SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R14: Team #13 ~ Reading Queens
Fire the Hunters shelf, I'm going to read The Darkest Kiss. It's found on the third page of that shelf.
For the Hunters shelf I read Vampire Academy, completed 1/21, 4 starsreview: Really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. I liked this story. I thought it was basically high school on crack for vampires. It was full of drama, action, budding romance and twists. I enjoyed meeting these characters and will probably be reading the rest of the series.
Brittany wrote: "Sandra wrote: "That is just shocking Brittany! Hope they are both recovering & feeling well."Thanks Sandra, they both are doing fairly well."
Glad to hear that Brittany. Hopefully they just continue along that way.
Sherri wrote: "I'm here! It has just been a heck of a week. But I did start MacRieve for the Free Space book (It is part of the Immortals After Dark Series, which is on the PNR List of the Best of ..."Sherri the Immortals After Dark is one of my all time favorite PNR series! I can't wait for the next two books to come out!
Week 1Shelf: Hunters
Date read: 1-18-17 through 1-22-17
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
Rating: 4.5 Stars
I read a few of these books when I was 18, and I didn't remember hardly anything about them. I have been wanting to reread them for several years because I remember that I really enjoyed them. All of my books that I owned were ruined when a hurricane flooded my parent's house, and I decided to re-buy the books a short while back. Recently I decided it was time to revisit the Black Dagger Brotherhood! I do not regret the repurchasing of these books, and maybe in another 12 years when I don't remember what happens I may even consider reading them again.
This is true for the whole series, but I love the witty banter between Butch and Vishous. Their relationship at times seems like Vishous would cross the line into homosexual territory in a heart beat, but at the same time not because of Butch and Marissa's relationship and the close friendship between Butch and V. He lives with him, fights with him, hangs out with him, loves him, and does other things with him that I can talk of without spoilers. Their relationship is filled with affection and unspent sexual frustration on V's side. Then comes Jane... a trauma surgeon who saves V's life whenever he is mortally wounded and accidentally taken to a human hospital. You'll have to read the book to get their full story, but it's just like all of the other BDBH books. It's full of action, sexual chemistry, steamy scenes, close friendship, and it tugs your heart strings.
I loved hearing about Vishous' past and what caused him to have the "preferences" he has. The revelation about his birth mother and what she expected of him was something I completely didn't see coming. The whole book I was wondering how he was going to get out of that.
J.R. Ward is so good at giving you the perfect amount of meat to the story, and at the same time dishing out information on all the side characters. Some of them are just as interesting as the MC of the book. I can't wait to read John's story.
My only dislike is the "instalove" that happens in some of these novels. The feeling coming from the males is understandable because of the bonding that happens, but with the females sometimes it's a little too rushed for it to truly be love. The kind of devotion and commitment that comes from a bonded male would be hard to resist though ;)
Every single one of these books have been awesome and I hope this series keeps it up.
For the FREESPACE I read Primal Bonds by Jennifer AshleyRead from 01/21 to 01/23, 4 stars.
Review: 2nd book in the Shifters Unbound series. Loved this book. Great characters, writing and plot. I was drawn in and hated when the story ended. I love paranormal books with a strong alpha male and strong heroine and thought that Sean and Andrea complimented each other. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
For the 2nd shelf PNR I will read Wild Cat by Jennifer Ashley
Hello gals! So psyched for the second shelf call! For this week's shelf I will read Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh. I got this book on sale a few weeks ago and have been waiting to read it!Week 2
Shelf: PNR
Slave To Sensation by Nalini Singh
FreespaceDate read: 1-22-17 through 1-25-17
Moonshadow by Thea Harrison
Rating: 4 Stars
This was my first Thea Harrison book, and I have to say I am a fan! From the very first chapter she sets up a very intriguing mystery with the MC Sophie. When you move onto chapter two you meet Nikolas, and a whole different dynamic and conflict is added to the storyline. I liked that the chapters were from the two MC's different perspectives.
The way the two MC's meet was tense but very entertaining. Sophie is quirky, strong willed, smart, kindhearted, and funny. I really liked her. Nikolas is a hardened soldier on the run who is feeling the strain of being isolated from his kingdom and his brethren. When he first meets Sophie sparks fly and not in a good way. Quickly things change though.
Sophie is a very strong, independent female and it's hilarious how Nikolas' high handedness gets under her skin and how completely unaware he is of doing it. She often verbalizes in a list of all the things Nik is doing to annoy her, and it makes me crack up. One thing I disliked about her is that she constantly has to do the exact opposite of what he wants her to do simply because he tells her to do it instead of asking her to do it. She is still contrary even if he is telling her to do something that is completely reasonable. That got a little annoying.
Another dislike I had is that it was another case of the instalove *eyeroll*. I hate it when characters of books throw the L word around after they've known each other for a very short period of time. Also, they seemed to turn to sex whenever they had a disagreement. Instead of talking it out and coming to a compromise they would just have sex to smooth over the fight.
One thing I appreciated was that the battle scenes did not drag on and on. They got to the point and to the meat then moved on. It was nice. There's nothing worse to me than a battle scene that lasts pages and pages, and you're just begging for it to be over.
Can I just say that I LOVED Robin! He was so cute and sweet. He instantly formed an attachment to Sophie and they were devoted to each other. She nursed him back to health and formed a bond with him from the beginning. I enjoyed seeing the development of his character. Also, whenever they called him "the puck" I wanted to jump into the novel and hug the crap out of him :)
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced plot and lots of action and movement. No stagnation here! I did have a few gripes, but I will certainly be reading the next book in the series whenever it comes out.
For the PNR shelf I will continue to work my way through IAD series with Demon from the Dark.I finished MacRieve last night and will write something up soon.
Week 1- Hunters Shelf 
Read: Jan 21-26
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
This book was ok. I remember liking the first book in the series more, even though I read it years ago. I like the new (well new to me) take on the Pandora's box mythos, it's definitely got interested potential. I liked the duality of the warriors and their demons, seemingly in control but in reality walking the thin line between control and chaos. It brings to mind the saying 'can't live with them, can't live without them'. It was the two main characters that really didn't do it for me. For beings that were hundreds and thousands of years old they sure were juvenile, especially Anya. Some of Lucien's and Anya's interactions and dialog came off very young to me and it didn't quite fit with the tone of the rest of the story. I'm going to give the next book in the series a try before I deciding whether to continue or not.
Week 2Shelf: PNR
Date Read: 1-25-17 through 1-29-17
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Fan My Face 5 Stars
"She wished he'd stop touching her. Not because she didn't like it but because she liked it far too much. It made her hunger for things that could never be hers. And if someone went hungry for too long, they started to starve. Started to hurt."
This story line didn't snatch me up right away and keep me totally enraptured the whole time, but the development of Sasha and Lucas' relationship did. That's what kept me coning back. Later in the book things in the plot started to happen that I totally didn't expect and then I was completely sucked in. If you are reading this book and feel like giving up early... DO NOT!!! RESIST THE TEMPTATION!!! It is totally worth reading. SO MANY FEELS!!!
The premise of the Psy remind me of the lifestyle and society of the people in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. They have no emotions or deep feelings. The things that make us human are totally gone. They are just a shell of what we would be without our emotions and humanity. Then, there are the Changelings. They are part human and part animal. They are shifters of different animal species and are driven by their base instincts and emotions. They are the complete opposite of the Psy in every way.
Sasha is the MC of the Psy. I felt so strongly for her and her struggle. Me, being a very touchy/feeling empathetic person, I had so much sympathy for Sascha. I felt her loneliness and desire for physical contact and emotional attachment so deeply. Their powers of the mind are unlike anything I've ever read before. The way their psychic ability works and how they're all linked is very original.
Lucas is the male MC and he is a changeling. Part panther and part human, he is very sharp, cunning, and manipulative. He knows what he wishes to accomplish, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it. He senses from the beginning that Sascha is different. I love his take on her and her traits that don't fall into the norm for the Psy.
Occasionally I felt that the world building was a little lengthy. Sometimes it would flow perfectly, and then other times it was a bit intrusive. I had a difficult time comprehending the concept of the PsyNet and PsyMind at times. As the book progressed the author would give bits of info that would make it more and more real, but I still found the idea hard to grasp. That is certainly just a personal opinion though. Others might not have that struggle.
The sensuality throughout the book was very strong. The sexual tension between the MCs was so very palpable. Sascha's exploration of senses that are foreign to her but very common to us was very thought provoking. It made me appreciate what we experience as humans in every day life.
I loved this book. I will be reading the next books in the series for sure!
Great review Cheri!
Thank you Sandra!! Getting pumped for the shelf call tomorrow!
Can I just say I'm really struggling with the choice for the guilty pleasures shelf. Waaaaay too many awesome choices!
That's a very nice problem to have Cheri :)
Sandra wrote: "That's a very nice problem to have Cheri :)"I agree... There are much worse things to turmoil over lol even though I've been at the computer for the last two hours... don't judge me lol
Hey ladies! This is a pep talk! Circle around... In the rules it states that everyone must check in a minimum of once a week and if you fall three books behind you are removed from the team. This is competition gals! We can't win if we don't keep up with the shelf calls :) I don't know about you, but I want to WIN!!! I want to see our bingo card with some stamps on it! I understand that everyone is busy, but if are not able to keep up due to real life struggles, please let us know. That is all ;)
Guilty Pleasures shelf read will be Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Lekeisha, you need to read the short Alpha & Omega first. Basically it is the 1st 70 odd pages of Cry Wolf. It originally started life as just a shortie.It is available as a short
& is also in
.
Sandra wrote: "Lekeisha, you need to read the short Alpha & Omega first. Basically it is the 1st 70 odd pages of Cry Wolf. It originally started life as just a shortie.It is available as a short [bookcover:Alph..."
Thanks. I read that in description and have them both.
:D Enjoy
I have a bunch of options for the Guilty Pleasures shelf and I just can't decide.I'm working my way through my books. I have 2 done and I started the third. I've just been swamped by work deadlines and hardly been on GR to write my review. Luckily today, one major deadline done. Glad it is happening now and not on a Week 10 or higher.
Sadly Reading Queens I've had a PM from Brittany, and due to her mother's ongoing care issues she's had to pull out of the game. I've PM'd someone on the waitlist and am awaiting a reply.
Which means someone will need to be Captain. It may be the new person, or it may not. We'll just have to see.
Sandra wrote: "Sadly Reading Queens I've had a PM from Brittany, and due to her mother's ongoing care issues she's had to pull out of the game. I've PM'd someone on the waitlist and am awaiting a reply.
Which ..."
Thanks for letting us know Sandra. I hope things work out for you Brittany. I can take up the team captain responsibilities. I'll get on here later today and make a tracking post from one of my earlier comments. Did you happen to hear back from one of the wait list people?
Yes, Vivian has agreed to join your team, and will probably pop in soon :)
Hi Team! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends! Just wanted to check in really quickly and say hello. Looking forward to playing bingo with y'all, chatting about books, and adding to Mt TBR :)I'll take a closer look through the thread tomorrow and pick out some books to read. Excited to play another round of bingo!
Hello Vivian!!! Thanks for joining us :) Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Sandra wrote: "Yes, Vivian has agreed to join your team, and will probably pop in soon :)"Sandra, will Vivian need to play catch-up and read all of the shelves that have been called so far, or does she just jump in with this week's shelf call?
Sherri wrote: "I have a bunch of options for the Guilty Pleasures shelf and I just can't decide.I'm working my way through my books. I have 2 done and I started the third. I've just been swamped by work deadlin..."
Sherri have you decided upon a book to read for the Guilty Pleasures shelf yet??
Vivian has been advised of the missing books. If she's read books that fit the shelf & the time the shelf was called she can post reviews for them.
Okay sounds good. I'll add her to the tracking list. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves on this Super Bowl Sunday :) I made honey BBQ wings and queso. I don't really care much who wins, but I am excited for Lady Gaga's performance :P!!!
Yeah I just want to see what she does.
I've always been a Lady Gaga fan and I really like her new album so I'm excited to see her perform live. She's so interesting and captivating in my eyes. Also just as beautiful without makeup as with a full face of makeup.
Hi guys! I'm in California, enjoying the much needed rain. I read mostly UF but also enjoy a sprinkling of comic books, YA, nonfiction, and humorous memoirs. I'm currently into trying new ciders and playing board games. I'm also looking into joining a barbershop choir and getting a pet lizard. I think I have read books in the last couple of weeks that will work for the shelves, will check and post my reviews tonight or tomorrow :)
I kinda watched the superbowl yesterday (it was on, I sometimes paid attention lol), quite a comeback (sadly for Falcon fans).
Vivian wrote: "Hi guys! I'm in California, enjoying the much needed rain. I read mostly UF but also enjoy a sprinkling of comic books, YA, nonfiction, and humorous memoirs. I'm currently into trying new ciders an..."A pet lizard! Oh my! Sounds interesting! Just let me know which books you select so I can add them to the Tracking Post! Also which one you selected for this week's shelf call Guilty Pleasures.
Okay, turns out the books I read will work for all the shelves! I'm just going to clump everything in here and do some babbling :)Hunters - Brittany completed that book, won't need to read one for that shelf (per Sandra).
Paranormal Romance: Dime Store Magic
Date read: Jan 29
Rating: 3 (generous) stars
I was incredibly close to giving up on this book. The only reason I didn't was because I know I like the series as a whole (read this series oddly out of order, 4, 1, 2, 5, literally the only time I've ever done this!) and needed to finish this third installment to get back on track.
The main character Paige falls close to TSTL territory: if you know someone is out to get you maybe you should be a little more careful about running blindly into stupid situations. So annoying.
I am really glad I kept going because the last third was really action-packed and engaging, once I got past the eye-glazing info dumps about witches and sorcerers. There are some fun characters in the book, Lucas is a really cute nerdy lawyer, Savannah is going to be a force to be reckoned with, and Paige is enjoyable when not being an idiot. It will be exciting to continue with the series and see what happens in this world.
Free space: Mortal Ties
Date read: Jan 31
Rating: 5 stars
After reading Dime Store Magic, I dove into Mortal Ties and I loved this book and this series. It's hard for me to review a book this far into a series because I feel like everything is a potential spoiler so I'll just talk about one of my favorite characters which will probably make zero sense to anyone unfamiliar with World of the Lupi.
This series has the most kick-ass grandmother ever. You know she's awesomesauce when Rule, Prince of the Lupi, is in super frenzied stress mode, finds out "Grandmother is coming", and you feel the relief in his voice and the tension releasing. It is a fist pump moment.
Guilty Pleasures: Before I Fall
Date read: Feb 3
Rating: 4 stars
Watching the trailer for this movie, I knew it had to come from a YA book. I remember seeing Before I Fall all over GR way back in the day and decided why not, let's see what the hype is about.
Sometimes I want a book to give me all the feels and leave me sobbing uncontrollably. This did that. You know right off the bat what is going to happen but when it does, it's still heartbreaking.
Sam starts off a bit vapid, she is a popular girl who lets her friends think for her. As the story progresses she realizes that she isn't the best person and makes some positive changes for herself and those around her. She goes through her own variation of the stages of grief and like I said before, turned me into a ball of tears. Of course, there are also sitcoms that make me cry so it really isn't that big a feat.
While I did like the book but I do wish there was a different ending. (view spoiler)
Had fun reading everyone's reviews so far!Cheri - LOVE the Psy-Changeling series. I didn't even go near that series for so long because of that cover! I was convinced it was just another romance series (which is fine if you like romance, I'm just not a huge fan of straight romance). Kicked myself for not listening to every person who read and raved about the book sooner than I did. I hope you get a chance to read more of the series during BINGO, would love to read the series for the first time vicariously through you :)
Yay Vivian, great catching up there!!!!
Way to go Vivian!! Great job! I'll update the tracking post when I get home from work laaaate tonight :P
Thanks though it was really just good timing that a bunch of books came in at the same time from the library! ;)
Cheri, on your tracking post - Brittany's review for Hunters stays in.
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (other topics)Storm Front (other topics)
God Save the Queen (other topics)
Storm Front (other topics)
Dragon Bound (other topics)
More...
Thanks Sandra, they both are doing fairly well.