R15: Team #1 ~ One for Books, Books for All

[Melissa]

So fun!! and hectic!! Happy birthday to the little guy!

[Melissa]

Steph - we were just talking about the illustrated HP ... you have to check this out!!! https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Happy birthday to #1 son!!

[Diane ~Firefly~]

new shelf - Vampires

[Melissa]

Thanks, Diane!

[Melissa]

I'm going to check my library tomorrow for a copy of Shadow's Seduction by Kresley Cole. If it's not available I'll use Blood Cross by Faith Hunter.

[Steph Ann]

Melissa wrote: "Steph - we were just talking about the illustrated HP ... you have to check this out!!! https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog..."

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing! :)

[Steph Ann]

For the new shelf, I'm going with .

[Melissa]

Steph Ann wrote: "This is awesome! Thanks for sharing! :) "

Of course! I thought it was so cool! My middle step-son (17) has never watched or read any Harry Potter (his mom said no when he was little and he's a good kid so he never has) and even he thought the animated illustrations were cool. He really liked the owl!

[Melissa]

Also, I loved . I really hope you enjoy it! Anything Mercy-related is always at the top of my list!

Speaking of which, has anyone read any of Briggs' Sianim series? I saw the cover of the edition with the girl and the black wolf so my brain decided that this was some kind of an Asian werewolf story ... I read the description and that is not it at all! Like not even close! XD That's what I get for judging the book by its cover!

[Melissa]

Hey Nici, are you doing okay? Any update on Midnight Jewel?

[Nici]

i have like three pages left lol. i am going to read night owls by lauren m roy for vampires

[Melissa]

Awesome! I will request our Action Packed stamp when you post your review!

I will update your Vampire book as soon as I can. (I don't think I can edit that post in the app.) Volleyball & basketball are keeping me super busy this week!

[Diane ~Firefly~]

I started reading this for Vampires

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Completion Post - Vampires

finished: 9/9/17
rating: 4 stars

review: I really liked these characters, so it was good to see them again. This time Morgan is undecided if she wants to stay with the Center after she graduates and having a human hating dark elf target her isn't helping. But she's got plenty of friends who have her back and the book concluded the love rectangle in a satisfying manner.

[Melissa]

Finished: 9/9/17
(★★★★)

I love Kresley Cole and I will read every thing she writes.

Shadow's Seduction had me captivated. I picked it up from the library and immediately began devouring it. I only stopped reading when my husband asked me when I was going to turn the light off.

I couldn't get enough of Caspion & Mirceo's chemistry. I loved that they were fast friends and that they just had fun no matter where that path took them. And talk about steamy! Yowza!

So, why ★★★★ instead of ★★★★★??

1. As #17 in the IAD series, I hate the cliffhanger ending. I think it's okay as the # 2 in The Dacians Series because it's still about the Dacians. BUT if the next IAD isn't more about Nyx or her missing sister, I'm gonna lose it. UNLESS the Kosmina storyline somehow connects to Nyx and her missing sister.

2. (view spoiler)[I really hated Cas' physical violence against Mirceo. I know that M/M relationships have a higher rate of domestic violence but I still hated it. (hide spoiler)]

3. I wish that they had gone on more adventures together - meaning, the story wasn't long enough. I loved the scene where they are killing all the wendigos. More of that, please.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, One for Books!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'debut author'. 

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

Good Job!! :D

[Nici]

Ug for some reason it is not leeting me use the add book/author button! Anyway I finished Midnight jewel on 9/9 and give it three and a half stars. Its a really interesting story and I enjoyed that it went on at the same time as the last book. I am hoping they do the same with the third girl in their friendship. While I enjoyed it and will read whatever comes up next I feel like the book didn't capture my interest fully, I had a hard time finding the motivation to finish it, though I really liked it. Due to that lack of capturing my interest I am not giving it more stars. this is for the action packed shelf. Now on to vamps!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Musketeers!

[Melissa]

Thank you! :)

[Melissa]

Submitted our request for the Action Packed stamp!

[Steph Ann]

Vampires



Read: 9/11/17
Rating: 4 stars

Review

This was another solid entry in the Mercy series. I was a little worried when the intro stated that the story wasn't necessarily going to be linear, but the beginning of each chapter made it clear where in the plot's timeline everything was occurring, so I had no problem keeping up. The action starts right away, and I was always interested in what was going on. The one minor flaw is that with occasionally going back and forth between Adam and Mercy's narration, we would sometimes leave Mercy at a point where I wanted to know what was going to happen to her next, rather than see what was going on with Adam (and vice versa). But really, that wasn't enough to hamper my enjoyment of the book. Ready for the next one now, please!

[Melissa]

NEW SHELF!! - Spin Off

[Melissa]

My Spin off pick is Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter.

[Steph Ann]

I really liked Blood of the Earth, Melissa!

I have to look through the shelf a bit to see what I'm going to read. I have a book that I know is a spinoff, but of course, no one shelved it as such, so I need to see what my other options are lol.

[Melissa]

Do you remember if it spoils things for Jane's books? I am only on # 2! I would imagine it's a stand alone series with nods to the Jane Yellowrock world (thinking of Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward's connection to BDB). If it is spoilery then I'll change to but I wanted to try to pick something PNR instead of just Romance.

[Steph Ann]

Melissa wrote: "Do you remember if it spoils things for Jane's books? I am only on # 2! I would imagine it's a stand alone series with nods to the Jane Yellowrock world (thinking of Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward's co..."

For the most part, it stands alone, but there is one particular thing I can think of that is spoilery if you're not very far in the JY series.

I'm going with .

[Nici]

i am still working on my vampire book but am having a hard time choosing spin off book. i have read so many! and the ones i have not get read are not at my library or on kindle unlimited. i am sure i will find one, just need to dig some more.

[Melissa]

Thanks! I'm gonna go for it! ;)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, One for Books!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'action packed'. 

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

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Musketeers!

[Nici]

i will be reading lions share by rachel vincent for spinoff shelf.

[Nici]

i finished both books for bingo and will review them later this evening

[Melissa]

Hey Diane - are you doing ok? Haven't heard from you since your vampire book review. Did you pick a spin-off book? No worries - just checking on you :)

[Melissa]

Hi Nici, I will request our vampire stamp as soon as you post your review. I also updated Lion's Share for you ;)

[Steph Ann]

I should have my spin-off book finished by tomorrow at the latest. I'm enjoying it, but I keep falling asleep while reading it at night. That's life with three kids lol.

[Melissa]

Yay! Chasing three kiddos is tough - especially when they are so young but also so much fun!

I finished yesterday. I really liked it - I still need to write my review. Was (view spoiler)[ Rick being a wereleopard (hide spoiler)] the spoiler that you were thinking of? I don't really feel spoiled since I don't know how it happened and it seems like it either wasn't planned or maybe it was against his will .... oooor maaaaaybee, it's somehow Jane's fault/a result of some wrong against Jane??? (I only think that b/c he refuses to call for Jane's help on this case when he really should have.) Either way, I can't wait to find out!

[Steph Ann]

Yes, that was the spoiler I was thinking of, Melissa! :) I was hoping you would feel that way about it. It's how I think I would feel if I hadn't known about it beforehand as well!

[Melissa]

Title/Author: Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter
Read: 9/18/2017
Rating: ★★★★✩


Review: Okay, so, I have only read the first book in the Jane Yellowrock series and I was a little nervous about picking up the spin-off. Steph Ann kindly assured me that there was only one thing that might be kind of spoilery that you find out right at the beginning of the story but I'm not sure when it happens in JY. (view spoiler)[ Rick is a wereleopard! (hide spoiler)] After reading BOTE, I don't really feel spoiled at all because I still don't know what happened in the JY books to lead to the sort-of-spoiler but I am still super excited to find out. (view spoiler)[ And while I already thought Rick was a DB based on what I saw of him in Skinwalker, I have no idea why everyone seems to hate him and why he refuses to call Jane for help on this case. (hide spoiler)]

First, I just loved Nell! I loved her no-nonsense attitude. I loved how her character develops over the course of the book ... you totally see her bloom and grow! (Lol! I crack myself up!)

... crickets ...

Anyway ... as I was reading I kept thinking of the phrase "a great & terrible beauty" - which she certainly is! (view spoiler)[ I love how you never really find out what she is exactly. Faith Hunter does a fantastic job of giving you pieces of the puzzle but ultimately leaving it up to your imagination to come up with a conclusion. I am especially glad that Nell isn't as alone as she thinks she might be. There are others that are similar to her even if they aren't quite the same and I think the variety and possibilities are fantastic. (hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed all of Unit 18 - especially Paka & Occam. They were just what Nell needed. I really liked Tandy & T. Laine, too. I am looking forward to hearing more about them in future books.

The story was really engaging ... I had a really hard time putting it down. I was totally intrigued by the polygamist cult and the poor kidnapped girls. My only complaint was some of the repetitiveness. I don't mind when something is repeated - it tells my brain, "Hey! This is a clue!" but hearing it more than 2x is overkill - so I admit to some skimming during those parts. I really liked how scary the idea of a sentient forest thirsting for blood was and I can't wait to see how the storyline develops.

I would totally recommend this series and I am excited to continue with the next book.

Scary forest + enigmatic MC - not trusting me to remember what you told me = ★★★★

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Sorry I disappeared this week. I was on a business trip then wasn't in the mood for the spin off options. I plan to start something tonight for it.

[Melissa]

I saw in my feed that you were reading the Midnight, TX books. I thought for sure they would be on the spin off list! Do you love Manfred?!? Also, Quinn was always one of my favorites so I was glad to see him pop up!

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Melissa wrote: "I saw in my feed that you were reading the Midnight, TX books. I thought for sure they would be on the spin off list! Do you love Manfred?!? Also, Quinn was always one of my favorites so I was glad..."

The second book wasn't on the list - believe me I looked. I have to say since I watched the first half of the TV season before reading the 1st book, I like the characterization on TV more, plus Bobo is HOT. I've only read one other of her series, so I don't know most the backstories of the characters from that, although Manfred was in the one I read.

[Diane ~Firefly~]

I started my spin off book - The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire

[Nici]

I finished Night Owls for vampires and give it four stars. I liked the premis of the book and really enjoyed the characters. It was not one of those books that I could not put down...such as my spin off book! I finished my book on 9/16/17

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Don't forget to add the date Nici :)

[Nici]

I finished Lion's Share and give it five stars. I loved it so much I have already read the next book in the series. I loved seeing the characters from the other series and I love what is going on with the strays. I finished this book on 9/18/17

[Nici]

Sandra wrote: "Don't forget to add the date Nici :)"

edited!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Good work Nici!!!!

[Melissa]

Diane - We totally need to get it added to the spin-off shelf! I really couldn't believe that it wasn't on there already since there are characters from all of Charlaine Harris' series in it. That's just plain crazy! The Lily Bard series is the only one I haven't read but that's apparently where Bobo is from. I think I'm going to have to check it out! And I loved Manfred in Harper Connolly! He was different in Midnight than I remember - maybe it's just that he grew up ... remember how he pursued Harper like a horny teenaged boy?? Also, I really feel like we see him pop up in Sookie's world, too ... maybe in one of the short stories?? I can't remember, it's been too long.

I haven't had a chance to see the show but I've heard good things! I tuned into week 2 thinking it was the pilot episode and then turned it off b/c I figured out I was a week late! I keep meaning to catch up on Hulu but volleyball season is kicking my butt! The school season is almost over (tournaments this weekend) and we'll have a little break until club starts up. We'll go from volleyball 7 days/week to just 2 hrs/wk until January. I'll actually have time to catch up on my shows. Midnight, Texas, American Gods, The Magicians (season 2) and Preacher (season 2) are at the top of my list!

[Melissa]

Almost forgot! Master list is updated. Vampires stamp requested! Good job team! Happy Shelf Day!!