book. Miss Feehan is very wordy in her descriptions. I can easily see why some can be turned off by that, even me.
I was expecting a run for your life kind of story that I love but it was not to be. The setting is the Rain Forest where the author took painful time describe every plant, bugs, the humidity, the birds, the small mammals, the primates, and the big and small cats. This attention to details was the focal point to establish how beautiful and unforgiving the jungle is...like the hero Rio.
The jungle played as much a part in the story because every disruption in it's flow was a warning system to the main characters that danger was coming. The pacing was slow but to establish this way of life in the wild...you have to go slow. Once I accepted that I really liked the book.
I had a really hard time liking Rachael because she was so closed-off it bordered on too much. It's only toward the end that I finally understood how much of a self-defense mechanism it was. It was a lifetime of isolating herself from connecting with people. Normally this role is more often played by the male character.
Rio is the total opposite of Rachael. He was exiled from his people for a crime he willingly admitted. He lives alone, is self sufficient, has few close friends (men in his unit), pragmatic and is very honest in expressing his emotions.
So Rio comes back home from a rescue operation to find Rachael in his house. Naturally he thinks it's an assassin, after a struggle one of his pet clouded leopards uses Rachael's leg as a chew toy. He ends up nursing her back to health and falls in love. I liked that she does not miraculously gets better in a day, it's a slow seduction.
Miss Feehan is very good at building lore about a community apart from the human society and this is no exception. All this book sets the stage for an insular race trying to survive and protect the jungle they live in and their way of life. They recognize that they are neither human nor big cat but really a harmonious blending of the two and they must balance those two natures and instincts.
Another thing that I was really pleased by is the introduction of Elijah with this antihero vibe to him. Great contrast with Rio who is dangerous to be sure but nurturing and caring while Elijah is all shades of grey, violent and vindictive. I really hope to see more of him and that he finds a happy ending he richly deserve.
I think that Miss Feehan did some research in the rain forest flora and fauna to really paint a vivid picture of it's inhabitants and was well incorporated into the story without weighing it down too much. I'm really interested in finding out more about the other characters in this series and luckily many books are already published so I don't have to wait.
ok, I've made the necessary updates and I myself will change my Free Space book to
because i want to savor the Gentleman Bastards more slowly.
*sigh* I miss Cady, Lon and Jupe. Sucks that one is the finale, but such a fun series. Enjoy, Val!I had to laugh when I read your review, Val. I have read Feehan's Dark/Carpathians series books and know what you mean about the lengthy detailing. I call it (Stephen) King syndrome.
I'm not a fan of books with extensive fantastical words, so I will probably postpone reading that one for a bit, LL.
Finished my shifter book. Off to write both my reviews now.
Series: The Wild Hunt Legacy #1
Shelf: Shifter
Read: 30 May
Rating: 3.5★
Review:
I'm a huge fan of Cherise Sinclair's Masters series and a PNR fan. So, I was looking forward to reading her PNR series, The Wild Hunt Legacy.
Hour of the Lion was an enjoyable read. While there's an instant attraction between Vic(toria), Alec and his littermate Calum, Cherise lets things simmer a bit before delving straight into a relationship. Vic has a hard time letting go and being out of control. The boys, however, enjoy showing her the benefits of doing so. Since the loss of his lifemate, Calum knows his next mate will be one he shares with Alec. They're hoping Vic will understand that this is one of the things that's different in the shifter world.
I liked the shifter mythology Cherise created. These shifters are descendents of the fae. I also liked all of the characters and look forward to learning more about them in future books.
Fail ~ As the wife of a Marine, I wish Cherise would have researched enough to discover that Marines say "Oorah", Army Soldiers say "Hooah", and Vic (a former Marine) says "Hooyah". This mishmash of both bugged me.
Series: Charley Davidson #6
Shelf: Free Space
Read: 25 May
Rating: 4.5★
Review:
Sixth Grave on the Edge was another crazy, sexy, fun installment of Charley Davidson. It's no wonder the girl has ADD, so many things are happening around her at once it's hard to keep them all straight. But, she always finds a way to help the helpless, survive the baddies, support her friends and family, and squeeze in some hot moments alone with Reyes. Her snark and quirky humor may be a turn off for some, but I love it. I also love the funny chapter titles Darynda gives us; they make me want to expand my T-shirt collection and start buying bumper stickers.
In this, the sixth book in the series, Charley tries to rescue a man's soul, bargain with a soul dealer without losing hers, learn the identity of some lost souls, offer relief to a tortured soul, temper the heat flaring between two young souls, bring together two stubborn souls, and save the soul of the man she loves. In between all of that, we learn a bit more about her abilities and the enormity of her power. Questions still remain however. And, while it's like being given a few pieces to a puzzle a year at a time, it's so much fun watching it slowing start to form a picture.
I'm thrilled beyond description that Darynda is offering us TWO Charley books in one year. I'm anxious awaiting book 7, Seventh Grave and No Body.
Lol, the misuse of words must bug you something fierce. Same thing for me when the author throws a sentence in French just to spice the story and makes huge grammatical and spelling errors. I can't stand that!I know nothing of the lingo in the army but one series that uses a lot terms and acronyms I'm pretty sure are very close is the Shadow Ops series because the author has been a military officer among other things.
It does bug me. Especially since those sayings are SO very easy to learn by a quick internet search. I'm not asking for or even hoping for spot-on USMC lingo, but that's one that continues to bug me whenever it's misused. Hubby hates it when Marine isn't capitalized and/or Solider (Army) is used as a term for any military branch, including the Marines. Oh well. We can't all be experts at everything, but if you're gonna use it - use it correctly.I've seen that series, might have even bought the book thinking either hubby or I would give it a go. Was it any good?
Well, this is not my typical read but I really liked the magic concept: if you develop an affinity for magic you are a time bomb. The only way to deal with it is either kill you or the government kidnap you and tells you are now the property of the US government. Since you are legally dead, you have no rights and sent to a hell camp to be trained as a magical special force operative.There you have the main character forced to re-evaluate his beliefs and moral compass after basically being betrayed by his own government.
I was not expecting so many layers to the story when I started reading....and I really should read book 2 since the library has it.
That does sound interesting Val :)
Sounds cool, definitely different.
Rosina wrote: "great review....I havent started it yet....now I gotta read some of it to at least check out the made up wordsthe made up words or strange spellings for names or places is a big reason why I dont read a bunch of fantasy....or if I try to and I stick with it I take a really long time to read it
right now I am doing a BR of the game of thrones reading a chapter/day and I am slowly getting farther behind......"
Thanks, Rosina. ^_^ I can totally understand why you're getting behind in GoT. I've had it on my TBR for awhile (my BFF is neck-deep in the series and since I'm her only friend who reads more than textbooks for class, she's been trying to guilt me into starting it so we can discuss) but honestly, I'm afraid to start it. Epic fantasy has a habit of making me feel stupid.
@ Steph: If I knew then what I know now, I'd have never started "The Bone Season." I don't know who the hell was smoking what when they dubbed Shannon "The new JK Rowling" but pass that over here!
*sigh* I picked up 4 books from the library today and bought 5 more (DAMN YOU, ARE's 50% off sale!). I'm trying to hold off on starting any of them until the shelf announcement Saturday evening (my time) but I don't think I'm gonna make it. I'm staring at my purchases thinking
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Shelf: Free Space
Read: May 25
Rated: ★★★★
Review:
I should start by saying that I wasn't a fan of the first book at all, I blame the show...I loved the show and just really couldn't get into Dead Until Dark. Therefore I was super reluctant to read Living Dead in Dallas. Colour me surprised because I really enjoyed LDID.
I'm sure I don't need to summarize since pretty much everyone and their dog has read these books, but to refresh your memories, Sookie is sent to Dallas to locate a missing vampire for the Dallas vamps.
What I liked:
Sookie - I like her simple southern way of being...she has an innocence to her without being TSTL.
Eric - Yeah, I pretty much can't get enough Eric.
What I didn't like:
Bill and Sookie - On his own I like Bill, with Sookie not so much. (view spoiler)
The sex scenes - See above. Seriously, I cringed every time.
Final thoughts:
Of course I'll be carrying on with the series of course and the next book has been bumped way up my tbr.
Eric > Bill
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Magic Breaks (other topics)Dire Straits (other topics)
The Nightmarys (other topics)
Alien Proliferation (other topics)
London Bound (other topics)
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I've read PM and liked the take on the vampire, shifters and especially the RA.