PtP - Fairest of Them All (9)

[HeatherMarie]

Good luck on your school's musical Alexa!

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Yes Alexa, a good idea to pass. School musicals are so hectic to organise but so satisfying as a team to pull off. Good luck.

[HeatherMarie]

Selection Post- Week 7

Paper Princess by Erin Watt
370 pgs
How the book qualifies - Something shiny on the cover- a crown

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Alexa wrote: "I'll post officially if it is needed once the theme has been posted, but, if no one is adverse, would it be possible for me to use a pass for week 7?

My school's spring musical is next Saturday, a..."

Just do a quick post with the week # and that you are taking the pass option.

Thanks and enjoy your musical!

[Alexa]

Selection Post

Week #7

Pass

[Alexa]

Thank you everyone! I'm excited. The kids have been working hard, and are so precious.

I've directed regular plays before, but never been on the directing side of a musical. I performed in many growing up, and never realized just how much work they are from this side. It's been exhausting.

[[deleted user]]

Alexa wrote: "Thank you everyone! I'm excited. The kids have been working hard, and are so precious.

I've directed regular plays before, but never been on the directing side of a musical. I performed in many g..."

Best of luck :)

[[deleted user]]

Selection Post - Week 7 - Option 1


Plain Pursuit by Alison Stone
Pages: 224
How It Qualifies: Something shiny on the cover - reflective triangles (I cleared this in the Q&A)

[Linda C]

Alexa wrote: "Thank you everyone! I'm excited. The kids have been working hard, and are so precious.

I've directed regular plays before, but never been on the directing side of a musical. I performed in many g..."

Have fun along with the work! You'll be looking forward to next week when our deadline is your biggest commitment.

[Linda C]

Selection Post
Week 7 - Option 1

Book: Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews
Pages: 327
How it Fits: Something shiny on the cover - glinting sword blade

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Selection Post Week Seven: Shiny Item
Option 1
Task: Read a book with an item that would shine if the sun or a light was directed on to it found on your bookcover

Miss Frost Cracks A Caper (#4 Jayne Frost)
Pages: 188
How it Fits: Has a jewel in a snow globe on the cover

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Hi everyone - Anna (bamaace83) is going to join your team, replacing Maddison. She should be over sometime today :D

[bamaace83]

Hi everyone! My name is Anna and I'm going to step in and help out. I love reading and was once very active in the group but life went crazy but now I'm ready to get back in it. I will find a book to post tonight and read it tomorrow. Nice to meet everyone.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Hi Anna welcome!

[bamaace83]

Week 7: Option 1



A New Hope
Pages: 288
How it fits: Something shiny/reflective on the cover: Body of water

[[deleted user]]

bamaace83 wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Anna and I'm going to step in and help out. I love reading and was once very active in the group but life went crazy but now I'm ready to get back in it. I will find a book ..."

Welcome Anna!

[Alexa]

Welcome to the team Anna.

[Alexa]

Completion Post

Week # 6
Bookcover/link

Run to You
Rating (1-5): 4 stars
Review: I really enjoyed this book. This is a new author to me, and someone I will definitely read again. Her writing style is very similar to Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis. It's a very sweet and cozy romance in a small town with some wonderful side characters. Ethan was so wonderful. I found him to be an especially well written hero. I also loved his friends, and I definitely want to read their stories.

I took off a star because, like many small town romances, the plot was one hundred percent predictable. I kind of get tired of the exact same general plot with new reasons for the hardships. However, I did enjoy the story itself. Off the Grid Adventures sounds like a lot of fun..I'd love to go somewhere like that. I also loved the bucket list trips, though I wish more happened Ed on the pages and not during chapter breaks.

Overall, a great light romantic read. I will definitely be picking up this author again soon.

[Linda C]

Welcome aboard, Anna

see messages at beginning of thread for status info

[Linda C]

Completion Post
Week 6-Option #1
- Mary Kingsley
Pages: 255
How it Fits: #55 on Renovation Romance list
Read: 4/21/18
Rating: 4 stars

Review: Lord Michael Lyndon finds his father has a standing arrangement with an old friend to marry him to his daughter, who happens to have a sizable competence that will help them financially. Their estates are on the brink. Chloe Russell is also informed. Her brother wants Lyndon's title in the family and to marry off Chloe, who has not ventured into Society since a disastrous season where she was deemed Miss Bumblebroth because of several clumsy accidents. Neither is happy but willing to meet. They hit it off well because both believe in speaking their minds. This was the most refreshing part of the story for me. Even though each had damaged pasts they were willing to put in the effort to make a workable marriage. There are several subplots involving Chloe's fear of horses and her investing genius. Well done.

[HeatherMarie]

bamaace83 wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Anna and I'm going to step in and help out. "

Hi Anna! Welcome!

[[deleted user]]

Completion Post
Week 7 - Option #1


Plain Pursuit by Alison Stone
Pages: 224
How it Fits: Something shiny on the cover (reflective triangles on the buggy).
Read: April 22nd, 2018
Rating: 3.5 stars

Review:
This was pretty standard for a LI Suspense novel, and I do enjoy these quite a bit. They are a bit 'light' on the actual suspense. Bad things do happen (a deadly plane crash, the murder of a young Amish girl) but it is never described as anything grisly.

I enjoyed both main characters in this book. Anna is looking to find out why her brother died and Eli is the FBI agent sent to investigate. Eli was raised Amish but decided not to be baptized into the faith. It was his sister who went missing 10 years earlier and its believed that Anna's brother was connected.

The one thing I do find with these books, as they are faith based in nature (which even though I do not identify as Christian, I still find enjoyable); they tend to have what I call 'Scooby Doo' moments. When the killer or bad guy confesses everything and often times they say 'I would have gotten away with it too, if you hadn't butted in!' A lot of cliches, but still a fun read.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the Amish. I am actually participating in an Amish books readathon this week, and was quite happy I was able to use one of the books I am reading for this challenge. This book and the others I am reading this week are really doing a great job of opening my eyes to the Amish community and I am learning a lot of things that I didn't know.

[bamaace83]

I finished my book and will make my completion post later today. Thanks for the warm welcomes!

[bamaace83]

Completion Post
Week 7 - Option 1


A New Hope

Pages: 288
How it fits: Something shiny/reflective on the cover: Body of water
Read: April 24, 2018
Rating: 3 Stars

Review:
I think I now remembered why I've been trying to read series in order instead of just jumping in. I had only read one previous book from the Thunder Point series and I had liked it but this time I had a harder time following the story line because I didn't know the characters as well.

A New Hope followed the relationship between Matt and Ginger. Ginger is trying to restart her life after dealing with a traumatic loss. Matt is trying to overcome the fact that he never should've married his ex-wife. His ex doesn't come across as the most warm and fuzzy person. Over the course of the book, it was fun to watch Matt and Ginger learn to trust each themselves and each other. I do like how family plays such an important part of the story also. I liked reading about the wedding that everyone attended. I like how it's a small town and every kind of just knows everyone and is there for one another. I think where I really struggled with this book is all of the side stories that was taking place. I haven't read all the stories and usually it's okay because I have read a couple but this time there were so many side stories that really threw me off. I don't think as much attention was actually given to Matt and Ginger so it made it a little slower read for me. I will go back and try a couple more books in the series though.

[HeatherMarie]

Completion Post- Week 6

Northern Lights by Nora Roberts
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's in the 70s/80s fixin to be in the 90s/100s for the next couple months so this book, in snowy Alaska, was a welcome change. Nate, the new chief of police arrives in Lunacy, AK and meets a colorful cast of characters in this small town. One of it's citizens, Meg, a bush pilot catches his eye. A cold case becomes hot again and is possibly linked to crimes happening in the present. The main characters have a very bantery relationship and the townspeople are well developed and interesting. Nora Roberts does a good job of just giving drips of info so the mystery/culprit is not immediatley apparent. Really liked it- only criticism I can think of was the pacing was very slow- but it kind of fit with the wintry setting.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

HeatherMarie wrote: "Completion Post- Week 6

Northern Lights by Nora Roberts
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's in the 70s/80s fixin to be in the 90s/100s for the next couple..."

I loved how she made Nate's ptsd / depression very real. I didn't warm as easily to Meg but I really enjoyed Nate.

P.S. if you haven't already read it. Try Angels Fall

[HeatherMarie]

Loriidae wrote: "I loved how she..."

Samesies on the Nate/Meg situation- but she is recognizable- I've met that woman- but she & I are polka dots on the Venn diagram of life😉

Just gotten into the Nora Roberts/JD Robb oeuvre this past year with her Eve Dallas series- & am LOVING it! But soooooo many books 😥.......So thanks for the hot tip on Angels Fall, that will be next on the docket when I need some Roberts. Thanks!

[bamaace83]

Nora Roberts is my all time favorite author. I have read every single one of her books and she just keeps throwing new things out there. I will admit I like her romance books a little more than her sci-fi books because I like the humor bits that her characters tend to find themselves in, especially the MacGregors.

[[deleted user]]

bamaace83 wrote: "Nora Roberts is my all time favorite author. I have read every single one of her books and she just keeps throwing new things out there. I will admit I like her romance books a little more than her..."

I have actually never read Nora Roberts and I'm not much into paranormal... does anyone have any suggestions where to start? :)

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post Week Seven: Shiny Item
Option 1
Task: Read a book with an item that would shine if the sun or a light was directed on to it found on your bookcover

Miss Frost Cracks A Caper (#4 Jayne Frost)
Pages: 188
How it Fits: Has a jewel in a snow globe on the cover
Review:
I'm sorry to say that this installment of Jayne Frost did not impress me. Billed as a cosy mystery series, the mystery did not begin until the 40% mark. The mystery itself was easily resolved without surprises as to the villain's identity.
We were treated in depth to Jayne's love of sugar and food in general. Usually this is a fun quirk of Jayne's nature but it dominated the book and served to accentuate the shallowness of her character which previously was a minor quirk.

One plus is that the love triangle which has been present for the last three books is now resolved albeit very clumsily. As always I enjoy Ms painters writing and her comedic wit. I laughed out loud several times and smiled often.

Read: Apr 27
Rating: ★★★✰✰

[HeatherMarie]

Selection Post- Week 8

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster
423 pgs
How the book qualifies ( 2000/> ratings)-
9,099 ratings

[Linda C]

Selection Post

Book: Magic Breaks
Author: Ilona Andrews
Pages: 357
How it Fits: (>2000 ratings); has 30,414 Ratings

[[deleted user]]

Selection Post - Week 8 - Option 1


Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
Pages: 384
How It Qualifies: (>2000 ratings): 10,901 ratings

[Alexa]

Selection Post

Week #8
Book/Cover:

When To Fear The Living
Pages: 383
How it Qualifies: 2,265 ratings (>2000)

[Alexa]

Musical if finally over! I can breathe and read again. Thank you ladies for letting me use the pass last week.

[bamaace83]

Selection Post: Week 8
Option 1


Chasing Perfect
Pages: 376
How it Qualifies: 20,237 Ratings (>2000)

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Selection Post Week Eight: Greater than 2000 ratings
Option One
Task: Greater than 2000 ratings

Burn for Me (#1 Hidden Legacy) Ilona Andrews
Pages: 400
How it Fits: 27,346 Ratings

[Linda C]

Completion Post
Week 7 - Option 1

Book: Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews
Pages: 327
How it Fits: Something shiny on the cover - glinting sword blade
Read: 4/29/18
Rating: 5 stars

Review: Curran, Pack alpha, is asked to arbitrate a dispute between rival European Packs and guard the pregnant werewolf at the center of the dispute, in exchange for a supple of the panacea for young were's going loup at puberty and needing to be put down. Kate and 10 of his trusted Pack go along. But everyone has hidden agendas. Kate is a target as well as the pregnant disputee. New beast were's and an old enemy keep the action moving. Great as usual.

[HeatherMarie]

Completion Post- Week 7

Paper Princess by Erin Watt
⭐️
Interesting premise- girl loses her mother to cancer. It's always been just her & her mom so she fakes her age & strips to earn some money. Dude turns up at her work & says he's her guardian.

She's rightly really skeptical. He kinda fireman's carry kidnaps her & takes her home. He was her now deceased bio-dad's best friend & right before he died the friend left a letter telling him to take care of her. The guy's name is Royal. He has five sons. They are very, very wealthy. All the boys are entitled brats.

The one son, Reed, is a total jackass...he would have made an interesting villain...but wait, in the blurb didn't it say the love interest was Reed....dread....
All this unrealistic high school drama nonsense made me feel really old. Btw the heroine's name is Ella...cinderella...Royals... get it?- sigh.

So really liked the idea of the premise. If the author had included a chapter or two from the Hero's perspective that would have been really helpful because, as is, his motivations are hard to comprehend. He's just a little turd for no good reason. (Ok maybe he thinks she after his dad's money but woah super aggressively hateful from the jump- cool your jets dude!)

He immediately is a cruel, threatening bully to a virtually homeless, recently orphaned young woman: this does not hero-material make.

A lot of the characters in this book were full-on Snidely Whiplashs- unnecessary!
Despite Reed being a flaming pile of used diapers the heroine still likes him. Girl, what? what? what are you doing?! Ugh. Just, ugh this book.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

HeatherMarie - great review. Pity about the read! :/

[[deleted user]]

HeatherMarie wrote: "Completion Post- Week 7

Paper Princess by Erin Watt
⭐️
Interesting premise- girl loses her mother to cancer. It's always been j..."

Great review... I'm currently reading When It's Real by the same author and I'm feeling the same way about the characters... and I'm only 5% in! I hope it gets better.

[HeatherMarie]

@Loriidae & @Sarah Thanks. Was just frustrated with this book because my friends & people I follow mostly rated it 4 or 5⭐️s so was excited to read this puppy- felt like a crazy person. To each his own I guess 😒 (view spoiler)[Kept sticking with it hoping it would get better but it didn't even have a HEA/HFN! - the heroine ends up running away because the dirtbag she is inexplicably attracted to, sleeps with his father's girlfriend & is like "what?...may I help you?" when she catches them in bed- blarg! (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Completion Post
Week 8 - Option 1


Book: Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
Pages: 386
How it Fits: (>2000 ratings): 10,901 ratings
Read: 5/2/18
Rating: 4 stars

Review:
This is a difficult review for me to give because as much as I loved this book and want to talk about it, I don't want to give too much away as its the last book in the series. A twist is reveled at the end of book 3 and I was so eager to read this book.
(view spoiler)[There are a lot of secrets in this book, Georgianna has her secrets of who she is pretending to be and Duncan has his secrets of his own past. Right from the beginning of the book you know who Georgianna is and who her alter egos are (for lack of a better phrase). You don't find out Duncan's secrets till almost the end, so it really keeps you reading. I adored the two of them together and Georgianna's daughter was absolutely adorable. (hide spoiler)]

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post Week Eight: Greater than 2000 ratings
Option One
Task: Greater than 2000 ratings

Burn for Me (#1 Hidden Legacy) Ilona Andrews
Pages: 400
How it Fits: 27,346 Ratings
Review: (Note - Reread on audio)
Brilliant. It was easy to fall into the world building because it is modern day Houston with a side of magic. The different types of magic are incredibly diverse and make perfect sense. A hundred years ago, genes were accidentally turned on by a serum giving humans enhanced ability. Since then, these traits have been cultivated through selective breeding via marriage contracts. The dialogue is witty and classic Ilona Andrews. The sexual tension between the main characters is palpable. This is slow burn at its best.
Read: May 3
Rating: ★★★★★

[bamaace83]

I finished my book but it’s hard for me to do my completion post on my phone and they blocked the site at work which I think is just stupid. So the plan is to post it tonight! So sorry that it’s Friday and not up yet.

[Linda C]

Not a problem. Just can't be more than 2 outstanding. So OK to have one not up when the next is called.

[Alexa]

Completion Post

Week # 8
Bookcover/link:

When To Fear The Living
Rating (1-5): 5
Review: Another reread. I'm actually enjoying the weries more the second time around. My ratings keep going up. So many little things that I missed the first time. I won't say much since this is the third book, but I do think this is the first book in the series that really gave this book some substance and took it away from typical teenage drama book series.

[Linda C]

Week 9 New category is up
Read a book with an actor or entertainer in the storyline.
see msg#5 for lists that are required for this topic.

[Linda C]

Selection Post

Week #9 actor or entertainer in the storyline

Book: Her Leading Man - Alice Duncan
Pages: 350
How it Fits: #47 on Romance With Actors/Actresses/Acting list

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Selection Post Week Nine: actor or entertainer
Option One
Task16: Read a book with an actor or entertainer in the storyline.

Skin Deep (#3 O'Hurley Family) Nora Roberts
Pages: 335
How it Fits: #153 Romance with Actors, Actresses, Acting