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R10: Team Litwits (3)
Mod
I should be finished with my book later today :)
Mod
Spot: 52
Book:Biting Nixie by Mary Hughes
Qualification: # 2 in Biting Love series
Pages:356
Finished:11/2/18
Rating: 4 star
Review:
When I first started this book, I thought for sure I would end up giving it 2 or 3 stars. The slang was annoying at first. Then once I figured out her slang, I started to enjoy her snarkiness. Still, I thought it was a 3 star book. Then the action started and vampires were brought in to help protect the humans. Logan was one of these vampires. I absolutely loved his snarky attitude. Even more than Nixie's. He made me laugh out loud a few times. Yeah, he wasn't a main character but he was definitely an awesome supporting character. I really hope he is in future books. The humor is what bumped this up to a 4 star for me.
*Halloween bonus point - genre is paranormal
Mod
How are you two doing on your books?
Mod
Donna, have you tried to pm Logan and Jade?
Mod
Mod
I’m so so sorry team. Totally dropped the ball this week. I stayed up late to finish and then fell asleep. Ugh. I’m so sorry.
I am sorry just go the PM, the week has totally gotten away from me! Didn't realise I have missed check in day.
Does this mean we don't get to roll at all?
Mod
Sorry, we have to sit out this week. We can roll again on Friday.
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Week: 9
Dice Roll: 8
Spot:60
What we can read:
Any book 60 in any series
Any book 6 in any series
Any standalone book
Alternate: Cover: Yellow/Gold
* Don't forget about the bonus points you can earn for our team! Check them out here
* We can also earn a free pass. We just need to have all reviews in the day before the roll (Thursday).
Don't forget that I have a pre-arranged absence for this week. If by some miracle I get one done this weekend, I will post but don't wait for me. Got a lot of last minute things to take care of before we leave.
Mod
Sorry, was resting off a headache and lost track of time.
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I will go with - Any standalone book just started reading
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Spot: 60
Book: The Courier by Andrew Britton
Qualification: Ryan Kealey #6
Pages: 496
Finished: 10 Nov 2018
Rating: ★★★
Review:
The sixth book in the series sees former CIA operative Ryan Kealey, accompanied by a nuclear physicist named Rayhan Jafari, on the trail of a very dangerous item: An old but by all indications functional nuclear bomb prototype developed by the Germans during World War II which was recovered by an Iranian vessel in the Arctic from the remains of the submarine once carrying it and has since been stolen by a would-be terrorist.
A bit of a letdown, too longwinded and with a disappointing conclusion. While Uncle Largo was an interesting character, Kealey himself was all in all rather useless in this book, and having him sidelined during what should have been an (pun not entirely unintended) explosive climax allowed what suspense remained after all the endless trekking across half the planet to fizzle out in a fairly unspectacular manner.
Week 9 Completion PostSpace 60
A Christmas Promise by KC Wells
Pages: 216
Read: 11/12/18
Rating: ★★★
I'd say this one is more of a family story than a concentrated romance. Yes, we have Greg and Micah as the main MCs but theirs is a slow burn, innocent type romance. We also had their fathers who were also once in a romance that was cut short. Then we have Micah's sister to round out the gang. We also have memories of Micah's mom and remembered times with those they've lost. Basically a lovely Christmas story with one niggle which was those that hurt Greg never got what they had a comin'.
Mod
Roll: 8
Current Spot: 60, Alternate: Cover: Yellow/Gold
Donna: Pre-arranged absence
✔ Denise: The Courier by Andrew Britton (Ryan Kealey #6) Review
✔ Jade aka MrsTosh: The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan (Standalone) Review
✔ Shannon: A Christmas Promise by K.C. Wells (Standalone) Review
✔ Logan: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (Standalone) Review
✔ SandyL: Don't Break My Heart by Laurie Kellogg (Return to Redemption #6) Review
✔ Shae: Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley (Standalone) Review
Just checking in - I'll have my book done by Thursday
I will be finished later today, again sorry for missing last weeks deadline, real life got in the way!
Week 9 - Completion PostRoll 8 - Spot 60
Don't Break My Heart
Author: Laurie Kellogg
Return to Redemption #6
Pages: 205
Completed: 11/12/18
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Trisha Mason and Justin Rivera were a couple in college, but she abruptly left and he never heard from her again. Years later, he is guardian for the daughter of a couple who had been friends of theirs. Haley is almost 16 and is still struggling with losing her dad. When the two go to the fancy schmancy wedding of Luke and Samantha, funded by Ben, he runs into Trisha. He never got over her and never married. Trisha is now working as a school counselor in Redemption and figured she'd run into Justin sooner or later, but is shocked to see him at the wedding. She also never got over him, and although she's still attracted to him, isn't in a position to start a relationship. But the two decide to have three days of adult fun while staying at the resort.
I should have read this series in order, because I was a bit lost with all the different characters (and there are a lot of them to keep track of.) But that wasn't my problem with this book - it more about how the relationship between Justin and Trisha progressed. After a day she was asking him if he wanted to get married. But she didn't want to get married because of something else she had going on. So I'm not sure why she asked him. And she did it more than once when he would allude to some type of future. I did like some of the other characters and plan to go back and read the books in order.
Week 9 Completion PostSpace 60
Book: The Christmas Sisters
Author: Sarah Morgan
Pages: 379
Read: 13th Nov
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
I have been waiting for this book to be released for months :)
Sarah Morgan never disappoints. This book is unusual from her normal style, as she generally gives each character their own book by creating a series, but this was a wonderful stand-alone novel full of love and characters who you can't help but root for. The book is centered around three sisters, now adults who were adopted by their parent's friends when they were children after a fatal climbing accident killed their parents. Each Sister has her own memories of the event and the toll it took on their childhood. Invited to go back to Scotland to spend Christmas together as a family with their adoptive parents, they all dread it for a different reason. They all live very independently and they are not really close and all have their own trials and tribulations going on throughout the book, but the love of family and Christmas spirit bring them all together.
It was a lovely book, makes you want to snuggle up in a chair with a hot cup of cocoa and get reading.
Mod
We'll be taking a break next week due to Thanksgiving.
Teams will roll this Friday, 11/16. No roll on 11/23. Reviews are due and the next roll will be on 11/30, at which point the game resumes its normal schedule.
For those playing both games, please note that the holiday scheduling works differently on SS and SSS.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it!
Mod
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Week 9 completion post Spot: 60
Qualification: 0 - standalone
Rating: 4 stars
Pages: 384
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was the first historical fiction based on Henry VIII that I’ve read. As I was reading, I would cross check facts and they were all true, which made this story even more enjoyable. It was a quick, fast paced book, with a middle grade writing style. I felt like Lady Mary didn’t grow up during this book, which would be one of my main downfalls. I can’t believe how her father just disposed of her and her mother when he fell in love with Anne Boleyn. This definitely has spurred on my need for some more historical fiction!
Hey guys! I recently got an Apple Watch and some how it’s turned my notifications off on my phone, I’ve also had reports due (teacher), so I have been busy and hence the lack of communication. Sorry guys!!!
Mod
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Logan, please roll for us when you post your review.
Week 9 Spot 60Completion Post
Finished: 11/16/18
Rating: 4 stars
Review: Fun thriller with twists and turns but not a knockout. I thought it tried to do too many things with the plot that meant they didn’t all succeed. Most glaringly, the choice to try and make Anne an unreliable narrator didn’t work as we already knew at that point in the book that we could trust her recall. So while it was entertaining enough for me to read it in one sitting, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be. I kept waiting for more shocking secrets to be revealed.
Mod
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Rolled: 10
New Spot: 70
Reading Options:
- #7 in series
- Standalone
- #70 in series
- Alternate: Cover Item: Hat
Mod
Spot: 70
Book: Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali
Qualification: Standalone
Pages: 336
Finished: 17 Nov 2018
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Saints and Misfits follows the life of 15-year-old Muslim American Janna Yusuf as she navigates her way through family and friendships, exams, a crush on a non-Muslim boy from her school, and more - all while carrying around a crushing secret she cannot bear to tell anyone about, involving a the supposedly oh-so-saintly cousin of a friend who sexually assaulted her and won't leave her alone.
I enjoyed this novel a lot, both for its wonderful complexity and development in relationships and characters and for allowing me a realistic, nuanced, stereotype-defying glimpse into a life and community outside my own experience. I loved its message about the importance of looking beneath the surface, not judging a book by its cover, and not letting yourself be defined by what others see when they look at you.
Week 10 Selection PostSpace: 70
Made Mine: A Protectors / Made Marian Crossover by Sloane Kennedy & Lucy Lennox
Pages: 288
Qualification: Standalone
Week 10Spot: 70
Book: A Cotswold Christmas
Qualification: Standalone
Pages: 160
Finished: 18 Nov 2018
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
To be honest I wasn't expecting much from this book as it was a free download, recommended to me by Amazon, however, I really enjoyed it. MC Anna is getting over a bad breakup and decided to come to England for the holidays. On arriving at her beautiful rented cottage she is devastated to learn she can't stay there due to a bad leak in the property. She ends up meeting the property owners Cousin Colin who puts her up and sparks fly.
It's a really lovely book, great for snuggling up cozy in front of the fire with a cup of tea.
Week 10 Completion PostSpace: 70
Made Mine: A Protectors / Made Marian Crossover by Sloane Kennedy & Lucy Lennox
Pages: 288
Read: 11/19/18
Rating: ★★★
I wish I enjoyed this one more because I've been waiting for Reese's story but since this is a crossover novel, I got so freaking confused that I had a hard time loving it. I did enjoy it but had to think way to hard in the process. I liked Reese more than Ben probably because Ben was a stubborn, pouting ass for most of the book but that may just be me. Good story but if you haven't read both the Made Marian series and the Protector series (which I have) you will be totally screwed in this one.
Week 10 - Completion PostSpot 70
Rocky Mountain Romance
Author: Vivian Arend
Six Pack Ranch #7
Pages: 338
Completed 11/18/18
Rating: 3 stars
Review: Melody Langley returns to Rocky Mountain to work with the local veterinarian. She and Steve Coleman had been dating before she left, but she broke things off because of his lack of attention. While she was gone, Steve realized what a mistake he had made in not paying more attention, so now he's going to whatever it takes to get Melody back. In the meantime, her boss goes on vacation and leaves Melody in charge of the practice. This wasn't my favorite of the series - the majority of the book was either Melody having difficulty dealing with bigoted people or she and Steve having sex. Nothing much else happened, and Melody kinda had a chip on her shoulder.
Week 10 completion post Spot: 70
Description: standalone
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: I enjoyed this book as it was a different point of view of World War II to what I’ve read in the past. I enjoyed the writing style and felt the author built you up to things eg. The swallow man and the tiny shoes he carried around. I really liked Anna’s character and her relationship with the Swallow man. Definitely has spurred my need for some more historical fiction!
Pages: 240
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Spot: 52
Qualification: second in series
Rating: 5 stars
Pages: 418
Review:Oh my gosh! That ending!! (view spoiler)[ Calaena is Aelin! I did not see that coming. And Dorian is magic! I am so excited to see where this goes in the next book as I feel like its just upped its Fantasy game. And what are these creatures the king is concocting for the war? Ahhhh and the romance, between Chaol and Aelin <3 It definitely had a rocky hump towards the end, but those parting words when Aelin got on the boat just broke me. Also I was so sad when Nehemia died, I cant believe how much happened in this book! (hide spoiler)]