R14: Team #19 ~ WinterFell on the 19th

[Ezi]

Moondance wrote: "I finally decided on Bound by Night by Larissa Ione for Vampires. It is on page 9 on the shelf."

Shes one of my favorites authors ever but I didn't connect with these series...yet. But I'll keep trying

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Winterfell on the 19th!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'guilty pleasures'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Winterfell!

[Ezi]

Thanks Steph and Sandra

[Moondance]

Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "I finally decided on Bound by Night by Larissa Ione for Vampires. It is on page 9 on the shelf."

Are you and your mom back home? Sending best wish..."

Hi Elaine! Mom is home and doing well. I was back at the hospital today with my sister. I'll soon have my own parking space and room there! Thankfully she was able to come home after the procedure. Mom and I are spending the night with her. My cats are not happy but her dogs are thrilled.

[Moondance]

Shelf 4: FAVORITE SERIES

Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb


315 pages Kindle

Read: 02.15.17
Rating: 5 stars
Review:

Death surrounded her.

Eve attends the funeral service for a fellow cop, Frank Wojinski, who has died of an apparent heart attack. There she meets Frank's granddaughter, Alice, who has a different view of what happened. Eve meets privately with Alice and learns of disturbing practices that are going on with a group of witches. Eve is drawn into a world of Satanists and Wiccans after Alice dies in mysterious circumstances. Eve is ordered to not involve Feeney with the investigation as he is too close to the family. This later becomes a huge problem.

I started out listening to this book, but quickly changed to my Kindle. I felt like I was missing key elements even though I enjoyed being read to.

I absolutely adore this series! It makes my heart melt to know that Roarke still has the little grey button from Eve's suit that she lost at their first meeting. It amuses me that he will also keep the IOU memo Eve signs after losing a bet to him. Roarke is more present and hands on in this book. That alone is swoon worthy.

I like that Peabody is showing her personality more. I appreciate little tidbits that we get of her life throughout the story. I see her becoming a huge asset to Eve and Cop Central. Poor Feeney was so lost. Frank was his friend and their wives were very close. His loss is palpable.

Selina Cross, the Satanist villain, is a truly evil and wicked woman. The ceremonies and rites carried out by her followers are frightening. Every encounter with her makes you shudder.

Certain characters are introduced to sway the reader's view of who is truly the guilty party. I must say that I did follow Eve in her views.

Each book gets better and better. I need to step up the pace in reading them. Excellent read!

[Elaine]

Moondance wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "I finally decided on Bound by Night by Larissa Ione for Vampires. It is on page 9 on the shelf."

Are you and your mom back home? Se..."

Maybe you can get one of those cards that they stamp...so many visits and you get one free? Kind of a frequent customer reward? Kidding aside, I am so glad things sound like they might be (maybe) getting closer to normal for you and yours...

[Moondance]

Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "I finally decided on Bound by Night by Larissa Ione for Vampires. It is on page 9 on the shelf."

Are you and your..."

We were laughing about that last week when my mom was admitted. I said I needed a card like Subway uses. We have learned which nurses to ask for in the ER to start IVs. We know most of the transport people too. The front desk asks if it's mom or Diane. Hopefully we are good for a while. Although my sister may need a lung biopsy. It will be at the Main hospital where I spend most of my time.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Winterfell on the 19th!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'favorite series'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Ezi]

Moondance wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "I finally decided on Bound by Night by Larissa Ione for Vampires. It is on page 9 on the shelf."

A..."

I'm glad you are looking on the bright side of things.

[Ezi]

Steph wrote: "CONGRATULATIONS, Winterfell on the 19th!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'favorite series'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D"
Thanks Steph

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Winterfell!

[Elaine]

Completion Post: Vampires


Book: Archangel's Shadows by Nalini Singh
Date: 2-21-17
Rating: 4 and 1/2 stars
Review: Best book in the series yet! This book had a delightfully angsty feel without ever getting maudlin. There were times I laughed out loud and I spent much of the end of the book in tears. I love a book that can draw me in so deeply and these characters will live with me for a long time. I am so happy that Naasir's book is next...after his part in the past couple of books, but especially in this one, there is no way that I could wait not want to know more about him as soon as possible! So intriguing.

There is a lot going on in this book...the battle that raged over Manhattan is still very much on the minds of mortals and immortals alike and when suspicious deaths point to the possibility that an evil foe is lingering in the city, it is up to Ashwini and Janvier to figure out who and what is happening. Ash and Janvier are perfect for each other, and having met them in a short story previously, it was great to reconnect with them both while diving into their developing relationship.

Ash is a wonderful heroine, so strong and yet vulnerable in a way that others haven't been in the series up to this point. Janvier is the perfect compliment to Ash--charming and sexy but capable of holding his own among the elite vampires and angels of the Tower. With multiple plot lines both new and old wound together this book was the most perfect of compositions with different sections taking lead or falling back to supporting roles seamlessly to create an incredible book that I couldn't put down once I had started.

I highly recommend this series as a whole but this book is the new high point against which I will be comparing all future installments. I have high hopes and little doubt that Ms. Singh will be able to once again top herself in future installments as this world continues to develop in wonderful (and at times terrifying) ways.

[Ezi]

Sandra wrote: "Congrats on the stamp Winterfell!"

Thanks Sandra

[Moondance]

Steph wrote: "CONGRATULATIONS, Winterfell on the 19th!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'favorite series'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D"

Thank you, Steph!

[Moondance]

Sandra wrote: "Congrats on the stamp Winterfell!"

Thanks, Sandra!

[Moondance]

I completed my Vampire book last evening and will get the review up soon. Looking forward to shelf call!

[Moondance]

I will be reading Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep for Mythology. It is on page 1 of the shelf and I believe it has 351 pages. I will confirm that and correct as necessary.

[Elaine]

Selection Post: Mythology


A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
420 pages
Page 6 of Mythology

[Elaine]

Completion Post: Mythology



Book: A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Date Read: 2-22-17
Rating: 4 and 1/2 stars
Review: Having been thoroughly enjoying the Guild Hunter series, I wasn't the happiest of campers to have Mythology pulled for this week--whatever was I going to read? I scrolled through the first few pages and began to worry--would anything catch my fancy? I found a book or two that I could read if i had to but nothing was really exciting me. Then I saw two possible contenders: A Promise of Fire and The Unleashing. I downloaded both to my Kindle and sat down to try a chapter from each to see if either grabbed my fancy. I began with A Promise of Fire. About four and a half hours later I finally lifted my head to the reality around me having been thoroughly and delightfully sucked into the book and entertained until the very last word.

I am not always the biggest fan of first person narratives although a few authors do them extremely well (Alexa Land, I am looking at you!) Amanda Bouchet now being added to that list. The world building in this book was excellent and the way that details were added so naturally through observations, dialogue and other means without a single info dump in sight was masterful. While it took a bit of time to really begin piecing together what was going on, I was never frustrated or felt that I was fumbling in the dark. I also loved that every now and then a bit of info would be revealed that would shift things on their axis a bit here and there keeping me on my toes.

Cat is a really strong heroine but she is among the first to admit she has many flaws. Strong-headed, stubborn, impulsive, slow to trust, quick to anger but also incredibly loyal to friends and family (her chosen family, anyway), willing to pull her weight, quick-thinking and really resilient! Cat is put through the wringer and I am not sure how she managed to survive all that she has! I hope she is more able to stay whole and hale in book two although I have my doubts, the odds are increasingly against her!

Griffin is yummy! I may have a new book boyfriend...while he is incredibly arrogant at times he is also smart, loyal, strong, brave and impossibly wonderful. He also has incredible taste in friends--Kato, Carver and Flynn are fantastic in their own right but together provide both comic relief and a tight-knit brotherhood that Cat somehow finds herself slotting into in such a natural way that she isn't quite sure what happened but she is incredibly grateful for it when she isn't scared out of her mind.

Griffin's family is similarly wonderful and I enjoyed getting to know them to various extents and hope to continue to do so in the next book. His sisters in particular were enjoyable to view through Cat's eyes. While Cat doesn't want to become involved with or even have anything to do with Griffin's family, watching them enfold her into their midst before she even really knows what is happening was beautiful.

This book got a lot of hype last year but as I am not generally a fan of fantasy I didn't pay a lot of attention. It was only today as I was skimming through the selections that its familiar title and cover caught my attention and I thought I would give it a shot halfway expecting to delete it after a chapter or two. Thank goodness for the Mythology shelf selection or who knows if I ever would have given one of the best books I have read this year a chance.

[Ezi]

COMPLETION POST

Book: Tall, Dark & Hungry by Lynsay Sands
Pages: 372
Qualification: Pg 6 of Vampires
Read: 2/19
Rating & Review: ✰✰✰
This book continues from where the last book ended with Kate and Lucern planning their wedding. Kate invites her cousin Terri to help her but slickly pawns her off on Bastien Argeneau, Lucern's older brother.

It was a cute match as Terri and Bastien fit well together. If you dislike insta-love, then you would probably not enjoy this one. It was okay because a lot of the couples in this series fall in love in a week or so. Despite that, this book was humorous, light and fluffy. I may listen to book 5 in a few months :D

[Ezi]

SHELF #6 ~ 2/22: Mythology
Book Choices: Stamp Requested
✔ Elaine: A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Elaine's Review)
✔ Ezinwanyi: The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Series, Books 1-3: Justice Calling, Murder of Crows, Pack of Lies by Annie Bellet ( Ezi's Review)
✔ Moondance: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep (Moondance's Review)
✔ Victoria: Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor ( Victoria's Review)

[Ezi]

I can't find something I want:(

[Moondance]

Shelf 5: VAMPIRES

Bound by Night by Larissa Ione



Pages: 400
Read: 02.21.17
Rating: 4 stars
Review:

The vampires were behaving weird today.

Nicole Martin and her half brother, Chuck are the lone survivors in her family after a vampire uprising. The Martin family operates Daedalus, a company that uses vampires as test subjects to cure human diseases. Humans have enslaved vampires for years since their existence became known. The enslaved are defanged and forced to work as servants. Nicole has a very close relationship with her vampire nanny, Teresa and is horrified when she sees her killed by Riker. Riker is a member of the MoonBound clan and Teresa is carrying his child.

Years after the vampire rebellion, Nicole is kidnapped by Riker in an effort to recover Neriya. Neriya has a gift that helps vampires deliver healthy babies. Vampires have extreme difficulty in producing healthy children that live to adulthood. She was on loan from the ShadowSpawn clan when she was taken by Daedalus.

So I'm a sucker for a Larissa ione book. I really enjoyed the Demonica series. I am happy to say that this series has caught my attention as well. I read it in pretty much one sitting. I really liked the intertwining of supernatural with Native American lore. I find it interesting that the born vampires come from Native American tribes. I would like to see where this leads.

I felt that Nicole was a strong character that helped to carry the story. I was prepared to dislike Riker at first but quickly saw that would not happen. The other members of the MoonBound Clan are intriguing and I look forward to seeing where their stories will take the reader.

The twist on the vampire/human relationship was difficult to read. Slavery is a horrid subject and the descriptions were deeply disturbing.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see how Hunter handles his situation.

[Elaine]

Moondance wrote: "Shelf 5: VAMPIRES

Bound by Night by Larissa Ione



Pages: 400
Read: 02.21.17
Rating: 4 stars
Review:

The vampires were behaving..."

I've never read Larissa Ione but this sounded really interesting. She is one of those authors that I feel belongs on my "Everyone has read this author but me..." list. Would you say this is a good book to start with?

[Ezi]

Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "Shelf 5: VAMPIRES

Bound by Night by Larissa Ione



Pages: 400
Read: 02.21.17
Rating: 4 stars
Review:

The vamp..."

For her, start with as Demonica series is her premiere series and is the one on the Top/Best PNR series

[Victoria]

Vampires
Turn Coat
Read: 24 Feb
Pages: 420
Rating: 4 stars

With the last book I was really hoping the story would move along faster with the Black Council plot, and it finally did! Granted we still don't know a lot about it, but the White Council traitor is finally revealed and I love the way the plot to uncover said traitor played out. Butcher has become really good at writing complex storylines and uses them to allow Dresden to develop plans within plans containing multiple contingencies. And I love how as he reader I'm left in the dark as to some of this plans just like many of the characters. It makes the ending reveal that more satisfying.

As far as the traitor goes he/she was in my pool of suspects, but I didn't think it too obvious and again, liked how the whole thing played out.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Victoria, you need to add the date read & your rating :)

[Moondance]

Elaine wrote: "Moondance wrote: "Shelf 5: VAMPIRES

Bound by Night by Larissa Ione



Pages: 400
Read: 02.21.17
Rating: 4 stars
Review:

The vamp..."

I would start with the Demonically series. It is pretty amazing.

[Victoria]

Mythology p. 6

Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Will add rest of the info when I'm not on my phone

[Ezi]

I still don't have a book :(

[Moondance]

Ezinwanyi~ThatEzi wrote: "I still don't have a book :("

I enjoyed Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs. I'm posting ,y review of Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep shortly. It was good too.

[Moondance]

Shelf 6: MYTHOLOGY

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep


Kindle 385 pages
Read: 02.24.17
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review:

I know your secret.

Gwen Frost is a teenage Gypsy with a talent for psychometry attending the Mythos Academy in Asheville NC. The school is filled with Valkyrie, Spartans and Amazons all training to fight against a possible war of chaos against Loki and his band of warriors. Gwen is thrust into investigating a murder when mean girl Jasmine is killed in the library and an artifact known as The Bowl of Tears is stolen. Spartan warrior and big man on campus, Logan, becomes Gwen's wingman in trying to prevent the coming war.

This was an interesting book that involved enough mythology to keep my interest. Ms. Estep does tend to be repetitious in her writing but it did not distract too much from the story. Although I did tire of hearing about Gwen's Gypsy gift. Gwen is proof that teen angst is not limited to "normal" teens. I often found myself comparing Mythos Academy with Hogwarts and I decided that I would rather hang with Harry and company.

The Gwen's awkward geekiness complimented Logan's bad boy attitude enough to keep me reading. I would consider reading the next book simply to see where the storyline takes us.

[Ezi]

SELECTION POST for Shelf 6

Book: The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Series, Books 1-3: Justice Calling, Murder of Crows, Pack of Lies by Annie Bellet
Pages: 302
Qualification: Pg 100 of Mythology

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Victoria, you still need to add your rating to your Vampire review.

So no stamp for Vampires until that's done.

[Ezi]

Victoria wrote: "Vampires
Turn Coat
Read: 24 Feb
Pages: 420

With the last book I was really hoping the story would move along faster with the Black Council plot, and it finally did! Granted we still..."

Victoria, we need a rating for your review :)

[Ezi]

Sandra wrote: "Victoria, you still need to add your rating to your Vampire review.

So no stamp for Vampires until that's done."

Thanks Sandra. Sorry I missed it

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

No worries Ezi :)

[Victoria]

Sorry, just updated the post with my rating (4 stars). And I finished my mythology book but will write review tomorrow- I'm in New Orleans for Mardi Gras

[Moondance]

Victoria wrote: "Sorry, just updated the post with my rating (4 stars). And I finished my mythology book but will write review tomorrow- I'm in New Orleans for Mardi Gras"

Enjoy! Be safe!!

[Ezi]

Victoria wrote: "Sorry, just updated the post with my rating (4 stars). And I finished my mythology book but will write review tomorrow- I'm in New Orleans for Mardi Gras"

Ooohhhh. Have fun and don't show your boobs to anyone with a camera (hehehe)

[Ezi]

Sandra wrote: "Victoria, you still need to add your rating to your Vampire review.

So no stamp for Vampires until that's done."

Sandra & Steph, its updated

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Winterfell on the 19th!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'vampires'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Winterfell!

And yes stay safe Victoria & have a great boobless time. Even here in Aus, I've seen the pics. LOL

[Ezi]

COMPLETION POST for Shelf 6 (Mythology)

Book: The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Series, Books 1-3: Justice Calling, Murder of Crows, Pack of Lies by Annie Bellet
Pages: 302
Read: 2/28
Rating & Review: ✰✰✰
This wasn't bad but it was a little slow and mundane for me.
Jade Crow is a big time gamer who runs a video game story while trying to hide from someone who has been trying to kill her. What most her friends don't know is that she is a powerful sorceress. In Book 1 we find out who is hunting her and why he wants to kill her. It also the beginning of a romance for her.
In the second book, the reader gets more of Jade's past and her father comes in. This is where ex-boyfriend Samir and current love Alek collide, and Jade is left brokenhearted.
In the book 3, Jade is almost prepared to go head to head with Samir. This is where Alek begins to charter a new course since he left the council of Jusitce. It was nice to seem them reconcile and I hope Jade continues to learn about herself.

[Moondance]

Thank you for the stamp!

[Elaine]

Selection Post: Futuristic


Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
327 pages
Page 1 of Futuristic

[Moondance]

FUTURISTIC Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb

Page 1 of shelf
343 pages

This will come as no surprise to some. ~;-)

[Moondance]

Elaine wrote: "Selection Post: Futuristic


Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
327 pages
Page 1 of Futuristic"

I enjoyed this one, Elaine!

[Elaine]

Moondance wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Selection Post: Futuristic


Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
327 pages
Page 1 of Futuristic"

I enjoyed this one, Elaine!"

I just started this series in the last few months but I am enjoying them very much! My mom has been recommending them for years and now I am kicking myself for waiting so long to start them.