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♦SS Archives♦ > R9: Team Fast and Furious Page Turners (2) **Winning Team**

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message 51: by Mandy (last edited Jun 15, 2017 04:05PM) (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments Week 1 ~ Roll~ 11 Spot ~11 Alternate ~Cover: Purple
Runell - Traitor's Blade - Review
Denise - Street Magic - Review
Kim - Murder at Redwood Cove - Review
Jaime - Nevernight - Review
Danielle Gypsy Soul - Frog - Review
Mandy - Water and Blood - Review
Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats, #1) by Sebastien de Castell Street Magic (Black London, #1) by Caitlin Kittredge Frog by Mary Calmes Water and Blood (The Merworld Trilogy, #1) by B. Kristin McMichael Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1) by Jay Kristoff Murder at Redwood Cove (A Kelly Jackson Mystery #1) by Janet Finsilver
Reviews6/6


message 52: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments We have all reviews in and ready to roll when the time comes.


message 53: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
I rolled for us, hope that's okay. :)

Rolled: 10
New Spot: 21

- Standalone
- #1 in series
- #2 in series
- Alternate: Title W


message 54: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments That's great Denise!!! I have terrible rolls =D


message 55: by Kim (last edited Jun 09, 2017 06:55AM) (new)

Kim Anderson (kimmatski) | 873 comments Selection Post

Spot - 21
Book - I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells
Qualification - #1 in Series
Pages - 281


message 56: by Mandy (last edited Jun 09, 2017 10:34AM) (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments Going to read The Darkest Corner (Gravediggers #1) by Liliana Hart for 1st in the series.


message 57: by Danielle Gypsy Soul (last edited Jun 13, 2017 12:01PM) (new)

Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Danielle's Post:

Week 2:
Spot: 21 (or Alternative~ Title "W")
Fire and Water (Carlisle Cops, #1) by Andrew Grey
Book: Fire and Water by Andrew Grey
Pages: 200
Qualification: Carlisle Cops #1
Finished: 6/12
Rating & Review: ★
I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't work for me. It just felt lacking and it wasn't just the insta love but the character development that was absent that made this a bit dull and tough to get through for me.

I never felt the connection between the characters and the relationship was rushed and unbelievable. Terry is introduced as a shallow character and I was hoping to see the gradual character growth and opening of his eyes to what's important. Unfortunately, his character does a 180 very quickly for no real reason other than he overhears someone calling him shallow. I didn't believe the instant change in him and so I didn't buy his character. Unfortunately Red also comes across as a one dimensional character. He is a man who is supposedly damaged and scarred but I never really felt this either. He would go from a character that had a handle on his scars and accepted them to a character that whined about his "ugliness" and how no one would love him because of his looks. We find out early that Terry was in an abusive relationship and it is SO OBVIOUS that he will turn out to be the bigger villain in the book. The police procedural was also lacking and the investigation into the drug dealer was also rushed and very predictable. The dialogue seemed stilted and unrealistic as well and made me cringe and roll my eyes at times.
Okay enough said - this book didn't work for me on any level.


message 58: by Runell (new)

Runell Spot: 21

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Book: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Qualification: Six of Crows #1
Pages: 462


message 59: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Spot: 21
Demon Bound (Black London, #2) by Caitlin Kittredge
Book: Demon Bound by Caitlin Kittredge
Qualification: Black London #2
Pages: 346


message 60: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (last edited Jun 11, 2017 02:19AM) (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Week 2
Spot: 21
Demon Bound (Black London, #2) by Caitlin Kittredge
Book:
Demon Bound by Caitlin Kittredge
Qualification: Black London #2
Finished: 10 Jun 2017
Rating: ★★★

Review:
Almost thirteen years ago, Jack Winter made a deal with a demon, trading his soul to save his life - and now it's time to pay the bill, just when Jack has finally found something (or rather, someone) worth living for. Lucky for Jack, the demon is willing to re-negotiate: The demon will let him go if he delivers another mage who reneged on a deal with this same demon. Of course, bargaining with demons is never as straightforward as it seems, and Jack's newest bargain sends him on a dangerous wild goose chase all the way to Bangkok - and Pete, who quit her job to work with Jack and is severely pissed at being lied to and left behind in the middle of a case, promptly follows him halfway around the world and right into the line of fire.

I enjoyed this marginally more than the first book, probably because this time I knew to expect all the things that annoyed me, like the still grating faux Britishness of the dialogue and the fact that self-pitying asshole Jack and whiny bitchy Pete spend most of the book being terribly unpleasant in general and to each other. I do wonder if I'm ever going to find either of them the least bit likable. Nevertheless, I found the story engaging enough to keep going.


message 61: by Kim (new)

Kim Anderson (kimmatski) | 873 comments Completion Post

Week 2 - Spot 21
Book - I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells
Qualification - #1 in Series
Date Finished - 6/11/17
Rating - 4 stars
Review - Wow. This book was something else. It puts you in the brain of a teenage sociopath and leaves you feeling very, very disturbed. Not in a grossed out way or anything. But in a "I can't believe the author just channeled that" sort of way. Or "the world is a scary, scary place" sorta way. Makes you want to lock your doors. I really enjoyed learning about the goings-ons of the funeral home as well. I did not really enjoy the fantasy aspect of the book - the demon. I didn't really think it was necessary. Looking forward to continuing the series.


message 62: by [deleted user] (new)

Week 2
Spot 21
Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Qualification: Standalone
Pages: 400


message 63: by Danielle Gypsy Soul (last edited Jun 13, 2017 12:02PM) (new)

Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Updated post above with review

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 64: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments Week 2 - Spot 21
Baehrly Breathing (Goldie Locke and the Were Bears, #1) by Elizabeth A. Reeves
Book - Baehrly Breathing
Qualification - #1 in Series
Date Finished -6/14/17
Rating - 4 stars

Review
Goldie works for the Baehrs brothers who need her to find out who is killing magical creatures before it's too late. With all the magical creatures missing and bodies turning up, she's the lucky winner of a dragon egg. As if hunting down a kill and hatching a dragon isn't enough to keep Goldie busy she's also been partnered with an ordinary human who knows nothing about the magical world.

Goldie has her hands full but it's important to stop whoever is hurting the magic creatures and when she finds a fairy's body among the carnage it's clear that he's hunting more than just creatures. It's while she's with Donavon her ordinary that things spiral out of control forcing her to use her magic to save his life as well as revealing herself. Now she's the one being hunted by a killer. Will she be able to stop him before he can hurt any of her pets? At what cost.

I love Goldie she's the adorable witch who's out to save the magical creatures at any cost even risking her own life. I'm not sure how I feel about Kodi as he's her ex with lots of potentials but he has his own issues. I also like Donavon he accepts learning that there is more than just the human world and I hope to see more of him.

I've had this one on my kindle for a while but never seemed to find the time till now. Baehrly Breathing is a fast paced action packed whirlwind story that captures the heart as well as the imagination. I love the concept of a magical world living hidden from the humans with illusion spells that keep it hidden. I mean how many books have a tiny unicorn named Dumb Butt in them or a pink tiny mastodon who likes to snuggle. The characters are fun, easy to connect with and you can't help loving Goldie. The author has a beautiful writing style that's easy to get lost in Goldie's story and hard to put down as I needed to know how it would end. I can't wait to dive right into the next one. I highly recommend for a quick light read checking her out.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments So we need Jaime and Runnell's completion posts before we can roll. I can check back at midnight tonight to see if it's done and roll if needed. I'm in Phoenix so it's not that late for me :)


message 66: by [deleted user] (last edited Jun 16, 2017 06:02PM) (new)

Hi Guys, sorry it's so late, I've just finished!! I'm just at uni will update with a review later tonight :) (NZ time haha)

Week 2
Spot 21
Book: The Night CircusThe Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Qualification: Standalone
Pages: 400
Date Finished: 17/6/17
Rating: 5 stars!!!!

So.. after reading Caraval, I needed something in that realm of magical realism to satisfy me!! THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! This was more than I expected it to be. I love all the intricate details and historical background to this book and I'm currently searching for something similar if anyone has any suggestions!! The writing style gripped me from the first page right through to the end. Absolutely loved how the plot/Night Circus itself tested the relationship between Marco and Celia. Their relationship was incredibly intense and intimate, it really kept me going.


message 67: by Mandy (last edited Jun 15, 2017 09:22PM) (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments Thanks, Danielle! I'm in California but after roll snake eyes a bunch in a game I refuse to roll. I kid you not my team made it to 40ish =D

Jaime, I loved the Night Circus it's one of my favorites. I can tell by your rating you enjoyed it too.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Anyone heard from Runnell?


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments So if we don't have all the completion posts by 11:59 Thursday does that mean we don't roll this week? That is the way I understand the rules and we don't have Jaime's review or a post from Runnell.


message 70: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (last edited Jun 16, 2017 11:54AM) (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Yep, that's how it goes. Did we earn the free pass last week? If so, we can roll with one review still missing. But since we're missing two at this point, that doesn't help either. (I think. I'm actually not sure if we can use it even if we're missing several reviews, I don't think that situation has ever come up.) I'll pm the two of them.


message 71: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Ok, sent each of them a pm. Hopefully we'll hear back from them soon.


message 72: by Runell (last edited Jun 17, 2017 11:22AM) (new)

Runell Sorry guys that it's a little late. I just finished it and I'm trying to get the review in before I go to work. I'll make it prettier tonight when I get home from work.

Week 2
Spot 21

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Book: Six of Crows
Qualification: Six of Crows #1
Pages: 462
Date finished: 6/16/17
Rating: 4/5 ★

Review:

This book, y'all. This. Book.

It was everything that everyone has said about it: Perfect.

The gang of six hard and tough badasses (well, five, one is an innocent compared to the others) were so very fun to read about. It has five different POV and I wasn't bored through any of them which is feat all within itself.

I also LOVED how gory this book was and it didn't hold back any. It's YA so when I had heard that it was gory, I had my doubts because well, it's YA and when a YA book is "really gory" I come to find when I read it, that it's not at all. Six of Crows? No, it is. I mean, one of the characters literally pulled a man's eyeball out of its socket with his bare hands . . .

I understand the hype for this book and I'm jumping on the bandwagon for it because in my opinion it deserves all the accolades and hype that it gets.

I'm looking forward to reading the second book about all of these wonderfully murderous teenagers.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments So once we get all the reviews in - we use that as a completion post for this upcoming Thursday (since we missed this week) to roll correct?


message 74: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
... Actually, with reviews having to be in "by Friday", shouldn't the cutoff time be 11:59pm on Friday? After all, many people post their reviews on the rolling day and teams simply can't roll immediately at midnight but have to wait until after all reviews are posted. I'm, like, 99% sure that's the way it goes though the rules (mistakenly, I believe) state "11:59pm Thursday" - I checked the rules post from the last round and there it clearly says "Technically, a review isn't late until after Friday 11:59p" which makes far more sense and is the way we've always played. I didn't catch that when you asked earlier (or when looking over the rules this round), sorry for adding to the confusion.

Long story short, I do believe we can still roll for this week (if we get Jaime's review before the deadline) until 11:59pm Central time.

It's 2am over here though and I'm barely making sense to myself anymore, so I'm gonna have to leave this in the hands of you ladies over in timezones where it isn't the middle of the night yet.
Jaime hasn't replied to the pm I sent earlier, though there's stil some time left.
Last week we had all reviews in the day before the roll, so we should have the free pass even though Ezi hasn't gotten around to updating the first post in our thread to say so yet (she's on holidays at the moment, so she hasn't been on GR much this week) and could use that to roll.


message 75: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments As long as Jaime's review is in before 11:59 we can roll. We should have the free pass also. We still have time for her to get it in she's in New Zealand but it's almost noon so I'm not sure if we will hear from her by the time.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments That's the way it worked the last time we played. It's just the 11:59 Thursday really threw me off. I too believe it's a typo and I think if we get Jamie's review in then we should check-in and roll and Ezi can let us know when she gets back if that isn't the case.


message 77: by [deleted user] (new)

Sorry guys!! I promise I'll be more onto it with posting up a review and when I've finished. I'll edit my post to add my review now.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Okay as soon as Jaime's review is updated - I'll roll and Mandy can check us in/post spot.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Rolled a 9 so that puts us on spot 30 - a stand alone book or a #3. Or alternate is a book set in the South.


message 80: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments Week 2 ~ Roll~ 10 Spot ~21 Alternate ~ Title W
Runell - Six of Crows - Review
Denise - Demon Bound - Review
Kim - I Am Not A Serial Killer - Review
Jaime - The Night Circus - Review
Danielle Gypsy Soul - Fire and Water - Review
Mandy - Baehrly Breathing- Review
I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells Fire and Water (Carlisle Cops, #1) by Andrew Grey Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo Demon Bound (Black London, #2) by Caitlin Kittredge Baehrly Breathing (Goldie Locke and the Were Bears, #1) by Elizabeth A. Reeves The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Review 6/6


message 81: by [deleted user] (last edited Jun 22, 2017 04:30AM) (new)

Week 3
Spot 30
Book: Everything I never told you Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Pages: 304
Qualification: Standalone book
Date Started: 17/6/17


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Week 3
Spot 30

Not sure yet - I'll figure it out this weekend :)


message 83: by Kim (new)

Kim Anderson (kimmatski) | 873 comments Selection Post

Week 3
Spot - 30
Book - Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires, #3) by Rachel Caine
Qualification - #3 in Series
Pages - 245


message 84: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Spot: 30
Bone Gods (Black London, #3) by Caitlin Kittredge
Book: Bone Gods by Caitlin Kittredge
Qualification: Black London #3
Pages: 352


message 85: by Danielle Gypsy Soul (last edited Jun 22, 2017 07:07PM) (new)

Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments SELECTION POST

Week 3
Spot 30
Book: Vision in Silver
Qualification: #3 in the others
Pages: 528


message 86: by Runell (last edited Jun 20, 2017 11:08AM) (new)

Runell I'm having such a hard time deciding what I want to read for this one as the third books that I'm due to read are ridiculously long . . .

Sooooo . . . I guess I'm just going to go with a standalone.


message 87: by Runell (last edited Jun 21, 2017 12:34AM) (new)

Runell Spot: 30

Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

Book: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
Qualification: Standalone
Pages: 192


message 88: by Kim (new)

Kim Anderson (kimmatski) | 873 comments Completion Post

Week 3 - Spot 30
Book - Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires, #3) by Rachel Caine
Qualification - #3 in The Morganville Vampires series
Date Finished - 6/20/17
Rating - 4 stars
Review - I'm really enjoying Claire's journey as I read this series. She has changed so much in just three books. With each installment, I feel like she is getting stronger and more self-reliant. I'm nervous about the next book because (view spoiler). I'm not crazy about the Claire/Shane ship, but I like Eve and Michael together. Excited to continue the series.


message 89: by [deleted user] (new)

I've edited my post that had my book choice in it to add my review, is that how it works? Or do I make an entirely seperate comment


message 90: by Kim (new)

Kim Anderson (kimmatski) | 873 comments Jaime wrote: "I've edited my post that had my book choice in it to add my review, is that how it works? Or do I make an entirely seperate comment"

You should have two separate posts, I believe. Your first post is your book selection and your second post is your completion post. I think that's the way Ezi has liked it in the past.


message 91: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Week 3
Spot: 30
Bone Gods (Black London, #3) by Caitlin Kittredge
Book:
Bone Gods by Caitlin Kittredge
Qualification: Black London #3
Finished: 21 Jun 2017
Rating: ★★★

Review:
After Jack gets dragged to hell, Pete is carrying on as best she can and when her former colleague Ollie Heath asks for her help with a vicious ritual murder, she promptly gets herself involved in all kinds of trouble involving necromancy, witchhunters, the unexpectant and unwelcome return of her mother, indications of the imminent destruction of Black London and other fun stuff. And because her plate isn't full enough with crap of all descriptions, Jack comes back from the dead - again. But his sojourn in hell has changed him, and on top of everything else a goddess insists that Pete kill him to stop the bloody chaos about to descend on the city.

For the first half of the book, while we're only following Pete on her investigation and Jack is off cooling (or warming, as the case may be) his heels in hell, I actually enjoyed this a whole lot more than the first two books in the series. I even found Pete's snarky attitude highly entertaining. As soon as Jack stepped back on the page and in Pete's life, however, the two of them immediately went back to bitching and whining at each other, irritating me to no end. Apparently it's mostly the two of them together that I can't stand and that's keeping me from really getting into the series. They're just a terrible couple who bring out the worst in each other and whose dysfunctional, mutually abusive relationship I don't enjoy reading about in the least. I'm definitely not a fan of the (view spoiler) twist at the end. Really, do we have to go there? *sigh* On the upside, I like Belial a lot and hope we'll be seeing him around again soon.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments BTW - Ezi says it's not a typo - reviews/completion posts are due by Thursday at 11:59 not Friday! So they are due tomorrow before 11:59PM


message 93: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Huh. In that case, I'm now even more confused than last week. Oh well. At least I've got my book done for the week. XD


message 94: by [deleted user] (new)

Week 3
Spot 30
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Book: Everything I never told you Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Pages: 304
Qualification: Standalone book
Date Started: 17/6/17 - 21/6/17
Rating: 4/5
Review:

Absolutely loved this. After reading a couple of fantastical books I've really been in the mood for something a little more dark and tragic and this definitely fulfilled it. I don't usually get such a good run of books but this one was incredible. I thought this was a YA book but after reading, is definitely more adult/new adult. The one theme portrayed best in this book was grief. I've never read a book where I've felt as heavy hearted as I do with death as I did for this one.


message 95: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments So if it's not a typo last week didn't count so we shouldn't move?


message 96: by Denise, Manufacturing Director (new)

Denise (destiny_chan) | 7431 comments Mod
Ezi told another team that since she was unavailable for answering questions and clearing up the confusion, she wouldn't penalise the team for late reviews last week. I would assume the same should therefore apply to us.


message 97: by Mandy (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments That's cool. I don't remember it being like that last time I played.


message 98: by Mandy (last edited Jun 22, 2017 07:03AM) (new)

Mandy Sickle (thereadingdiaries) | 1343 comments Week 3 Spot 30
Book: Duel of Passion (Harlequin Romance #3094) by Madeleine Ker
Pages: 189
Qualification: Standalone book
Date Started: 6/20
Rating: 4/5
Review:

Sophie wants to be an actress and finally has the part to give her the push in the acting field that she needs. She just needed a transformation that will make her unrecognizable from her true self. When she first met Kyle Hart she was infatuated with the attractive banker but overhears what he really thinks cuts to the core. Heartbroken she uses her real emotions to put them into her final scenes and as soon as the film is done she heads off to lose the weight.

It's been over 8 long months since she had her heart broken by Kyle, and now she's ready for a much-needed vacation. Finding a Jamaican holiday on sale proves to be just what she needed and spending the days with a book on a beach is perfect for her. However, things dramatically change when the one man who hurt her has shown up on the beach. When Sophie learns that he doesn't recognize her she decides to use it to play a joke on Kyle. She just didn't expect to fall in love with him all over. When the truth comes out will he be thrilled or will revenge be on the agenda?

I like Sophie she's a sweet innocent girl who's maybe a little more nieve than she should be in her early twenties. I admit that I wasn't sure about Kyle at first because he does come off as a little vain worried so much about how beautiful she now that she looks herself again. While he was out for revenge against Sophie we can see that she means more than just a holiday fling to him by the way he's hurting and he won me over.

I picked this one up a few weeks ago at a used bookstore and was hoping to get a chance to read it. I'm a sucker for classic Harlequin romance novels they are quick, fast-paced, just enough steamy moments and always a happy ever after. I enjoyed Duel of Passion it's an emotional rollercoaster with characters that capture the heart as well as the imagination. I admit I had a few moments that I wanted to toss the book across the room and was a little nervous that it wouldn't give me a happy ever after but it was worth the wait. Perfect for anyone needing a quick happy ever after and easy to finish in one sitting. I enjoyed the authors writing style it flows from start to finish and I can't wait to check out other books by her.


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments I'll have my done today before the deadline :)


Danielle  Gypsy Soul (afdaniellet) | 1925 comments Might want to IM Runnell so she knows the deadline is midnight tonight :)


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